COERCION and

INTIMIDATION
THREATS
Harms other victims, children
Threatens to harm victim
or pets ● Displays or uses
or family ● Threatens
ECONOMIC weapons ● Destroys
to expose or shame
property ● Lies about
ABUSE victim ● Threatens
police involvement
Creates debt that can to report to
in trafficking
EMOTIONAL
never be repaid ● Takes police or ABUSE
situation
money earned ● Prohibits access immigration
Humiliates in front of others
to finances ● Limits resources to
● Calls names ● Plays mind games
a small allowance
● Makes victim feel guilt/blame for
USING PRIVILEGE situation ● Convinces victim they’re
the only one that cares about them
Treats victim like a servant
● Uses gender, age or nationality to
POWER
suggest superiority ● Uses certain & ISOLATION
victims to control others ● Hides or Keeps confined ● Accompanies
destroys important documents CONTROL to public places ● Creates distrust of
police/others ● Moves victims to
PHYSICAL ABUSE different locations ● Doesn’t allow
Shoves, slaps, hits, punches, kicks, victim to learn English or to go
strangles ● Burns, brands, tattoos SEXUAL DENYING, to school ● Denies
● Denies food/water ● Exposes ABUSE access to children,
BLAMING,
to harmful chemicals Uses sexual assault family and friends
● Forces pregnancy as punishment or
MINIMIZING,
termination ● Inducess means of control Makes light of abuse or
drug addiction as ● Forces victim to have exploitation ● Denies that
means of sex multiple times a day anything illegal or exploitative
control with strangers ● Treats is occurring ● Places blame
victim as an object for on the victim for the
monetary gain ● Normalizes trafficking situation
sexual violence and
selling sex
sex

This wheel was adapted from the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project’s Duluth Model Power and Control Wheel,
available at www.theduluthmodel.org
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 53315, Washington, DC 20009 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org |
Info@PolarisProject.org
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2010. All Rights Reserved.
This publication was made possible in part through Grant Number 90XR0012/02 from the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, Office of
Refugee Resettlement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do
not necessarily represent the official views of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, Office of Refugee Resettlement, or HHS.