The Act (What is Done)
Human Trafficking is the recruitment, abduction, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons.
The Means (How it is Done)
Through the use of threats, force, coercion, drugs, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability or giving payments or benefits to a person in control of the victim.
The Purpose (Why it is Done)
Prostituting others, sexual exploitation, forced labor, peonage, debt bondage, slavery or similar practices, the removal of organs, or other types of exploitation.
Sex Trafficking
A commercial sex act occurs when sexual activity is exchanged for money, goods, services, or some other benefit agreed upon by the transacting parties. This includes pornographic images, stripping, and escort services.
Sex trafficking always involves three parties - the victim, the buyer or “john,” and the exploiter or “pimp.” The exploiter is the one who benefits from the transaction.
Under U.S. federal law, any minor under the age of 18-years old involved in commercial sex is considered a victim of sex trafficking - regardless of whether or not the trafficker used force, fraud, or coercion.
Did you know:
The U.S. State Department derives statistics from foreign governments and other sources. Below are best guesstimates due to the hidden nature of trafficking crimes.
- Estimates are 28 million victims of modern slavery globally (International Labor Organization)
- A $150 billion industry (International Labor Organization)
- There is no official estimate of trafficked victims in the United States. Polaris estimates national totals at "hundreds of thousands when adults / minors and sex / labor trafficking are aggregated." (Polaris Project)
- Global statistics indicate men and boys are nearly half of trafficked victims. (U.S. State Department).
- The average age of entry into sex slavery for a girl is 12-14 and a boy is 11-13 years old. (Polaris Project)
- Estimated 1 out of 6 endangered runaways are child sex trafficking victims. (The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
- North Carolina has consistently ranked in the top 10 states for reported cases of human trafficking. (Polaris Project).
- Sex trafficking has been found in residential brothels, escort services, fake massage businesses, strip clubs, and street prostitution. (National Human Trafficking Hotline)
- Labor trafficking has been found in domestic work, small businesses, large farms, and factories (National Human Trafficking Hotline).