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The Human Sex Trafficking Crisis

The startling reality of human, sexual, and minor trafficking across the globe, and the United States' response to it.

A Note on the Data

Human trafficking is one of the most underreported crimes in the United States.

The data presented here represents only what has been documented. Inconsistencies across sources, gaps in reporting systems, and the hidden nature of trafficking mean these numbers tell an incomplete story. The true scale of this crisis remains largely hidden.

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Unknown victims

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Inconsistent data

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Gaps in reporting

Learn more about data gaps in human trafficking reporting →

Perception vs. Reality

News stories and court cases show only a tiny fraction of what is really happening. Most exploitation is hidden, online, and never reported.

Iceberg visual

What we see in headlines is just the tip of the iceberg.

Pervasive and Underreported

"Child sex trafficking is a pervasive and underreported crime, and one of the most complex forms of child exploitation."

U.S. Department of Justice

Harm Beneath the Surface

In a national survey of 2,639 people about their experiences before age 18, researchers found that:

15.6% experienced online child sexual abuse before turning 18

Finkelhor et al., JAMA Network Open (2022)

Scale & Growth in the U.S.

An estimated 6.3 million people are in situations of forced commercial sexual exploitation at any point in time. – ILO

If every victim stood shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch 2,400 miles.


silhouette silhouette silhouette silhouette silhouette silhouette silhouette silhouette silhouette silhouette

That is equivalent to the distance from Los Angeles to New York.


Map showing distance from Los Angeles to New York
1,416 persons were arrested for sex trafficking of a minor in the United States from 2010 to 2015 – McCain

That is about one arrest every day for four years.

Human trafficking is the second most profitable illegal industry in the U.S, and generates $236 billion in illegal profits annually worldwide – ourrescue

If you stacked $236 billion in $100 bills, the pile would reach over 160 miles high — more than 27 Mount Everests.

The Role of Technology

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the US reported an 846% increase from 2010 to 2015 in reports of suspected child sex trafficking – an increase the organization has found to be ‘directly correlated to the increased use of the Internet to sell children for sex.’ – ICAT
In 2020, over 80% of the U.S. Department of Justice’s sex trafficking prosecutions involved online advertising. – United Nations
During the COVID-19 lockdown, the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline reported a 125% increase in reports of recruitment on Facebook and 95% increase in reports of recruitment on Instagram over the previous year. – Polaris

Facebook

+125%

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Instagram

+95%

Recent Reports & Investigations

Screenshot related to Character.AI case In February 2024, 14-year old Sewell Setzer III committed suicide following months of communication with an AI-chat bot encouraging him to 'Please come home to me as soon as possible, my love.' Setzer's mother is suing Character.AI in the first U.S. federal case to accuse an AI company of contributing to a user’s death. Trial set for November 2026. – The New York Times

Character.AI is a chatbot platform where users create and chat with AI characters they customize to have unique personalities of their choosing.

Screenshot related to Meta New Mexico case In 2023 over the course of several months, the New Mexico Attorney General's Office carried out an undercover investigation of Meta's platforms, creating decoy accounts of children. – New Mexico’s lawsuit against Meta

They found that “Meta steered and connected users – including children – to sexually explicit, exploitative and child sex abuse materials and facilitated human trafficking within or affecting New Mexico”.

The People Affected

Who Are The Victims?

Victim Profile
Nearly All Victims Are Girls — Average Age 15

In a review of 1,416 federal sex trafficking cases, 941 victims were identified. Nearly all (98.9%) were female, with an average age of just 15 years old at the time of exploitation.

98.9% Female
15 Average age

McCain Institute

Known and Trusted
45% knew their trafficker

More than half of identified minor victims were runaways. This isn't stranger danger, it's betrayal by someone familiar: a friend, romantic partner, or family member.

50%+
Runaways
45%
Knew Trafficker

Each dot represents 1% of identified minor victims.

McCain Institute

Victims Become Criminals
A System That Criminalizes Survivors

62% of identified trafficking survivors reported being arrested or detained. Among those who were arrested, 71% now carry a criminal record, and 90% said the crimes were committed under coercion while they were trafficked. Instead of being treated as victims, many are pulled deeper into the criminal legal system.

100% Identified survivors

People recognized as trafficking survivors.

62% Arrested or detained

Nearly 2 out of 3 survivors are pulled into the criminal legal system.

71% Carry a criminal record

Of those arrested, most leave with a record (≈44% of all survivors).

90% Crimes under coercion

The vast majority say the crimes were committed under coercion while being trafficked (≈40% of all survivors).

U.S. Department of State

The People Involved

Who Are The Traffickers?

Demographics
Child Sexual Exploitation Offender Profile

On average, convicted traffickers are overwhelmingly male, in their late 30s, and U.S. citizens — a largely domestic offender population operating in American communities.

♂
94%
Male offenders
🎂
38
Average age
🇺🇸
96%
U.S. citizens

These criminals are not operating far away. They are largely domestic offenders within American communities.

U.S. Sentencing Commission

Prosecution Patterns
Trafficking Defendants Are Overwhelmingly Male

Of the 1,070 defendants charged with any of the three types of human trafficking offenses in U.S. district court in fiscal year 2022, 91% were male. Among the 203 defendants charged with peonage, slavery, forced labor, and sex trafficking, 69% were male. Of the 523 defendants charged with sexual exploitation and other abuse of children, 94% were male.

All Trafficking Defendants (2022)

9% Female • 91% Male

Child Sexual Exploitation (2022)

6% Female • 94% Male

Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2024

Criminal History
68.5% had little or no prior history

These are often first-time offenders: neighbors, coworkers, family members, not career criminals with long rap sheets.

68.5% Little or no prior record
31.5% More extensive prior history

Most trafficking offenders are not long-time criminals – they are people with minimal records drawn into these crimes.

U.S. Sentencing Commission

STAT7

identified victims across 11,999 cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline

The Connection to the Hospitality Industry

75% of human trafficking survivors reported encountering hotels at some point during their exploitation – Human Trafficking Search






This could have occurred while traveling, as a location of exploitation, or during their escape and rehabilitation.
Warning Signs

Constant guest turnover, low security, and cash payments allow for anonymity. - The Exodus Road

Vulnerable groups staying in hotels (migrants, people facing poverty, families in crisis) are easy targets. - The Exodus Road

How to Tell

Heavy foot traffic in and out of a hotel room, requesting of rooms with a view of the parking lot, paying for rooms with cash or a pre-paid card, frequent requests for fresh towels and linens, extended stay with no/few personal possessions - NewGen Advisory

A case filed in January 2024 stated that plaintiffs in 113 total actions pending in over 20 districts allege that they are victims of sex trafficking that occurred at hotel properties located across the country. Some of them are suggesting the centralization of individual lawsuits into one Multidistrict Litigation. – United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL No. 3104)


Hotels Across the US

Some plaintiffs' suggested locations for centralization into one Multidistrict Litigation.

"Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being’s entitlement by virtue of his humanity."

— Mother Teresa

“Remember that every person on the streets, in a club, on the internet, in a hotel room, WHEREVER they may be, have families and loved ones and hearts just as you do, and that they are worthy and enough. When you see us, could you just offer a small smile? Extend a small bit of compassion even though you may not personally understand? Small, simple actions have the potential to make a large impact, and now is the time more than ever before.”

— Melissa Diehl, survivor of human trafficking

“Human trafficking is an open wound on the body of contemporary society, a scourge upon the body of Christ. It is a crime against humanity.”

— Pope Francis