FACTS

What Are the Truths of Trafficking?

Note: As many trafficking victims do not report their situation to the police or are not even discovered as trafficking victims, the real numbers are actually much higher than what has been gathered by official sources.

There are over

40.3 MILLION Trafficking Victims Worldwide. Right. Now.

But What is Human Trafficking?

"Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act."

(Unless involving a minor, then it is considered trafficking even if force, fraud, or coercion are not involved.)

- United States Homeland Security

Force

Is when the victim is made to act against their will.

Fraud

Is when the victim is blatantly deceived into acting by the trafficker.

Coercion

Is when the victim is manipulated or tricked into their situation. Coercion is the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.

What are the Main Types of Trafficking?

There are many divisions of human trafficking, but almost all of them fall under the two main categories of:

Labor Trafficking

and

Sex Trafficking

What are Warning Signs of Sex Trafficking?

Showing signs of physical injuries and abuse.

Self-isolating changes in behavior. Avoiding eye contact, social interaction, and authority figures/law enforcement.

Seeming to adhere to scripted or rehearsed responses in social interactions.

Rarely be allowed to come and go independently and may be accompanied by someone who controls their every movement.

Hand Signal for Distress

A new silent signal for needing immediate help was recently shared on TikTok after it saved a young woman in Canada from being trafficked.

Statistics

Trafficking is Not a Female Only Crime:

Roughly 30% of Recorded Trafficking Victims are Male (The numbers are thought to be even higher since men are less likely to report being trafficked because of societal perception.)
Of those male victims, 20% are minors being trafficked for sex
The average age for a male sex trafficking victim is in the Middle School

For Child Sex Trafficking Specifically:

Most children are trafficked by people they know, such as friends and even family members. It is not always strangers.
Rather than always kidnapping their child victims, most child sex traffickers operate by building trust with victims, and manipulating them into sexual exploitation.

These facts and statistics were gathered from the reliable sources of the: the United States Homeland Security, The Polaris Project, and the Human Trafficking Hotline