One of the most important parts of the fight to eradicate human trafficking is educating the public on what they are fighting. Behind each of these numbers are real men, women, and children who need us to have the knowledge that equips us to fight. These are some of those numbers:
Identifying the Victims
Of an estimated 300,000 children being trafficked in America, only 1% are ever identified. Source.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in 2020, out of nearly 26,500 runaways, 1 in 6 were likely to be victims of child sex trafficking. Source: NCMEC
The National Human Trafficking Hotline received reports of 22,326 victims trapped in trafficking rings across the U.S. Source: Polaris
In 2020 alone, NCMEC’s CyberTipline received over 21.7 million reports involving child abuse material, online enticement, molestation, and trafficking. Over 300,000 of those were tips from the public. Source: NCMEC
Child Victims Facing Legal Ramifications
According to federal statutes on sex trafficking, a minor cannot consent to a commercial sex act and is a victim of trafficking, regardless of force, fraud, or coercion. Source: (22 U.S.C. § 7102)
In 2019, 214 juveniles were arrested for prostitution and commercialized vice. Source: FBI
Black children make up nearly 51% of all juvenile prostitution arrests, the most of any racial group. Source: FBI