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Below are some answers to common questions about human trafficking in the United States. To learn more, use the resources listed here. To begin your fight to stop human trafficking, register now for an event.

Is human trafficking for the sex trade a problem in the United States?

Yes. Although the United States does not have as high a rate of human trafficking as many other countries, the truth is that thousands of domestic and international women are bought and sold in the United States each year. The U.S. is a destination country for an estimated 50,000 women and children each year who have been taken from their home countries. And thousands more domestic women and children are coerced into the sex industry yearly. Many like "Tanya", whose story was told on the U.S. State Department website in 2008, are lured into selling themselves for sex as children. "When I turned 12," Tanya said, "I started street prostitution." Tanya doesn't live in Asia, Africa, or an Eastern European country. She lives in Florida.

Shared Hope International recently conducted a study on minors involved in the United States sex industry. The study found . . .

Between 100,000 and 300,000 children in the U.S. are at risk for sex trafficking each year.
As many as 2.8 million children live on the streets, a third of whom are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.
12-14 is the average age of entry into pornography and prostitution.

Is human trafficking a local issue?

Unfortunately, yes. Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC are known hubs of the U.S. sex trafficking industry. Right here in Upstate South Carolina, authorities discover prostitution rings every year, many involving women both domestic and foreign who are held against their will. And for every sex trade operation that is discovered, there are certainly many that go undetected.

Is human trafficking limited to the sex trade?

No, modern day slavery exists in many forms including forced labor, debt bondage, and the involuntary sale of organs.

Resources

To learn more, please visit the following websites. These online resources contain valuable information on the problem of human trafficking, worldwide initiatives to end human trafficking, and inspiring stories of survivors.

HumanTrafficking.org/

U.S. Department of State