DOMESTIC HUMAN TRAFFICKING
U.S. law defines human trafficking as using force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into commercial sex acts or labor against their will.
Human trafficking is a global problem. It is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world. It is an international crime and hurts people from every part of the world, including our own.
61% of the identified trafficking victims in the United States were recruited by someone they knew - such as a family member, caregiver, or an intimate partner
The internet remains the #1 reported recruitment location, followed by street recruitment
54% of the victims reported recent migration or relocation as a risk factor or vulnerability
77% of the victims reported emotional abuse, economic abuse, and threats as the methods of force, fraud, and coercion
In 2021, friends and family were the access point for help for 43% of victims with an identified access point
IS EVERYONE REALLY AT RISK?
Yes, but...
Even though anyone can be a victim of a crime, research has shown that those with particular risk factors or vulnerabilities are at a much higher risk of being trafficked. These vulnerabilities can include living in poverty, being in foster care, or battling addiction, trauma, abuse, or an insecure housing or food situation, among other things. People who have been subjected to discrimination in the past, such as persons of color, indigenous groups, immigrant communities, and people who identify as LGBTQ+, make up a disproportionately high percentage of crime victims. Recruiters and traffickers are aware of these elements and exploit them in precise and targeted ways.
COMMON MYTHS
01
Trafficking always involves violence
Most human trafficking involves psychological methods such as tricking, defrauding, and manipulating victims into providing commercial sex or labor.
02
Only women and girls get trafficked
Sex traffickers also victimize men and boys. LGBTQ boys and young men are seen as particularly vulnerable to trafficking.
03
Human trafficking involves transporting people
The crime of human trafficking does not require any movement whatsoever. Survivors can be recruited and trafficked in their own home towns or homes.
04
All commercial sex is human trafficking
Commercial sex involving an adult is human trafficking if the person providing commercial sex is doing so against his or her will due to force, fraud, or coercion. However, because sex work and sex trafficking are closely related, Hope Center considers women exiting the sex industry as potential residents.
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