According to the U.S. Department of Justice, human trafficking is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into commercial sex acts or labor against their will. The coercion can be subtle or overt, physical or psychological. Exploitation of a minor for commercial sex is human trafficking, regardless of whether any form of force, fraud, or coercion was used.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking or if you believe you have information about a trafficking situation, contact the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text “BeFree” to 233733. You can reach the Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in more than 200 languages. All calls are confidential and answered live by highly trained Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocates.
To report missing children, child pornography, child sexual exploitation, or for the removal of sexually explicit photos and videos taken before the age of 18, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678) or through their CyberTipline.
Yes. Extensive evidence shows human trafficking and child exploitation occur in big cities and rural areas; in low-income, middle-income, and wealthy neighborhoods. It is pervasive, and as much as we may want to believe this is not a problem here in the United States, that is just not true. Child exploitation and human trafficking is happening right in our backyard.
In 2021, 10,359 situations of human trafficking were reported to the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline involving 16,554 individual victims. However, because human trafficking is an underreported crime, these numbers are likely only a fraction of the problem:
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention states that between 1.6 million and 2.6 million youth run away each year. The Modern Slavery Research Project states that 1 in 5 homeless youth are trafficked.
In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36.2 million reports of suspected child exploitation on their CyberTipline.
Child labor trafficking in industries including domestic work, forced criminality, entertainment, and agriculture continues to be a modern-day crime with one study revealing that 42% of victims are U.S. citizens, 58% are foreign nationals, 38% are male and 59% were female with an average age of 14.
The Polaris Project’s Typology of Modern Slavery identifies 25 types of human trafficking in the United States, including in major industries such as agriculture, beauty services, construction, entertainment, hospitality, landscaping, and restaurants.
Kidnapping by a stranger accounts for a very small proportion of child exploitation cases. The U.S. Department of State estimates that 41% of child trafficking experiences are facilitated by family members or caregivers. Manipulation to gain trust is a common method used to recruit a victim, getting to know a victim’s vulnerabilities to fulfill a need in their lives. This can occur online, through social media, or in person in public places. iEmpathize identifies five types of manipulative disguises in our Empower Youth Program:
Forms of exploitive situations include:
Exploitation occurs when someone takes advantage of another’s vulnerability to achieve personal gain. Exploitative predators like traffickers look for vulnerability that can be manipulated in children, adults, industries, and communities.
Research from the Polaris Project articulates that trafficking does not happen in a vacuum and that exploitation is a largely predictable result of increased vulnerabilities, including the presence of one or more adverse childhood experiences. 83% of survivors of trafficking experienced poverty before exploitation, 93% experienced drug abuse or mental health issues, and 64% experienced housing insecurity.
Certain demographics are more susceptible to exploitation because of the extreme nature of their vulnerability. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “In addition to Native Americans, the Office of Victims of Crime identified the most vulnerable populations for human tracking as Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) individuals; persons with disabilities; undocumented immigrants; runaways and homeless youth; and low-income individuals.”
Still, it is impossible to compile a single decisive list of the factors that create vulnerability to exploitation. Complex and unique experiences, such as the communities we grow up in, the families we are born into, and the personalities we develop, can all play a role. This means that vulnerability looks different for everyone. It also means that vulnerability can occur no matter economic status, race, ethnicity, geographic location, gender, or sexual orientation.
It is important to prioritize prevention strategies to navigate vulnerability, whatever form that might take.
No. According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report, boys represent the fastest-growing segment of identified human trafficking victims. The percentage of boys identified as victims more than quintupled between 2004 and 2020. While the percentage of women trafficked is almost double that of men (43% to 23%), the percentage of boys and girls trafficked is almost identical (17% and 18%). The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children notes that teenage boys have been the most common targets seen in the dramatic increase of sextortion cases reported to their CyberTipline.
Survivors need access to a wide range of services. They also need to be heard. As an organization specializing in prevention and intervention solutions, iEmpathize partners with survivors to amplify their perspectives, values, and input. Survivors guide our methodology, helping us to authenticate this issue as we educate key audiences about how to prevent this from happening to others, and how to effectively intervene in situations of exploitation. Through the original media we generate, we work to bring the voices of survivors to an ever-widening audience.
It is important to note that as we work with survivors, their health and well-being are always our top priority. We are committed to prioritizing the safety, dignity, and comfort of survivors as we produce media. Learn more about our media practices.
To eradicate exploitation, a comprehensive strategy must be enacted across a spectrum of areas. These areas include education, prevention, intervention, and aftercare. If we were to rely solely on law enforcement to address exploitation, they would only be operating in the area of intervention.
According to the United Nations, only one out of every 100 victims of human trafficking is rescued, and 41% of those who manage to escape reach out to authorities on their own. Once a victim becomes ensnared by a trafficker, it may be hard to break the cycle of abuse. The White House's 2021 National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking states that this form of exploitation is an underreported crime with insufficient scientifically rigorous data analysis, listing prevention as a critical part of its four-pillar plan for strategic eradication.
As you can see, this is a complex issue that law enforcement cannot handle alone. They are an integral part of the continuum of response, but nonprofits, businesses, communities, governments, and individuals must all be involved to truly end exploitation. Preventing the most vulnerable from entering human trafficking is crucial.
Learn how to have engaging conversations through our Empower Youth Program.
Learn how to change the privacy settings for social media apps and gaming platforms through the New Mexico Department of Justice’s SMART CHATS.
To report missing children, child pornography, child sexual exploitation, or for the removal of sexually explicit photos and videos taken before the age of 18, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678) or through their CyberTipline.
Find resources for child sexual exploitation survivors on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website.
The Empower Youth Program was designed for youth 12 and older. It has also proven to be very successful with certain demographics of youth in their twenties. Additionally, the Empower Youth Program is a great resource for adults who want to learn about issues of child exploitation.
The Empower Youth Program was carefully designed to appeal to young men and women. Teen male and female presenters lead participants through the video content, demonstrating how to navigate vulnerability and stay safe from exploitation. Research proves that we must inspire empathy in youth of all genders and empower them to stay safe from exploitation of all forms.
The program is distinct for many reasons:
The student surveys come in two sections: A pre-unit survey, which consists of scaled questions (On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate . . .?), and a post-unit survey which consists of scaled and short answer questions. We estimate that the surveys should take 5-10 minutes to complete.
Facilitators will be asked to complete one survey after finishing the final module. It consists of multiple-choice questions, scaled questions, and short answer questions. We estimate that it should take 10-15 minutes to complete.
The purpose of the surveys is to allow students an opportunity to process what they already know and what they have learned, as well as to provide iEmpathize with feedback to assess the program and trace its impact. We are committed to ongoing development in meeting the needs of youth; student and facilitator feedback is an essential part of that process. In addition, we provide all users with an impact report of their students’ survey results.
The wallet cards are sized for students to keep in their purses or wallets. The cards have reminders about the core concepts in the Empower Youth Program and feature the National Human Trafficking Hotline. If students ever need help in a trafficking situation, they will have the number to call.
