What is human trafficking?
"Human trafficking is the business of stealing freedom for profit. In some cases, traffickers trick, defraud or physically force victims into providing commercial sex. In others, victims are lied to, assaulted, threatened or manipulated into working under inhumane, illegal or otherwise unacceptable conditions. It is a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that denies freedom to 24.9 million people around the world." (National Human Trafficking Hotline)
Sex Trafficking
Sex trafficking is legally defined as “commercial sex acts induced by force, fraud or coercion, or commercial sex acts in which the individual induced to perform commercial sex has not attained 18 years of age.” Sex trafficking often occurs in street prostitution, residential brothels, strip clubs, online escort services, pornography, and illegitimate massage parlors. (Polaris Project)
Labor Trafficking
Labor trafficking is legally defined as “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.” (Administration for Children & Families) Labor traffickers use violence, threats, lies and other forms of coercion to force people to work against their will in many different industries, but commonly as domestic servants, agricultural workers, and factory workers. (Polaris Project)
Trafficking by the numbers
"Human trafficking is the business of stealing freedom for profit. In some cases, traffickers trick, defraud or physically force victims into providing commercial sex. In others, victims are lied to, assaulted, threatened or manipulated into working under inhumane, illegal or otherwise unacceptable conditions. It is a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that denies freedom to 24.9 million people around the world." (National Human Trafficking Hotline)
Sex Trafficking
Sex trafficking is legally defined as “commercial sex acts induced by force, fraud or coercion, or commercial sex acts in which the individual induced to perform commercial sex has not attained 18 years of age.” Sex trafficking often occurs in street prostitution, residential brothels, strip clubs, online escort services, pornography, and illegitimate massage parlors. (Polaris Project)
Labor Trafficking
Labor trafficking is legally defined as “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.” (Administration for Children & Families) Labor traffickers use violence, threats, lies and other forms of coercion to force people to work against their will in many different industries, but commonly as domestic servants, agricultural workers, and factory workers. (Polaris Project)
Trafficking by the numbers
- 27 Million: Number of people in modern-day slavery across the world.
- 12.3 Million: Number of adults and children in forced labor around the world
- 2 Million: Number of children exploited by the global commercial sex trade.
- 80%: Percent of transnational victims who are women and girls.
- 50%: Percent of transnational victims who are minors.