Although there is no exact number on how many individuals are affected by human trafficking, it is estimated that between 21 and 45 million individuals are trapped in modern-day slavery. Partaking in such an act is not only immoral but a crime against humanity that is getting worse. The only organized crime ranking higher is drug trafficking. Every 30 seconds someone new is forced, coerced, or tricked into human trafficking. In many countries, it is just as easy to purchase a human trafficking victim as it is to buy a piece of pizza. This is due to the advancement of technology. This is why it is vital for society to become informed on the different forms of human trafficking including knowing how to protect one from the evils of human trafficking.

Human Trafficking Basics

Human trafficking occurs when somebody illegally recruits, transports, transfers, harbors, or receives a person by force, coercion, abduction, or fraud for the purpose of forcing one to perform labor, organ donation, criminal activity, or sexual exploitation (sex trafficking)!  Among all forms of human trafficking, sex trafficking, also known as sexual exploitation is the #1 form in America! It mostly involves young women and children. Among sex trafficking victims, 90 percent of them are women under the age of 18.

Sex Trafficking

Sex Trafficking is the Recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons, by means of threat, use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power, or using one’s position to sexually exploit another person. In this form, traffickers force, trick, manipulate, or coerce victims to perform stripping, prostitution, and pornographic videos. Anyone buying these services fuels the epidemic of sex trafficking.

1 out of every 5 pornographic videos or images is of a child, and 55% of child pornography comes from the United States. 

Although not conclusive, sex trafficking occurs when: 

• Observing another person’s nudity or sexual activity or allowing others to observe consensual sexual activity without all parties’ consent.
• Non-consensual streaming of images, photography, videos, or audio recording of sexual activity or nudity, or distributing it without the consent of all parties involved.
• Prostituting another individual to perform in sex, stripping, or pornography.
• Sending, receiving, or watching pornography of a minor (knowingly or unknowingly).

Partaking in any of these is not only immoral, but criminal!

Modern Technology

One of the major reasons sex trafficking increasing is because of the amount of screen time children are exposed to. Traffickers know this, which is why they lurk in the very areas where youth are spending a lot of their time. With youth spending most of their time online, they are at a greater risk of being forced, tricked, or manipulated into being trafficked. Common Sense Media notes that the average teen is spending 7 hours and 22 minutes online a day. Children are not too far behind either, with the average 8-12-year-old spending 4 hours 44 minutes a day online. Allowing youth to spend this much time online is not only unsafe, but it puts them in more danger of becoming a trafficking victim. The FBI notes that there are over 800,000 predators online in America every day. To safeguard children, anyone connected to today’s youth should learn and teach the following steps to their children:

• NEVER GIVE OUT PERSONAL INFORMATION SUCH AS ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, LOCATION, OR SCHOOL NAME on the Internet.
• NEVER POST OR TRADE PERSONAL PICTURES online with anyone that you do not know.
• DO NOT SHARE or give your PERSONAL PASSWORDS to OTHERS.
• DO NOT AGREE TO GET TOGETHER IN PERSON WITH ANYONE MET ONLINE WITHOUT PARENT SUPERVISION.
• NEVER RESPOND BACK TO ANY THREATENING EMAILS, TEXTS, MESSAGES, OR POSTS. 
• ALWAYS TELL A trusted ADULT ABOUT ANY CONVERSATION online or in person THAT IS UNCOMFORTABLE, HURTFUL, OR SCARY.