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Human trafficking and sexual exploitation:  the statistics behind the stories

The stories of those who have survived human trafficking and sexual exploitation are the driving force behind our World Without Exploitation​ efforts.​ But human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation statistics also inspire our movement, providing us with a number-based sense of the scope and scale of the problem. What follows is a curated summation of some of the most reliable research available. We hope that the studies summarized below cause you to think, feel, and act on behalf of those who have been trafficked or exploited.
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prevalence of Human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the U.S.

Not just global, but local

Trafficked youth

Too vulnerable, too soon

Characteristics of those involved in the sex trade

Seeking safe haven

Violence in the sex trade

Risky "business"

Men who buy sex in the U.S.

Risky "business"

Sex traffickers and pimps

Seeking safe haven

Internet-facilitated Sexual Exploitation in the U.S.

Risky "business"

Human trafficking & sexual exploitation in the US

Not just global, but local

Trafficked and prostituted youth

Too vulnerable, too soon

Violence in the sex trade

Risky "business"

Foster care, homelessness and exploitation

Seeking safe haven

Prevalence of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the U.S.

Not just global, but local

Sources

1

Federal Bureau of Investigation (2017). Human Trafficking, 2017. The Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR).

2

National Human Trafficking Resource Center (2018).

3

Zhang, S. X. (2012). Looking for a Hidden Population: Trafficking of Migrant Laborers in San Diego County. Submitted to the United States Department of Justice.

Prevalence of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the U.S.

81%

Commercial sex trafficking

19%

Labor trafficking

1,220 cases of human trafficking were reported to state law enforcement agencies in 2015. Of these cases, 81% involved commercial sex trafficking and 19% involved labor trafficking. (1)

30%

A recent study found that more than 30% of unauthorized migrant laborers in San Diego County were victims of human trafficking violations, most inflicted by employers at the workplace - not smugglers. (3)

52,919

potential human trafficking cases were reported by the public to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline between December 2007 and December 31, 2018. (2)

Download the full report

Trafficked youth

Too vulnerable, too soon

Sources

1

Federal Bureau of Investigation (2015). Human Trafficking, 2014. The Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR).

2

Carpenter, A. and Gates, J. (2016). The Nature and Extent of Gang Involvement in Sex Trafficking in San Diego County. San Diego, CA: University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University.

3

Gragg, F. Petta, I., Bernstein, H., Eisen, K., & Quinn,
L. (2007). New York Prevalence Study of Commercially Sexually Exploited Children. A WESTAT Report prepared for the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.

4

Ibid.

Trafficked youth

570 children

were arrested for “prostitution” in 2014.  Seventy-five of these victims and survivors were under 15. (1)

14

was the estimated average age of entry for girls in the commercial sex trade in a 2015 study. (2) For many children in another study, the age of first exploitation was 11 or younger. (3)

85%

of prostituted children in one New York study report having been victims of child abuse and neglect. (4)

Download the full report

Violence in the sex trade

Risky "business"

Sources

1

Lederer, L. and Wetzel, C. (2014). The Health Consequences of Sex Trafficking and Their Implications for Identifying Victims in Healthcare Facilities. Annals of Health Law 23 (1): 61-91.

2

Durchslag, R. and Goswami, S. (2008). Deconstructing the Demand for Prostitution: Preliminary Insights from Interviews with Chicago Men Who Purchase Sex. Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation

3

Raphael, J. and Ashley, J. (2008). Domestic Sex Trafficking of Chicago Women and Girls. A Report from the Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center, DePaul University College of Law, and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.

4

Williamson, C., Perdue, T., Belton, L., & Burns, O. (2012). Domestic Sex Trafficking in Ohio. Ohio Human Trafficking Commission Final Report.

5

Potterat, J., Brewer, D., et al. (2004). Mortality in a Long-term Open Cohort of Prostitute Women. American Journal of Epidemiology 159 (8): 778-85

Violence in the sex trade

92%

of trafficked women in one study report being subjected to physical violence, such as being shot, strangled, burned, beaten, stabbed, or punched. Many are victims of multiple forms of violence. Respondents reported an average of 6.25 of the 12 forms of violence. (1)

55%

Report suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

42%

Had attempted suicide at least once

43%

of sex buyers in a Chicago study believe that if a man pays for sex, the woman should do anything they ask. (2)

47%

of young prostituted women in a Chicago study reported being raped by pimps or buyers. (3)

Download the full report

Characteristics of those involved in the sex trade

Seeking safe haven

Sources

1

Nixon, K. et al. (2002). The Everyday Occurrence: Violence in the Lives of Girls Exploited through Prostitution. Violence against Women 8: 1016-43.

2

What We Know About Sex Trafficking, Prostitution, and Sexual Exploitation in the U.S. World Without Exploitation, 2017

3

Tyler, K. and Beal, M. (2010). The High-Risk Environment of Homeless Young Adults: Consequences for Physical and Sexual Victimization. Violence & Victims 25(1):101-15.

4

Carpenter, A. C. and Gates, J. (2016). The Nature and Extent of Gang Involvement in Sex Trafficking in San Diego County. San Diego, CA: University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University.

5




6

McClanahan et. al. (1999). Pathways into Prostitution among Female Jail Detainees. Psychiatric Services 50(12): 1606-13.

Dalla, R. (2000). Exposing the “Pretty Woman” Myth: A Qualitative Examination of the Lives of Female Streetwalking Prostitutes. The Journal of Sex Research 37(4): 344-353.

7

Martin, L. et al. (2010). Meaningful Differences: Comparison of Adult Women Who First Traded Sex as a Juvenile Versus as an Adult. Violence against Women 16(11):1252-1269.

8

Lilleston, P.S. et al. (2015). Exotic Dance in Baltimore: From Entry to STI/HIV Risk. Women Health 55 (5): 595-611.

Characteristics of those involved in the sex trade

< 15

is the age at which many first became involved in the sex trade. Those who were trafficked as children were often prostituted at even younger ages. One study found that over 33% were trafficked between 11-13 years old. (1)

Up to 84%

of prostituted women and girls are survivors of childhood sexual abuse, according to multiple studies. Most research studies show percentages between 70-75%. (2)

60%

of the child sex trafficking victims recovered as part of an FBI seven-city raid were children from foster care or group homes. (3)

55%

of prostituted adult women in a San Diego program were currently or previously homeless. (4)

Substance use and abuse are common among those in the sex trade. However, multiple studies show that abuse and addiction lead to involvement in the sex trade, as well as occur as a result of becoming involved in the commercial sex trade. (5) (6) (7) (8)

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Men who buy sex in the U.S.

Seeking safe haven

Sources

1

Smith, T.W., Marsden, P.V., and Hout, M. General Social Survey, 1972-2010.

2

Durchslag, R. and Goswami, S. (2008). Deconstructing the Demand for Prostitution: Preliminary Insights from Interviews with Chicago Men Who Purchase Sex. Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation.

3

Janson, L. (2013). Our Great Hobby:" "An Analysis of Online Networks for Buyers of Sex in Illinois. Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation.

Men who buy sex in the US

14%

Only 13.9% of men 18-75 reported paying for sex in their lifetime. (1)

43%

of sex buyers in a Chicago study believed that if they pay for sex, a woman should do anything they ask. (2)

50%

of posts made by buyers in a prostitution chat room express contempt for females in prostitution: they’re “meat” or “merchandise.” (3)

Download the full report

Sex traffickers and pimps

Seeking safe haven

Sources

1

Denton, E. (2016). Anatomy of Offending: Human Trafficking in the United States, 2006-2011. Journal of Human Trafficking 2(1): 32-62.

2

Carpenter, A. and Gates, J. (2016). The Nature and Extent of Gang Involvement in Sex Trafficking in San Diego County. San Diego, CA: University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University.

3

Gragg, F., Petta, I., Bernstein, H., Eisen, K., & Quinn,
L. (2007). New York Prevalence Study of Commercially Sexually Exploited Children. A WESTAT Report prepared for the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.

4

Raphael, J. and Ashley, J. (2008). Domestic Sex Trafficking of Chicago Women and Girls. A Report from the Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center, DePaul University College of Law, and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.

5

Carpenter, A. and Gates, J. (2016). The Nature and Extent of Gang Involvement in Sex Trafficking in San Diego County. San Diego, CA: University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University.

Sex traffickers and pimps

95%

of pimps use coercion and/or threats of violence. Forty-four percent of traffickers used violence on their victims. (1)

$670,625

Average annual income made by traffickers in San Diego. (2)

16%

of trafficked children in upstate New York were trafficked by parents or other family members. (3)

23%

of young prostituted women in Chicago considered their pimp their boyfriend. (4)

Pimps' primary means of coercion:
Economic – 74% 
Psychological – 57% 
Chemical – 42%.
Physical or sexual violence - 12%. (5)

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Internet-facilitated sexual exploitation in the U.S.

Seeking safe haven

Sources

1

Demand Abolition November 2018, Who Buys Sex? Understanding and Disrupting Illicit
Market Demand.

2

Roe-Sepowitz, D., Hogan, K., Bracy, K. & Lul, B. (2018). Online Advertisement Truth Set:
Sex Trafficking Matrix: A Tool to Detect Minors in Online Advertisements. A research brief from
the Arizona State University School of Social Work, Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention
Research.

Sex traffickers and pimps

92%

of active, high-frequency sex buyers in the U.S. had browsed online for paid sex. (1)

16

Average verified age of prostituted females advertising online, though the advertised ages were 18-26, according to a study of hundreds of these ads. The age range was 14-18. (2)

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Read the Stories

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© World Without Exploitation

World Without Exploitation is a fiscally-sponsored project of the Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tides’ state-by-state fundraising disclosures are available at: www.tides.org/state-nonprofit-disclosures/‍
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Survivor stories © The Voices and Faces Project Survivor photography: Lynn Savarese, Photographer and Co-Founder, New Abolitionists
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Additional photography © Patricia Evans, The Voices and Faces Project • Natalie Naccache, Art Works for Change