What is Human Trafficking?
“Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act” (Department of Homeland Security (DHS), 2018).
Does Human Trafficking Really Happen Here?
Human Trafficking Statistics:
- The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally.
- 81% of them are trapped in forced labor.
- 25% of them are children.
- 75% are women and girls.
- The International Labor Organization estimates that forced labor and human trafficking is a $150 billion industry worldwide.
- The U.S. Department of Labor has identified 148 goods from 75 countries made by forced and child labor.
- In 2017, an estimated 1 out of 7 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were likely child sex trafficking victims.
- Of those, 88% were in the care of social services or foster care when they ran.
- There is no official estimate of the total number of human trafficking victims in the U.S. Polaris estimates that the total number of victims nationally reaches into the hundreds of thousands when estimates of both adults and minors and sex trafficking and labor trafficking are aggregated.
Statistics from the National Human Trafficking Hotline:
- More than 49,000 total cases of human trafficking have been reported to the Hotline in the last 10 years.
- The Hotline annually receives multiple reports of human trafficking cases in each of the 50 states and D.C. Read more Hotline statistics here.
- The number of human trafficking cases that Polaris learns about in the U.S. increases every year. Review our 2017 statistics fact sheet here.
- 24% of texting conversations on the Polaris BeFree Textline were from survivors of human trafficking compared to 14% of phone calls on the Hotline. Read Polaris BeFree Textline statistics here.
- The Hotline receives an average of 150 calls per day. Read stories of survivors who called the hotline for help.
For more information, visit the Polaris Project Website
Human Trafficking and the Opioid Crisis Webinar
After watching this webinar, viewers will be able to:
- Investigate the role of substance use for individuals at risk of, currently experiencing, or recovering from trafficking
- Examine trauma-informed approaches from providers, client-based, and research perspectives to understand contributing factors to vulnerability
- Identify promising practices and recommend spotlight treatment options that address the underlying issues that can put victims and survivors at risk
NHTTAC delivers training and technical assistance (T/TA) to inform and enhance the public health response to human trafficking. Contact NHTTAC today to find out how you can request T/TA for your agency or conference.
TTY: 703–225–2351Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
How to Spot Human Trafficking
How to spot human trafficking | Kanani Titchen | TEDxGeorgeSchool