Enslaved 2024 – Part 1

“Slavery – A Study in Marble” by Valentin Galochkin, Author Valentin Galochkin, (PD)

The White House has proclaimed January as Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month [1].

Scope

Over 40 million people are trafficked worldwide [2A].  Women and girls constitute about 71%  of all human trafficking victims [2B].  In fact, one in every four victims of modern slavery is a child [2C].

Geographic Distribution

Trafficking centers around areas with international travel hubs (airports and seaports), access to highways, seasonal work, a hospitality industry (often associated with tourism), a sharp disparity between rich and poor, and a large immigrant population [3A][8].

A. Overseas

According to the International Labor Organization, Asia and the Pacific region have the highest incidence of forced labor and forced marriages [5].

B. United States

In our country, experts estimate that there are over 199,000 instances of human trafficking (which includes sex trafficking) annually [4A].

The top ten states for trafficking in 2022 were Mississippi, Nevada, Missouri, Nebraska, Florida, Texas, California, Arkansas, Oregon, and Georgia [2D].

Profit Sources

Human trafficking derives most of its profit from sexual exploitation [2E][3B].  The United States is the world’s leading producer of pornography, and 61% of known victims of pornography are minors [4B][6].

Other sources of human trafficking profit include agriculture, construction, manufacturing, mining, and domestic service [2F][3C][4C].

Potential Victims

The potential victims of trafficking include undocumented immigrants; those who have experienced other forms of violence, such as physical or sexual abuse or domestic violence; runaways; children with a caregiver addicted to drugs or alcohol; those, themselves, addicted to drugs or alcohol; and those living in poverty [7].

These are all vulnerable populations.

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[1]  Administration for Children & Families, Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office on Trafficking in Persons, “Human Trafficking Prevention Month”, https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/human-trafficking-prevention-month.

[2A through 2F]  Etactics, “70+ Unimaginable Human Trafficking Statistics in the US” by Elia Meltzer, 9/16/21, https://etactics.com/blog/human-trafficking-statistics-in-the-us

[3A, 3B, and 3C]  Wikipedia, “Human trafficking in the United States”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_the_United_States.

[4A, 4B, and 4C]  Etactics, “15 Surprising Human Trafficking Hotspots in the US” by Elia Meltzer, 2/7/23, https://etactics.com/blog/human-trafficking-hot-spots.

[5]  Etactics, “Answered:  Where Does Human Trafficking Occur The Most?” by Elia Meltzer, 7/19/23, https://etactics.com/blog/where-does-human-trafficking-occur-the-most.

[6]  Wikipedia, “Pornography in the United States”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornography_in_the_United_States.

[7]  National Human Trafficking Hotline, “Recognizing the Signs”, https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/human-trafficking/recognizing-signs.

[8]  WBOC, Delmarva Life, “We Learn How to Stay Vigilant about Human Trafficking During Human Trafficking Awareness Month” featuring Susan Ahlstrum and Dr. Danielle Thomas, Child Sex Trafficking Navigators for Maryland’s Mid and Lower Shore, respectively,  1/8/24, https://www.wboc.com/shows/delmarvalife/we-learn-how-to-stay-vigilant-about-human-trafficking-during-human-trafficking-awareness-month/video_bdea9de8-b331-5163-9346-28cd102e9419.html.

NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE 888-373-7888

Part 2 in this series — the red flags for human trafficking — will be posted next week.

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