What is Human Trafficking?

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, a concept most of us associate with a distant past, but which is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. The problem is urgent: there are more people enslaved now than at any other point in history. The United Nations defines human trafficking with three key elements:

THE ACT

THE ACT

(What is done)
Recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of a person.

THE MEANS

THE MEANS

(How it is done)
Threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving payments or benefits to a person in control of the victim.

THE PURPOSE

THE PURPOSE

(Why it is done)
For the purpose of exploitation, which includes sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery or similar practices.

Signs of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is pervasive all around the world and in all 50 states. Some of the common traits seen in adult and child victims of human trafficking might include:

The Stories Behind the Statistics

50

million people in modern slavery

28

Million people in forced labor

22

million in forced marriage

13

average age of entry into sex trafficking in the US