Much
of the information provided herein was gathered from the 2012 Global
Report on Trafficking in Persons, available at www.unodc.org/glotip.
The sources in their report are provided by national institutions,
international governmental organizations and non-governmental
organizations
Human trafficking is the trade in humans, commonly for the purpose of sexual slavery, commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor; but also includes trafficking for the purpose of extraction of organs or tissues or surrogacy or for begging, or for the purpose of providing a spouse. According to the International Labor Organization, as of 2012 there were approximately 20.9 million victims of trafficking worldwide, including 5.5 million children.
Sex trafficking is a modern-day form of
slavery in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud,
coercion, or in cases in which the person is induced for commercial sex
is under the age of 18 years, by any means. The average age of entry for children victimization by the sex trade industry is 12 years (U.S. Dept. of Justice). Due to the clandestine nature of sex trafficking, it is difficult to determine the number of sex trafficked victims, but UNICEF (2005) estimates that worldwide, nearly 2 million children enter the sex trade each year and approximately 30 million children have lost their childhood through sexual exploitation over the past 30 years. The average victim may be forced to have sex up to 20-48 times per day (Polaris Project). According to the U.S. Justice Department, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a pimp can make $150,000-$200,000 per child
each year and the average pimp has 4 to 6 girls.
According to the US Department of Justice reports, approximately 300,000 children in the U.S. are at risk each year for commercial sexual exploitation. Despite both national and international efforts, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports the percentage
of child victims is on the rise, and had risen in a three year span between 2007-2010 from 20% to 27%.
Many human rights violations occur in the context of trafficking, including but not limited to the right to life, liberty and security; the right to freedom from torture or other cruel or inhuman treatment; the right to be free from forced labor and slavery; the right to freedom of movement and expression; the right to health and education; and the right to be protected from economic exploitation.
For additional information, please view my presentation. *Press pause to slow slides
Child Sex Trafficking
UNICEF, Children Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Out of Reach; Abused and Neglected, Millions of
Children Have Become Virtually Invisible (Dec. 2005).
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 2012
