Trafficking in persons is modern day slavery. Victims are forced, defrauded are coerced in to labor or sexual exploitation.
Sexual exploitation and abuse have grave consequences on any person’s well being, especially a child’s. Unprotected sex, gang rapes, forced abortions and manipulation can cause severe psychological and physical damage, including HIV/AIDS and other infections diseases or conditions.
Human Trafficking Statistics and Facts
Human trafficking is a grave and pervasive crime that affects millions of individuals worldwide. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), there are an estimated 49.6 million victims trapped in modern-day slavery, with 27.6 million exploited for labor and 17.3 million in forced marriage.
Children are particularly vulnerable, comprising approximately 27% of trafficking victims globally.
In 2022, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported a 25% increase in detected victims compared to 2019, with children accounting for 38% of these victims.
The financial aspect of human trafficking is staggering. The ILO estimates that forced labor generates $150 billion in illegal profits annually, with $99 billion derived from sexual exploitation and $51 billion from forced labor in economic activities such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing, mining, and utilities.
These statistics underscore the urgent need for comprehensive global efforts to combat human trafficking, protect vulnerable populations, and dismantle the criminal networks responsible for this heinous crime.
According to a report published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics in December 2024:
- In 2022, more sex trafficking victimizations involved
a female victim (85%) than a male victim (15%). - Similarly, more labor trafficking victimizations
involved a female victim (64%) than a male
victim (36%). - The victim was female in a larger portion of sex
trafficking victimizations (85%) than labor trafficking
victimizations (64%). - About 45% of female sex trafficking victims in 2022
were ages 12 to 17 (table 1). - Sex trafficking victimizations (42%) involved a
larger proportion of males ages 12 to 17 than labor
trafficking victimizations (10%). - Males ages 18 to 24 made up a larger proportion
of labor trafficking victimizations (28%) than sex
trafficking victimizations (14%). - Similarly, males ages 25 to 34 made up a larger
proportion of labor trafficking victimizations (34%)
than sex trafficking victimizations (15%).
Prosecutions
- U.S. law enforcement agencies reported an estimated 2,950 human trafficking incidents, of which 81% were incidents of sex trafficking and 19% were incidents of labor trafficking.
- About 70% of both sex and labor trafficking incidents involved a single victim.
- Two-thirds of sex trafficking (66%) and labor trafficking (68%) incidents were not cleared by law enforcement, meaning the incidents did not result in an arrest or exceptional clearance.
- Law enforcement agencies reported an estimated 3,570 human trafficking victimizations. Of these, 78% were sex trafficking victimizations and 22% were labor trafficking victimizations.