Child trafficking is a horrifying yet overlooked issue in the United States. Alarmingly, children enter the U.S. sex trade as early as 12 to 14 years old, often stemming from backgrounds of abuse. Most victims are exploited by acquaintances, while predators frequently utilize social media for recruitment and advertisement.
Trafficking hotspots include hotels, online platforms, and truck stops, with about 50,000 victims, mainly from Mexico and the Philippines, trafficked into the U.S. annually. Shockingly, over half of the active criminal human trafficking cases in the U.S. in 2018 involved children.
Factors exacerbating child trafficking in the US include the southern border crisis, predatory social media use, pornography, and broken families. A whistleblower stated the U.S. government has unintentionally aided a multibillion-dollar human trafficking operation targeting minors at the border. Studies suggest 60% of these minors are exploited in forced labor and sex trade.
Social media platforms are increasingly used to groom and recruit minors, with 55% of child sex trafficking victims aged 7 to 11 being approached through these platforms. Child pornography is another haunting issue, with Pornhub recently deleting 80% of its content due to a child pornography scandal.
The highest-risk children are from single-parent homes, with a staggering 86% of sex trafficking victims in 2016 being in the care of social services when they disappeared.
In order to tackle this issue, the focus should be on enforcing stricter border controls, social media regulation, the porn industry, and providing support for vulnerable families.
For those who suffered from the perils of sex trafficking in California, the Women’s Rights Group is here to help. Reach out today for legal assistance and compensation claims. We are here for you. Call us for a free and confidential consultation.
