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Child Sex Trafficking: The Facts

Oprah.com   |   November 15, 2005
 
Think it's not happening in your neighborhood? Think again. Get the facts on child sex trafficking, and let your voice be heard.

What You Need to Know
  • Sex Trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person forced to perform such an act is under the age of 18 years.
  • An estimated $9.5 billion is generated in annual revenue from all trafficking activities, with at least $4 billion attributed to the worldwide brothel industry. (Ibid.)
  • An estimated 2 million children, the majority of them girls, are sexually exploited in the multibillion dollar commercial sex industry. (UNICEF)
  • An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year. (UNICEF)
  • Around the world between 50 and 60 percent of the children who are trafficked into sexual slavery are under age 16.
  • Human trafficking is the second-largest organized crime in the world.
  • 25 percent of all child sex tourists around the world are U.S. citizens.
  • The largest number of people trafficked into the United States come from East Asia and the Pacific (5,000 to 7,000 victims). The next highest numbers come from Latin America and from Europe and Eurasia, with between 3,500 and 5,500 victims from each. (U.S. Departments of Justice, Health & Human Services, State, Labor, Homeland Security, Agriculture, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. 2004. Assessment of U.S. Government Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.)
What You Can Do
The government has taken steps to address trafficking both nationally and globally. But we want them to take more action—find out how you can use your voice (and words) to help stop child sex trafficking.
Related Resources
Charities
  • The Center to End Adolescent Sexual Exploitation
    404-224-4549
  • Veronica's Voice
    www.veronicasvoice.org
  • Breaking Free
    They take in trafficked and prostituted women and girls.
    651-645-6557
  • SAGE Project, or Standing Against Global Exploitation Project Project
    A nonprofit organization with the aim of bringing an end to the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adults.
    www.sageprojectinc.org
  • Bilateral Coalition
    An alliance of over 60 government and nonprofit agencies in the United States and Latin America convened to combat slavery and human trafficking.
    www.bsccoalition.org

Other Child Trafficking Prevention Resources
  • The Initiative Against Sexual Trafficking
    www.iast.net
  • ECPAT, or End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes
    A global network dedicated to eliminating the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
    212-717-2530
    www.ecpat.net
  • International Justice Mission
    An extensive study of the injustices witnessed by overseas missionaries and relief and development workers.
    www.ijm.org
  • Terrify No More: Young Girls Held Captive and the Daring Undercover Operation to Win Their Freedom by Gary A. Haugen and Gregg Hunter
    This book tells the true story of how workers from International Justice Mission infiltrated a ring of brothels and freed children working there.
  • World Vision
    Driven by faith and in partnership with people, World Vision seeks to enable the world's children to realize their God-given potential by tackling the root causes of poverty.
    www.worldvision.org
  • Free the Slaves
    A non-profit organization working to end slavery worldwide.
    Phone: 202-638-1865
  • Trafficking Victims Outreach & Services
    www.tvosnetwork.org
Printed from Oprah.com on Friday, May 24, 2013
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