Slipping Through The Cracks: 10 Things To Know About Child Trafficking

1.      An estimated 244,000 to 325,000 children are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation in the United States.[1]

2. In 2019, there were 1,032 victims of human trafficking in Ohio and 4,309 people who were at risk for human trafficking.[2]

3.      In Ohio, on average, victims of human trafficking are between 12 and 30 years old when identified, and 85.5% of victims were minors.[3]

4.      Children who are trafficked often come from minority populations, have experienced poverty, abuse or neglect, have high rates of mental health needs, and have faced significant disruptions in their family and school life.[4]

5.      Many children involved with child protective services and foster care are also victims of sexual exploitation.[5]

6.      Youth who experience sexual abuse are 28 times more likely to be arrested for prostitution at some point in their lives than children who did not.[6]

7.     57.5% of all “juvenile prostitution” arrests are Black children.[7]  All individuals considered “juvenile prostitutions” are actually human trafficking victims under federal and state law. 

8.      1 in 5 homeless youth are victims of human trafficking, including 17% who have engaged in the sex trade to survive.[8]

9.      Approximately 36% of homeless youth have traded sex for a place to stay, or another need.[9]

10.  39% of youth sex trafficking victims may identify as LGBTQ,[10] and 56% of transgender youth report being involved in the sex trade in some way.[11]

 

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[1] Center for Court Innovation, Youth Involvement in the Sex Trade: A National Study, 2016
[2] Estimating the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in Ohio, University of Cincinnati, 2019
[3] Ibid
[4] California Child Welfare Council, Ending The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: A Call for Multi-System Collaboration In California, 2013
[5] Ibid
[6] Ibid
[7] Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2017 Crime in the United States, Tables 43B
[8] Human Trafficking Prevalence and Child Welfare Risk Factors Among Homeless Youth: A Multi-City Study, The Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research, University of Pennsylvania, 2018
[9] Administration for Children and Families, Family Youth Services Bureau, Street Outreach Program, Data Collection Study Final Report, 2016, Figure 5.4
[10] Human Trafficking Prevalence and Child Welfare Risk Factors Among Homeless Youth: A Multi-City Study, The Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research, University of Pennsylvania, 2018
[11] Homelessness, Survival Sex and Human Trafficking: As Experienced by the Youth of Covenant House New York, Covenant House, 2013c

Last modified: April 8, 2022