sex trafficking cases involving only children. Reports indicate that a large number of child sex trafficking survivors in the U.S. were at one time in the foster care system. The average age a teen enters the sex trade in the U.S. is 12 to 14 years old and many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children.
3. There Is No One Consistent Face Of A Trafficker
Traffickers include a wide range of criminal operators. Many survivors have been trafficked by romantic partners (including spouses), family members (including parents), individual pimps appearing as friends, small families or businesses, loose-knit decentralized criminal networks, international organized criminal syndicates, or gang members.
4. It Isn’t Always A Violent Crime
By far the most pervasive myth about human trafficking is that it always, or often involves kidnapping or otherwise physically forcing someone into a situation. In reality, most human traffickers use psychological means such as