Human Sex Trafficking: An Online Epidemic

URAFFICKING AN ONLINE EPIDEMIC HUMAN SEX HUMAN SEX TRAFFICKING IS: 66 commercial sex acts induced by FORCE, FRAUD, or COERCION or commercial sex acts in which the individual induced to perform commercial sex has NOT ATTAINED 18 YEARS of age 99 THE WORLD'S LARGEST ILLEGAL TRADE COMMODITIES The sale of humans might be third on the list, but this industry is growing faster than the sale of drugs and weapons. Drugs Weapons Humans In 2000, the UN adopted the 3% 11% 64% PALERMO PROTOCOL. This Both prevents, suppresses, and punishes trafficking in persons, especially women Other Sex trafficking 22% and children. Labor trafficking Since then, sex trafficking has become illegal in more than 140 COUNTRIES Two-thirds of calls to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center concern sex trafficking. A HUMAN SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIM IS: The average age of victims trafficked into prostitution is between 12 and 14 years. Less than 1% of the world's 21,000,000 victims are 300,000 U.S. teens become victims FACELESS YOUNG identified. of sex trafficking every year. Four out of every five victims are Half of all victims VULNERABLE are children. female. HEADED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE YEAR YEAR YEAR 7 YEAR YEAR YEAR YEAR In 2013, three out of The average life expectancy of a female victim of sex trafficking. One in three runaways are approached by sex traffickers within just two days of living on the street. five child sex trafficking victims saved by the FBI in a nationwide raid were Homicide and AIDS are the top two killers. from foster care or group homes. A HUMAN SEX TRAFFICKING OFFENDER IS: OFTEN A PIMP SOMEONE WHO SEEMS TO CARE METHODS USED BY PIMPS TO RECRUIT SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIMS Two in every five sex trafficking cases referred to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center concern pimp-controlled prostitution. 6% 51% Other 11% HANDED A LIGHT SENTENCE abducted their victims showed romantic interest » Angel Campos Tellez organized a prostitution ring of more than 100 trafficked women on 14% the East Coast between 2009 and 2012. He plead guilty and was sentenced to 3.5 years in jail in 2013. gave false job offers (modeling, dancing, etc.) » Freddy Soriano Leguisamon was charged in Maryland with 54 counts of general prostitution and 13 human trafficking offences in 2013. He was sentenced to 3 years in jailL. 18% • Nery Najarro-Rodriguez, Jorge Perez-Hernandez, and Luis Mata were charged for involvement in a prostitution ring made up of trafficked Mexican women, who were each sold to as many as 20 clients in a day. In 2013, they were each sentenced to serve 3 years in a county jail. More than offered food, lodging, or financial support two-thirds of people who recruit sex traffic victims into pimp-led prostitution seem to care In many states, promoting prostitution is a MISDEMEANOR and victims are often too about them. SCARED to testify they've been trafficked. WEALTHY SOMEONE YOU WOULDN'T EXPECT $3 BILLION 66 There is no one profile of a trafficker. Essentially, human traffickers can be anyone who is willing to exploit another human being for profit. The American sex trafficking industry is worth $3 billion a year. Polaris Project 66 A HUMAN SEX TRAFFICKING CUSTOMER IS: YOUR AVERAGE JOE AWARE OF WHAT HE'S DOING 66 Many of the biggest trafficking consumers are developed nations, and men from all sectors Two out of every three men who pay for sex know the majority of prostitutes are "coerced, tricked, or trafficked." of society support the trafficking industry. 14% 99 Live Your Dream of U.S. men have used prostitutes. UNAWARE OF THE NEED TO RESPECT WOMEN 2003 6 46% 2008 35 - Less than half of men that pay for sex were taught about respecting 2012 138 2013 173 projected women in sex ed classes, compared to 70% of non-buyers. 100 200 The U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted 4x more child sex traffickers in 2013 than it did five years earlier. However, there's still much to be done, especially in Africa and the Middle East. MIDDLE FAST. 40% OF COUNTRIES in this region had no sex trafficking convictions between 2006 and 2007. AFRICA WHAT'S THE INTERNET GOT TO DO WITH IT? The Internet gives sex traffickers an edge, as they can anonymously recruit and sell their victims. |32% |24% |18% Socially through a friend Between 2007 and 2012, online recruitment was the third most In a public place popular method for pimp-led prostitution, according to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. Online 11% |11% 4% Residence/shelter Bar/club Other 50% ONE IN TWENTY U.S. men 73% have bought sex online. UNITED STATES Nearly three-quarters of sex traffic survivors were advertised online on The Polaris Project says the Internet is the NUMBER ONE platform pimps, traffickers, and customers use in order to buy and sell sex with women and In Houston, TX, this figure jumps to ONE IN FIVE. sites like Backpage and Craigslist. children in the U.S. In January 2014 In January 2014 In February 2014 An Ottawa teenager was charged with 30 offences including human trafficking, forcible confinement, sexual assault, and distributing child pornography. She used Facebook and other social Authorities in the Philippines raided two fake call centers Oklahoma's Terrance Cortez Whitfield was charged with sex trafficking activity with a 15-year-old girl. He used the Internet to maintain his which sold online pornography featuring adults and children as young as 12. They detained 11 people on charges of child pornography and human trafficking. prostitution business. media sites to befriend and then recruit her 13- to 17-year-old victims. THE INTERNET IS ALSO HELPING THE AUTHORITIES AND ADVOCATE GROUPS CATCH SEX TRAFFICKERS. In late 2013, Terre des Hommes Netherlands launched Project Sweetie to expose web cam sex tourism. In 2 months, 1,000 men across 71 different countries were willing to pay 10-year-old "Sweetie" to strip on camera, including many from developed nations. Their details were passed to Interpol. Canada 54 U.K. 110 Germany 44 India U.S. 103 254 Australia 46 AUTHORITIES ARE ALSO: > Tracking digital footprints. » Using facial recognition to match missing persons to online sex ads. » Using software to look for clues in online ads. » Posting fake online ads to lure johns willing to pay for sex trafficked children. UNE UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND www.socialwork.une.edu SOURCES: • http://www.polarisproject.org/resources/resources-by-topic/sex-trafficking • http://www.freedom-summit.org/2013/about-us/humantrafficking/ • http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/210737.pdf • https://na4.salesforce.com/sfc/p/300000006E4S/a/600000004TLG/F7PldVCtt4Irtx_iljKxiGsERUTm6PUfmNxj9ijA6Sg= • http://townhall.com/tipsheet/elisabethmeinecke/2013/05/09/crimes-in-your-own-backyard-shocking-human-trafficking-statistics-n1590958 • http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyld=207901614 • http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Sex-traffickers-rely-on-charm-to-lure-victims-4449182.php • http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/25/us/miami-sex-trafficking/ • http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/maryland-man-pleads-guilty-to-lead-role-in-virginia-prostitution-enterprise/2013/04/01/95d4d3f0-9ad4-11 e2-9a79-eb5280c81c63_story.html • http://annapolis.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/prostitution-ringleader-gets-3-years-in-jail-for-humaae32cf54b8 http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archives/2013/05/three-men-sentenced-for-roles-in-human-trafficking-ring.html • http://fusion.net/justice/story/time-sex-trafficker-serve-prison-11306 • http://www.trickedfilm.com/ • http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/overview/the-traffickers • http://www.liveyourdream.org/volunteeropportunities/stoptrafficking/traffickingresources/sex-trafficking-slavery-faqs.pdf • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/29/prostitution-johns-study_n_2973116.html • http://www.demandabolition.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ComparingSexBuyersReport.pdf • http://blog.pe.com/crime-blotter/2013/08/27/child-sex-trafficking-federal-prosecutions-increasing/ • http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/Trafficking_in_Persons 2012_web.pdf • http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/sex-trafficking-in-the-us/internet-based • http://www.wearethorn.org/incorporating-voices-survivors-program-development-matters/ • https://copp.asu.edu/college-news/research-docs/invisible-offenders-a-study-estimating-online-sex-customers • http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation & title=Eleven-arrested-over-online-porn &id=82723 • http://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/4340592-ottawa-girl-guilty-on-30-counts-in-pimping-case/ • http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/two-indicted-in-tulsa-federal-court-for-child-sex-trafficking/article f3ffd6a4-919f-53f0-8264-55655ebcf16e.html • http://www.youtube.com/sweetie • http://www.thecrimereport.org/news/inside-criminal-justice/2013-05-catching-child-sex-traffickers-on-the-internet • http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericgoldman/2013/06/17/why-craigslist-casual-encounters-is-a-bad-spot-to-catch-predators/