Human trafficking is a criminal business that profits from enslaving people for sexual servitude and forced labor. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, It is the fastest growing and second largest criminal industry in the world today. It is second only to drug trafficking and tied with illegal arms.
Human trafficking exists all over the United States, but California is a hot spot for domestic and international human trafficking. This is due to its extensive ports, international borders, large economy, large population, and metropolitan regions.
The average entry age of American minors into the sex trade is 12-14
years old.
- Many victims are runaway girls and boys who have already suffered sexual abuse as children.
- California harbors 3 of the FBI’s 13 highest child sex trafficking areas in the nation: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego.
- Foreign nationals are also brought into the U.S. as slaves for labor or commercial sex through force or fraud.
- The prevalence and anonymity of the internet has fueled the rapid growth of sex trafficking, making the trade of women and children easier than ever before.