By-the Numbers: Sex Trafficking in the United States

National Scope – Sex trafficking of children in the United States is a problem continuing to grow. While often perceived as an international issue, children – especially adolescent girls – are being trafficked throughout the United States.

• 293,000: American children at risk of becoming domestic sex trafficking victims¹
• 50+%: Domestic sex trafficking victims classified as runaway youth living on the street¹
• 55%: Approximate number of street girls who become entangled in prostitution networks¹
• 75%: Girls entangled in prostitution networks controlled by a sex trafficker or ‘pimp’¹
• 12-14: Average age girls trafficked for sex are first victimized¹
• Girls not classified as runaways are often recruited through forced abduction, pressure from parents or through deceptive agreements between parents and traffickers²
• Domestic sex trafficking victims’ lifestyles consist of violence, forced drug use and constant threats²

Domestic Sex Trafficking of Minors – State-by-State Cases Reported by Media (PDF)

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¹ Richard J. Estes and Neil Weiner, “The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children In the U. S., Canada and Mexico,” University of Pennsylvania, February 2002.
²Francis T. Miko, “Trafficking in Persons: The U.S. and International Response,” Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Division, July 2006.