MISCONCEPTIONS

• Human trafficking is SYNONYMOUS with sex trafficking

• Human trafficking ONLY affects women

• Human trafficking is a significant problem in low-income countries

• Survivors of human trafficking ARE physically held against their will

• Most survivors are first trafficked as YOUNG adults

• In the US, trafficking survivors are NOT U.S. citizens

• Trafficked individuals are targeted by STRANGERS

• Survivors WILL disclose their situation in order to escape their trafficker

• Human Trafficking INVOLVES MOVEMENT from one country to another

• Labor trafficking occurs in ILLEGAL OR UNDERGROUND INDUSTRIES

• Traffickers are members of CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS

STATISTICS

These statistics paint a stark picture of the scale and impact of human trafficking worldwide:

• $150 billion-dollar industry, representing the second largest source of income for organized crime.

• 40.3 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking, with over 70% being women and girls, and one in four victims being children under the age of 18.

• 24.9 million people are trapped in forced labor, while 15.4 million are victims of forced marriage.

• In the United States, there are an estimated 1.3 victims for every 1,000 people, with 5.4 victims per every 1,000 people worldwide.

• In 2021, California reported the highest number of trafficking cases in the U.S.

• California harbors 3 of the FBI’s 13 highest child sex trafficking areas in the nation: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego.

• Approximately 40-60% of youth engaged in commercial sexual exploitation do so as a means to meet their basic needs.