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There are between 100,000 – 300,000 sex trafficking victims under 18 in the U.S. per year.
12 years old – the average age of entry into the sexual exploitation industry, with some as young as 9 years old
Total yearly profits generated by human trafficking are $32 billion – Specifically, trafficking for sexual exploitation generates $28 billion per year
According to statistics from the NHTH, most of the human trafficking reports last year were calls warning law enforcement of illicit massage/spa businesses.
The problem continues to plague Florida as well as the rest of the country.
More than 22,000 victims were identified by the NHTH in 2019. Nearly 5,000 survived labor trafficking and an alarming 14,597 survived sex trafficking.
Map from 2019 of calls placed to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
Last year’s 767 reports of human trafficking led to the identification of 1,771 victims, 506 traffickers and 306 trafficking businesses.
More than a fifth of human trafficking victims in Florida are children and the majority are female.
Who is being trafficked?
According to a study of U.S. Department of Justice human trafficking task force cases, 83 percent of sex trafficking victims identified in the United States were U.S. citizens.
The same study also found that the average age that a trafficked victim is first used for commercial sex is between 12 and 14 years old. Some victims are as young as 9 years old.
According to the Florida Dream Center, which provides aftercare for human trafficking victims, the life expectancy for a child taken into sex trafficking is only seven years from the date of capture.
Where is trafficking happening?
Florida has been known as a hotbed for human trafficking because of the state’s economy. With Florida’s booming agriculture and tourism industries – two industries where trafficking can flourish – law enforcement keeps a close eye to try and help victims.
Top sex trafficking venues in Florida:
Hotel/Motel-Based
Commercial-Front Brothels
Online Ad. – Venue Unknown
Street-Based
Other Venues
Top labor trafficking venues in Florida:
Domestic Work
Agriculture
Traveling Sales Crews
Restaurants/Food Service
Other Industries
Source: Human Trafficking Hotline
If you want to help eradicate commercial human trafficking in the Panhandle, please fill out the form on this page.
Thank you for standing and fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves!
