When it comes to sex trafficking, misinformation is often spread when we don't listen to victims. Here are 15 important things you need to know about the reality of sex trafficking according to victims & research.

#ChildTraffickingFacts #TraffickingTruths #SaveTheChildren

1 of the most common ways kids are trafficked is through child sexual abuse material, aka child porn. According to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, 78% of reported child sexual abuse images depicted prepubescent children under 12, and 63% of those children were under 8.

While “child pornography” remains the legal term, it is one of the most violent, horrific forms of child abuse possible. For this reason, many use the term “child sexual abuse material”, which more accurately conveys the content & is explicitly tied to the source of the problem.

Of the approximately 24.9 million victims of forced labor, about 4.8 million—about 19%—are trafficked for sex. Even more disturbingly, a little less than a quarter—an estimated 21%—of all sex trafficking victims are children.

Though child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is a global issue, the United States remains one of the largest producers and consumers of child abuse content in the world.

Of domestic minor sex trafficking victims, 1 in 6 began being trafficked under the age of 12.

Almost half (45%) of domestic minor sex trafficking victims are African American. 27% are Caucasian, 21% Hispanic, and 8% “other”.

According to the cumulative findings of multiple studies and reports, a significant number of sex trafficking victims (3-36%) are trafficked by family members, and 27-60% of victims are trafficked by their “boyfriends.”

Of the trafficking victims who had been forced into porn production, the average age they began being filmed was 12.8 years old.

Of the more than 23,500 endangered runaways reported to NCMEC in 2019, 1 in 6 were likely victims of child sex trafficking.

Technology is increasingly a part of grooming and trafficking. According to research of victims who were trafficked in 2015, over half (55%) met their traffickers through the use of technology (i.e. online enticement, texting, app usage).

In 2018, tech companies reported over 45 million images of child sexual abuse material—more than double what was reported in 2017.

Child sex trafficking occurs in all 50 states.

While any child can become a victim of trafficking, research shows that traffickers often target children with increased vulnerabilities, such as:

- Children who are chronically missing or who frequently run away
- Children who have experienced childhood sexual abuse

(cont.)

- Children who have experienced prior sexual assault or rape
- Children with significant substance abuse issues or who live with someone who has significant substance abuse issues
- Children who identify as LGBTQ and have been kicked out or stigmatized by their family.

The Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed 312 Million potential child sexual abuse images.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ( @MissingKids), has helped law enforcement identify 18,900+ victims of child sexual abuse material.

According to one trafficking survivor case worker, "people [would] rather believe that trafficking exists outside of [their] daily lives, where the elite roam. However, the reality is that trafficking exists in our own neighborhoods…

"Trafficking typically occurs after years of grooming & coercion & it takes place in almost every community in the United States. Almost every survivor I worked with considered their trafficker to be their boyfriend at some point in their lives." –Mary Bianculli

As we all continue to fight to end trafficking, let's remember to listen to victims, focus on evidence-based strategies, and share information responsibly.

RT to spread the word!

Sources linked in the article below: https://fightthenewdrug.org/stats-you-need-to-know-about-child-sex-trafficking/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=blog