HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Here’s what the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reports on human trafficking in the U.S., primarily focusing on sex trafficking as a public health issue—data on labor trafficking are comparatively limited.
🧵 1. CDC Definitions & Scope
- The CDC defines sex trafficking as exploitation for commercial sex—through force, fraud, or coercion—under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, and notes that any commercial sex involving a minor qualifies, regardless of coercion
- Human trafficking—including labor and sex trafficking—is framed as a serious public health problem with short- and long-term health effects
📊 2. Trafficking Victim Data & Trends
National Human Trafficking Hotline / Polaris Dataset (not CDC-run, but widely used):
- In 2024, the hotline identified 11,999 distinct trafficking cases and connected 21,865 victims to supports and services National Human Trafficking Hotline.
- Of these, 6,647 cases involved sex trafficking, 2,220 involved only labor trafficking, and 1,360 involved both sex and labor trafficking National Human Trafficking Hotline.
- These represent known and reported cases, not the unobserved victims or broader prevalence.
Historical Victim Counts (2007–2020):
- Over 64,700 victims were reported through the hotline with high confidence during that period PMC.
- An estimated 199,000 incidents of sexual exploitation of minors may occur annually in the U.S.
👥 3. Risk Factors & Age of Initial Exploitation
- Most minors entering trafficking begin between age 15 and 17: around 54% first exploited at 15‑17, and 79% by age 17
- Youth in foster care, experiencing homelessness, living in poverty, or having disabilities are at heightened risk. CDC also documents that women and girls are disproportionately affected—reflecting broader global figures identifying about 77% of detected victims as female Equality Now.
⚖️ 4. Legal & Enforcement Activity (Non-CDC Source – BJS/OJP)
- In 2022, there were 1,656 prosecutions and 1,118 convictions for human trafficking offenses, up from lower figures in 2012. These cases included forced labor, sex trafficking, and child-specific offenses bjs.ojp.gov.