WorldTimes : Child Prostitution and 'Slavery' Crisis at the US Border

Sunday, January 21, 2024

Child Prostitution and 'Slavery' Crisis at the US Border

Over half (51.6%) of the criminal human trafficking cases active in the U.S. were sex trafficking cases involving only children.

In the U.S., child trafficking is aggravated by four main factors: the porous southern border, predatory social media use, pornography, and broken families

The Biden administration must follow existing laws and seal our porous southern border. Much more must be done, but that is a critical first step.

The facts are frightening:

On average, a child enters the U.S. sex trade at 12 to 14 years old. Many are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children.
Most of the time, victims are trafficked by someone they know, such as a friend, family member, or romantic partner.
Predators can rent a child for a single sex act for an average of $90. Often, that child is forced to have sex 20 times per day, six days a week.
Trafficking usually occurs in hotels, motels, online websites, and truck stops in the U.S.
About 50,000 people, primarily from Mexico and the Philippines, are trafficked into the U.S. annually.
According to the Federal Human Trafficking Report, “In 2018, over half (51.6%) of the criminal human trafficking cases active in the U.S. were sex trafficking cases involving only children.”
Traffickers use social media platforms to recruit and advertise victims of human trafficking, according to anti-trafficking advocates.

The USA Southern Border

The crisis at the southern border is directly linked to an increase in child trafficking in the United States. In April, a whistleblower told Congress’ House Judiciary Committee that the “United States federal government has become the ‘middleman’ in a multibillion-dollar human trafficking operation targeting unaccompanied minors at the southern border.”

In May, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered an average of 435 unaccompanied minors per day. One study suggests that drug cartels and traffickers will exploit 60% of these children in prostitution, forced labour, and child pornography. To make matters worse, in June alone, the Biden administration released 344 kids to non-related adults in the U.S.—most of whom already had multiple children in their care. These children are prime targets for traffickers—for sex or labour.

Notably, half of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s “most wanted” criminals for child trafficking are from Mexico.

Statistics of Human Trafficking Worldwide

Human trafficking statistics reveal a very sad reality for many individuals. Behind every stat is a person – someone’s mother, father, brother or sister. These stats provide insight into the severity of the issue.

Today, there are 49.6 million people in modern slavery worldwide, and 12 million of them are children. (ILO, United Nations)
54% of those trapped in modern slavery are women and girls. (ILO)
Sex trafficking is the most common type of trafficking in the U.S. (Polaris)
There were 88 million child sexual abuse material (CSAM) files reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) tip line in 2022.
Child sex trafficking has been reported in all 50 U.S. states. (NCMEC)
Human trafficking is a $150 billion industry. (UNICEF)
Human trafficking is the second most profitable illegal industry in the U.S. (UNICEF)