The problem of human trafficking may seem to be an isolated case in the United States, but estimates from the Department of State have put the number of trafficking victims in America yearly between 14,500 and 17,500.
According to the 2021 Federal Human Trafficking Report released last June 17, more than half of all trafficking victims in the U.S. are minors. (Related: More than 70 kids rescued from trafficking ring in multi-state operation)
Of the approximately 450 human trafficking victims involved in the latest U.S. criminal cases in 2021, 57 percent were minors based on the report from the Human Trafficking Institute (HTI).
"The extensive data collected in the 2021 Federal Human Trafficking Report makes it a fantastic tool for both practitioners and the public to evaluate our response to combating human trafficking through the Federal justice system," Lindsey Lane, HTI senior legal counsel, said in a statement.
In all criminal trafficking cases recorded last year, 92 percent were sex trafficking cases and eight percent were forced labor trafficking cases. The federal courts convicted traffickers in 96 percent of cases presented in 2021.
The states of Texas, Florida and Georgia implicated the most criminal human trafficking suspects last year. The districts that indicted the most defendants accused of trafficking minors for sex in 2021 were southern Texas, South Carolina, southern Florida, eastern New York, southern Illinois, middle Florida, eastern Arkansas, eastern Texas, Nebraska, eastern Michigan and northern Illinois.
"Prosecution is an essential component of the U.S. anti-human trafficking response. This data makes it easy to understand trends in prosecution between 2000 and 2021, providing valuable insights we can use to ensure traffickers are brought to justice for years to come," Lane added.
Majority of sex trafficking victims were recruited online
The human trafficking research organization stated in its report that since 2000, 55 percent of sex trafficking victims have been recruited online, usually through social media platforms, online chat rooms, messaging apps, dating apps or advertisements.
Traffickers soliciting buyers online made up the enormous majority (85 percent) of trafficking cases filed in the U.S. last year.
Of all the latest trafficking victims reported last year, 64 percent were sex trafficking victims and 36 percent were forced labor victims. A massive 93 percent of forced labor victims were foreign nationals trafficked into America. As stated in the report, most forced labor trafficking victims were driven by fraudulent job and visa promises.
While overall trafficking cases filed in 2021 declined by 22 percent compared to 2020, criminal forced labor cases rose by 22 percent.
According to HTI, there are 16 states and four U.S. territories that have never filed a federal criminal forced labor complaint.
HTI also announced the launch of a new website that aims to assist researchers, reporters and the general public to sort through data on human trafficking in America.
"To celebrate the fifth Federal Human Trafficking Report, we are including an interactive component to our data to make the report even more useful to policymakers, prosecutors, researchers and reporters looking to learn more about how the United States is enforcing its human trafficking laws. This website provides all of us with necessary data to improve our collective efforts to fight human trafficking," HTI CEO Victor Boutrous said in a release.
Human trafficking is a serious problem with major signs to watch out for.
While the signs will not be the same in all cases, some common ones include physical abuse, constantly appearing to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, malnourishment and harsh signs of mental illness like depression, anxiety, stress and paranoia.
People must also be on the lookout for teenagers who spend time with generally older and or gang-associated buddies as they may also be trafficking victims as well.
Meanwhile, a shocking piece of footage showed a human sex trafficking victim being beaten and forced into a car in broad daylight outside some shops in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area.
Fortunately, witnesses at the scene intervened, which allowed the 17-year-old victim to escape from her tormentors. The victim was 16 when she was kidnapped. She had been held and abused for a year before eventually escaping.
Follow Trafficking.news for more news about human trafficking in America.
Watch the video below to know how the Biden Administration has lost 45,000 children through human trafficking.
This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.
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Massive child sex trafficking ring busted, ran for decades, protected by police in exchange for sex.
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