Sex Trafficking

The sex trafficking industry produces an estimated $99 billion in revenue each year, and has been called one of the most rapidly growing industries in the world. Women and girls account for 96 percent of sex trafficking victims, and nearly 2 million children worldwide are exploited in the sex industry each year.¹ An estimated 24.9 million people worldwide are in the human trafficking industry, 54 percent of which are forced into sexual exploitation.² Those who are exploited in the industry often undergo serious physical and mental abuse. As a result, many survivors suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociation, as well as sexually transmitted diseases and infections.³ Sex trafficking is a criminal offense in 158 nations.⁴ In 2017, there were 7,045 convictions for human trafficking worldwide,⁵ yet in 2016 there were 9,072 human trafficking convictions around the world.⁶ Despite the industry being fast-growing, and illegal in 158 countries, conviction rates for offenders remains low.⁷