Traffickers find their victims through social networking, neighborhoods, clubs, bars, and schools.
The Victim
“In human trafficking cases, the relationship between victim and trafficker may involve trauma bonding. The most common meaning of trauma bonding is when a trafficker uses rewards and punishments within cycles of abuse to foster a powerful emotional connection with the victim.”
- 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report
80%
of confirmed trafficking
incidents were identified
as U.S. citizens.
90%
of victims have been
physically abused as children.
Contributing Factors
Relationships
Unhealthy relationships, divorce, and physical separation of children from their parents.
Poverty
Lack of resources and education diminish opportunities.
Objectification
Come to see themselves as objects to sell rather than being worthy of love and value.
Abuse
Results in trauma and confusion of appropriate boundaries.
Pornography
Fuels the objectification of women and ultimately a desire to pay for an experience.
The Trafficker
"It's impossible to protect all girls from guys like I was because that's what we do.
We eat, drink, and sleep thinking of ways to trick young girls into doing what we want them to do."
- Former Pimp, Chicago IL
People are here for me to use.
A trafficker is anyone who receives money or something of value for the sexual exploitation of another person regardless of their gender or relationship with the other person. Traffickers can be male or female, of any age, race, or ethnicity. They can be relatives, friends, neighbors, or adults in positions of authority. They can come from any background or socioeconomic status.
I can sell a person for money.
Traffickers usually target girls who project a sense of low self-esteem, who are experiencing trouble in the home, who are looking for attention, or who have run away and are vulnerable on the street. He/she engages the child about her 'troubles' at home and establishes himself/herself as the savior; he is also working to isolate the child from those who may object to their relationship.
I am deceitful.
Traffickers present themselves as what their victim needs, albeit a father figure or a boyfriend. Attention, gifts, and false promises are used to deceive their victim. A trafficker will profess “false love” with elaborate promises of a better life. Once they have successfully captured the victim’s trust, she then becomes indebted to the trafficker and is introduced to selling her body [also known as “seasoning” or “breaking” the child].
The Buyer
People are here to fulfill my desires.
Advertisements, music, and movies have told men and women that a person is an object to be lusted after or used for personal gain.
Pornography fuels my desire.
They desire to have an increased feeling when seeing explicit images or videos. They seek to live out the real-life experience to replicate what they have seen or watched.
I shop online.
They shop online for men, women or children through websites where a victim is advertised. They are usually met by the victim at a truck stop, motel, or hotel. The buyer typically does a police check on the victim to make sure they are not undercover. They have no regard for the age of the victim.