26,823 Reports

In 2024 there were 26,823 reports of child trafficking – a 55% increase from 2023.*

100% of Prosecutions

In 2021, 100% of all federal sex trafficking prosecutions against buyers involved child victims.*

1 in 6 Missing Kids

1 in 6 (17%) of children who have been reported missing were identified as likely victims of child sex trafficking.*

93% are designated as “runaways.”

Nationally, 93% of all missing child cases are designated as runaways.* Studies of sex trafficking cases nationwide found that the recruitment tactics of sex traffickers focused on runaways; child traffickers utilized the ruse of friendship, romance, giving a place to stay to the victim, and promises of wealth.*

Furthermore, 75% of all sex trafficking cases nationwide involved victims who were minors and in more than 50% of reported sex trafficking cases the victims were minors who were designated by law enforcement to be “runaways.”*

1 in 6 of children who run away is attacked physically or sexually while running away.* And, violence, conflict, or abuse are cited as the primary reasons for children to leave home or care centers.*

1 in 6

In 2019, instances of online grooming tripled compared to the year before.*

It is estimated that 30% of shelter youth and 70% of street youth are victims of commercial sexual exploitation. They may be coerced into prostitution for “survival sex” to meet daily needs for food, shelter, or drugs.*

Sex trafficked participants reported exchanging sex for money (60%), a place to stay (50.6%), food (50%), protection (37%), drugs (34.3%), and clothing (28.6%); it was also reported that the most frequent relationship with their trafficker was with a stranger, then (descending in frequency) boyfriend, friend, family member, girlfriend, and gang.*

According to a U.N. report, commercial sexual exploitation generates a known $173 billion in illegal profits annually.* And, experts have calculated that roughly 13 million people were captured and sold as slaves between the 15th and 19th centuries. As of 2018, as estimated 40.3 million people are living in modern slavery.*

$173 Billion Annually

In 1 in 6 cases, traffickers used drugs and alcohol to lure minor victims.*

During the “recruitment” of victims: 1 in 5 minor victims of sex trafficking were physically assaulted, 1 in 5 minor victims of sex trafficking were sexually assaulted, 1 in 10 minor victims were threatened with a firearm, and 1 in 6 cases of child trafficking drugs and/or alcohol were used to lure or retain minor victims.*

1 in 3 minor victims of sex trafficking were controlled with psychological abuse and threats of harm.*

In 1 in 5 cases, sex traffickers used drugs to control minor victims.*

85% of new sex trafficking cases in 2021 utilized the internet in the exploitation scheme.*

In 2024, reports contained 62.9 million images, videos and other files related to the child sexual exploitation incident being reported.*

In 2024, NCMEC received more than 546,000 reports concerning online enticement – a 192% increase compared to reports in 2023. This crime involves an adult communicating with a child for sexual purposes and includes sextortion.*

In 2024, the NCMEC’s CyberTipline received 20.5 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation. In 2023, that number was 36.2 million.*

In Arizona in 2010, the penalty for buying sex with a 15, 16, or 17-year-old was 180-days in jail with a 90-day option available at the discretion of a judge if the buyer participates in a treatment program.*

In the 2024 Y.E.S. survey conducted by the ASU School of Social Work Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research, 52.9% of sex trafficked participants reported that technology was used in the sexual exploitation.*

“In November 2005, a 15-year-old girl was found after being held captive for 42 days in a Phoenix apartment. The child was repeatedly forced to have sex with buyers, tortured by threats of violence and gang rape, and imprisoned in a dog cage. Pictures of the girl in her underwear were advertised on the Internet, offering her for sex for $100. Reported sightings of the girl led police to the apartment on two previous unsuccessful searches. During a third search of the apartment police engaged one of her captors, Janelle Butler, in an extensive interview causing her to fear the girl would run out of air and she pointed to the bed. Police officers then discovered the victim stuffed into an 18-inch wide by 18-inch deep hollowed out box spring beneath a bed frame. Six individuals were sentenced to prison for their involvement in this case. Matthew Gray was sentenced to 35 years in prison and lifetime probation for two counts of sexual assault, two counts of child prostitution, one count of aggravated assault, and one count of kidnapping. Butler, also a former victim of child sex trafficking, was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison and three lifetime probations for her involvement in the kidnapping and sexual assault of the girl.”*

There was a 400% increase in known exploitation revenue over a 10-year period dating back to 2014.*

In 2018, women and girls comprise 71% of all modern slavery victims. Children make up 25% and account for 10 million of all slaves worldwide.*

In 2021, more than 12 million of all people in modern slavery are children, 50 million total slaves (impact of COVID since 2018).*

Sex trafficked victims experienced an average of 6 ACEs.*

More than half (55.7%) of the sex trafficked individuals first experienced homelessness as a child. The average age of homelessness was 16.4 years old.*

Adults who ran away as children show a 51% increase in suicidal thoughts, 50% higher probability of not finishing school, and a 2 to 3 times higher rate of lifetime drug use.*

In 2021, 92% of new U.S. human trafficking cases involved charges of sex trafficking and only 8% involved forced labor.*

The COVID-19 pandemic likely accelerated online victimization, with virtual platforms replacing in-person contact.*

According to the Department of Justice, “while some offenders may be intuitively skilled in this regard, others are mentored by other sex traffickers. They are “trained” on how to locate, recruit, and control victims, and they learn ‘best practices.’”*