Does human trafficking happen in the USA?

Dressember Reading Day #7

Every day during the month of December, we’re answering common questions and breaking down different aspects of human trafficking on our blog and Instagram. Join us in raising awareness about the injustice of human trafficking by sharing, donating, or joining the Dressember campaign (it’s not too late!).

It happens here too.

Human Trafficking in the United States.

While often thought of as an issue that happens overseas, the U.S. continues to rank high on the list of countries where human trafficking occurs. And while it is commonly thought that the individuals who are trafficked come from other countries, It is estimated that 77% of human trafficking victims are actually exploited from their country of residence. From 2007-2018 the United States National Human Trafficking Hotline reported handling 51,919 cases (cases mean there may be multiple people involved).

Where does it happen in the U.S.?

Data is hard to come by but if we look at the numbers reported by the hotline, in 2018, California had the highest reported cases of human trafficking followed by Texas and Florida. In 2016, Washington D.C., Atlanta and Orlando were the leading U.S. cities with reported cases per capita of human trafficking.

Although there is limited research on what makes a city or state more likely to have a high rate of human trafficking, we do know that there are certain things that can make populations more vulnerable to human trafficking, like the rate of homeless youth and foster care populations. We’ll continue to learn more about these in following Dressember Readings. We also see that states near borders and ports of entry can be more vulnerable to human trafficking.

What is the U.S. doing about this issue?

The 2019 Trafficking In Persons Report does a breakdown and ranking of every country. In it, the U.S. was given a Tier 1 ranking. A Tier 1 ranking means that the U.S. has remained consistent in their efforts towards fighting human trafficking. But the results also show that there is room for improvement in the U.S. The U.S. has seen an increased number of convictions, but opened, charged and prosecuted fewer cases from the year before.

What can I do?

One way to create change is to contact your senators, and representatives, speak to them about the above issues and the suggestions from the 2019 Trafficking In Persons Report (TIP) and ask them to create or pass legislation that furthers those efforts.