LEARN:

A child or adolescent is a victim of human trafficking when they are recruited, taken somewhere, kept somewhere, or offered things (like money, food or gifts) and then exploited to benefit someone else. This might be jobs they are too young for, sexual activities, or committing crimes such as selling drugs. Sometimes a trafficker threatens or harms the child or adolescent to force them to do these things. In other cases, traffickers treat children and adolescents with love and affection in order to trick or manipulate them. People who exploit children are committing a serious crime.

If you or someone you know may be a trafficking victim, help is available.

Children and adolescents may be trafficked for:

• • • sexual exploitation
    • forced labor and other forms of labor exploitation (including forced criminality)
    • forced begging
    • servitude
    • slavery or similar practices
    • servile or forced marriage
    • forced pregnancy and/or abortion
    • irregular adoption 
    • organ removal

When a child or adolescent is tricked, manipulated, pressured, or forced to have sex or engage in sex-related activities in order for another person to benefit, this is child sex trafficking. Benefits might include receiving money or material things (such as phones, clothing, alcohol, drugs, etc.)

It is not necessary to exchange money for sexual exploitation to occur. 

The exchange can be gifts, drugs, alcohol, a place to stay, food, or advantages such as status, affection, protection, safety, security, etc., for sex or any activity of a sexual nature.

Child sex trafficking can occur in person or online.

For example, transmitting or sharing photographs or videos of a sexually exploited child or adolescent or of sexual or sex-related activities with a child or adolescent via webcam.

Traffickers use tactics to frighten and control their victims and prevent them from seeking help. They also manipulate and deceive their victims.

Traffickers may:

• • • Hurt the victim or threaten to hurt the victim, or threaten to hurt the victim’s relatives or friends
    • Threaten to share personal information about the victim or to show private photos or videos to another person
    • Offer a job or study opportunity that is not real
    • Offer a victim’s family money for unwanted actions
    • Offer a victim housing or food

Watch this video to see a fictionalized interaction (based on real-life events) between a trafficker and an adolescent: