Human Trafficking Prevention & Intervention

What is Sex Trafficking?

Sex Trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such as act has not attained 18 years of age (Trafficking Victims Protection Act, 2000).

Simply put, sex trafficking is when the trafficker uses physical violence, lies, or threats to compel an adult to engage in a sex act for anything of value in return.

All commercial sex involving a minor is legally considered human trafficking.

What Does Sex Trafficking Look Like?

• A youth having an older partner.
• Using force, manipulation, lies, or fraud to compel an individual to perform sex acts for something of value.
• When engaging in commercial sex, a third party takes the profits of the commercial sex act.
• An individual is not allowed to stop performing commercial sex acts out of fear, threats, or force.
• Individuals may have inappropriate clothing for the weather, several cell phones, large amounts of cash, gift cards, or high-end items of value.

* Please note that one indicator does not mean an individual is being trafficked.