Introduction
Human trafficking is indeed one of the most widespread international crimes that
continue to be perpetuated to this day. Human trafficking refers to an exercise in which an entity
or a person transfers human beings from one part of the globe to another in order to facilitate
some form of exploitation on the part of the persons in question. One of the most common forms
of human trafficking is sex trafficking. Sex trafficking refers to trafficking of human beings for
sexual exploitation. Glover (2013) asserts that a more worrying trend with respect to sex
trafficking is child sex trafficking. This form of human trafficking mainly targets under age kids
and it is very dangerous since the kids can actually be easily lured by some of the trafficking
cartels operating around the globe.
It is indeed important to ensure that all measures are put in place to end human trafficking
and specifically, child sex trafficking. Be that as it may, nay effective intervention will first and
foremost require one to have a comprehensive understanding regarding the extent of this
problem. Each and every year, thousands of under age kids fall victims to child sex trafficking.
Such children are shipped to various destinations across the globe and are forced to engage in
various forms of sexual activities with strange men. Glover (2013) asserts that in most cases, the
victims actually come from third world countries and are lured into this trap by the promise of a
better tomorrow. Statistics further indicate that most of the children who are victims of sex
trafficking actually end up being predisposed to many life threatening diseases on account of
unprotected sex with different men.
TRENDS IN CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING 3
Background research
There have been many efforts to address the issue of child sex trafficking but clearly; a
lot needs to be done. First and foremost, it goes without saying that the issue of child sex
trafficking is one that has been around for quite a while and despite the efforts put in place by the
authorities, the issue still persists (Glover, 2013). It is also quite clear that some of the main
underlying reasons that continue to inform on this trend seem to be the same ones over the years.
For instance, the issue of poverty and underlying social economic issues that encourage human
trafficking and in particular, child sex trafficking are largely unchanged. Hart (2009) asserts that
the fact that these issues are more or les the same indicates that indeed there is need to do more
in terms of addressing the underlying causes of human trafficking.
An overall analysis of the trends relating to child sex trafficking reveals that developed
nations such as the United States and European countries seem to record the highest activities
relating to child sex trafficking. The levels of trafficking in such countries is so high as compared
to other countries and as such, western societies play a significant role when it comes to
analyzing global trends in trafficking. An important thing to note is that developed nations play
an important role when it comes to the issue of both international trafficking nada los internal
trafficking. According to, Shelley (2010) the number of people who are trafficked into the United
States and other western nations seem to be very high. In the same vein, the number of US
citizens and other citizens of other western nations who are trafficked within their own national;
borders also seem to be quite high. Shelley (2010) therefore notes that this is a trend that can
actually be analyzed to reveal some of the major underlying issues relating to human trafficking.
TRENDS IN CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING 4
Mishra (2013) notes that one of the possible reasons behind the high levels on
international trafficking taking place in the US and other major world economies is the higher
levels of inequalities across the globe. Virtually all of the victims of sex trafficking who come
into such countries are not aware of their situation. Many of them seek to escape the high levels
of poverty in their home countries and this is indeed the reasons why most of the victims of
international trafficking come from least developed economies in places like Africa and Eastern
European countries. Furthermore, DeStefano (2007) asserts that the high levels of disparity
within the so called developed nations are also significantly contributing to the high levels of
internal trafficking. This is due to the fact that the gap between the rich and the poor is very high
and in such cases, children from extremely poor backgrounds are more often than not inclined to
fall into the trap of sex trafficking and they mainly do so for economic reasons.
All in all, one of the fundamental questions that this project will seek to analyse include,
what is the major trend informing on sex trafficking across the globe? Secondly, the project will
also seek to address the issue relating to what are some of the social economic factors that inform
on the trend on human trafficking? These questions will indeed go a long way in highlighting the
underlying issues on human trafficking and how such issues can be addressed.
Data analysis
Child sex trafficking is an issues that has been around for quite a while. One of the
possible reasons why this form of trafficking continues to grow with each passing day is that the
relevant authorities are not doing enough in terms of combating this activity that continues to
ruin the lives of hundreds of thousands of children across the globe. To date, the number of
people who have been victims of sex trafficking stands at 4.5 million and almost half of these are
TRENDS IN CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING 5
kids between the ages of 11 to 18 years. It is also important to note that this number only
represents the recorded victims and thus, the millions of victims who have never reported their
ordeals to the authorities are not included in this figure.
TRENDS IN CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING 6
From the data above, it is clear for one to see that indeed there are various forms of
exploitation that trafficked human beings are subjected to. Out of the various types of
exploitation, sexual exploitation seems to be the most prevalent one and this is indeed the reason
why it is important for the discussion on child trafficking to focus on child sex exploitation.
Territo (2014) asserts that unemployment and high poverty rates continue to be a major
challenge as far as the issue relating to child sex trafficking is concerned. Most of the children
TRENDS IN CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING 7
who fall victims of this form of trafficking come from poor families and many of their parents or
guardians are unemployed. Furthermore, many such kids also come from foster homes and in
such environments, there is little attention paid to the kid and as such, they end doing things that
other kids would not ordinarily do. This therefore implies that there needs to be reevaluation of
the country’s foster care system in order to ensure that kids who find themselves in such system
are actually accorded the care and the love that they need.
Statistics relating to child sex trafficking in the United States and the world underscore
the severity of this problem. First and foremost, the figures seem to indicate that this form of
trafficking seems to affect young kids from both genders. According to Territo (2014), up to
800,000 people are trafficked annually for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Out of this, about
400,000 are under age kids and this therefore implies that kids are actually the most targeted
victims of sex trafficking. Territo (2014) asserts that the figure of 800,000 analyses sex
trafficking within the context of international trafficking. However, Mishra (2013) points out that
the figures are actually much higher when one takes into account the phenomenon of internal sex
trafficking. Internal sex trafficking in this context refers to trafficking that occurs within the
national borders of various countries.
When it comes to internal child sex trafficking, the United States seem to be heading the
pack in terms of the number of underage kids that are ferried from state to another for the
purpose of sexual exploitation. Precisely, Mishra (2013) indicates that more than 300,000
children under the age of 18 are subjected to internal child sex trafficking in the US. Child
prostitution is indeed one of the most widespread vices that continue to afflict the country and
this can be attributed to the high number of children who are lured into various networks of child
sex trafficking in the country.
TRENDS IN CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING 8
The internet has come to play a very significant role as far as child sex trafficking is
concerned. In the US, about 80 percent of all child sex trafficking cases involve the use of the
internet where the offenders use internet resources to locate their potential victims. This trend is
also present in other parts of the world most notable Europe where most of the perpetrators of
child sex trafficking employ the use of internet resources such as websites and social media sites
to meet potential victims.
TRENDS IN CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING 9
References
DeStefano, A. (2007). The War on Human Trafficking: U.S. Policy Assessed. New York:
Pearson.
Glover, N. (2013). Criminal Investigation of Sex Trafficking in America. New York: Cengage
Learning.
Hart, J. (2009). Human Trafficking. Michigan: Harcourt Mufflin.
Mishra, V. (2013). Human Trafficking: The Stakeholders' Perspective. London: Routledge.
Shelley, L. (2010). Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective. Michigan: Harcourt Mufflin.
Territo, L. (2014). International Sex Trafficking of Women & Children. New York: Pearson.