Human trafficking in the United States

In the United States, human trafficking tends to occur around international travel hubs with large immigrant populations, notably in California, Texas, and Georgia. Those trafficked include young children, teenagers, men, and women; victims can be domestic citizens or foreign nationals.

Under federal law (18 USC § 1589), it is a crime to make people work by use of force, coercion, or fear. U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 1" in 2017.[1]

On April 11, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act into law to close websites that enable crime and prosecute their owners and users.[2] Beyond websites, tech companies have faced increasing challenges from the use of their social media applications as "human hunting fields" to find victims for human trafficking.[3]

In 2023, the Organised Crime Index gave the country a score of 6 out of 10 for human trafficking,[4] with most victims coming from Mexico, Honduras or within the U.S.

  1. ^ "Trafficking in Persons Report 2017: Tier Placements". state.gov. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  2. ^ "Trump signs 'FOSTA' bill targeting online sex trafficking, enables states and victims to pursue websites". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  3. ^ McQue, Katie; McNamara, Mei-Ling (April 27, 2023). "How Facebook and Instagram became marketplaces for child sex trafficking". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  4. ^ Organised Crime Index website, Ukraine: 2023

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