More People Are Trafficked Today Than at Any Other Time in History

Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world

A woman who helps victims of sex trafficking, stands in Baja California state, Mexico, on Jan. 16, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

An estimated 50 million people worldwide are being trafficked for labor or sex. And while it might be easy to assume that human trafficking is primarily a third-world problem, it’s more prevalent in wealthy countries like the United States.

“I think people will be really surprised to hear that 52 percent of those who are in trafficking are actually living in the wealthiest countries in the world—in those that are developed,” Preston Goff, senior director of communications for anti-trafficking organization The Exodus Road, told The Epoch Times.

“It certainly happens in places like Thailand, but here in the U.S. the most recent estimate is that there are 1.1 million people [being trafficked].”

The Exodus Road is a 501(c)3 based in Colorado that started in 2012. It uses a three-pronged approach to help fight human trafficking, which the Department of Homeland Security defines as the use of “force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.”

First, it focuses on search and rescue teams of highly-trained nationals that partner with law enforcement to help fight human trafficking by using cyber analytics to detect trafficking, by helping identify victims, and by helping law enforcement build effective cases. Second, it trains law enforcement and communities through its Traffick Watch Academy. And third, its Beyond Rescue program provides human trafficking survivors with counseling, a place to live, and education to help them start a new life.

Mr. Goff said that The Exodus Road and many organizations in the anti-trafficking community use the statistics provided by the International Labor Organization (ILO). And while exact numbers are impossible to pin down due to the nature of human trafficking, the Global Slavery Index, published by the ILO every few years, is considered the most accurate.

In 2016, ILO estimated 40.3 million human trafficking victims worldwide. By 2021, when the latest report was released, that number had jumped to 50 million—a 25 percent increase.

In the United States, the increase has been even more significant. Mr. Goff said that in 2016, the estimated number of trafficked individuals in the United States was between 400,000 to 500,000.

The latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery report of 1.1 million victims indicates that human trafficking in the United States has doubled in just five years. ILO’s 50forfreedom campaign reports there are more people being trafficked today than at any other time in human history.

Trafficking Statistics

“Human trafficking exists in every single country in the world. It exists in every single state in the U.S., and often, it looks very different than what most people might imagine,” Mr. Goff said.

He added that typically, when the media discusses human trafficking, there’s an emphasis on sex trafficking. And while that’s a significant problem, it’s only part of the story.

According to ISO, an estimated 28 million people live in forced labor conditions. Of those, approximately 21.56 million are enslaved in industries like mining, agriculture, textile, and garment production; and 6.44 million are explicitly in commercial sexual exploitation, with roughly four out of five being women or girls, Mr. Goff said.

The remaining 22 million victims who make up the 50 million statistics are those living in forced marriages. However, ISO notes that the actual number is likely much higher.

A man walks by two women standing near a strip club in Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico, on Jan 16, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

“The true incidence of forced marriage, particularly involving children aged 16 and younger, is likely far greater than current estimates can capture; these are based on a narrow definition and do not include all child marriages. Child marriages are considered to be forced because a child cannot legally give consent to marry,” ISO states.

When someone is trafficked, there’s not always a clear delineation between categories, Mr. Goff said.

“The truth is that [human trafficking] operates much more like a Venn diagram. Some people might be forced into marriage, but they’re also expected to serve a larger family as a domestic servant. So, they could be experiencing sexual and labor exploitation in the household,” Mr. Goff said.

Driving Factors

Human trafficking is estimated to generate approximately $150 billion globally in revenue each year, ISO reports, making it the third most lucrative criminal industry behind drugs and weapons trafficking—but not for long.

Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry and, as a result, it’s expected to become the second “most lucrative” soon. Mr. Goff said desperation is a key factor in the increase, which is something Som (a pseudonym to protect her privacy) understands firsthand.

When she was 12, Som’s dad passed away, leaving her mother, herself, and her two older brothers to fend for themselves. “It’s my personality to help them as much as I can,” Som said in an interview for The Exodus Road. And living in a tourist-heavy area of Thailand, that desire resulted in sexual exploitation starting when Som was 14.

“This work will eat you up gradually. It will rot your heart. Every time a customer came to me, I felt like they took from me, and then they let me go, like a cycle.”

The cycle continued until Som’s daughter, Pearl (a pseudonym) was abused by a family member, motivating Som to find a different kind of life. That motivation led her to a local Freedom Home run by The Exodus Road in Thailand.

Ten men arrested in a human trafficking sting, in North Olmsted, Ohio, on May 11, 2023. Courtesy of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office

“I’m proud of myself that I could leave … but it wasn’t easy. There were people who helped me,” she said.

Another factor contributing to the human trafficking increase, according to Mr. Goff, was the COVID-19 pandemic because of how it created desperation. He said when people are despairing, a job offer means a vision and hope for the future, for themselves and their families. And that makes them more susceptible to traffickers.

“The pandemic increased vulnerability for those who were already vulnerable. When you hear things like war breaking out and natural disasters, even things like climate change, it causes an increased vulnerability in the impoverished world by those already experiencing vulnerabilities. And that creates this perfect climate for desperation that a trafficker can prey on.”

He said traffickers often trap desperate victims by promising them a job opportunity “that seems like it’s completely on the up-and-up.”

Such was the case for Kratay, also a pseudonym. When she was 13, her stepfather and mother pressured her to find work, so when her friend told her about an “easy job,” Kratay jumped at the opportunity.

Following her friend to what looked like a typical job at a bar, Kratay said she soon found herself alone with an older man who raped her. When she told her parents what happened, they responded, “How much did this man pay for time with you?” She replied $30. They forced her to keep working at the bar.

Mr. Goff said in addition to promising a job that looks legitimate, traffickers often move victims to another location and then tell them that the job no longer exists. Then they tell the victim that because the trafficker paid for or facilitated the move, the victim has incurred a debt they must work off.

“It’s often a form of debt bondage that would hold somebody in that scenario layered with other forms of force, fraud, and coercion. That can really make someone feel stuck in a situation,” Mr. Goff said.

Police officers lead a woman to a vehicle during a raid against a group of people suspect to brought Vietnamese people to Europe on fraudulently obtained visas, in Berlin, on May 31, 2021. Paul Zinken/dpa via AP

Another primary factor impacting human trafficking numbers is the digital nature of some forms of trafficking. Mr. Goff said that in the Philippines—one of The Exodus Road’s primary areas of focus—there’s a rise in online crime, specifically involving child sexual exploitation.

“Young children and teenagers are being exploited for this content. And one of the most terrifying and tragic pieces is that the marketplace that drives the demand for that is almost entirely outside the country, tracing back to countries like the U.S. and European nations,” Mr. Goff said.

“The online space results in both online exploitations and in-person physical exploitation in producing that content. So, the truth is with the rise of technology in our world, for those with serious desires, it makes it easier to access the vulnerable, and that’s tragic.”

Technology has also made it easier to track perpetrators, Mr. Goff said.

“It’s allowing us to map and disrupt entire networks at paces that just aren’t possible if you rely on human intelligence alone,” he said.

Combating Trafficking

Often people think that simply going in and pulling someone out of a trafficked situation will save that person, Mr. Goff said. But that’s not how it works.

Instead, the journey to freedom for survivors begins at the moment of intervention. “The coercion, the trauma, that these survivors have experienced requires a lot of intentionality,” he said.

“We’ve had a lot of success with coming alongside good men and women who care deeply about their community and want to see those living in exploitation set free,” he said. “When we do that, it allows the survivor to access government and non-governmental services that otherwise would be harder to access.”

In Som’s case, the safety and education her local Freedom Home provided for herself and Pearl was Som’s ticket out of trafficking. While there, she took English classes and entrepreneurship training. She now envisions starting her own online business.

“When I worked as a sex worker, someone could buy me with money. But now? Money cannot buy me anymore,” she said.

In Kratay’s case, freedom came when undercover police officers posed as would-be buyers, rescued her, and placed her in a government home for exploited girls in Thailand. Following the resolution of her court case, Kratay moved to a Freedom Home and began taking business and English classes, and learned how to weave and sell baskets for income.

“Here at Freedom Home, I feel freedom, truly,” Kratay said. One day, she hopes to become a veterinarian nurse.