While any age group or gender can become a victim of human trafficking, the most significant portion of victims are young females. Astoundingly, the young age of 12 to 14 is when most girls are victimized by the commercial sex trade according to numbers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Boys too can be crushed, but girls are at a greater risk of becoming victims of this industry. Thankfully, this crime has the full attention of Saved in America, an organization created for the sole purpose of fighting back against the evils of this crime on American soil. 

Not The Same as Smuggling

Although having border issues creates an even more robust environment for human trafficking, this crime is not the same as human smuggling. Human smuggling involves either attempting to or successfully bringing a person from one country to another, violating immigration and other laws. Human trafficking does not explicitly involve taking victims across borders, although that sometimes does happen. Instead, it involves the coercion of a minor or forcing a minor to become involved in commercial sex acts in some way. 

Social Media is a Hotbed

Instead of having to worry about the big bad wolf coming for kids in the form of someone snatching a kid off the street, parents today have to worry about their kids even when they are seemingly safe in their bedrooms thanks to the popularity of social media. These platforms provide a way for criminals to lure victims into their web of lies, usually before they realize what is happening. This process is called grooming and involves the careful manipulation of a victim by a predator to gain their trust and loyalty. Parents should always know what their children are doing online, even if they don’t necessarily want to share that information. In addition, traffickers use kids’ peers to lure them into the industry, even going as far as putting recruiters for the industry in middle and high schools. 

It Can Be Anyone

Suffice it to say that victims of human trafficking can be anyone. They can be young or old, from good homes or bad ones, and can include people fitting every economic scale. Therefore, no parent can assume that their kid is not being targeted and should be extra vigilant as a result, especially throughout the most high-risk years of their lives.