How People Become Victims of Illegal Human Sex Trafficking

Anyone could be at risk of becoming involved in illegal sex trafficking, regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity. Women and children are evidently the most susceptible to this sickening act, however, with 80% of victims consisting of women and 50% consisting of children. Victims are also more likely to be sold into the sex trade by someone of their own ethnicity because, immigrants especially, will trust someone that they recognize as their own nationality. Individuals being sold in illegal sex trafficking initially become victims when they are promised good jobs in another country, receive a false marriage proposal, sold by parents, husband, or boyfriend, or simply just kidnapped by traffickers. Victims may also be coerced into selling their bodies for sex when traffickers aide victims in transporting and living in another country and then direct these immigrants to pledge their personal services in order to compensatefor their debt. Victims then remain involved in sex trafficking because traffickers condition them using starvation, confinement, beatings, physical abuse, rape, gang rape, threats of violence directed at the victims or their families, forced drug use, or threatening to shame victims by exposing their sexual activity to family and friends. Victims also cannot help but remain in the world of sex trafficking because they do not speak the local language so therefore; they cannot ask for help, they lack legal status and being deported, there are limited employment options available to them, they are in poverty and owe immigration debts, they are socially isolated, and they simply are not aware that they are victims in their situation.