THE ISSUE

UNMASKING

THE GLOBAL EPIDEMIC:

Every two minutes, a child is being prepared for sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

girl looking out window

In a world plagued by criminal markets, none surpasses the pervasive reach of human trafficking. It casts its sinister shadow over countless lives, eclipsing even the trade of illicit drugs, arms, human smuggling, and wildlife crimes.

Women, men, and children are ruthlessly ensnared in traffickers’ grips, subjected to forced labor, prostitution, forced marriages, and even organ removal. These heinous acts bear many names-human trafficking, trafficking of persons, modern-day slavery-but they all share the same insidious nature.

Myth:

Only girls and women are victims of human trafficking.

Fact:

Boys and men are just as likely to be victims of human trafficking as girls and women. However, they are less likely to be identified and reported. Girls and boys are often subject to different types of trafficking, for instance, girls may be trafficked for forced marriage and sexual exploitation, while boys may be trafficked for forced labor or recruitment into armed groups.

Myth:

All human trafficking involves sex or prostitution

Fact:

Human trafficking can include forced labor, domestic servitude, organ trafficking, debt bondage, recruitment of children as child soldiers, and/or sex trafficking and forced prostitution.

Myth:

Trafficking primarily occurs in developing countries.

Fact:

Trafficking occurs all over the world, though the most common forms of trafficking can differ by country. The United States is one of the most active sex trafficking countries in the world, where exploitation of trafficking victims occurs in cities, suburban and rural areas. Labor trafficking occurs in the U.S. but at lower rates than in most developing countries.

Myth:

Trafficking involves traveling, transporting, or moving a person across borders.

Fact:

Human trafficking is not the same thing as smuggling, which are two terms that are commonly confused. Trafficking does not require movement across borders. In fact, in some cases, a child could be trafficked and exploited from their own home. In the U.S., trafficking most frequently occurs at hotels, motels, truck stops, and online.

Myth:

People being trafficked are physically unable to leave or held against their will

Fact:

Trafficking can involve force, but people can also be trafficked through threats, coercion, or deception. People in trafficking situations can be controlled through drug addiction, violent relationships, manipulation, lack of financial independence, or isolation from family or friends, in addition to physical restraint or harm.

Myth:

Traffickers target victims they don’t know

Fact:

A majority of the time, victims are trafficked by someone they know, such as a friend, family member or romantic partner.

There are an estimated

50 MILLION PEOPLE

trapped in slavery around the world.

This is arguably the most important number related to human trafficking, and the one most often cited.

27.6

MILLION

in forced labor

6.3

MILLION

in sex trafficking

21.3

MILLION

in labor trafficking

22

MILLION

in forced marriage

Because forced marriages can be so closely linked with sex trafficking, the lines between categories are not so clearly defined.

30%

of global human trafficing victims are children.

WOMEN MAKE UP 49%

of all victims of global trafficking.

EVENTS

If you are interested in hosting a fundraising event to support the mission of Freedom Warriors, or simply want to learn more about our organization, we welcome your initiative and commitment to making a difference. Connecting with us is easy and straightforward—use the contact form or email us at info@thefreedomwarrior.org.

Upcoming Event

2nd-Annual World Day Against Trafficking in Persons Fundraising Event at TopGolf

Sunday, July 30th

Top Golf

4050 W Costco Dr.

Tuscon, AZ 85741

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