There is no “cookie cutter” model that describes who the victims are, how they are exploited, or where they are exploited. Victims come from every socioeconomic background and are found in every neighborhood. Trafficking is also increasingly moving from the street corner to the Internet. All of these factors make the collection of statistics challenging.

What We Know

• 80% of victims are American citizens.
• Average age entering a sex trafficking situation:
  • Girls: 13-14 years old
  • Boys: 11-12 years old (M. Tetzlaff, personal communication, December 2016)
  • However, Phoenix law enforcement has seen girls as young as 9 sold for sex in Arizona (Trust AZ, 2017).

The Majority of Young Victims are Runaways

• No one knows how many children actually run away each year. Reported numbers are estimated at 300,000; however, it is estimated that only 30% of runaways are reported. Realistically, they estimate that 1 million run away each year (M. Tetzlaff, personal communication, December 2016).
• It is not a matter of “if” they runaway child will be approached by a trafficker once they are on the street; a runaway you WILL be approached by a trafficker within 48 hours of being on the streets. Frequently they enter the trafficking situation for survival – food, shelter, etc. (M. Tetzlaff, personal communication, December 2016).

Other victims are lured through a “boyfriend”, social media, or classmates.

• Victims often don’t realize that they are victims.  They are ashamed of what they have done, have been manipulated to not trust anyone and deeply wounded – physically, mentally, and spiritually.  They may fear for their safety or the safety of those that they love.
• All of this contributes to the reality that victims will not ask for help.  It is our responsibility to look beneath the surface and find them.
• They need us to ask them, “are you ok?”
• According to the Polaris Project, only 1-2% of human trafficking victims are ever identified (Trust AZ, 2017).

• I am Jane Doe. (August 25, 2017). I am Jane Doe. Retrieved from http://www.iamjanedoefilm.com/resources.
• Trust AZ. (August 25, 2017). Shocking Facts. Trust AZ. Retrieved from http://trustaz.org/downloads/awtrustshockingfacts.pdf.
• Trust AZ. (August 25, 2017). What You Need to Know: Sex Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, a Training Tool for Health Care Providers. Trust AZ. Retrieved from http://trustaz.org/downloads/awstirhealthcarebrochure.pdf.
• Trust AZ. (August 25, 2017). What You Need to Know Teen Sex Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. Trust AZ. Retrieved from http://trustaz.org/downloads/awstirschooleducatorsadminisratorsbrochure.pdf.
• United States of America Department of State. (June, 2016). Trafficking in Persons Report. United States of America Department of State. Retrieved from https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/258876.pdf.