Human trafficking remains a major issue in Arizona and the U.S.
See what you and your children can do to stay safe: Watch ABC15 tonight at 10 p.m. as Danielle Lerner sits down with a child sex trafficking survivor
Over 10,600 sex and labor trafficking survivors in 2017 contacted the National Human Trafficking Hotline, with more than 7,200 of those cases being classified as sex trafficking, according to a nationwide report from nonprofit group Polaris.
A total of 3,126 survivors were considered minors, while 1,956 were adults, per the report. About 5,500 of the survivors' ages were unknown.
The average age of someone initially being sex trafficked is 19, while around 80% of those trafficked are female, the report states. Ages 15 to 17 saw the most survivors, with a total of 269.
Of the 10,000+ survivors, just over 2,000 sex trafficking survivors indicated different recruiting tactics, with the top tactics being from intimate partners/marriage propositions and familial connections, according to the report.
"Escort services" was the most common type of sex trafficking in 2017, with "residential" (typically brothels) and "outdoor solicitation" (selling themselves on the street corner) holding the second and third most common types, respectively.
If you need help or suspect that you’ve observed human trafficking, call: 1-888-373-7888, text: 233733, or TTY: 711 the National Human Trafficking Hotline. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Polaris lists itself as a 501-C nonprofit organization that wants to "eradicate modern slavery" and focuses on victims of trafficking.
