Definition: Using a child for another person’s gain or benefit.

“With the young girls, you promise them heaven, they’ll follow you to hell.”

                  - A pimp convicted of child sex trafficking

One of 13 hotspots for recruiting and consuming

8,830-11,773 Victims per year

$810 Million dollar revenue per year

Average age recruited between 11 and 14 but younger children and older teens are also recruited

• Luring
• Grooming
• Coercion/Manipulation
• Exploitation
• Recruitment

Who recruits:

• People known and trusted
• Boyfriends
• Parents
• Family members
• Neighbors
• Friends
• Strangers (only 3%)

Where recruited:

• Online
• Parties
• Middle and High Schools
• Malls
• Theaters
• Parks
• Your Neighborhood

What recruiters look for:

Vulnerable Youth:

• Needing basic care
• Experience of Abuse, Violence or Neglect
• Not fitting in
• Feeling Isolated 
• Lonely, Sad, Unloved
• No one to trust
• Disconnected
• Low self Esteem
  

• Skipping School
• Staying out late or overnight
• Unexplained Gifts
• New Possessions
• Drug and Alcohol Misuse
• Secretive Behavior
• Inappropriate or Sexualized  Behavior
• Friendships/Relationships with older adults
• Significant changes in mood

More Signs to Look For

• Behavioral changes in appearance (hygiene, clothes)
• Withdrawn, Isolation
• Poor Mental Health
• Self-harm
• Unexplained Injuries
• Lots of time on social media talking to friends they haven’t met or you don’t know
• Need to leave urgently after receiving a text often on a second phone