Facts:

-Average age of entry is 12-14 years old for girls, and 11-13 for boys

-300,000 children each year are at risk of some form of sexual exploitation

-60% of children exploited in prostitution are recruited by peers

-Majority of runaways, homeless, abused, and at-risk children are approached by pimps and drug dealers within 48 hours of landing on the streets. That equates to 1 out of 3 being lured into Sex Trafficking.

-As many as 2.8 million children run away each year in the US

-Children who are sexually abused earlier in childhood are 4x more likely to be targeted and victimized by commercial sexual exploitation

-Pimps use the internet, text messages, and digital web cameras to set up “dates” for their “girls”, making them more difficult to find

Pathways of Entry:

-Parents selling children

-Violence and force

-Born into The Life

-Kidnapping (very low %)

-Seduction and Coercion

-Addiction

-False advertising for “modeling”, “acting”, or “dancing” opportunities

-Peer recruitment

-Internet enticement through chat room or profile sharing sites (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

Dating/Hookup sites (Bumble, Tinder, etc.)