1. In the U.S., the typical age of entry into prostitution is 13-15 years old.
2. An initial study suggests that a peak time that people are procuring sex online is 2:00pm.
3. 63% of prostituted people said that they met clients on company properties.
4. In one 24-hour period in Seattle, 6,847 men solicited sex on one of the 100+ websites available to them.
5. An estimated 6,847 people solicited sex in Seattle in a 24 hour period.
6. Seattle Business Case: Of 104 people charged with soliciting sex from children in King County, the majority work in local businesses, in a variety of industries.
National Business Case: Of 872 people charged with soliciting sex from children or adults nationwide, the majority work in the private sector.
7. A 2012 study found that 63% of trafficking incidents involved hotels, ranging from economy to luxury hotels.
8. Teenage girls visiting shopping malls have been targeted and approached by pimps within 45 minutes of their arrival.
9. Over 89% report wanting to leave prostitution if they had an alternative.
10. Of the 383 sex trafficking cases that identified the location where a commercial sex act took place, 81.5% (312) involved a victim who was exploited for sex at a hotel.
11. 71% of labor trafficking survivors in the U.S. traveled by airplane during their exploitation.
12. Training respondents reported that within the last year, 213 victims were identified.
13. Of people charged with buying minors for sex, 71% are white men; 43% of the victims are black girls.
14. In 2020, 287 victims of labor trafficking were served in WA state.
15. Understanding transportation methods used for human trafficking based on survey respondents.
16. 7,380 signals from victims and survivors of trafficking were received by the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2023.
17. 63% of forced labor globally happens in the private sector.
18. Victims of human trafficking have been identified in over 25 U.S. industries.
19. Black and Indigenous girls and LGTBQ2IA+ youth are disproportionately targeted by sex traffickers.
20. BEST’s training recipients reported significant increases in their knowledge about sex trafficking and labor trafficking after training.
21. 96% of training recipients reported that their employers took at least one of BEST’s recommended steps to prevent human trafficking after training.
22. 96% of training recipients said BEST’s training will help make their workplaces safer.
23. “Many employees within an airport or airline setting have a role to play in addressing human trafficking [...] (including) custodial staff, bathroom attendants, baggage handlers, skycaps, retail associates, food vendors, and information desk staff.”
24. 80% of victims trafficked internationally pass through official border points, such as airports.
25. “Coastlines and ports of entry can be particularly susceptible to human trafficking, putting maritime employees in a good position to potentially see victims when they first arrive and before they enter the country’s transportation systems. (...) Areas of concern include, but are not limited to, trafficking onboard fishing vessels, people involved in search and rescue cases, and the recreational maritime sector. It’s essential that maritime employees are ready to recognize, react to, and report indicators of human trafficking."
26. “Survivors of human trafficking report being subjected to the crime through all modes of transport, including transit. Human traffickers recruit, transport, and exploit their victims via local buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, trolleys, and ferries in urban and rural communities."
27. "As a transit-sector employee, you play a critical role in preventing, recognizing, and reporting suspected instances of human trafficking in and around local transit vehicles and transit hubs.”
28. Human trafficking has been identified in over 25 industries, including retail, restaurants, finance, and recreation.
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[1] This number is an estimate based on findings in several studies:
Estes, Richard J., and Neil Alan Weiner. The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. U of Pennsylvania, 2001.
Silbert, M. H., and A. M. Pines. “Victimization of Street Prostitutes.” Victimology, vol. 7, 1982, pp. 122–33.
Weisberg, D. Kelly. Children of the Night: A Study of Adolescent Prostitution. Lexington Books, 1985.
In a small interview-based study of survivors by BEST and OPS, the average age that respondents entered the life was 15 years old.
[2] According to preliminary test data from a recent project by Seattle Against Slavery in partnership with Demand Abolition, April 2015. This data was further confirmed according in an ongoing study by the Organization of Prostitution Survivors (OPS) and BEST, January 2015 - Present, in which 72% of prostitution survivors who responded said that clients contacted them between 12pm and 5pm to set up meetings. The second study indicated that the top time for clients to contact them was after 5pm. The time of 12pm-5pm is listed as the second peak time.
[3] Organization of Prostitution Survivors and BEST. Ongoing interview study of prostitution survivors. Jan. 2015–present. Unpublished data.
[4] Roe-Sepowitz, Dominique, et al. “Invisible Offenders: A Study Estimating Online Sex Customers.” Arizona State University, Aug. 2013. Study of Seattle market completed September 2014.
[5] Same source as [4] (Roe-Sepowitz et al.).
[6] BEST. Seattle data obtained through public information request. 2014–2017. Unpublished data. Cook County Sheriff’s Office. National Day of Johns Arrests. 2016–2017. Data provided to BEST.
[7] BEST. Study of sex-trafficking-related cases prosecuted by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. 2008–2012. Unpublished data.
[8] Brodeur, Nicole. “A Shameful Side of the City.” The Seattle Times, www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/a-shameful-side-of-the-city/.
[9] Farley, Melissa, et al. “Prostitution in Five Countries.” Feminism & Psychology, vol. 8, no. 4, 1998, pp. 405–26.
[10] Human Trafficking Institute. 2018 Federal Human Trafficking Report. 2019, www.traffickingmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2018-Federal-Human-Trafficking-Report-High-Res.pdf.
[11] Owens, Colleen, Meredith Dank, et al. Understanding the Organization, Operation, and Victimization Process of Labor Trafficking in the United States. Urban Institute, 2014, www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/33821/413249-Understanding-the-Organization-Operation-and-Victimization-Process-of-Labor-Trafficking-in-the-United-States.PDF.
[12] Internal BEST evaluation data of Inhospitable to Human Trafficking (2019); no public source.
[13] King County Exploitation Cases. King County CSE Data 2020, 30 July 2021, static1.squarespace.com/static/5b71c32bec4eb7c684a77ff4/t/6104439472e43205ebb69ef3/1627669451950/FINAL+WEBSITE+2020+King+County+CSE+Data+7.30+Update+Final.pdf
[14] Office of Crime Victims Advocacy. 2022 Human Trafficking Data. s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/bestalliance.org/References/OCVA+2020+HT.Data.County.pdf.
[15] Yagci Sokat, Kezban. Understanding the Role of Transportation in Human Trafficking in California. transweb.sjsu.edu/sites/default/files/2108-Yagci%20Sokat-Crimes-Involving-Transportation-Legislation-Stakeholders.pdf.
[16] U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline. “Signals Received in 2023.” humantraffickinghotline.org/en/statistics.
[17] International Labour Organization. “Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Trafficking in Persons.” www.ilo.org/topics/forced-labour-modern-slavery-and-trafficking-persons.
[18] Human Trafficking Institute, Industries Identified in Forced Labor Cases, June 2024 https://data.traffickinginstitute.org/industries-identified-in-forced-labor-cases
[19]
[20] - [22] Internal BEST data from the 2019 ASU evaluation study (private SharePoint files); no public source.
[23] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Developing an Airport Program to Address Human Trafficking: A Guide. The National Academies Press, 2023, https://doi.org/10.17226/26911
[24] International Organization for Migration. “IOM: Most Victims Trafficked Internationally Cross Official Border Points.” 2018, www.iom.int/news/iom-most-victims-trafficked-internationally-cross-official-border-points
[25] U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Transportation. Human Trafficking Response Guide for the Transportation Industry. 2024, www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2023-06/Human%20Trafficking%20Response%20Guide%20for%20the%20Transportation%20Industry%20508.pdf.
[26] U.S. Department of Transportation. “Human Trafficking 101.” www.transportation.gov/stop-human-trafficking/human-trafficking-101.
[27] U.S. Department of Transportation. “Transit Industry Resources to Counter Human Trafficking.” www.transportation.gov/stop-human-trafficking/transit.
[28] BEST. "U.S. Industries In Which Forced Labor Has Occurred Since 2000." https://best-course-materials.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/BB+Resources/BEST/U.S.+Industries+In+Which+Forced+Labor+Has+Occurred+Since+2000.pdf
