EP01 – Assessment & Recruitment
Assessment and recruitment is the first phase in the cycle of sex trafficking. Below you will find the statistic referenced throughout the episode.
– Average age of entry into the sex trade is 15 years old, with 1 in 6 being younger than 12. It is believed to be younger for males [source].
– One in seven runaways will likely become a victim of sex trafficking [source].
– Sex trafficking has been reported in all 50 states with the majority of victims being US citizens [source].
– Twenty-five percent of victims report when sold online they saw an average of 10 buyers per day [source]. The number slowly decreases from there. This is 10 rapes per day.
Definitions:
– Force: a method a traffickers uses to maintain control over a victim, often includes violence.
– Fraud: occurs when the pimp/trafficker promises things that they never intend to follow through with in order to maintain control over their victim.
– Coercion: persuading an individual to do something by using some kind of threat, pressure or shame.
– Bottom (or Bottom Bitch): the girl that the pimp/trafficker trusts the most, she is often given the task of recruiting, collecting money and training other girls.
– Stable: the group of girls a pimp/trafficker is “running” at a time, the average is 3-5 girls at a time.
For more statistics and definitions please check out Guardian Group’s 2019 Human Trafficking in America Report here.
When looking for red flags FIRE is a good acronym to remember:
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