Introduction

There is a substantial issue with sex trafficking across the United States, and it is one that is typically looked over or ignored. Sex trafficking is considered a continuously booming industry; according to Shared Hope, sex trafficking is defined as, “an act or acts that occur when someone uses force, fraud, or coercion to cause a commercial sex act with an adult or causes a minor to commit a commercial sex act. A commercial sex act includes prostitution, pornography and sexual performance done in exchange for any item of value, such as money, drugs, shelter, food, or clothes.” Traffickers are able to find their victims through a multitude of different sources such as social networks, local neighborhoods, the internet, and sometimes even a workplace or a school. Although the trafficker will initially introduce themselves and offer the victim amenities such as protection, love, or an opportunity, the victims are soon met with tactics of violence, fear, threats, and sometimes severe intimidation.