The trafficking of human beings for sex isn’t just a third-world phenomenon. It exists and thrives within the borders of the United States, including South Carolina. Trafficking is so rampant that studies show that nearly everyone in the United States is affected by the commercial sex industry.
The Department of State defines trafficking as a crime “in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age.”
However, sexual slavery and human trafficking affects many older than the age of 18 as well. A person can still be coerced to participate in the commercial sex industry after he or she reaches the age of 18.
THE NUMBERS OF HUMAN SEX TRAFFICKING
Though precise numbers do not exist, the estimated number of sex trafficking victims in the United States reaches into the tens of thousands, and the industry’s profits extend into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The average age at which a victim begins to be trafficked is 12-14 years old, and sadly, minors constitute a high percentage of those currently working in the commercial sex industry.
South Carolina is no exception to the rule that every state is contaminated with the grim reality of human sex trafficking. Again, only sporadic data exists on the commercial sex industry in South Carolina; however, some reliable numbers exist. The estimates conclude that nearly 670 persons are advertised daily for commercial sex in South Carolina, with around 10% of those persons being minors. The lack of criminal convictions against known sex-traffickers is perhaps the most alarming number, though – a mere 50 charges of Trafficking in Persons closed in South Carolina in 2016.
https://www.palmettofamily.org/sex-trafficking-south-carolina/
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/state/south-carolina
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