Sex trafficking: every two minutes a child in the US is enslaved

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Sex trafficking: every two minutes a child in the US is enslaved

The US Department of Justice reported that every two minutes a child is trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation in the United States. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 750-1,500 juveniles are at risk for trafficking in a single US state each year.


Parents, stepparents or guardians force their children to perform sex acts in exchange for money or items of value. Often, they abuse their children themselves. "I was being sexually abused. I would be abused by the people that I lived with, but they were also bringing people in to do that as well," recalls a sex victim who was abused throughout her childhood. "Normally it's in places where there's lots of people, anytime when there's a ball game like a football game," the girl adds who is hiding her identity for safety.

Sex abusers involved in child sex trafficking are ordinary people from the neighborhood, they lead normal lives, participate in community activities and often go to church. They force their children to take addictive drugs and usually threaten them. “It happens every single day in every neighborhood. They're people who look good but they aren't who they say they are," said the victim, adding "you do not understand the mind control that they put over a human being… It's slavery".

In 2011 the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) revealed a study that showed there were more than 100 cases reported of child sex trafficking in Knox County in the U.S. State of Tennessee. TBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Margie Quin says child sex trafficking is increasing, possibly due to photos and ads online. "If there's a demand, that demand is going to be met. And if there's money to be made, and there's a tremendous amount of money to be made in child sex trafficking, then it's going to occur," said Quin.