A victim of trafficking is a person who has been forced by means of coercion, abduction, fraud, abuse of power, or purchase for the purpose of sexual exploitation, commercial labor, or slavery. Victims are generally trafficked into the U.S. from Asia, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe, and include men, women, and children. Trafficking victims certified by the Office of Refugee Resettlement are eligible for the same services as refugees.

For information on identifying and helping trafficking victims, please see the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. 

 Quick Facts:

• After drug dealing, human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world today, and it has been identified as the fastest growing.
• Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims are trafficked across international borders worldwide annually.
• An estimated 14,500 to 17,500 individuals are trafficked into the United States each year. Approximately one third of them are children.

Facts compiled from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Department of Health and Human Services. Please visit our Resources section for more information.