How Big a Problem is Human Trafficking?
Human Trafficking is a global problem that is expanding at an alarming rate. Human trafficking and the illegal arms trade are tied as the second largest criminal industries in the world, with the illegal drug trade in first place. The US State Department estimates that 800,000 to 900,000 people are trafficked across international boundaries each year (not including the large number of people who are trafficked within their own country). The International Labor Organization estimates that 12.3 million are in forced labor worldwide. The ILO also reports that human trafficking accounts for $32 billion in illicit profits. Of that, $27.8 billion come from forced commercial sexual exploitation. Due to the underground nature of the crime, it is difficult to collect exact statistics, but an estimated 18,000 to 20,000 people are trafficked into the United States every year, with the actual number of people currently in trafficking situations in the United States estimated to be in the hundreds
