In a 2008 study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, of those who were sexually exploited in New York, fifty percent of victims were found to be boys from the United States, being trafficked domestically. The United States Department of Justice estimates close to 300,000 children are at risk of being prostituted in the United States.
The Trafficking in America Task Force “Boys are Not for Sale” initiative will be bringing together experts in the field to create the resources so desperately needed for trafficked males in their aftercare and healing. Pornography is a driving force in the demand for sex trafficking: studies and case reports indicate that 30% to 80% of individuals who viewed child pornography and 76% of individuals who were arrested for Internet child pornography had molested a child.
Training and education are crucial in bringing an end to human trafficking. Of 500 resident physicians surveyed fewer than 10 percent suspected that they had encountered a human trafficking victim, and only 20 percent said they would know what to do if they encountered a victim.
UNICEF estimates there are nearly two million children in the commercial sex trade.
Photo Credit: Boys Are Not For Sale Initiative Website