United States Human Trafficking

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United States
Human Trafficking

Market Overview

The number of people who are human trafficking victims in the United States is believed be between 18,000 to 20,000 people.¹

United States Black Markets

Number of People:
18,000 - 20,000

Source: United States Department of State, " 2003 Trafficking in Persons Report," http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2003/21262.htm (accessed: October 7, 2005).

Human Trafficking Market Data and Information

According to a study by Free the Slaves and the Human Rights Center at the University of California Berkeley, an estimated 10,000 people are estimated to be working in forced labor conditions in the United States as a result of Human Trafficking.² The study, Hidden Slaves: Forced Labor in the United States further states that the victims have been trafficked from over 35 countries, led by China and followed by Mexico and Vietnam.³

The study broke down 125 cases of Human Trafficking and Forced Labor in the United States, and determined the labor provided by the victims of trafficking.

Type of Labor	Number of Cases	Percentage
Prostitution	58	46.4
Domestic Service	34	27.2
Agriculture	13	10.4
Sweatshop/Factory	6	4.8
Food Service	5	3.8
Sexual Exploitation of Children	4	3.1
Entertainment	4	3.1
Mail-Order Bride	1	.8
Totals	125	100.0
Source: Hidden Slaves. ⁴

Sources:

1. United States Department of State, " 2003 Trafficking in Persons Report," http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2003/21262.htm (accessed: October 7, 2005).

2. Free the Slaves and the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley, " Hidden Slaves: Forced Labor in the United States," September 2004, http://www.hrcberkeley.org/research/hiddenslaves.html , pg.10, (accessed: August 21, 2006).

3. " Hidden Slaves: Forced Labor in the United States," pg. 13.

4. " Hidden Slaves: Forced Labor in the United States," pg. 14.