An estimated 27 million people are victims of the crime, which involves being forced to perform labor or commercial sex acts.
Victims are exploited in varying corners of the world, in dictator-run countries and democracies, yet many facets of their horrific experiences share familiar narratives.
At one point or another, vulnerable victims are often exploited by someone they trust and are then stripped of their dignity and subjected to horrors.
During Human Trafficking Awareness Month, activists and survivors hope that by telling these stories, the world will get closer to putting an end to the crime.
After racking up an exorbitant debt with a loan shark, Kieu’s mother sold her 12-year-old for sex, CNN reported in 2013.
The desperate mom secured a "certificate of virginity" from a doctor for her daughter and sold the girl to man who raped her in a hotel for two days.
After the ordeal, Kieu was sold to brothels on three occasions and finally escaped to a safe house after learning that her mom planned to send her away for a six-month prostitution stint.
Cambodia is on the State Department’s Tier 2 trafficking list, which means the country has a "very significant" number of trafficking victims and the government hasn’t provided proof that it’s beefing up its efforts to combat the crime.
How to help: Daughters of Cambodia provides sex trafficking victims with social and psychological services and offers them job opportunities at one of their eight fair-trade businesses.
Find out more about the organization and how you can get involved here.
Tessa was sexually abused by her dad for the first time when she was 7. Her drug-addicted mom was too consumed with her own issues to get involved, according to nonprofit Not For Sale, a group that supports sex trafficking survivors.
When Tessa was a sophomore in high school, she met Jared, whom she didn’t know was a pimp.
He showered her with gifts and dates, and often reminded her that no one else could possibly love her because she was "damaged."
Jared soon convinced Tessa to sell her body for sex and would attack her and deprive her of food if she did not meet her quota. He kept all of the money she made and forced her to tattoo his name on her neck.
Tessa eventually escaped and found refuge with Not For Sale. Her story is a reminder that sex trafficking is thriving in the United States where an estimated 100,000 children are in the sex trade, according to ECPAT-USA, a nonprofit that fights the sexual exploitation of children.
How to help: Not For Sale, a San Francisco-based organization, provides trafficking survivors and people in at-risk communities with shelter, health care and legal services. After undergoing the initial recovery phase, the group helps its clients find education and employment opportunities.
Find out more about the organization and how you can get involved here.
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