Human Trafficking Statistics – 2019
From the Polaris Project
In 2019, Polaris worked on 11,500 situations of human trafficking reported to the Polaris-operated U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline. These situations involved 22,326 individual survivors; nearly 4,384 traffickers and 1,912 suspicious businesses. Human trafficking is notoriously underreported. Shocking as these numbers are, they are likely only a fraction of the actual problem.
Victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking know their situations and needs better than anyone. For that reason – and with certain limited exceptions, such as situations involving children – the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline will not contact law enforcement or otherwise take action on behalf of the victim or survivor without that person’s consent. That’s why the nearly 20 percent increase in victims and survivors who contacted us directly is so meaningful. Hearing directly from the person affected gives the Trafficking Hotline the best information and avenue to provide help. That might mean putting together a safety plan, finding an attorney, a shelter bed or a trauma counselor, or, in some cases, seeking law enforcement intervention. Also worth noting is the rapid growth of text as a means of communication with the Trafficking Hotline.