Defining Trafficking in America

Before we can start to understand how human trafficking exists in America, we must first understand the definition and the nuances between terms.

Human Smuggling and Human Trafficking are not the same. Human smuggling is the importation of people into a country via the deliberate evasion of immigration laws. This includes bringing illegal aliens into a country, as well as the unlawful transportation and harboring of aliens already in a country illegally. Some smuggling situations may involve murder, rape and assault.

Sex Trafficking: "The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion."

Child sex trafficking: "When someone under 18 years old is bought or sold for sexual purposes. Children are also victims of sex trafficking when they engage in sex in return for basic needs such as food, shelter, safety, or pocket money to purchase consumer goods. A child cannot consent to be sold for sex. In all instances abusers are exploiting the vulnerabilities of the child."

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC): "A range of crimes and activities involving the sexual abuse or exploitation of a child for the financial benefit of any person or in exchange for anything of value (including monetary and non-monetary benefits) given or received by any person. Examples of crimes and acts that constitute CSEC include:

• child sex trafficking/the prostitution of children

• child sex tourism involving commercial sexual activity

• the commercial production of child pornography

• the online transmission of live video of a child engaged in sexual activity in exchange for anything of value.

CSEC also includes situations where a child, whether or not at the direction of any other person, engages in sexual activity in exchange for anything of value, which includes non-monetary things such as food, shelter, drugs, or protection from any person."

Sextortion: "At its core, it is the threat to expose sexual images in order to make a person do something. These threats come from both strangers met online and once intimate romantic partners attempting to harass, embarrass, and control victims."

Labor trafficking: "A form of modern-day slavery in which individuals perform labor or services through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. Labor trafficking includes situations of debt bondage, forced labor, and involuntary child labor."

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