The United Nations Human Rights Council has reported that traffickers are taking advantage of technological advances as well as emergencies that are currently happening throughout the world. Girls are especially vulnerable due to food insecurity, poverty, conflict, and humanitarian crises that lead to them being displaced as well as an increase in violence. With 1 in 6 children worldwide currently living in conflict zones, the possibility of them getting exploited and pushed into trafficking is high.
Trafficking rings are also continuing to grow at an alarming rate and becoming more and more organized. The use of AI helps decrease costs of this already lucrative illegal enterprise as well as lessen the chance of detection. Therefore, it is imperative that countries throughout the world start to implement laws and strict regulations to ensure the safety of children globally.
38% of sex trafficking victims are minors (Polaris Project) and the United States is the #1 consumer of sex trafficking (U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking). With these two statistics in mind, we need to amplify the voices of survivors, increase education on these topics, and push for legislation to help protect the youth of America and the world.