While you might think that human trafficking is an international problem, the 11 worst states for human trafficking in America would beg to differ. Human trafficking is the vilest of crimes. What makes it even worse is the fact that many of the victims are generally poor and underaged. After all, almost half of the victims in this crime industry are below the age of 18. Another damning statistic shows that 25 percent of the children sampled (children who had run away) had dealt with sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. And yes, most of the human trafficking victims in the world are used for sexual purposes, which strips away their youth and innocence and leaves them with memories that no person, let alone a child, should ever have to experience.
While the 11 Countries with the Highest Rates of Human Trafficking in the World indicate that the major problem lies in developing countries where law and order are poorly maintained, that does not mean that other countries are exempt from this issue. And the United States does have a major problem on its hands, one which shows no signs of abating but rather is increasing at an alarming rate.
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The victims of the human trafficking are used in various industries such as sex, forced labor, and agriculture, to name a few. In the United States, the main industry which utilizes these victims is the sex industry, as the victims are often sent to brothels, massage houses disguised as brothels and even in street prostitution. Many have argued that maybe legalizing prostitution would lead to an end to this, but Germany has legalized the industry and there are still sex trafficking victims and instigators present in the country.
Furthermore, as if the horrors of having to face such experiences aren’t enough to completely scar the victim for life, our society generally treats the victims as criminals, which further leads to many victims refusing to identify themselves as such. This is one of the primary problems that needs to be dealt with in order to convince more victims to come forward, which for me is the first step to getting rid of this problem.
Of course, this issue isn’t spread uniformly throughout the states in the country. Many states have little problems pertaining to human trafficking, while other states are hubs of such criminals, who earn billions from their criminal enterprises. We gathered our data from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, which is responsible for ascertaining the number of victims of human trafficking in each US state. We also determined another criterion by dividing the number of victims with the total population to determine the number of victims per 100,000 people in the state, which would provide a more accurate reflection of the issue in each state. While the United States has done a lot to counter human trafficking, the list of 11 worst states for human trafficking in America shows that there is a long way to go.
11. Michigan
Number of victims: 152
Number of victims per 100,000 people: 1.54
Insider Monkey Score: 5
As human trafficking began being recognized as a major crime and it got attention, we discovered that such crimes were committed in great numbers in Michigan. Just last year, the FBI worked 220 cases pertaining to sex trafficking in the state. The most crucial statistic in this regard may be the fact that there are no specific demographics which are targeted; everyone is vulnerable to this horrible crime industry.
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10. New York
Number of victims: 279
Number of victims per 100,000 people: 1.42
Insider Monkey Score: 6
Due to its massive population, New York, one of the worst states for human trafficking in America, has seen a large number of human trafficking crimes, with the Human Trafficking Hotline stating that it received over 4,000 phone calls and saw over 1,000 cases being launched against human traffickers. The state is cracking down on human traffickers and promising severe sentences for those convicted, which is an attempt to scare the criminals away.
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8. Virginia
Number of victims: 145
Number of victims per 100,000 people: 1.76
Insider Monkey Score: 6.5
Virginia is another hotbed of human trafficking, with the Human Trafficking Hotline stating that they have received nearly 3,600 calls since 2007, while the number of victims in the same timeframe stands at 757. The majority of the cases pertaining to human trafficking are in fact related to sex trafficking, while most of the remaining cases pertain to forced labor. Furthermore, girls are the dominant sex when it comes to the victims of human trafficking, with 89 of the 116 victims researched being women. Minors are also highly susceptible and around 40 percent of the victims are minors.
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8. Maryland
Number of victims: 118
Number of victims per 100,000 people: 1.99
Insider Monkey Score: 8.5
While Maryland is one of the worst states for human trafficking in America, it has taken steps in order to curb this disgusting practice. To that effect, it established the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, which partners with a variety of organizations to not just combat human trafficking but helps in rehabilitating the victims by providing them support and also takes an active part in the conviction of the human traffickers who got caught.
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7. New Jersey
Number of victims: 168
Number of victims per 100,000 people: 1.89
Insider Monkey Score: 8.5
Sex trafficking is the main form of human trafficking in New Jersey, the next in line on our list of worst states for human trafficking in America. Law enforcement has finally woken up and has started to crack down on such traffickers, which includes 29 arrests made as part of an international sweep by federal agents. In total, this huge operation saw over 200 arrests made over the country. Several law enforcement agencies combined to make this operation possible, which resulted in the recovery of 82 trafficking victims. The reason human traffickers operate in the state is because of its proximity to New York, where the victims are often sent undetected. In response, task forces were created to combat this troubling issue, some of which were involved in the aforementioned operation.
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5. Texas
Number of victims: 432
Number of victims per 100,000 people: 1.63
Insider Monkey Score: 9
While Texas, next in line on our list of worst states for human trafficking in America, is a huge state with one of the largest populations in the country, the statistics pertaining to human trafficking create a dire picture, with a 2011 study reporting that over 700 girls who were minors were trafficked in just a 30 day period. Labor trafficking is another huge industry in Texas, mainly due to the fact that the state does not have laws which protect the trafficked laborers. This allows the employers to skip on basic benefits that they would otherwise be bound to provide such as minimum wage.
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5. Georgia
Number of victims: 190
Number of victims per 100,000 people: 1.9
Insider Monkey Score: 9
Despite the fact that Georgia, one of the worst states for human trafficking in America, has taken the issue of human trafficking very seriously and has enacted laws which punish human traffickers, with more severe penalties for the trafficking of minors, it has still been unable to effectively reduce the problem. Realizing this issue, the state has gone even further and recently enacted another law that will force the convicted sex traffickers to register as a sex offender and also be required to contribute to a state fund, which has been established primarily for helping the state in rehabilitating the victims of human trafficking. While the law is recent, and it may take some time to realize its true effectiveness, at the moment, the human trafficking trade is actually increasing, and more people are now at risk of becoming victims of this brutal industry.
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4. Nevada
Number of victims: 122
Number of victims per 100,000 people: 4.77
Insider Monkey Score: 9.5
It is not really surprising to discover that Nevada makes the list of 11 worst states for human trafficking in America, considering it allows prostitution in 11 counties. In such counties, pimps often traffic underaged children by creating false identities and therefore confirming their presence in the sex trade. Also, while prostitution is illegal in Las Vegas, 90 percent of it occurs in Vegas, and this combined with 24-hour gambling and ease of access in respect of alcohol and drugs has seen it become the face of sex trafficking of the country.
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3. Florida
Number of victims: 122
Number of victims per 100,000 people: 4.77
Insider Monkey Score: 9.5
Sex trafficking is the most common form of human trafficking in Florida, with underaged girls being coerced and even threatened into prostitution. While they were initially considered to be criminals, the law in 2013 took a different view by considering them as victims of sexual exploitation. This law has had a really positive effect as not only are victims rehabilitated rather than being thrown into jail, but it has encouraged more victims to come forward as well.
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2. Ohio
Number of victims: 289
Number of victims per 100,000 people: 2.5
Insider Monkey Score: 11.5
Ohio’s problems with human trafficking cannot be understated, with 9 out of 10 children who run away from home finding themselves involved in the sex trafficking industry. Another damning fact is that the average age for children to enter the sex trafficking industry is just 13 years old. While a taskforce has been created and awareness is being spread regarding the human trafficking industry, Ohio still has a long, long way to go.
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1. California
Number of victims: 978
Number of victims per 100,000 people: 2.55
Insider Monkey Score: 13.5
Topping the list of 11 worst states for human trafficking in America, research has shown that there might be nearly 500,000 cases of undocumented victims from Mexico who have been victims of labor trafficking. To respond to this, California has enacted several laws which have deemed human trafficking to be a severe offense with matching punishment. However, according to the aforementioned statistics, these laws seem to have had little to no effect.
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