The Complex Hurdles of Sex Trafficking Investigation

In the past few decades, the prevalence of trafficking has increased, not only around the world, but also within the United States. In 2023, there was an estimated 1,091,000 people in America living in modern-day slavery conditions, which falls under the umbrella of human trafficking. In 2022, the Department of Justice only prosecuted a total of 310 individuals, 155 predominantly involved in sex trafficking. Compared to the estimated number of victims, 310 convicted traffickers is a strikingly low number. This is due to the extremely challenging investigation process related to human and sex trafficking. This research focused on why investigating sex trafficking is extremely difficult. The main challenges faced when attempting to investigate traffickers are misidentifying human trafficking as other offenses, difficulty in distinguishing victim from offender, and the complex relationship that most victims have with their traffickers. A literature review was conducted for this project and included the use of scholarly articles, books, and statistics from federal databases, which all explained why these challenges impede investigations.