Sex trafficking is modern day slavery that exists as a multi-billion-dollar criminal industry both Internationally and in the United States denying globally over 40.3 million people freedom. And, some of those people right here in New Orleans.
Why? Because New Orleans is home to the infamous Bourbon Street, festivals every day of the year, sporting events, and conventions all year long. In addition, it is connected to the world through ports, air travel, and multiple major interstates. All of these factors make New Orleans a hot bed for human trafficking.
Sex traffickers use violence, threats, lies, debt bondage and other forms of coercion to compel adults and children to engage in commercial sex acts against their will and the loss of one’s freedom. Some of the victims in New Orleans are here for particular events like Mardi Gras and the Sugar Bowl, while others work locally for long periods of time. All of them need to be free.
Exploitation is at the heart of human trafficking, particularly in our youth and has been said to be the most commonly overlooked, misunderstood, and unaddressed forms of child abuse in the United States – and New Orleans.
Victims of sex trafficking can be anyone from any socio-economic background. They can be US citizens, foreign nationals, women, men, children, and LGBTQ individuals. Vulnerable populations are frequently targeted by traffickers, including runaway and homeless youth, as well as victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, war or social discrimination. Our hearts are broken for all of them.
• In 2023, there were 1,615 confirmed and suspected victims who received services in Louisiana.
An additional 128 individuals served had an unknown victim status. This equated to a 57%
increase of victims identified and served over the previous year.
In 2022, NCMEC’s CyberTipline received more than 32 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation. The CyberTipline receives reports about multiple forms of online sexual exploitation. Reports regarding CSAM legally referred to as child pornography, make up the largest reporting category. Over 99.5% of the reports received by the CyberTipline in 2022 regarded incidents of suspected CSAM.
• Any child exploited through commercial sex who is 17 years of age or younger is a child sex trafficking victim.
• 90% of the perpetrators are people which are known and loved by the victims.
• The common age a child enters sex trafficking is 14-16 years old, due largely to the fact that they are too naïve to realize what is happening.
• Sex trafficking is nothing more than supply and demand; if there is no demand there would be no need of victims, this is basic economics.
• The United States is the #1 consumer of sexual exploitation worldwide; we, as a society are driving the demand.
You can see that the problem, both here at home and around the world, is massive. There’s much more that we could share with you (and we have on our Resources page) but you are probably here because you want to be part of the solution. We invite you to learn about our solutions: Awareness Education, Outreach Intervention, and Prayer Team. Before you leave, please be sure to explore how you can get involved. Thank you for visiting FreeNola.org.
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