Accurate and comprehensive data on sex trafficking is scarce due to the covert nature of these crimes. Another factor that masks this issue is that surveys on sex trafficking sometimes have small sample sizes, and hence, their margins of sampling error can be significant. For reference while interpreting the surveys in this research, here are some approximate margins of error based on various sample sizes:. Prosecutors are not required to prove that a defendant knew the victim was under the age of Department of Justice study of confirmed cases of sex trafficking involving victims found that:.
Victims also report being assigned quotas enforced by beatings, gang rapes, and threats to kill their families that range from hundreds to thousands of dollars per day. Department of Justice-funded task forces to conduct field assessments of domestic minor sex trafficking in ten U.
The report summarizing these assessments states:. Traffickers initiate contact with their targets by spending time at places where children congregate, such as malls, coffee shops, parks, skating rinks, sports events, and youth shelters.
Among these women:. The website Backpage. No juveniles were discovered on any other sites in that time—that includes ads on Craigslist, The Stranger, and other adult sites. Regarding this:.
Department of Justice seized Backpage and obtained a count federal indictment against Lacey, Larkin, and five other people involved with Backpage. In , Sweden criminalized prostitution to thwart sex trafficking. In order to focus on the demand side of the problem, the law imposed penalties on buyers but not on prostitutes. This differs from the U. The penalties for buyers in Sweden include public exposure combined with fines or prison terms of up to six months.
