Minneapolis is one of the top locations in the United States for child sex trafficking.
Traffickers prey on youth who are already vulnerable. These vulnerabilities may include birth into a historically disenfranchised community, early childhood trauma, involvement in the child welfare system, and a lack of support at school or at home. There are many complex paths that can lead a youth to the moment of exploitation.
Traffickers use violence, coercion, fraud, or manipulation to compel a young person to engage in a sex act in exchange for something of value, such as money, drugs, food, shelter, rent, or membership/higher status in a gang or group. Traffickers will not always appear as traffickers — often times they may be the youth’s partner, friend, or manager.
Sex trafficking and exploitation is modern slavery and child abuse. It has severe, sometimes devastating effects on a victim’s mental and physical health for the rest of their life, and places them on a continuum of trauma.
Learn more about trafficking from The Life Story website.