Editor, Reality check: In the U.S., human trafficking tends to occur around international travel-hubs with large immigrant populations, notably the states of California and Texas. The U.S. Justice Department estimates that 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States every year, but the true figure could be higher, because of the large numbers of undocumented immigrants. Those being trafficked include young children, teenagers, men and women and can be domestic citizens or foreign nationals. According to the Department of State’s statistics from 2000, there are approximately 244,000 American children and youths that were at risk of sex trafficking each year. Of these children and youths, 38,600 were originally runaways. Reality Check: Characteristics of Suspected Human Trafficking Incidents, 2008-2010,” include: From 2008 to 2010, Federal anti-trafficking task forces opened 2,515 suspected cases of human trafficking. 82 per cent of suspected incidents were classified as sex trafficking and nearly half of these involved victims under the age of 18. Approximately 10 per cent of the incidents were classified as labour trafficking. 83 per cent of victims in confirmed sex-trafficking incidents were identified as U.S. citizens, while most confirmed labour-trafficking victims were identified as undocumented immigrants (67 per cent) or legal immigrants (28 per cent). 25 per cent of the confirmed victims received a “T visa,” part of a federal programme designed to aid victims of trafficking. This is the reality about the United States of America and they must first fix issues in their own backyard before pointing fingers ate others. Edward Gasanganwa
