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The Myths

Separating fact from fiction.

Misconceptions about sex trafficking are widespread, often shaped by sensationalized movies, media, and assumptions. Raising awareness and dispelling these myths is crucial to understanding the reality of the problem.

  • 1. MYTH: Trafficking only happens to women and girls.
    REALITY: Men and boys account for around 25% of people trafficked globally. Studies estimate that 50% of sex-trafficked youth are boys.¹
  • 2. MYTH: Traffickers are usually strangers.
    REALITY: In cases of sex trafficking, 44% of victims were trafficked by a family member and 39% by an intimate partner. ²
  • 3. MYTH: Trafficking doesn’t happen where I live.
    REALITY: In the U.S., there are 30,000+ cases of human trafficking each year. Trafficking happens in every state and territory.³
  • 4. MYTH: Trafficking only happens to children.
    REALITY: Trafficking happens to men, women, and children. Children made up only 69% of people in newly charged sex trafficking cases.²
  • 5. MYTH: Trafficking always involves moving people to new places.
    REALITY: People can be sex trafficked in their community or their homes. Traffickers can be family members, romantic partners, or employers.
  • 6. MYTH: Victims always ask for help.
    REALITY: Many trafficked people have been groomed to think trafficking is normal. Others are ashamed or afraid to ask for help.
  • 7. MYTH: Trafficking always involves violence/force.
    REALITY: Trafficked adults are often vulnerable because of poverty, substance abuse, or homelessness.
  • 8. MYTH: All traffickers are men.
    REALITY: 25% of U.S. child sex traffickers are women.⁴ In many other countries, women trafficking women is most often.
  • 9. MYTH: Trafficking only happens in poor communities.
    REALITY: Sex trafficking is everywhere. In affluent communities, trafficking can happen in places like massage parlors, bars, and motels.
  • 10. MYTH: Victims of human trafficking are physically held captive and unable to physically leave.
    REALITY: Traffickers use emotional manipulation, threats, or economic dependency, making it hard to leave. Additionally, with no money, documentation, or a place to go, many trafficked people have no other options.
  • 11. MYTH: Human trafficking is not a human rights issue.
    REALITY: Sex trafficking infringes on fundamental human rights, including the right to freedom from slavery/servitude, the right to bodily autonomy, and the right to health and safety.

This list is inspired by educational materials shared by organizations across the anti-trafficking field.

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Citations include:

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  1. UNODC. 2022 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. 

  2. Polaris. Love and Trafficking.

  3. National Human Trafficking Hotline. Myths and Facts About Human Trafficking.

  4. U.S. Department of Justice. Human Trafficking Data Collection Activities, 2024.

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