Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain commercial sex or a labor act. According to the number of calls made to the human trafficking crisis hotline, Florida ranks third behind California and Texas for the number of reported cases.
The Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking says that the prevalence of human trafficking in Florida is due to the people the state brings in. Whether it is to see the staple beaches or world-renowned theme parks, the state generates a lot of tourism, making it a prime target for human trafficking.
Organizations like Created Gainesville work to help people who are being trafficked. The nonprofit operates under four pillars of recovery: youth prevention, outreach, restorative care and awareness. The organization rehabilitates people who have been trafficked and places them into secure homes to begin to adjust to their new life.
Created Gainesville provides statistics to put the prevalence of human trafficking in Florida into perspective:
- The average victim of sex trafficking is sold between 15-40 times per day.
- 80% of reported cases of sex trafficking involve girls and women.
- The average age range of a first trafficking experience for those served by Created Gainesville is 11 to 17 years old.
- 88% of reported cases involve online communication.
- Sex trafficking makes up over 70% of all human trafficking cases globally.
- Every 24 hours, there are approximately 500 to 800 sex ads published in Gainesville and Ocala alone.
- The average life expectancy of a victim of sex trafficking is 7 years because of the harsh circumstances including violence, disease, overdose, and untreated medical conditions.