FBI statistics report that there were 23,500 missing children reported to the National Center for missing and exploited children (NCMEC) in 2018, of those, they believe 1 in 7 were victims of child trafficking. That equates to +/-3,357 children believed to be involved in sex trafficking in 2018.
FBI 2 Those numbers are NOT from social media. 3,357 isn't a large number referenced against the overall population of our country; but it is a large number when referencing child sex slaves.
In just an 11 day period running Jan-Feb of 2019 (Super Bowl weekend) the FBI reports there were 169 arrests made involving sex trafficking in the Atlanta area.
FBI link Rather those children were originally taken against their will or started as runaways really doesn't matter. Personally, I consider 1 child involved in any sex trafficking to be one to many. Anyone who would lay a hand on a child, should spend the rest of their days in prison.
Of course social media exacerbates the gravity of those #'s; that is simply what social media does. Although those kids were not abducted by the boogeyman in the white van with the chloroform on a napkin, the fact remains that they are abused and it should be a focus of our efforts to stop it from happening to even one more child.
