Human Trafficking​

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Human trafficking is estimated to affect approximately 49.6 million people globally and is estimated to generate $236 billion in illegal profits each year. In recent years, detected victims have risen notably since the pandemic, with forced labor accounting for a growing share of cases.  Sexual exploitation generates 73% of all illegal profits from forced labor — approximately $173 billion annually — even though it accounts for only about 27% of the total number of victims. Human trafficking remains one of the fastest-growing and most lucrative criminal enterprises worldwide. 

 

Traffickers are now heavily relying on online recruitment — using social media, dating apps, and gaming platforms to target victims. We’re also seeing more domestic trafficking within countries, a rise in child victims, and new forms like forcing people into criminal activities or scam operations. The groups most at risk include women and girls, migrants, people facing economic hardship, and children. (data from aimfree.org)

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Sextortion

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Sextortion is blowing up as one of the fastest-growing online threats right now, and it’s honestly terrifying how quickly it’s spreading. Basically, someone tricks or pressures a person — very often a teenager — into sending explicit photos or videos, then turns around and blackmails them for money, more images, or continued sexual acts. If the victim doesn’t comply, the predator threatens to share those private images with family, friends, or the whole internet. In 2025, reports to NCMEC skyrocketed, with financial sextortion cases jumping around 70% in the first half of the year alone. Between 2021 and 2023 NCMEC reported a 323% increase in online enticement reports under the category including sextortion and a Thorn research study found 1 in 5 teens have reported experiencing sextortion.

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Online Child Exploitation

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Online child exploitation has also experienced explosive growth in recent years. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline recorded unprecedented numbers of reports in 2025, with dramatic surges in cases involving child sex trafficking and online enticement. A major driver has been the rapid rise of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM), which has jumped from 4,700 reported in 2023, to 67,000 in 2024, to 1.5 million reported in 2025.  ​What’s driving this surge is a perfect storm of technology and easy access. Predators use everyday social media apps and gaming platforms with fake profiles to build trust fast, and AI tools are making it even easier by creating deepfakes or scaling up attacks. 

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​Why Pay Attention?

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These crimes inflict profound and lasting harm on millions of victims, especially children. Advances in technology — particularly artificial intelligence — are accelerating and expanding these threats at a pace faster than current protections can keep up with. Because exploitation can occur through everyday online activity, public awareness is essential for prevention, early intervention, and effective reporting. While stronger reporting laws and improved detection tools have brought more cases to light, experts believe the true scope of these crimes remains significantly underreported.

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That is why it is so critical to bring this information into our communities and homes. Through education and awareness, we can better protect our friends, families, and children from those who seek to exploit the innocent