# Human trafficking \*in the US\* - Huge issue involving huge numbers or highly overblown?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-trafficking-in-the-us-huge-issue-involving-huge-numbers-or-highly-overblown/701133>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 12, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-trafficking-in-the-us-huge-issue-involving-huge-numbers-or-highly-overblown/701133 "2014-10-12T19:55:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 13

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-trafficking-in-the-us-huge-issue-involving-huge-numbers-or-highly-overblown/701133/13 "2014-10-13T15:37:11Z")

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> [@Banquet\_Bear](#):
>
> …I know the exact thread you are referencing: and there was no ignorance involved.
> 
> [I Pit idiots/hypocrites unconcerned about America's sex trafficking - The BBQ Pit - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=610269)
> 
> I would politely request that you not misrepresent what was said in that thread. If anyone wants to know what actually went down, I suggest they read the thread in question.

I wasn’t referring to that thread specifically, but please do read it. It contains posts like this one:

> [@I Pit idiots/hypocrites unconcerned about America's sex trafficking](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-idiots-hypocrites-unconcerned-about-americas-sex-trafficking/583520/53):
>
> Here is a true story of what happened to a friend of mine. This girl who was 15 at the time was waiting for a few friends in a public place when she was nabbed by a pimp who held her, raped her and beat her for 3 days until she agreed to work for him. She was then held naked in a hotel room where Johns were brought in. After having told 3 johns that she was being held against her will, the third one did not carry out the deed, and grabbed her, took his coat, and put it over her naked body and helped her out the back stairwell of the hotel so she could escape. The two men before had sex with her, and one of the two had said that he’d already paid, so he wasn’t going to leave without having sex with her.
> 
> After escaping out the fire escape of the hotel - running to a convenience store where the clerk called the police for her, she endured police who doubted her story, and did little to track down the pimp, despite the pimps name being known to police because this girl had previously ran away from home.
> 
> It wasn’t until another girl was kidnapped and raped by the same pimp that any charges were laid, but only in the case of the other girl because her parents were more well off, and put pressure on the police. As for my friend, she never saw justice for her case.
> 
> This was in 1987, and according to people I know who either advocate or even work in the sex trade, the only thing different now - is the ads in the back of newspapers and street workers have been mainly replaced by online ads.

I remember driving through San Francisco’s theater district decades ago and seeing at least 100 streetwalkers. Perhaps there were other red-light districts as well. Add to this those “on other shifts”, several hundred working in advertised massage parlors, bars, as well as those more hidden and it’s easy to conclude that there are at least 1000 prostitutes working in San Francisco at any one time, probably much more. Because of the high turnover, you’d need to multiply by a largish factor to get women who have ever worked as prostitutes. Extrapolate to the entire U.S.A. and the number of prostitutes is certainly in 6 digits, and, even accounting that places like S.F. will have much more than “their share,” likely over a million altogether.

How many of these are “coerced” or “underage”? I don’t know but the most criminal encounters will not be easily advertised or seen.

And there are many 18-year olds who, through immaturity, drugs, debt, or threats are easily coerced. Are these not victims, or do only 15-year olds count?

I’ve already stipulated that some of the most alarming numbers seem way off the mark. But one can reject specific numbers and still recognize that the problem is serious.

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