Most people can’t imagine trafficking their family members.
Familial trafficking happens when a family member forces another family member to do involuntary labor—such as sex exploitation or servitude—and someone else in the family controls the proceeds. There’s a heightened risk of familial trafficking for children, teens, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable adults.
Experts estimate that 41% of trafficking is facilitated by family members or caregivers.1
How could someone traffic their own family members?
It often starts with poverty. People who are looking for ways to find shelter, food, and other essentials turn to trafficking to get by. As time goes by, the idea becomes normalized and feels inevitable.
Families that engage in trafficking often experience:
- Acute poverty
- Domestic violence
- Substance abuse or addiction
- Lack of information about sex trafficking
Family involvement in child trafficking is up to 4X higher than in cases of adult trafficking.1
Children are often the target of familial trafficking
Many trafficked kids don’t realize that they’re victims, because they have been groomed from a young age to think trafficking is normal. Most children who are trafficked are ages 14-16, but for children in familial trafficking situations the abuse starts at younger age.2
Here are some sobering statistics:
- The majority of children trafficked by their families for sexual exploitation (67%) are aged 15-17.1
- Families traffic more of boys (61% of cases) than girls (46% of cases).1
- One study showed that 75% of the child trafficking cases involved family members selling a child in exchange for drugs.3
Many children who are being trafficked may have poor mental health, lack of control, or try to get inappropriate attention from adults. They may also appear tired, have problems socializing with their peers, and may have poor hygiene.4
Familial trafficking is tough to prosecute
Familial trafficking can be challenging to identify because it’s hidden within the confines of the family. Additionally, many authorities don’t have training in familial trafficking. As a result, familial trafficking is often misidentified as child sexual abuse—which has fewer consequences than child trafficking. 2
Prosecuting perpetrators is especially difficult because the survivors of familial trafficking:
- Find it hard to testify against family members out of loyalty or fear.
- Feel ashamed and purposely avoid telling others.
- Worry that the family will be torn apart.
- Fear that when they tell authorities, it might lead to something worse than their current situation.
When there is a conviction in a familial trafficking case and the perpetrator is sent to jail, many survivors are reunited with their families. Unfortunately, because the trafficker is a family member, almost 60% of survivors of familial trafficking will have contact with the person who abused them is released.5
This holiday season, GIVE THEM HOPE.
Help individuals trapped in trafficking by providing the support they need. OUR Rescue is dedicated to ending sex trafficking and child exploitation, while helping survivors reclaim their lives and thrive on their healing journey. Together, we can make an impact. Donate today.
- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) part of the United Nations System. “Family members are involved in nearly half of child trafficking cases.” https://www.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl486/files/our_work/DMM/MAD/Counter-trafficking%20Data%20Brief%20081217.pdf ↩︎
- Children’s Mercy. “What every parent should know about preventing child trafficking.” https://www.childrensmercy.org/parent-ish/2020/12/preventing-human-trafficking/ ↩︎
- Dispatch. “No One Can Hurt You Like Family: What We Know About Familial Trafficking Identification and Response.” https://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/01-2024/familial_trafficking.html 4 ↩︎
- SharedHope. Familial Trafficking Warning Signs. https://sharedhope.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/SHI_Warning-Signs-of-Familial-Trafficking.pdf ↩︎
- Journal of Family Violence. “Familial Sex Trafficking of Minors: Trafficking Conditions, Clinical Presentation, and System Involvement” https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323158066_Familial_Sex_Trafficking_of_Minors_Trafficking_Conditions_Clinical_Presentation_and_System_Involvement
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