LESSON 3.5

Children’s Health in the U.S. – Part 1

Child Maltreatment: Sex Trafficking

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST):

  • The commercial sexual exploitation and child abuse of children within U.S. borders.
  • The U.S. Justice Department defines DMST as the “recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act” in which the person is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident under the age of 18 years.

Approximately 100,000 –> 300,000 U.S. children/year are at risk for being victims of sex trafficking in the U.S.

  • The average age of a minor entering the sex industry in the U.S. is 12-14 years.
  • A child does not have to be transported across state or county lines to be considered a victim of DMST.

Source: U.S. Justice Department, 2015; www.wearethorn.org

The human trafficking of women and children is a global problem that is known to be an increasingly lucrative illegal activity.