Victims originating in the Americas

About 22 per cent of victims originate in the Americas and are mostly registered between 2016 and 2020. They are predominantly females (70%). Children represent 34 per cent, and another 41 per cent are adults between 18 and 29 years of age.  

Victims from the Americas are mainly exploited in North America (89%) and are trafficked for sexual exploitation (59%) and, to a lesser extent, for forced labour (45%).^[1] The main sector of sexual exploitation was prostitution, which accounted for 90 per cent of registered cases, and the remainder is exploited in pornography.  Within forced labour, 73 per cent of registered cases are exploited in agriculture, followed by domestic work (12%) and hospitality (11%).

The primary means of control are psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, as well as threats to the victim or their family, each accounting for 51 per cent.^[1] 49 per cent of the victims originating in the Americas are recruited by ‘others’,^[2] although victims are also frequently recruited by intimate partners (23%) and family (20%). In 65 per cent of cases, the duration of trafficking is more than two years.

^[1] It is important to note that trafficked persons can be subjected to multiple types of exploitation and means of control, so percentages may not add up to 100.

^[2] Indicates a notable relationship with the recruiter that does not fit other categories like family or friends. This may include brokers, contractors, employers, or smugglers. See the Global Synthetic Dataset Codebook for a detailed explanation.