Black women, girls, and gender nonconforming people are disproportionately represented as victims/survivors of trafficking. Black women make up 40% of people who have survived sex trafficking. Black youth comprise 51% of all prostitution arrests for those under age 18—more than any other racial group.
The public perception of people who have survived sex trafficking often does not reflect the reality of who is actually trafficked in the U.S. This factsheet outlines why we must center the experiences of Black survivors of sex trafficking. We must end human and sex trafficking, stop the criminalization of Black survivors, and create healing-informed responses to support Black women and girls who have survived commercial and sexual exploitation.
