Why does trafficking happen

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The National Human Trafficking Hotline recorded a 35 percent increase in reports in Most of the cases involved sex trafficking and many of the victims were children.

Brad Myles, CEO of the Polaris Project, which operates the hotline, said the increase largely can be attributed to better identification of trafficking victims and heightened public awareness that the hotline exists. Yet, Myles said, "The vast majority of victims are still not being found. International numbers are even more staggering.

The exploitation of more than 1 million children accounts for more than 20 percent of those profits. And there's evidence that the child sex trade is growing. ECPAT International, a research and advocacy organization, concluded in in a first of its kind global study that more children than ever are at risk of abuse.

Another reason for the growing exploitation: Buyers face little risk. In , Congress strengthened federal anti-trafficking laws to provide prosecutors with more tools to go after sex buyers. Prosecutions have only modestly increased as a result. She provided examples of about 30 buyers, including former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle, convicted on federal charges in and But she said state and local prosecutors are in a better position than the federal government to hold accountable those who pay to exploit children.

Like the federal government, state and local jurisdictions tend to use sting operations in which undercover officers pose as exploited children to stop buyers. Although such operations net thousands of would-be sex buyers each year, most of the men arrested plead down to lesser crimes.

In , police rescued a year-old Texas girl who was held captive in a hotel room in a wealthy suburb of Nashville, Tenn. Authorities said the child, found with bruises and scratches on her face, had been advertised on Backpage. A year-old Nashville man, Tavarie Williams, was charged with multiple counts of trafficking, kidnapping and rape.

He is awaiting trial. But, as in the case of the year-old from Illinois, none of the men who paid to sexually abuse a middle school-age child were ever charged. A spokeswoman for the Davidson County Tenn. District Attorney's Office said authorities were unable to identify any of the buyers, who could have faced felony charges. It's what we call the culture of impunity. Prosecutors note that they face several obstacles in pursuing charges, including the need to show that a buyer knew or should have known that the person he paid to exploit was underage.

Victims — traumatized, frightened, frequently dependent on drugs and alcohol — often don't make strong witnesses. Prosecutors also must weigh whether putting a child on the stand, where defense cross examinations can be rough, will further wound the victim.

ECPAT International researchers found that the great majority of men who pay to exploit children are opportunists. Survivors I interviewed reported similar experiences. One of them, exploited when she was 15, said only two men turned and left the motel room when they saw how young she was.

More than other men who paid to have sex with her stayed. The men appeared uncertain about how to answer. Trafficked at age 13, Priya had worked in the brothels for 15 years before she was kicked out because of her illness. Her white blood count began to improve.