So what is human trafficking? It is the illegal trading of human beings for commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. It is modern day slavery, where people profit from the control and exploitation of others. Human trafficking is an abuse of human rights.
In 2009, 21 men with disabilities were emancipated from an old school house in Atalissa, Iowa where they lived and worked nearby at a turkey processing plant for $2.00 a day.
In 2011, four individuals with disabilities were found locked in a Tacony, Pennsylvania basement.
In 2013, a woman with a disability and her child were found after being held in Ashland, Ohio for two years.
Also in 2013, a Columbus, Georgia senior home is shutdown after an FBI investigation found the residents (elders and people with disabilities) were victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation at the hands of the owner and staff.
While these stories made national news, there are many more that never do. Due to the very nature of human trafficking activities, it is very difficult to come up with accurate statistics on trafficking.