Did you know that…?

• 1 in 7 youth between the ages of 10 and 18 will run away. (National Runaway Switchboard. www.nrscrisisline.org).
•  Some will return within a few days, others remain on the streets never to return. (National Runaway Switchboard. www.nrscrisisline.org).
•  1.3 million youth are on the street every day. (National Runaway Switchboard. www.nrscrisisline.org).
• 75% of runaways are female. (National Runaway Switchboard. www.nrscrisisline.org).
•  The National Runaway Switchboard handles more than 100,000 phone calls each year. (National Runaway Switchboard. www.nrscrisisline.org).
• On a national level, approximately 39% of the homeless population are children (Urban Institute 2000).
• 46% of runaway and homeless youth reported being physically abused, 17% reported being sexually exploited and 38% reported being emotionally abused. (US Department of Health and Human Services).
• 162,000 homeless youth are estimated to be victims of commercial sexual exploitation in the US (Estes, R. & Weiner, N. “Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.” University of Pennsylvania, 2001).
• 30% of shelter youth and 70% of street youth are victims of commercial sexual exploitation. (Estes, R. & Weiner, N. “Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.” University of Pennsylvania, 2001).
• 12 - 14 is the average age of entry into prostitution for girls under 17. (Estes, R. & Weiner, N. “Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.” University of Pennsylvania, 2001).
• 11 – 13 is the average age of entry into prostitution for boys under 17. (Estes, R. & Weiner, N. “Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.” University of Pennsylvania, 2001).
• The US is one of the countries of destination of women and children trafficked for the sex industry, with estimates ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 per year. There are between 90,000 and 300,000 prostituted minors in the US.
•  Girls between 13 and 18 years of age constitute the largest group within the sex industry. 1 to 2 million women and children are trafficked each year, from less developed to industrialized countries 

Principal Source: Research And Advocacy. Homeless, Runaway and throwaway Youth: Sexual Victimization and the consequences of life on the streets.

Sources for Trafficking Data: USCCB Office of Pro-Life Activities, USCCB Office of Migration and Refugee Services, Stop Trafficking! Anti-Human Trafficking Newsletter, JPIC Trafficking in Women and Children Information and Workshop Kit, UNICEF, UN Commission on Human Rights