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NPR News

The Facts Of, The Myths About, And The Solutions For Child Trafficking

People gather to protest human trafficking at the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse where the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell is being held,
People gather to protest human trafficking at the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse where the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell is being held,

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Listen 46:25

The prosecution rested its case last week in the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the New York socialite and alleged accomplice of billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein.She’s facing six charges for her alleged role in Epstein’s trafficking of underage girls.    

Advocates for survivors of child sex trafficking say the Maxwell case is unique. They argue it’s more common for law enforcement to target trafficking survivors than their abusers. 

The Polaris Project, which runs the National Human Trafficking Hotline, recorded 14,597 likely victims of sex trafficking of all ages, with 17 being the average age “of entry.” 

Who are the children being sex trafficked in the U.S? What’s being done to support survivors and hold traffickers accountable?

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