Chicago.

Since most of the people who are reading this are from the Chicago area (at least, that's what my sitemeter says haha), I thought it might be helpful to post some information that relates specifically to Illinois & the Chicago area. The following information is from the Cook County Commission on Women's Issues (PDF here).

* Chicago has been labeled a national hub for human trafficking because its large airport, central location, & transportation infrastructure make it an ideal port of entry.

This refers specifically to people being brought from other countries to America for the purpose of human trafficking, rather than Americans being trafficked within the country.

* 17,000 people are trafficked annually in the U.S. 50% of these victims are under 18, & 80% are women, yet trafficking is not usually viewed as a form of violence against women.

* In metro Chicago, 16,000 - 25,000 girls & women are involved in prostitution annually. 1/3 of these are involved by the age of 15.

* Only 10% of this industry occurs as prostitutes on street level. The rest occurs through "legal" establishments such as escort services, strip clubs, & massage parlors.

* Traffickers are often organized into sophisticated rings across multiple states. If a girl gets in trouble in one state, they simply sell her to another state.

* In August 2011, nine Chicago gang members were arrested for selling underage girls for sex. Girls as young as 12 were drugged, beaten & threatened; some girls had their faces slashed or were forced into the trunks of cars for long periods of time as punishment. In most cases, sex rings are connected & sell girls back & forth to one another. This is the first case in the United States where wire-taps were used - prior to the IL Safe Children's Act last year, it was illegal to do so. (Source)

* Illinois is one of just four states to allow the judicial system to expunge the convictions of sex trafficking victims who were found guilty of crimes such as prostitution before authorities learned they were forced into the illegal activity. The other states are Maryland, Nevada, & New York. 41 states have failed to adopt strong penalties against human trafficking, & Maine, West Virginia & Wyoming have yet to impose any specific restrictions on the crime. (Source)

For more information about trafficking in Chicago, check out the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation and End Demand Illinois.