14,600. That is a big number. If you think about this number economically, perhaps you would estimate it as the number of piano stores in NYC, or the average yearly income of a McDonald’s employee. Actually, that’s the average number of clients a typical sex slave has per year in the 21st century. Forty clients per day, almost two clients per hour, and their average age is 12. Twenty-seven million in bondage worldwide, only 1-2 percent of victims ever get rescued. But, these are just numbers. Thinking of these victims as individual people, not another number or statistic, is a whole other story.

As we asked family members and friends on their thoughts on human trafficking within the U.S., some of the answers were laughable. Statistics show that the Superbowl is one of the most highly rated sex trafficking incidents in the US, yet when I told one of my friends, he merely questioned it and demanded numbers. His skepticism proves that people’s opinions rely on numerical values above anything, but that should not be the case. Even if these injustices were happening to a smaller population of people, it still matters. Each and every one of these people matter. It was beyond him to realize that, yes, even a first world country, such as the U.S., can have such forms of slavery.

Ghana, Uganda, Thailand, Sri Lanka, China, Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, Russia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and India, just to name a few, are all global human trafficking hot spots. Notice how they’re not only third world countries. What if I told you there is more slavery now than there ever was at the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade? There are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history, with men, women and children being exploited for manual and sexual labor against their will. What if I told you the states of Texas and California are the hot spots for trafficking? Almost 1,000 cases were reported in California just in 2015. With these numbers, that must hit home.

What is human trafficking?

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, arguably the most important anti-trafficking law passed, defined human trafficking as “the recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving a person through use of force, coercion, or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them.” Although TVPA broadly separates trafficking in labor and sexual exploitation, the more specific forms of trafficking include domestic servitude, forced marriage, child soldiering, forced begging, forced criminal activity and organ trafficking.

Where does it happen?

Everywhere; Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, Australia and even Antarctica. Human trafficking affects every country of the world, as countries of origin, transit, destination or a combination of all. Trafficking often occurs from less developed countries to more developed countries, where people are more vulnerable to trafficking because of poverty, conflict or other reasons.

What can we do?

Here’s another statistic: Every 30 seconds someone becomes a victim of modern day slavery. Thus, this far in reading my article, about six people have become human trafficking victims. So, what has been done about this? A Dutch children’s charity created a computer simulated avatar named “Sweetie," a fake girl that goes on online chat rooms and social media sites where online child exploitation mostly occurs and posed as 10-year-old Filipino girl. Twenty-thousand men contacted her; 1,000 predators offered to pay her. They were caught and information was given to Interpol. This kind of technology can help police agencies investigate and find predators and groups. Love146, A21, Polar Project – all of these organizations have set up rehabilitation centers for survivors of human trafficking and helped bring them back on their two feet. Many campaigns and education programs formed by these organizations are designed to equip students to understand the realities of human trafficking, protect themselves and their peers from risk and get help.

However, not all of us are as tech savvy or have millions of dollars to donate to this cause. So, what can we do to help? Be aware. All it takes is the effort to notice around you, be mindful of your surroundings and report something if you see it. We believe this is just a foreign issue, occurring overseas in third world countries. Unfortunately, that is far from the truth. It’s happening in all 50 states and all countries. Preconceived notions are that slavery does not exist in the 21st century, but I am here to announce that it is far from reality. The harsh truth is there is more slavery now than there was before, and it’s on the rise. The more people are aware, the more we can tackle this problem. The first step is challenging ignorance, and if we can reveal the reality of the situation, it can inspire constructive awareness and empathy. These unjust situations fester off the fact that not enough people know or take a stand. Desensitizing ourselves to these issues will not make them go away. Awareness is the solution, not numbers.