Sex trafficking is so widespread, said Nathan Wilson, founder of the Project Meridian Foundation in Arlington, which helps police identify traffickers and their victims, that “no country, no race, no religion, no class and no child is immune.”
He said 1.6 million children under 18 — native and foreign born — have been caught up in this country’s sex trade. But, he said, the actual number of victims is hard to quantify because of the lengths to which traffickers go to keep their crimes hidden.
Most experts say the number of children sexually exploited in the U.S. or at risk of being exploited is between 100,000 and 300,000.
“We know it is a really large number,” said Anne Milgram, a former high-ranking federal prosecutor who tried and oversaw sex trafficking cases. “We know there are a lot of children being victimized. We just can’t tell you what number.”