From Urban Ministry.org

Human Trafficking: Definition, Prevalence, and Causes

"Human trafficking -- the sale, transport and profit from human beings who are forced to work for others -- is the modern equivalent of slavery. Against their will, millions of people around the world are forced to work for the profit of others, for example by begging, prostitution, involuntary servitude, working in sweatshops - even becoming child soldiers.

According to the Polaris Project, one of many international organizations working to end modern slavery, human trafficking is the third largest criminal industry in the world after arms and drug dealing. It is however the fastest growing criminal activity: somewhere in the order of 27 million people around the world are estimated to be victims of slavery, with approximately 50% of these victims being under the age of 18. In other words, children. UNICEF, the UN's agency for children's welfare, estimates that one million children will be forced into prostitution alone this year."