Human trafficking is the illegal movement of people, typically for the purposes of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. It happens. It's been happening. It's in your own city. Here's what you need to know.

There are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today. Each year, about 17,500 individuals are brought into the United States and held against their will as victims of human trafficking. The number of U.S. citizens trafficked within the country are even higher, with an estimated more than 200,000 American children at high risk for trafficking into the sex industry each year. A victim of trafficking does not speak a particular language or have a particular race; a victim of trafficking can look like anyone. Approximately, 80 percent of the victims are women and children. Men are more likely to be victims of forced labor while women are often exploited in the sex industry. There are more slaves around the world today than ever before in history.

Both men and women act as traffickers in labor and sex trafficking operations. They may be professional or non-professional criminals because of the low start-up cost of creating a trafficking business. The average cost of a slave around the world is $90. Trafficking is the third largest industry worldwide after drug smuggling and arms dealing.

The United States is one of the top three destination points for trafficked victims. California, New York, Texas and Nevada are the top destination points in the United States. Laws pertaining to trafficking vary state to state. The federal law protects trafficking victims, as does the international law, and prosecutes traffickers. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 is something to be generally familiar with.

There is sadly police corruption that is hurting, instead of helping, with the fight against human trafficking. Some victims of trafficking have had prior negative experiences with law enforcement, which makes them scared of police and, in general, mistrustful of institutions and people that are supposed to help. Also, some police receive pay-offs to look the other way. This means that providers (people who are trying to help these victims) can not always be aware of who can and cannot be trusted in law enforcement, thus making it harder to rescue these victims. This is why when a victim is identified, providers should not call the police, but instead a help hotline. These hotlines know what to do and who to trust. This does not mean that all law enforcement are corrupt, but that those few have tainted the reputation of the institution resulting in a victim not trusting any law enforcement.

Sharedhope.org, a nonprofit that works to bring justice to victims of sex trafficking, has graded each state on the way it responds to sex trafficking crimes. Louisiana was graded 99.5. However, according to Sharedhope.org, "Louisiana's criminal laws make the actions of traffickers, buyers and facilitators subject to serious penalties, including substantial financial penalties that reach the profits that motivate these offenses. Victims of domestic minor sex trafficking have access to specialized services and housing, but are not protected and face possible arrest and detention for prostitution offenses committed as a result of their exploitation."

You support trafficking when you watch porn. Slaves are working at the very hotels where you vacation. They are forced to work long and grueling hours at hotels and motels for little or no pay and children are often exploited sexually at hotels because employees are not trained to spot such crimes. The Super Bowl is the single largest incident of human trafficking in the U.S. This is because hundreds of thousands of fans show up in the host city and it becomes the optimal breeding ground for forced workers. Sex trafficking victims are brought to the city to work, and one survivor told the Times-Piscuyane that she was expected to sleep with around 25 men a day during such events.

Identifying and helping a victim is easier than you think. Some red flags: a worker who lives with her employer and some one who wont speak unaided and shares what appears to be scripted speech. These are only two of many. Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center if you have information that may be valuable. You can also get involved with a number of organizations, including the Polaris Project, Not for Sale and the Project to End Human Trafficking, which are all working to put an end to modern-day slavery. To learn how to better identify a human trafficking victim, visit this website.