Individuals who grow up in areas where gangs control most of the commercial activity and the streets are more vulnerable to trafficking. Individuals join gangs for protection and a sense of belonging and because there are few other options available. The gang forces these people to engage in prostitution to pay for drugs or pay off debts. If this person leaves the gang, her family, their home, and their business will be targeted for violence.
Gang Affiliation
According to the National Gang Center, “While gangs have historically focused on drug trafficking and illegal weapons trade, gang involvement with human trafficking—as one of the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprises—continues to increase. While gang-related offenses typically include violent and property crimes and drug sales, gangs have adapted and continue to evolve by engaging in more clandestine-type criminal activities, such as human trafficking and prostitution, to evade the ever-changing law enforcement and criminal justice landscape. Victims of sex trafficking are often coerced and intimidated into silence to keep the risk of detection at a minimum and profitability at a maximum. With the ease of technology, gangs commonly use the Internet to lure youth into commercial sexual exploitation.”