Is sex trafficking on the rise? This is a difficult question to answer, because there is no metric by which we can really measure it. We can however explain some of the reasons behind why one might be led to believe that sex trafficking is more prevalent these days, even though that may not be the case.
With greater awareness of the crimes of sex trafficking, comes a push for more resources to be available to law enforcement and more resources equal more arrests. However, more arrests don’t necessarily mean there are more crimes being committed, it may just be that they are finally able to catch people they hadn’t been able to before. The media also plays a major role in creating a hyper sensationalized state around stories involving sex trafficking or sex crimes to peak a viewer’s interest and increase ratings.