Thousands of children are trafficked right here in the United States. These kids are not criminals, they're victims. UNICEF USA has created the End Trafficking project to increase awareness and advocacy within the United States. This initiative raises awareness about child trafficking and mobilizes communities to take meaningful action to help protect children. Last year, the program trained over 21,000 people in 20 states. Give these children what they need to go from victims to survivors.
Reports of human trafficking are in all 50 U.S. states. The U.S. is a source and transit point for trafficking, and is considered one of the major destinations for trafficking victims. When children are trafficked, their fate is not always known. Millions of trafficked children suffer from various forms of violence, exploitation and abuse as a result of trafficking, including prostitution, pornography, sex tourism, forced marriage, sweatshop work, begging, armed combat and migrant farming.
UNICEF USA is uniquely positioned to educate the American public, especially youth, on human trafficking and other humanitarian issues. UNICEF USA's commitment and action to build a movement to combat child trafficking is having a significant impact and making positive change around this issue. We have held national public awareness campaigns generating a significant amount of attention for the issue. All of these efforts are working to increase awareness and advocacy around trafficking.
Your support is needed to continue building awareness. A baseline and benchmark research indicate that awareness levels have increased significantly since launching End Trafficking five years ago. A result, more people know human trafficking is an issue in the U.S. and want to take action to end it. They're pushing Congress for action, identifying victims, and helping stop traffickers. Together, we can amplify the voices and protect the rights of vulnerable children.
