Human Trafficking in North America

North America has an estimated 2 million people living in modern slavery, with the highest numbers in the United States (approx. 1.1 million) and Mexico (approx. 850,000), and lower prevalence in Canada (approx. 69,000). Most trafficking in the region is domestic rather than cross-border, especially in the U.S. and Canada, where the majority of identified victims are citizens exploited within their own country. Children account for around one-quarter of trafficking victims, often in sex trafficking or hazardous labor (e.g., agriculture, domestic work). Women and girls represent about 80% of identified victims across the region, particularly in cases of sexual exploitation, which remains the most common form of trafficking.

All three countries have national laws prohibiting human trafficking and are parties to the UN Palermo Protocol. The U.S. has hundreds of prosecutions annually and a strong national victim services framework. Canada maintains a national strategy, but most prosecutions involve domestic sex trafficking. Mexico has robust laws on paper and has improved cooperation with the U.S., but faces enforcement challenges such as low conviction rates, uneven state-level implementation, and corruption. Victim services in Mexico are limited, especially outside urban areas.

Trafficking forms across the region include internal exploitation, cross-border flows (especially from Mexico and Central America into the U.S.), and trafficking of migrant workers in agriculture, hospitality, and domestic labor. Vulnerable groups include Indigenous women and girls, migrant laborers, runaway youth, and undocumented workers. While North America has made progress in prosecuting traffickers and supporting survivors, key challenges remain: underreporting, rising labor trafficking, and persistent demand for exploitative labor and commercial sex.