From the Executive Summary:
"Within the last decade, the trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation has become a major concern for governments, NGOs and the media. Although, the United States has been less visible as a site of transnational and domestic trafficking in women than other countries in Europe, and countries such as Japan, Canada and Australia, this situation is beginning to change. Recent accounts about sex trafficking in the United States, mainly appearing in national and local media, indicate that trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation is a national problem, and one that is increasing in scope and magnitude. The U.S. government estimates that 50,000 women and children are trafficked each year into the United States, primarily from Latin America, countries of the former Soviet Union and Southeast Asia. However, little systematic research has been done on contemporary trafficking in the United States. This study by the Coalition Against Trafficking Women is the first to research both international and domestic trafficking of women for sexual exploitation in the United States and to include primary research information from interviews with trafficked and prostituted women in the sex industry."