The groundbreaking study, “Measuring the Nature and Extent of Gang Involvement in Sex Trafficking in San Diego”[1] focused narrowly on one of the most understudied aspects of human trafficking in the United States: the relationship of street gangs as facilitators of sex trafficking. Researchers gathered and analyzed data from hundreds of current and former gang affiliated individuals, schools, law enforcement agencies, and victim service providers. In all, data was collected from 1205 individuals, making it one of the largest, most comprehensive human traffickingcase studies in the United States to date: 156 gang affiliated persons and/or traffickers, 702 first-time prostitution offenders, 189 survivors from eight victim services programs, and 140 County School administrators and staff. The study is a large-scale model of collaborative research to impact policy and practice, and serves as anational model for future research on human trafficking more broadly. ClickHERE for the full Executive Summary.
KEY FINDINGS 
- Sex trafficking is San Diego’s 2nd largest underground economy after drug trafficking. The underground sex economy represents an estimated $810 million in annual revenue
- Our methodology has produced San Diego County’s first credible estimate of sex trafficking victims/survivors per year: 8,830 - 11,773 of whom 1,766 came into contact with law enforcement
- At least 110 gangs are involvedin commercial exploitation of people (CSEP). 85% of pimps/sex trafficking facilitators interviewed were gang involved
- Pimps/sex trafficking facilitators are not primarily African American. Our sample of traffickers in prison contained roughly an equal number of white, black and Hispanic facilitators
- 15 years old is the average age of entry into child commercial sexual exploitation (CSEC)
- Sex trafficking facilitators control 4.5 victim/survivors on average
- 42% of first-time prostitution arrests are in fact cases involving sex trafficking
- Domestic trafficking accounts for the majority of CSEP
- Transborder criminal networks are involved in trafficking minors and adults between Mexico and the United States. 20% of trafficking victims referred to service providers come from Mexico and 10 other countries
- Female recruiters and pimp/sex trafficking facilitators are perceived to be a significant and growing feature of the underground sex economy
- Significant CSEC recruitment is happening on high school and middle school campuses
[1]Hereafter “Gang Sex Trafficking in San Diego” .