This Sunday February 2, 2014 is Super Bowl XLVIII in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA. This is one of the largest sports weekends of the year. Many warn that this will also be the largest sex trafficking event where young girls are recruited and forced into the sex trade. Sex trafficking is a $32 billion dollar per year industry globally, and a $9.5 billion dollar industry in the United States alone. It is estimated that about 400,000 children are affected by sex trafficking in the U.S. each year. The average victim is 12 years of age. According to research, in 2010, an estimated 10,000 prostitutes were transported to Miami, Florida for the the Super Bowl, and 133 minors were arrested in 2011 in Dallas. Therefore, this year, billboards have been launched in Times Square to help raise awareness surrounding human trafficking in the nation. Also the Transportation Authority has also launched an awareness campaign. The police are trying to be vigilant this year to enforce laws surrounding prostitution.
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