With California leading the way, human trafficking, especially in the sex and labor trades, jumped again last year and has surged 842 percent since since the creation of a federally-supported hotline for victims.

A majority of cases reported last year to the National Human Trafficking Hotline and the BeFree Textline operated by Polaris involved sex.

“Reported cases of human trafficking continue to increase each year. In 2017, 8,759 cases were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline and BeFree Textline. This number compares to 7,737 reported cases in 2016. The overall figures represent an 842 percent increase over the 10 years Polaris has operated the Hotline,” said the hotline operator which receives federal funding.





First daughter Ivanka Trump on Tuesday huddled with congressional opponents of sex trafficking in a boost for legislation targeting online crimes. Her goal was to “highlight the progress that has been made and to discuss next steps in combating human trafficking,” said Lindsay Walters, White House deputy press secretary.

The annual Polaris report highlighted the number of victims that are coming forward to blow the whistle. It also gave details on the types of trafficking involved and where it ranks worst.





Sex trafficking hotline calls accounted for a majority of the calls, 6,081.

Next was labor human trafficking at 1,249.





The percentages were similar on the BeFree Textline.

California led the way with some 15 percent of all human trafficking calls.