Migrant sex work
Because of their illegal and vulnerable economic status, some migrant sex workers may find themselves in situations where coercion and forced sex work may be present. Under international legal definitions of human trafficking, forced and coercive forms of sex work are considered to be instances of involuntary sex trafficking. However, many scholars caution against categorizing sex workers as either completely voluntary or completely involuntary. They often argue that sex work, like other forms of labor, can span a spectrum between the two extremes, with most circumstances falling in the middle through various labor rights violations. Nevertheless, the vulnerability of migrant sex workers can make them susceptible to exploitative or coercive labor practices that can resemble or be human trafficking.
Human trafficking in California
Sex trafficking victims in California are primarily women and children, coming from largely from Thailand, Mexico, and Russia. In some cases, victims were born and raised in the US, and were coerced into sex trafficking through deceptive means. Prostitution and sex services represented the largest share of documented human trafficking activities in California (roughly 47%). Although it is important to keep in mind that most trafficking reports only take into account media publicized cases, and this could skew the actual numbers. It is likely that sex trafficking is overrepresented in the media due to high public interest, compared to other types of trafficking.