Part 11/14:
The Digital Age and Its Impact on Trafficking
Cacho highlights how technology exacerbates trafficking issues. The rise of pornography, social media, and platforms like OnlyFans has created new avenues for exploitation. Young girls often unknowingly or manipulatively become "self-exploiting" via these platforms, which traffickers exploit to traffic, manipulate, or monetize their images.
Furthermore, the proliferation of child pornography via encrypted networks and the Deep Web complicates law enforcement efforts. Cacho notes that algorithms and digital manipulations are designed to hypersexualize children, contributing to the cycle of abuse and making it easier for traffickers to recruit victims.