Sex trafficking is so widespread, said Nathan Wilson, founder of the Project Meridian Foundation in Arlington, which helps police identify traffickers and their victims, that “no country, no race, no religion, no class and no child is immune.”
He said 1.6 million children under 18 — native and foreign born — have been caught up in this country’s sex trade. But, he said, the actual number of victims is hard to quantify because of the lengths to which traffickers go to keep their crimes hidden.