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New Study in INFORMS Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Key Takeaways:

• Recruitment targets the vulnerable: Many victims are recruited from economically struggling suburban and rural areas – far from urban areas where most sex sales occur.
• Machine learning can detect risk: The research team developed AI models that flag deceptive recruitment ads with high accuracy, linking them to known trafficking networks.
• Supply chain mapping offers new tools: By tracing both recruitment and exploitation patterns, the study provides actionable insights for early intervention – before harm can occur.

BALTIMORE, MD, May 24, 2025 – Most anti-human trafficking efforts focus on breaking up sex sales; however, new research in the INFORMS journal Manufacturing & Service Operations Management is turning its attention to where trafficking truly begins – recruitment. Using machine learning to analyze millions of online ads, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have uncovered patterns that link deceptive job offers to sex trafficking networks. By mapping the connections between recruitment and sales locations, the study reveals a hidden supply chain – one that can now be exposed and interrupted earlier in the trafficking process.

“By combining data science with deep web analysis, we are helping to uncover trafficking networks and provide law enforcement with tools to intervene before exploitation occurs,” says Hamsa Bastani of the University of Pennsylvania. “Our research reveals the hidden supply chains of sex trafficking, showing how recruitment often begins with false promises in vulnerable communities.”

The study, “Unmasking Human Trafficking Risk in Commercial Sex Supply Chains with Machine Learning,” finds that traffickers often lure victims from economically vulnerable areas, such as suburban communities, rather than large cities where most sex sales occur. This surprising discovery shifts the conversation about how trafficking networks operate and where interventions should be focused. Instead of targeting only the urban centers where trafficking sales are most visible, researchers argue that more attention needs to be paid to recruitment hotspots in smaller, economically struggling communities.

Read more here.

Instagram investigation finds sexual content is served to Teen Accounts

In an investigation by Accountable Tech and Design It For Us, Instagram was found serving sexualized, racist, and harmful content to protected Teen accounts.

The point of the Gen Z test was to independently evaluate whether Teen Accounts fulfilled their promises. “We think going right to the user, going right to those who can attest directly to what they see on a day-to-day basis is a real key in efficacy,” says Alison Rice, campaigns director at Accountable Tech.

Read more here. 

Maine has become the latest state to outlaw child marriage, a practice child welfare advocates say often involves coercing vulnerable young girls into unwanted unions.

A bill approved by the state Legislature raising the legal wedding age from 17 to 18 became law Monday without Gov. Janet Mills’ signature. The law will be enacted 90 days after the legislative session ends.

Backers of the plan say child marriage often involves coercion, even where parental consent is granted, with a girl forced to marry against her will.

“Too many children are forced into marriages, and while even those over 18 years of age can be forced, the difference is that when they are able to flee, they have greater access to services to help them sufficiently escape an abuser,” state Rep. Laura Supica, D-Bangor, said in testimony. “By raising the age requirement from 17 to 18 years old to marry, we can eliminate this danger.”

Read more here.