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Your suspicions are likely correct. The entire human trafficking discussion is filled with statistics and data that come from nebulous and unverifiable sources. By creating sources out of thin air, law enforcement and its advocates are able to deflect criticism and defend the subjugation of sex workers. Try the book "Sex at the Margins" for a deeper anthropological look at the subject. https://www.lauraagustin.com/sex-at-the-margins-migration-la...

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Reminds me of the War on Terror, where so little was actually about what a normal person would call terrorism. Most of it ended up being law enforcement overreach under the hard-to-criticize banner of fighting terrorism.

You see this any time law enforcement stumbles upon a scary marketing word that helps them justify their activities to the public. The word's meaning slowly grows to encompass all sorts of things that the public would never have associated with it. Like how "Sex offense" now includes people caught urinating on the side of a building. And how you can get a "DUI" without driving and without being under the influence.

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