A report recently released by UNICEF reveals that children in Guatemala make up about 57 percent of those affected by sex trafficking.

According to the report, 57 percent of the victims of human trafficking are under the age of 18. Most of those who fall into this percentage are between the ages of 12 and 17.

"Often human trafficking starts from domestic and sexual violence by fathers and stepfathers. This is a very common scenario in Guatemala," said UNICEF's Mariko Kagoshima. “They go to car parks where there are trucks and sell their daughters for a very low price."

This statement is supported by cases in the report that reveal how a lot of children run away from their families due to violence at home.

A lack of education, poor economy, poverty and migration make sex trafficking very possible in the country. With only two prosecutors taking on sex trafficking and many turning a blind eye, the issue is overwhelming.

The exploitation of these children, as well as adults, brings about $1.6 billion to the economy in the country.

While Guatemala is the focus of the report, sex trafficking also affects plenty of youth, particularly young girls, in Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador, which has the highest rates of sex trafficking in Central America, as reported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

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