WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — "Destiny" was just a child when someone she knew lured her into the sex trade. Now 25, it haunts her to this day.

Tears spill from her eyes when she thinks back to those dark years.

"It was a weird slippery slope. I wasn't just in it," Destiny said. "They befriend you. They sell you a lie."

Scarred by childhood trauma and promised a glamorous life, Destiny spent years being exploited by a pimp.

"They sell you a daydream and it's not a dream. It's really a nightmare," she said.

Up to 50,000 people are forced into the sex trade in America every year.

Of those, 25% are children, with the Interstate 5 corridor through western Washington a main distribution channel.

Washington is among the states with the highest number of human trafficking cases in America. Local

See Full Page