Victims of slavery and human trafficking are protected under United States and California law.

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery where people profit from the control and exploitation of others.

As defined under U.S. law, victims of human trafficking include:

• Children involved in the sex trade
• Adults age 18 or over who are coerced or deceived into commercial sex acts
• Anyone forced into different forms of "labor or services"

According to the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General human trafficking is the world's fastest growing criminal enterprise and is an estimated $32 billion-a-year global industry.

After drug trafficking, human trafficking is the world's second most profitable criminal enterprise, a status it shares with illegal arms trafficking.

California -- a populous border state with a significant immigrant population and the world's ninth largest economy -- is one of the nation's top four destination states for trafficking human beings.