I see they are backing down from putting a figure on those who are currently involved in prostitution. Let's say the figure is 100,000. Massachusetts, which is where I live, has approximately 1/20th the population of the US. Therefore, we can guess that there should be 5,000 children involved in prostitution in Massachusetts. That is an absurdly high number and it has not been supported by arrests to date
Child prostitution is clearly despicable and requires our constant vigilance to keep it from happening. However, quoting totally unbelievable numbers destroys the credibility of those who seek to improve the situation.
You’re right, these are not useful statistics. “At risk of being coerced into the sex trade” could mean absolutely anything, and the definitions of both “American” and “children” are also pretty fluid.