The Link Between Pornography & Sex-trafficking
Awareness
Child Sex Trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, or advertising of a minor child for the purpose of a commercial sex act, which involves the exchange of anything of value- such as money, drugs, or a place to stay- for sexual activity. - NCMEC
In the U.S., on average, every two minutes, a child is bought or sold for sex.
The average age of a child sold for sex is 13 years old.
“Performers are sometimes forced or coerced during the production of mainstream pornography.”
Fraud, deception, threat or use of force, coercion, and abuse of power or vulnerability frequently take place during the filming of these performers. The fact that many are underage when they begin doing porn, even if they claim to be consenting, is still sex trafficking.
- stoptraffickingdemand.com
“Forced sex acts between a trafficked woman or child and a “John” are often filmed and photographed.”
Trafficking for the purpose of porn-especially live porn-is increasingly popular. There is an unyielding demand for pornography and as users become desensitized to material, they often demand much more violent and degrading acts. Running a “virtual brothel” is easier for a pimp than selling girls on the street. It needs to be understood that much of the pornography out there contains unwilling participants subjected to violent and humiliating conditions without the ability to fight back or escape.
- stoptraffickingdemand.com
“Pornography is often used by traffickers as a tool.”
Pornography is frequently shown to sex trafficking victims to train them in what they will have to perform/endure. Studies and surveys show that nearly all men who buy sex from prostituted or trafficked women are also pornography users. Their tastes are greatly affected by what they have seen in porn and they often demand that victims perform similarly.
“Pornography creates and drives the demand for trafficked women and children. Porn users often seek to act out what they have viewed in pornography.”
Research demonstrated that pornography changes the brain, which leads to addiction and a desire for harder, more deviant materials. It also creates permission-giving beliefs-for example, that it is normal to pay for sex or that all women enjoy violent sex. These changes often lead users to act out what they have viewed...often through prostituted or trafficked women and children.
- stoptraffickingdemand.com
“Without buyers, there would be no commercial sex-trafficking industry.”
– Invading the Darkness, Linda Smith, Shared Hope International
“Ten or more men a day.”
These are the common numbers we’ve heard again and again by young women who have escaped sex trafficking.
Who are these men paying to have sex with children who are too young to drive, often too young for high-school, or too young to enter a PG-13 movie?
“Who are all these men buying American kids for sex?”
They are mostly men
Most are married and have children of their own
They usually have an average to high IQ.
Many are college educated
Age range is 18-89 years old; average age 42.5 years old
85% prefer female, 15 % male
Found in every profession, every social class, and in all areas of society. They are doctors, attorneys, professional athletes, CEO’s, ministers, and the dad next door.
Often, they began by watching porn.
They don’t look or act like bad guys. Many times, no one would guess what they are doing until arrested or perhaps a wife discovers the truth.
Some view women as objects, but some cherish the women in their lives, just not the ones they buy.
A “buyer” may be the guy everyone likes, and he’s good at keeping his dark secret.
That secret often includes sexual addiction that started with viewing porn and escalated to hardcore porn, child porn, and the buying of sex acts with children.
They are humans who have lost something inside, who struggle with intimacy, and who find sex to be an act of pleasure and not of love.
– Invading the Darkness, Linda Smith