We typically think of sex trafficking as something that happens far away in developing countries, but it’s happening right in our backyard.
It’s happening on our computer screens.
Recently, the Christian Post reported on a large sex trafficking network uncovered in Tallahassee, Florida.
Operation Stolen Innocence was a two-year-long investigation that started with the discovery of children’s images on a sex trafficking website. The investigation resulted in charges against more than 170 people. In a public statement regarding the results of this investigation, Tallahassee officials said, “A common misconception about human trafficking is that it does not happen in the United States. This is false. It is estimated that 199,000 incidents occur within the United States every year.”
An Industry Fueled by Porn
As we’ve written before, sex trafficking in the United States is a multi-million-dollar industry. And this industry is directly fueled by porn.
It’s no coincidence that the Florida trafficking ring was discovered through online porn. The connection between porn and sex trafficking is neither tangential nor incidental. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation has done extensive research on the connection between pornography and sexual exploitation.
On December 4th, the New York Times published an op-ed exposé on The Children of Pornhub (trigger warning: this article includes depictions of sexual assault as well as information regarding porn searches). The article ends with the chilling statement, “With Pornhub, we have Jeffrey Epstein times 1,000.”
The New York Times piece is just the latest addition to a growing pile of testimony against the world’s largest porn platform. In February 2020, Laila Mickelwait launched a campaign to expose Pornhub’s complicity in child sex trafficking. Traffickinghub chronicles the distribution of and profiteering from illegal porn on the porn giant’s site, and Traffickinghub’s petition to shut down Pornhub now has over two million signatures.
The problem with Pornhub is more than just porn—it’s sex trafficking. And Pornhub may be the world’s largest perpetrator of sex trafficking, but it’s only one of many.
What can be done about this?
1. Educate yourself on the connection between pornography and sex trafficking.
Porn advocates like to argue that porn is a harmless outlet for sexual impulses. However, the evidence indicates the exact opposite. The porn industry is inseparable from the sex trafficking industry, and fuels its spread around the world.
- Sex Trafficking advocacy website Exodus Cry says, “Many of the same tactics used by traffickers to lure the vulnerable into prostitution and stripping are used by pornographers to recruit victims of exploitation in the porn industry. Oftentimes perpetrators of rape, trafficking, and sexual assault upload videos of their crimes to popular porn tube sites like Pornhub, further exploiting their victims.”
- Human Trafficking Research reported in 2014, “80% of survivors [sex trafficked individuals] report that their customers showed them pornography to illustrate the kinds of sexual acts they want performed.”
- In the Pepperdine Law Review, expert Rachel Busick writes, “One out of five pornographic images is of a child. Over half of all child pornography is produced in the United States. Sales of these illegal images bring in over $3 billion annually in the United States alone.”
- Allison J. Luzwick from the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law writes, “In 2014, abuse porn websites averaged over 60 million combined hits per month . . . . Recent research shows that nearly 40% of online pornography depicts violence against women.”
- Newer research indicates much higher numbers, with as much as 88% of online pornography depicting physical violence and force used against women.
- Women’s advocate and researcher Melissa Farley writes (trigger warning: this link includes disturbing information about prostitution and sex trafficking, with graphic quotations from sex buyers), “Many online sites sell images of women who are coerced or enslaved by pimps and organized criminal groups…. Traffickers advertised “work for coronavirus layoffs” on Craigslist (Moseley, 2020). Another pimp recruited unemployed women for a job as “models” at his porn site (Baah, 2020). Romanian and US porn pimps reported large increases in new models during the pandemic.”
For further insights into the connection between porn and sex trafficking, see the National Center on Sexual Exploitation website. Our friends at Fight the New Drug have more great resources as well.
2. Raise awareness
As more people learn about the connection between porn and sex trafficking, positive change is happening. Owing to pressure put on them in the aftermath of the NYT article, Pornhub has announced new policies to help prevent further victimization.
It’s true this is only a small step in addressing a bigger issue. Pornhub is just doing damage control and the fundamental porn problem remains. However, it’s also a clear and hopeful indicator of what can happen as more people become aware of the connection between porn and sex trafficking. Join those taking a stand by sharing this information with your friends and family.
3. Report suspicious activity to the police.
Tallahassee law enforcement was able to uncover the trafficking ring because they found suspicious activity. Their website says, “Some of the most common ways to recognize a potential human trafficking victim are:
- The person appears malnourished.
- They show signs of physical injuries or abuse.
- They avoid eye contact, social interaction, and law enforcement.
- They do not have official identification or personal possessions.
- They are never away from people.”
4. Take a stand against pornography in your own home.
Guard your own eyes and the eyes of your family. By impacting one household at a time, we can work to stop the spread of porn. By stopping the spread of porn, we can reduce the horrors of sex trafficking.