We’re not claiming all porn ignores consent. But according to the research some of the porn you’re watching may be sex trafficking, can you tell the difference?
Virtually every major porn site has reportedly hosted and profited from trafficking, child sexual abuse material, image-based abuse, and/or degradation.
Sex trafficking is legally defined as a situation in which “a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age.” That means that sex trafficking doesn’t always involve kidnapping or physical force.
If you hate the idea of sex trafficking, if it is shocking and horrible to you, then consider what millions of people consume around the world every day.
The perception of what trafficking victims look like can often jump to mind: young, foreign, female. There are many victims of trafficking like her, but she’s not the only one. Men and boys can be trafficked, too.
Complex social issues like sex trafficking need multi-faceted solutions that include protection, prosecution, and prevention. Can we solve it?
The issue of sex trafficking is not a myth, but there are myths about sex trafficking. If you want to get involved in helping to rescue victims, start with factual information supported by anti-trafficking experts and survivor-led organizations.
Sex trafficking is often misunderstood. It’s not just about transport or captivity—many victims are manipulated without physical confinement. And the idea of “consent”? It’s a myth when fear and power imbalances are at play. Discover the shocking truths behind these myths and why consent is never as simple as it seems.
Sex traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to lure their victims into exploitation. Porn is the marketing department of the sex trafficking industry.
“Sex traffickers are motivated by one thing,” Dr. Shively said. “They are trying to make money. It’s a market, and the commodity is people. Without demand, there is no motivation to come up with that supply.”
Sex trafficking shares a variety of symbiotic connections to pornography. Even in the production of mainstream porn, sex trafficking can still occur—and it happens more often than most people think.
The global issue of sex trafficking will take a global community of Fighters to join together and stop the demand for exploitation.
