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Human Trafficking & Pornography U . S . C sistersagainsttrafficking.org a t h o l ic Si st er s A gainst Human Trafficking Human Trafficking & Pornography Awareness Human Trafficking is a modern-day families. Many are form of slavery with over twenty- desperate for acceptance seven million people enslaved and enticed by the false worldwide. The scope of the promise of romance, problem is hard to define because good jobs or a better human trafficking is largely a hidden life. There are many crime, making accurate numbers factors contributing to of trafficking incidents difficult to the tragedy of human determine. It is a crime under state, trafficking, a significant federal and international law and is one is pornography currently the second fastest growing which is the focus criminal activity, exceeded only by the o f t h i s m o d u l e . American children begin viewing illegal drug trade. Pornography creates a climate in pornography at an average age of 11 A person is a human trafficking victim which violence and exploitation of About 67% of young men and if she/he is induced by force, fraud women and children is both tolerated 49% of young women believe or coercion or if she/he is a victim and tacitly encouraged. Taking on that viewing pornography is under 18 years of age. There are two pornography means challenging the acceptable major types of human trafficking: culture’s libertarian attitude about The pornography industry is a sex trafficking, in which the victim sex, which basically says anything $97 billion industry worldwide, is forced to commit a commercial goes between consenting adults, and with child pornography taking in sex act and labor trafficking, those who don’t like pornography at least $3 billion which is the recruitment, harboring, can change the channel. Lies about Child pornography is one of the transportation, provision or obtaining pornography must be dispelled. For f a s t e s t - g r o w i n g o n l i n e b u s i n e s s e s . of a person for labor or services example, viewing it will satisfy your for the purpose of subjection to sexual desire, consumption of it is Additionally, the Human Dignity, involuntary servitude, peonage, debt harmless and even helpful to building Slavery, and Sex Trafficking Symposium bondage or slavery. Sex trafficking stable relationships or those involved reported: is especially reprehensible because it in its production are there by choice. 89% of pornography comes from specifically targets vulnerable women Pornography is prevalent and the U.S. and girls. Some victims are abducted; destructive. Recent statistics are 260 new explicit sites are put others are runaways or are lured out staggering. Enough is Enough, online every day of poverty or sold by their destitute (www.enough.org), a nonprofit 20% percent of all internet organization working searches are related in some way to make the internet to pornography safer for children and 66-90 % of women involved in families, provides the production of pornography the following were sexually abused as children. i n f o r m a t i o n : The Richmond Justice Initiative Every second, website reported in September 28,258 internet 2011, that one out of every five users are viewing pornographic images is of a child, pornography and 55% of child pornography comes from the U.S. Analysis to expect sexual such as malls, coffee shops, or fulfillment on specialty shops. Sometimes the demand, and to women and girls are held captive on continually seek pornography sets or driven under more explicit or the command of a pornographer violent content to or agent to and from the sets. This create the same fits the trafficking definition of high.3 “harboring and transporting.” Those As Victor Malarek used in pornography are considered put it in his book a commodity, easily discarded when The Johns: “The no longer needed. They are used message is clear: to create a product that is supplied What is the link between pornography if prostitution to countless consumers across the and human trafficking? There is the main act, porn is the dress world. The pornography industry is are two links. The Freedom rehearsal.”4 Pornography becomes continually providing the world with commercial sex acts, which can be Youth Project Foundation, (www. a training ground for johns’ tricks. consumed without end. freedomyouthproject.org) reports When pornography is the source of that thousands of trafficked children sex education for our generation, Pornographers, like other pimps, and young adults are forced to make the natural outcome is a culture of learn how to exploit economic and pornographic films. The second is commercial sex and sex trafficking. psychological vulnerabilities to coerce that those addicted to pornography Many women and children who are women and girl to get into and stay 9 eventually lose satisfaction with being sexually exploited and trafficked in the sex industry. Other times they just watching sexual encounters are also being used for the production threaten or use alcohol and drugs to and seek encounters with trafficked of pornography. Sometimes acts induce compliance, which is included persons. An estimated 40% to 80% of prostitution are filmed without in some state definitions for coercion. of consumers of child pornography the consent of the victim and Understanding that pornography and abuse and molest a child (www. distributed.5 On other occasions sex trafficking are interconnected CitizenLink.com). It is a cruel cycle victims are trafficked for the sole challenges us to seek justice for with little thought given to the purpose of pornographic production. victims of commercial sexual victims. In today’s era of webcams and chat exploitation. We must acknowledge Pornography drives demand for rooms, the lines between interactive that pornography is a root cause sex trafficking because asCatherine pornography and virtual prostitution of human trafficking and fuels Mackinon, a professor at Harvard websites have been blurred.6 the demand for more victims of Law School says “consuming Recruitment for and retention of sexual exploitation. It is essential to pornography is an experience of victims in the pornography industry understand the reality of pornography bought sex” and thus it creates a occurs in and act accordingly. hunger to continue to purchase many ways, and objectify, and act out what is including being 1 seen. And in a very literal way, bombarded with pornography is advertising for calls to come trafficking, not just in general but and perform also in the sense that traffickers and after posting pimps use pornographic images of a personal ad, victims as specific advertising for through social 2 their “products.” In addition, viewing media or by pornography and gratifying oneself contact in with it creates a drug-like addiction, places where which distorts the individual’s view women and on sexuality. It also trains the mind girls gather What Is Being Done? What Needs to be Done? The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), Sex trafficking will not be eliminated until the demand which created current federal legislation against sex is eliminated. The demand will not be eliminated until trafficking, states that people are trafficked into and the roots of disordered sexual desire are eliminated. exploited in pornography.7 Under the TVPA, sex One of the biggest causes of disordered sexual desire is trafficking is defined as “the recruitment, harboring, pornography viewing and pornography addiction. transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for A documentary on sex trafficking, Rape for Profit, sent the purpose of a commercial sex act.”8 The realities of the message home: “Prostitution is the main act, and the pornography industry are perfectly described in the pornography for these men is the dress rehearsal. They definition of sex trafficking in TVPA. see it and then they go and act it out. ... When a society Clean Hotels is demanding more pornography, it’s demanding more www.cleanhotels.com prostituted women.” lists the hotels and motels in most cities and towns in the An all-male led film documentary called Hearts of U.S. that have taken the pledge to remove in-room porn Men seeks to address the root of the problem. One of the as a TV offering. Interviews by concerned citizens with men who speaks in the film admits, “We’re the root of local hotel/motel managers about this have led them to this, and if we’re the root of this, we have to figure out remove the porn. what has to change. It has to start with us.” Pornography enslaves men physically and psychologically, and this Operation Broken Silence enslaves women and children literally via sex trafficking. www.operationbrokensilence.org Pornography is a major gateway to sex trafficking. Men is a project that made an analysis of the Online Memphis create the demand; women and children are the supply. If Sex Industry and human trafficking in which they we transform the demand side, the supply side will also analyzed the information that traffickers, pimps and cease. Victims captured by pornographers are not there victims provided to Backpage.com as a means of advertising for the pleasure, nor even for the money; but because prostitution. It highlights the trends, patterns and they have been bought, kidnapped or tricked. There may economics of human trafficking in Memphis. be a transaction involving money and pleasure, but it’s doubtful the trafficked victim receives much of either. Reflection What are our values and sources of our hope in the battle against trafficking of persons? Scripture (New Jerusalem Bible) 2 Peter 2:3 In their greed, they will try to make a profit out of you with untrue tales… Matthew 5:27-28 Lust … adultery in the heart Galatians 5:19 When self-indulgence is at work…sexual vice…sensuality… 1Timothy 6:10 The love of money…root of all evils...given their souls…wounds… Hebrews 13:4 Marriage must be kept undefiled…adulterers will come under God’s judgement.
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