Modern Slavery News Round-Up

South Sudan sides 'recruit 9,000 children to fight' More than 9,000 child soldiers have been fighting in South Sudan's brutal civil war, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay has said. Both the army and rebel forces had recruited the children, she said. Ms Pillay said South Sudan faced the threat of a famine, but there was an "apparent lack of concern" on the part of its leaders. She was speaking at the end of a visit to South Sudan, where the conflict has displaced about a million people.

  Nigeria girls' abduction: Protest march in Abuja
Hundreds of mainly women protesters have marched through the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to press for the release of 230 schoolgirls abducted by militants two weeks ago. The government should, if necessary, negotiate with their captors to secure their release, a protester said. The Islamist group Boko Haram has been blamed for abducting the girls from their school in Chibok, Borno state. Boko Haram has not yet made any response to the accusation. The group, whose name means "Western education is forbidden" in the local Hausa language, has staged a wave of attacks in northern Nigeria in recent years, with an estimated 1,500 killed in the violence and subsequent security crackdown this year alone.

Sex trafficking in your backyard
Minnesota brings many things to mind — open prairies, 10,000 lakes and Midwestern values. Yet even in America's heartland, the most wretched of crimes, human trafficking, is a growing menace. Last year, the FBI identified Minnesota as one of the nation's 13 largest centers for child sex trafficking. The Women's Funding Network says that monthly, about 200 adolescents are sold for sex there through the Internet and escort services. In 2011, Minnesota courts had nearly 400 trafficking-related convictions.

Human trafficking victim shares her story
Amanda Dobyns said her mother traded her for drugs when she was younger. “She owed her drug dealer several thousand dollars and he told her you can either give me your daughter or pay me the money you owe me,” Dobyns said. It happened when Dobyns was only 13 years old. “Anytime she wanted a fix she would just trade me to him and get her drugs and he and multiple men would rape me,” Dobyns said.

  New Hampshire: Human trafficking bill moves to House The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee unanimously passed a comprehensive human trafficking bill Tuesday, setting the stage for floor action next week. The bill is considered a significant step forward for New Hampshire, which has been lagging behind other states in establishing laws against those who engage in sex and labor trafficking. "This bill contains big advancements that are super important," said Amanda Grady Sexton, public policy director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. In a national ranking of state sex trafficking laws, the national anti-trafficking organization Polaris Project placed New Hampshire third from the bottom.

Fact: 15 & 76% of women are targeted for physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime

Between 15 and 76 percent of women are targeted for physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the available country data. Most of this violence takes place within intimate relationships -this can include relationships with traffickers or pimps-, with many women (ranging from 9 to 70 percent) reporting their husbands or partners as the perpetrator (UNWomen).

Awareness and Prevention -as well as ending the demand for sex and gender discrimination are all keys to ending all forms of gender-based violence.  However as the statistics show women must seek to take back their control and never be surprised for surprises -it can happen to anyone and anywhere.  Therefore Bridge to Freedom's Violence Prevention Program not only seeks to empower survivors of modern slavery, but equip all women and girls to avoid, prevent, deescalate and/or counter such threats or attacks. Help us change these statistics today by participating in and supporting our Violence Prevention Program here!

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

Israel: Court Conviction a victory, but more needed
On May 10th the head of the largest trafficking operation in Israel, Rami Saban, received an 18-year jail sentence.  Saban and three partners are accused of having trafficked thousands of young women from Eastern Europe.  They are said to have recruited mostly from Moldova and Ukraine on the false pretenses of offering careers as cleaners.  The women were then sold to brothels based on age and appearance once they were smuggled into Israel from Egypt.  According to the US State Department's Trafficking in Persons report, Israel "does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so."  The Israeli government has instituted special training for police officers and has established a shelter for victims who escape, but more needs to be done.

Forced labor in the seafood industry
Sea vessels, or "motherships", that serve as deep-sea resupply stations have become sites for laundering products gathered by forced labor.  Once a squid or sardine comes aboard a mothership, it is almost impossible to know whether it was netted by paid fisherman or sea slaves.  Slavery is Thailand's deep-sea fishing trade is an open secret, recognized by the US, the UN and even within the Thai government.  In the wild-caught seafood industry, forced labor persists because out in the open sea, the "law is soft," says Bpa Ouan, a fishing syndicate chief based in Samut Sakhon, Thailand's hub for the fishing industry.  "We have to handle problems ourselves," he says.

Human Trafficking: McKenna, AG's blast Backpage.com
One of the most common things heard from law enforcement regarding human trafficking is that the trade has moved from the real world to the virtual one.  One of the easiest avenues for human trafficking is through websites that contain "adult" sections, most notoriously, Backpage.com.  Washington State Attorney, General Rob McKenna, along with 48 other attorneys general (AG) are pressuring the site to close it's adult section.   "One reason police are critical of Backpage.com is because too often the victims of prostitution are children," says Missouri AG Chris Koster.  In response, Liz McDougall, the general counsel, has promised to only cooperate with the AGs if they rescind their request to have that section discontinued. It is a request, they say, they will not obey.

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

Timor-Leste: Trafficked people left unsupported
According to the Alola Foundation, a Timorese NGO focusing on women's issues and prevention of trafficking, lack of funding in Timor-Leste for trafficking victims is taking its toll.  "Even if someone was referred to us, we wouldn't have a designated place to put them now, says Susan Kendall, an international mentor at PRADET, a local NGO providing psychosocial support to victims.  The most recent US State Department Trafficking in Persons report notes that Indonesian and Chinese women are often forced to become commercial sex workers, while Camodian and Burmese men and boys are forced into labor or onto fishing boats.  The border authorities lack resources and the system of identifying victims have broken down, leaving trafficked persons vulnerable.  A draft law on trafficking still needs three ministers to sign off on it before it can go to Parliament for approval.

Long Beach man charged with running sex trafficking ring
Roshaun, aka "Kevin", Nakia Porter, 36, was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of forced labor and two counts of sex trafficking through force, fraud or coercion.  The victims allege that Porter placed personal ads on craigeslist.com and seekingarrangments.com, but once a relationship was established he forced them to work as prostitutes.  The federal complaint adds that he kept control of the women by using physical violence and threatening them and their families.  If convicted on all counts, Porter will face life in federal prison.  The trial date is set for June 19.

Nigerians Become Most Trafficked into Italy's Sex Trade
Although Nigerian women and girls have been trafficked into Italy since the 1980s, the United Nations now estimates that between 8,000 and 10,000 are forced into the country's street prostitution trade every year.  Like other countries, these women are promised decent jobs and better wages, but what makes Nigeria unique is the trafficker's use of juju, or black magic, to cement the trafficker's agreement.  The traffickers make the girls go through a ritual where they swear to reimburse their sponsors for the trip.  Most of the victims are so terrified of the juju that they will not attempt to escape and they end up promising to repay up to $78,000.  This can translate into 10 customers a day.

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

Sharp rise in human trafficking in Pakistan
Pakistan’s Sindh Province has recorded a sharp increase in reported cases of human trafficking since the beginning of the year, and the trend could continue unless the authorities take action to contain it, say activists.  Some 190 cases have been reported in the province in the first two months of 2012, according to Zia Ahmeld Awan, chairperson of Madadgaar Helpline, an NGO helping women and child victims of abuse and trafficking.  In 2011, the NGO recorded 288 cases.  She urged the Pakistani government to devote more resources to fighting trafficking and drafting new legislation to ban it.  Pakistan's largest human trafficking problem, according to the US State Department's Trafficking in Persons report for 2011, is that of bonded labour. 

Spanish police arrest 'bar code pimps' gang
MADRID — Spanish police arrested 22 suspected pimps who allegedly used violence to force women into prostitution and tattooed them with bar codes as a sign of ownership, officials said Saturday. Police are calling the gang the "bar code pimps." Officers freed one 19-year-old woman who had been beaten, held against her will and tattooed with a bar code and an amount of money ($2,650) which investigators believe was the debt the gang wished to extort before releasing her.  Sex is a multibillion-dollar industry in Spain, with colorfully lit brothels staffed mainly by poor immigrant women from Latin America, Africa and eastern Europe lining highways throughout the country. Prostitution falls in legal limbo: it is not regulated, although pimping is a crime. The northeastern city of Barcelona plans to introduce regional legislation in coming weeks banning prostitution on urban streets.


Campaign against child sex trafficking on backpage.com grows stronger

Change.org started an online petition back in 2010 calling for the CEO of Village Voice Media to stop child sex trafficking on Backpage.com, a petition that has reached over 235,000 signatures. Similar campaigns have seen Craiglist shut down their 'adult services' sections in the U.S. and consequently their commercial sex ads from international sites. This Thursday 29th March will see the delivery of these petitions to Village Voice Media headquarters in New York City. 
Shared Hope International are calling on mayors across the country to stand against child sex trafficking and Village Voice Media, the owners of backpage.com. On the campaign website it states "Backpage.com will earn an estimated $25.8 million this year from its adult section, a platform that law enforcement and service providers recognize as a major facilitation tool for pimps to traffic children". They are asking people to contact their Mayor to urge them to take action and their website gives the option of emailing/writing to your local Mayor directly and easily through their website here.


Thai, Australia police bust human trafficking ring
Police in Thailand arrested an Iraqi man and a Thai woman in Bangkok on Tuesday while Australian police arrested four additional men in Sydney and Melbourne.  All are believed to be part of a transnational human trafficking network and the arrests were made as a result of "Operation Arapaima", a yearlong effort to crack down on human trafficking networks in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia, according to Lt. Gen. Wiboon Bangthamai.  A police raid found 16 fake passports in the woman's house that were to be used to illegally  transport refugees to Australia.  The country has become a haven for war-ravaged victims seeking a new life and "the organizers of these ventures are taking advantage of vulnerable people and are putting their lives at risk," says a statement from the Australian Federal Police.

GOP, Dems fight human trafficking by contractors
Legislation named "The End Trafficking in Government Contracting Act" was proposed by a bipartisan group from the House and Senate that aims to cut down on human trafficking by contractors hired by the U.S. military to work in Iraq and Afghanistan.  It is a reaction had by legislators after receiving reports from the Commission on Wartime Contracting that oversea contractors are known to engage in illegal practices after luring workers to work in the area such as seizing passports, engaging in sexual abuse, lying about compensation and keeping workers in a state of indentured servitude.  "Modern-day slavery by governmental contractors-unknowingly funded by American taxpayers- is unconscionable and intolerable," says Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn), the lead Senate sponsor of the bill.  

Pornography Fuels the Global Sex Trade

Porn Industry Facts

• There are 4.2 million pornographic websites, 420 million pornographic web pages, and 68 million daily search engine requests.
• Worldwide pornography revenue in 2006 was $97.06 billion, and approximately $13 billion of that was generated/earned the United States.
• Child pornography is one of the fastest growing businesses online, and the content is becoming much more graphic.
• In 2008, the Internet Watch Foundation found 1,536 individual child abuse domains.
• More than 11 million teens regularly view porn online.
• The largest group viewing online pornography is ages 12 to 17.

Sex Trafficking Facts

• Each year, between 100,000 to 300,000 youth are trafficked and sexually exploited for profit in the United States.
• A 2009 University of Pennsylvania study estimated that nearly 300,000 youth in the United States were at risk of being sexually exploited for commercial uses, "most of them runaways or throw-aways.”
• It’s estimated that each year, 300,000 American children are at risk for being trafficked into the sex industry.
• In the U.S., girls as young as 5 and 6 years old have been and are currently being forced to do sexual acts by a pimp.

The Connection Between Pornography and Sex Trafficking

Laura Lederer, former Senior Advisor on Trafficking in Persons for the U.S. State Department, recently stated that: “Pornography is a brilliant social marketing campaign for commercial sexual exploitation...We will never have success in eradicating sex trafficking, unless and until we tackle the cultural messages of pornography and related materials that are encouraging this exploitation and abuse.” Although not all pornographic materials are created by traffickers, “a key ingredient to commercial sex is the belief that people (women especially) are sexual commodities, and Internet pornography is the ideal vehicle to teach and train this belief.”

Many Porn Firms and Publications Are Produced Through Sex Trafficking

Insiders in the pornography industry admit that many films and publications are produced through the use of force, fraud, or coercion, actions which satisfy the very definition of “sex trafficking.” The classic example is a woman or child who is promised a good paying job, but finds him or herself being sexually exploited for little or no money. Many victims are held in debt bondage, where they owe a large sum of money to their trafficker and must work to pay off the debt. All of the money earned through performing sex acts is taken by the victim’s “agent” or “trafficker” to pay off the “debt,” and what little money is left (if any) is given to the victim. Victims are also physically, emotionally, and verbally abused in order to prevent them from escaping or seeking assistance from law enforcement.

Some Traffickers Film and Publish the Sexual Exploitation of Women and Children

Preliminary findings from an international case law database revealed that more than 25% of child sex traffickers took pictures or video recordings of the rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse of the children. By photographing and/or recording the sexual exploitation, the trafficker can now profit (again) from selling the material to pornography production/distribution companies, or posting the material on the internet.

Trafficker’s Use Pornography to “Train” Young Children and Women

In a recent survey of 854 men and women in the sex industry (across nine different countries), half of those surveyed reported that pornography was used to train them how to perform various sex acts. Another survey conducted in the U.K. revealed that 35% of trafficked women had been exposed to pornography during their trafficking. In 2008 case before the Canadian Supreme Court, the Court stated that there is "clear and uncontradicted" evidence that child pornography is used for grooming and seducing victims. Discussions with former federal and state prosecutors confirm that traffickers use pornography to groom victims for prostitution, commercial sexual exploitation, and other illegal sex acts.

Pornography “Normalizes” the Victimization of Women and Children

The proliferation of pornography (especially hard-core pornography) has created a culture of tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. In an article entitled, “$28-Billion-Crime: New film shows the dark connection between sex addiction and sex trafficking,” Luke Gilkerson writes: “Media has the power to shape culture, and the choice before each and every consumer is what kind of media they will endorse, the values they want their culture to embrace. When media sanctions the belief that it is normal—even natural—for men to use and abuse women, that women are only worth the sexual pleasure they give to men, then it works like a poison in the culture. In pornography, this message comes through loud and clear. Therefore, by consuming pornography we allow that poison to infect us, spread further into our culture, and dampen the voice of justice.”

Summary

• Traffickers use pornography as a “tool” to teach young children and women how to perform various sex acts.
• Many times, the forced sexual acts between the prostituted woman/child and the John are filmed and later shared online or in videos.
• Studies have proven that pornography viewers often desire to act out what they’ve seen in porn films. If he or she does not have a sexual partner to engage in such acts, the individual will often look to the commercial sex industry to act out their desires; the increasing demand for commercial sex workers leads to increased sex trafficking to fill the demand.
• Porn users become “numb” to “soft-core porn,” and will eventually seek harder and harder material. This phenomenon has fueled the boom of “live” porn whereby trafficked women and children are forced to perform “on-demand” sex acts in front of web cameras as “Johns” or porn users watch.
• Porn users do not and cannot distinguish between trafficked women, prostitutes, and porn stars.
• Bottom-line: Pornography fuels the global sex trade by driving demand into the mainstream of society.

Sources:

http://thepinkcross.org/porn_stats_view

http://www.pornharms.com/trafficking/

http://www.crisisaid.org/ICAPDF/Trafficking/traffickstats.pdf

http://www.covenanteyes.com/pureminds-articles/28-billion-crime-new-film-shows-the-dark-connection-between-sex-addiction-and-sex-trafficking/

http://www.moralityinmedia.org/full_article.php?article_no=448;

http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/News/National_News/PORNOGRAPHY_SEX_TRAFFICKING_THE_CONNECTION_IS_CLEAR/35705

The Demand for Sex Tourism

A Market-Based Analysis of the Commercial Sex Trade

Shared Hope International recently published a comparative examination of the demand for sex tourism and trafficking in Jamaica, Japan, theNetherlands, and theUnited States (“Report”). The Report outlines the results of a twelve-month market-based analysis of the culture, economy, political system, and history of prostitution and slavery in each of the four countries, in an attempt to better understand the operation of global sex tourism and human trafficking markets. Ultimately, the Report found that sex trafficking and sex tourism are intimately connected because sex trafficking funds the demand for sex tourism. Although the four countries differ greatly in regards to their respective culture, economy, political system, and history of prostitution and slavery, Shared Hope found remarkable similarities in the operation of their respective sex tourism and sex trafficking markets. This finding suggests that a collaborative and comprehensive (involving many nations) to reducing the demand for sex tourism and sex trafficking should be successful.

Sex Tourism, Human Trafficking, and Sex Trafficking Defined

“Sex tourism” occurs when an individual travels (either between cities or countries) with the intent to procure sexual services from another in exchange for money and/or goods.

Human trafficking (including sex trafficking) is defined in Article 3 of the U.N. protocol as the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation…; (b) The consent of a victim of trafficking in persons to the intended exploitation set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article shall be irrelevant where any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) have been used.”

Under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, sex trafficking is defined as “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act.”

Sex Trafficking Funds the Demand for Sex Tourism

The sex trade operates as a single market: (i) the demand for sex tourism exceeds the supply of women to provide commercial sex services; (ii) sex traffickers fill the demand by delivering women and children (both foreign and local) to the sex tourism markets. Buyers of commercial sex have been conditioned to expect immediate and easy access to services, which results in the trafficking of vulnerable women and girls to satisfy the demand for commercial sex services.

The rapid growth and development of sex tourism is directly linked to globalization. The typical “sex tourist” was once considered to be a Western man who traveled to a foreign country to engage in commercial sexual activity; however, the interconnectedness of our global economies and the increasing availability of international travel have made local commercial sex markets more accessible to buyers all over the world. Globalization has also made it possible to transport large numbers of foreign women and children to high demand commercial sex markets; however, increased public awareness of the transportation of foreign women and children for sex tourism has shifted the supply chain to local women and children who are “easier” to target, and pose less risk for traffickers. Because local trafficking laws have not “caught up” with the rapidly changing commercial sex market, local women and children are increasingly vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers. Below, I've set forth a few key findings from the Report.

Culture of Tolerance Facilitates the Sex Trade

Geography, history, tradition, legislation, language, and behavior (among other influences) all contribute to a “culture of tolerance for sex markets.” The commercial sex industry (including sexual images and activities) has been “normalized” to such a degree, that buyers no longer need to travel to less developed countries to obtain commercial sex services. Here are a few examples from the report:

• Jamaica:Jamaica has created a “perception of escapism” through advertising all-inclusive adult-only resorts that encourage international tourists to engage in any pleasure they desire (including sex tours offered by small travel companies). Severe poverty and an economy dependent upon tourism have created a “make do” culture, where residents are expected to support their family by whatever means are available, including commercial sex by children and adults.
• The Netherlands: “Legalized prostitution, promotion of red light districts as tourism activities and centuries-long tolerance of commercial sexual activity have resulted in development of extreme, ‘fringe’ commercial sex markets and the tremendous growth in demand for commercial sexual services by both local and international visitors.”
• United States: The American culture’s glamorization of the “pimp and ho” lifestyle has reduced our moral sensitivity to commercial sex. Take for example the new Vegas slogan: “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” which encourages visitors to engage in morally deprave conduct for the sake of their personal pleasure and enjoyment.
• Japan: The Japanese have long equated sex with physical health, and adhered to traditional gender roles which emphasize the man’s “need” for sex. Japan has also legalized all sexual services (with the exception of vaginal intercourse), all of which have normalized and allowed for easy access to commercial sex markets.

Victims are Misidentified as Criminals, and the Criminal Market for Trafficking is Thriving

Due to lack of education and awareness by government officials, law enforcement, and society, victims are frequently misidentified and mislabeled as illegal immigrants, prostitutes, “hos,” juvenile delinquents, drug mules, or thieves. The mislabeling of trafficking victims contributes to their dehumanization, and serves to facilitate sex trafficking by allowing the trafficker to operate with little fear of punishment or consequences. Further, the labeling of buyers and traffickers with normalized names (such as johns, tricks, clients, boyfriends, etc.) which do not carry the same stigma and criminal weight as those names given to the victims, contributes to the misperception that the trafficking victim (rather than the pimp or buyer) is the criminal.

In each of the four countries, Shared Hope found that the legal commercial sex market (i.e., strip clubs, escort services, adult pornography, etc.) is used not only to hide black market sex trafficking, but it’s also fueling the demand for criminal sexual exploitation. As strip clubs, “gentlemen’s clubs,” and pornography become more mainstream, the demand for young women will continue to increase as well.

The Facilitators and Buyers of Commercial Sex Tourism and Sex Trafficking

“Institutional facilitators” include businesses, governments, and other institutions that receive some benefit from the commercial sex trade. A hotel facilitates sex trafficking when it allows pimps to prostitute women and children on the premises (through inaction, poor management or tolerance of the problem). Local governments and cities facilitate sex trafficking by failing to regulate all aspects of the commercial sex market, allowing escort services and strip clubs to “cover-up” the commercial sex trade.

“Individual facilitators” include “pimps, traffickers, cab drivers, document forgers, pornographers, corrupt or negligent officials in government or business, and other individuals benefiting directly or indirectly form the commercial sex markets.” Cab drivers, pimps, and traffickers receive a direct benefit; however, the Report identifies a larger web of “indirect beneficiaries,” such as a government official who ignores the presence of trafficking because it facilitates a commercial market which benefits the city financially.

The Report also found that buyers of commercial sex services can be classified as situational, preferential, and opportunistic buyers, and each category will require differing education and prevention strategies. In the child sexual exploitation market, situational buyers engage in commercial sex acts with minors because they are available, vulnerable, and the behavior is tolerated. Preferential buyers (pedophiles), however, have sexual preferences and “shop” in specific markets for sexual services.

A third category of buyers referred to as “opportunistic” can be found in the larger commercial sex market. Opportunistic buyers have no preferences and purchase sex indiscriminately; they are “willfully blind to age or willingness of the female, or are unable to differentiate between adults and minors.” An in depth analysis of the psychology of buyers was beyond the scope of the Report, but Shared Hope’s research has revealed a culture of tolerance which both enables and condones the commercial sex market.

“Traffickers” Include Teenage Recruiters, Pimps, and Organized Crime

In the United States,Jamaica, and theNetherlands, Shared Hope found that large numbers of young males were recruiting females into the sex trade. Teenage boys are able to relate to the victim’s needs, and more easily exploit the victim’s vulnerabilities, trust, and insecurities. Young male recruiters often compliment the girls, and refer to them as their girlfriend in order to gain the young girl’s trust, and later turn to brutality to force the girl into submission.

Organized crime is also involved in sex trafficking in each of the four countries. Loosely organized crime networks in the Netherlands frequently traffick women from the Balkans and former Soviet states into the Netherlands. Tightly organized crime networks in Japan operate inJapan’s major cities and abroad, and Russian organized crime networks traffick women and children to theU.S., theNetherlands,Japan, andJamaica.

Young Women and Foreign Females are in High Demand

As the demand for sex tourism increases, the demand for young and exotic victims is increasing as well. Young girls are vulnerable and more easily recruited by pimps and traffickers, and the demand for younger girls has increased based upon the perception that they are less likely to have sexually transmitted diseases. Although the demand for younger girls has increased, the demand for “exotic” foreign girls has not diminished. In Las Vegas and Tokyo for example, “advertisements for Latin lovers, Asian beauties, and Slavic sweethearts are prolific.” Due to poverty in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, large numbers of young girls and women were found to have been trafficked to Japan,Jamaica, theNetherlands, and theU.S. Sex trafficking is no longer limited to impoverished women and girls in third world countries; women and young girls all over the world are being trafficked in their cities, towns, and countries in order to fill the local demand for commercial sexual services.

Technology is Driving the Growth of the Sex Trade

In the United States, theNetherlands, andJapan, technology is by far the single greatest driver and facilitator of the commercial sex trade. Advertisements for sex services and escort services have flooded the internet, and cell phone technology has allowed for greater connectivity between buyers, victims, and pimps. The proliferation of internet pornography has also contributed to the increased demand for commercial sex services, as pornography is frequently the gateway for situational and opportunistic buyers to purchase commercial sex services.

Conclusion

The global sex tourism and sex trafficking markets are intimately connected; therefore, a collaborative, comprehensive, and global approach to reducing the demand for sex tourism will be necessary to reduce the incidence and prevalence of sex trafficking.