Pornography: The Acceptable Link?

I was planning on including the effects of pornography in a previous blog, however it has become apparent that the issue of pornography is far more complex than I first expected in reference to links with sex trafficking. Hopefully this blog will show you how the pornography industry can contribute to the problem of sex trafficking.

So what are the actual links between pornography and trafficking?
According to one review article,¹ it has been found that sexual erotica such as pornography has wide spread personal acceptance and tolerance amongst adults in society. This is further reiterated by Covenant Eyes, a company that provides internet accountability and filtering services, which found that 85% of young men and 47% of young women watch porn at least once a month.² But just because viewing pornography is generally accepted by many people in society, it does not mean that the actual actors/actresses are not exploited, trafficked and enslaved.

According to the UN definition of trafficking, people are recruited by means of threat, force, coercion, fraud or deception, which means many individuals in the pornography industry are actually sex trafficked.³ One NGO states that performers are frequently threatened when they protest against doing something they do not want to do, or are coerced to act in scenes outside of their contract.³ Others are offered fraudulent promises of employment, money and working conditions. Furthermore, extreme coercion and force have also been reported on pornography sets.³ The following video tells the story of a young woman who was coerced and sold into porn by her husband, and is advocating for awareness and help for those enslaved in the pornography industry. Warning: This video does include specific and very upsetting details.

Taken From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFLGVyE7vnw

There are also numerous cases of trafficking that have been reported globally where individuals have been kidnapped for the purposes of filming pornography. For example, three victims from vulnerable populations in North Africa were kidnapped by an organised group who then forced the women to participate in sexual behaviour. The only difference from classic sex trafficking was that the clients were not served directly, but via the production of pornography.⁴

How else does pornography contribute to slavery?

Shockingly, in the United States, the average age of entry into the prostitution and pornography industryis 12 to 14 years. This is not surprising given that the primary targets of traffickers are youth, due to their lower life experience, fewer coping mechanisms and smaller social support.⁵

Furthermore, pornography has also been a major contributing tool used by traffickers to train women and children for sex trafficking^.6

By Joshua

References:

1.         Diamond, M. (2009). Pornography, public acceptance and sex related crime: A review. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 32(5), p.304. Retrieved from Elsevier.

2.    http://www.covenanteyes.com/pornstats/

3.    http://stoptraffickingdemand.com/trafficking-within-the-industry/

4.    Peters, R., Lederer, L. & Kelly, S. (2012). The slave and the porn star: sexual trafficking and pornography. The Protection Project Journal of Human Rights and Civil Society, 1(5), 1-21. Retrieved from Porn Harms Research. http://pornharmsresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/MIM_PhArticles_PornTrafficking_JohnsHopkinsArtitcle_PetersLederer_11-26-2012_FinalReprint.pdf

5.http://sharedhope.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/SHI_National_Report_on_DMST_2009without_cover.pdf

6. http://stoptraffickingdemand.com/spread-the-word/