Fight the New Drug, an organization dedicated to exposing the dangers of pornography, recently interviewed Harmony Dust, Founder & Executive Director of Treasures. Her organization focuses on assisting women who have been victims of sex trafficking. She gave her expertise on how sex trafficking is still very much prevalent in mainstream porn.
“Porn and trafficking are inextricably connected” says Harmony, “there really is no way to know if someone who is engaging in porn, whether or not they are under 3rd party control, if there is a pimp or trafficker working behind the scenes because often that is the case.” She goes on to talk about how trafficking is a “supply and demand issue”. When people are unwilling to give their consent and participate in sexual activities on camera or otherwise, traffickers will meet that demand by any means necessary.
But how are the two connected? “84% of people in prostitution are under 3rd party control being pimped or trafficked and the reason that is connected to porn is this. 49% of those people say ‘I was filmed without consent while engaging in prostitution’. The other piece is this…what happens for many people who are just ensnared by sexual addiction and watching pornography come to a point where they want to act out these fantasies that if they don’t have a partner…that drives them to see people who are in prostitution 84% of whom are under 3rd party control.”
The bait-and-switch method is a common thing to see in the pornography industry. Many porn performers will be promised one thing and given something completely different that is outside of what they are comfortable with or what they originally fantasized. But once they are in, they feel that they have nowhere else to turn as they are threatened by these 3rd parties to stay. The idea of choice and the promise of consensual sex vanish.
Unfortunately, sex trafficking is much more present in pornography than we have come to realize. Everyday men, women, and children are forced against their own will to perform in sexual and violent activities. This must stop before it's too late to intervene. For more information please visit; https://fightthenewdrug.org/how-are-porn-and-sex-trafficking-connected/
If you feel compelled to, any donations towards organizations like Fight the New Drug and the National Center of Sexual Exploitation go a long way in the fight against pornography and sex trafficking. You can make donations at; https://web.charityengine.net/Default.aspx?tsid=28112; https://fightthenewdrug.org/donate/
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