NCOSE Sends Letter of Concern to Amazon Executives
Washington DC – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) sent a letter to Amazon executives today, expressing grave concern regarding Amazon’s sale and distribution of sexually exploitive and pornographic materials via its online store.
“Amazon’s online market caters to sexual predators,” said Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. “Not only does Amazon.com feature thousands of pornography-related items in numerous categories, but it is facilitating the sale and distribution of sexually explicit material that normalizes and encourages the objectification and exploitation of women and children.”
“I’m especially shocked that Amazon.com is selling books featuring photography collections of eroticized child nudity by Jock Sturges and David Hamilton. These publications contain numerous images that many, including experts on child sexual exploitation, consider child pornography. These are not images reminiscent of a family photo album of children at bath time. These images are haunting displays of provocative child nudity, of prepubescent and adolescent children—many of which display their pubic areas or genitals.”
“If a man in your neighborhood took these pictures of your child, you would not call them ‘art.’ You would call the police.”
“Further, Amazon.com sells childlike sex dolls and clothing that pornifies women and infants,” Hawkins continued. “Why is Amazon profiting from and contributing to the sexualization of children? This mainstream company even sells clothing that eroticizes babies, such as the Bettie Page themed baby snap suits. Bettie Page was a famed pin-up and BDSM performer of the 1950s. Many of her images are now being used as the basis for a line of T-shirts and hoodies (by Trevco Inc.) that are sold on Amazon. While the entire Bettie Page line is offensive, now even babies and toddlers from age 6 to 24 months can wear outfits emblazed with the image of a scantily clad pornography performer with words like ‘Pin Up in Training.’ The sexualization of infants and toddlers is wholly unacceptable, and we demand that Amazon remove these items from its online marketplace immediately.”
“Additionally, Amazon sells books like Pimpology and The Pimp’s Bible: The Sweet Science of Sin. While pop culture stereotypes portray pimping as hip and cool, in reality pimps are violent, serial, sexual predators. As standard practice, pimps engage in activities that meet the federal definition of sex trafficking under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). Thus, Amazon is selling books that are essentially sex trafficking ‘how-to’ manuals.”
“Amazon’s policy on selling sexually exploitive and pornographic content is at best systemically unenforced, and at worst, a blatant lie,” Hawkins stated. “Amazon’s list of ‘restricted products’ includes ‘products that portray nudity in a gratuitous or graphic manner, such as: amateur pornography, pornography, X-rate movies, hardcore-core material including magazines.’ If this is Amazon’s ‘policy’ it’s abundantly clear that the policy exists in name only. Accordingly, we urge Amazon to revise and strengthen its ‘restricted products’ policy with respect to softcore and hardcore pornographic materials, and to institute a vigorous system by which the strengthened policy is enforced. We also request the opportunity to meet with Amazon representatives to discuss how Amazon can resolve these problems, and become an advocate for freedom from sexual exploitation.”
Amazon is a member of the 2016 Dirty Dozen List, which names 12 mainstream corporations contributing to sexual exploitation. To view examples of the items discussed above and to learn more, visit: endsexualexploitation.com/amazon.
The public is encouraged to take part in NCOSE’s email action campaign asking Amazon executives to remove these exploitive products and to improve its policies: https://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/take-action-amazon-selling-exploitation/
Lisa L. Thompson, NCOSE Vice President and Director of Education and Outreach, shares her thoughts on Amazon in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLRIE7AgxF4&feature=youtu.be
For some examples of material Amazon is selling, from sexualized clothing products to childlike sex dolls, view this PDF.
