Washington, DC – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is conducting its annual Tackle Demand activism campaign to shed light on the sex trafficking that occurs every year at the Super Bowl. While the claim that the Super Bowl is the largest sex trafficking venue or event of the year is inaccurate, the atmosphere at major sporting events does increase the demand for the purchase of sex. For instance, 183 sex buyers and 9 sex traffickers were arrested at the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston, Texas, not to mention the sex trafficking that went undetected.
“Often when we think of the scourge of sex trafficking, our minds go right to the traffickers. Sex traffickers are certainly a major part of the problem, and they must be dealt justice. However, it’s also vital to tackle the demand for sex trafficking caused by people going out to purchase a prostituted or sex trafficked person,” said Haley Halverson, Vice President of Advocacy and Outreach at NCOSE. “Without the demand for the purchase of sex, sex traffickers would be out of business.”
Halverson continued, “By partnering with dozens of other anti-sex trafficking organizations, this campaign has been hugely successful in the past, with the 2017 campaign garnering over 1 million impressions on social media. This year, the campaign already has surpassed its goal of support, and 20 groups have partnered with NCOSE to amplify the campaign’s message.”
“This is a problem 365 days a year, not only at the Super Bowl, but with the public and media attention given to the Super Bowl, this is a crucial time to engage in activism and spread awareness about the sex trafficking that happens right in our own neighborhoods and during one of the nation’s most beloved pastimes,” Halverson added.
