Far too often, sex buyers are given a free pass for the role they play in fueling sex trafficking. To illustrate this, we need look no farther than the high-profile sex trafficking case of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
For over 20 years, Epstein and Maxwell lured young girls into their orbit under false assumptions that they would help them achieve their dreams. But what really occurred was two decades of sex trafficking and abuse of over 1000 women and children. The pair were convicted of sex trafficking and sent to prison … but they were far from the only perpetrators.
Ample evidence exists that Epstein and Maxwell provided trafficked women and girls to other individuals (i.e. sex buyers) who wished to sexually abuse them. One such sex buyer, Leon Black, was even named in the Department of Justice’s latest release of the Epstein files. Survivors have said they are aware of many more sex buyers involved in Epstein/Maxwell’s trafficking ring, and have offered to meet with the Department of Justice to provide this information.
Yet decades have passed since Epstein and Maxwell were convicted. And we have not seen any prosecutions of the sex buyers who raped so many women and children. The current Department of Justice has not even met with the survivors who offered to provide information on these men.
Unfortunately, this is a pattern we see play out repeatedly, not just in the U.S., but across the globe. There is often a disturbing apathy among law enforcement when it comes to sex buyers.
While authorities are often happy to go after sex traffickers, or even exploited people caught in prostitution, it is the sex buyers who deserve the most attention. Why? Because it is the dollars of sex buyers that keep the sex trafficking marketplace afloat. No buyers=No business.
Increasing penalties for sex buyers is vital in the fight against demand because it deters people from buying sex in the first place. If employed effectively at mass scale, this strategy can topple the sex trafficking marketplace.
Read below to see where demand reduction tactics stand in the United States and around the world.
Ask Your State to Make Sex Buying a Felony!
Where Legislation Targeting Demand Stands in the U.S.
Many states in the U.S. are slowly enacting laws to stop the demand for paid sex. Most recently, Kansas, just passed and signed into law a bill that makes sex buying a felony offense! Texas, North Carolina and Oklahoma are the only other states that currently have a law making the purchase of sex illegal. In California and Delaware, it is a felony to buy sex from a minor (this is child sexual abuse).
Missouri also just passed a sex buying felony bill in Missouri House of Representatives. Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington, all have bills pending in their legislature that would make sex buying a felony. The only state where sex buying and prostitution is fully legal is Nevada.
What Prostitution Laws Look Like Around the World
Across the globe, support for demand reduction tactics is mixed. But the fact remains that in places where prostitution is legal or fully decriminalized, instances of sex trafficking increase. Here are some notable updates surrounding prostitution laws around the globe.
Japan
The Survivor Model has been gaining support in Japanese legislature. This model, which is endorsed by NCOSE, approaches the problem of prostitution by criminalizing the exploiters (sex buyers, pimps, and brothel keepers) while decriminalizing the exploited (prostituted persons). The momentum in Japan around the Survivor Model is largely due to a sex trafficking case from November of 2025, where a 12-year-old girl was rescued after being trafficked through an illicit massage parlor in Tokyo.
In a legislative session last fall, lawmakers addressed the problem with the lack of prosecutions for sex buyers. One legislator said the following: “There is a distorted structure where only women who are forced into selling sex are arrested.”
Following this session, the prime minister of Japan pledged to review legislation that relates prostitution in the country.
Scotland
In Scotland, the government stated earlier this month that they would not support a bill criminalizing sex buying, citing concerns about how the law would increase violence against prostituted women. Without the backing of the Scottish government, the bill is unlikely to pass.
Currently in the country, public solicitation to sell or purchase sex, loitering in public to sell or purchase sex and brothel-keeping are illegal. The act of paying someone for sex or arranging it online remain legal. The proposed bill would repeal a portion of this law, decriminalizing prostituted persons who sell sex in public, and make paying for sex, in public or private spaces, illegal.
The current framework in Scotland is detrimental to the movement to end sex trafficking. Existing prostitution laws in Scotland leaves prostituted individuals, who are often victims of sex trafficking, with the criminal record, while those who abused them – the sex buyers – get away unscathed.
France
In France conversations about prostitution laws have come to light again as presidential candidate, Jordan Bardella, recently endorsed the idea of bringing back legal brothels.
A member of his party, Rassemblement National, plans to submit a bill that would allow brothels to re-open and have the prostituted persons in charge of running them.
In 2016, France adopted the Survivor Model. Sex buyers currently face fines if they are caught.
Sweden
Sweden was the first country to adopt the Survivor Model, back in 1999. The Survivor Model criminalizes the exploiters (sex buyers, pimps, brothel keepers) and decriminalizes the prostituted individuals, who are often being exploited and trafficked. After seeing its results, primarily the sharp decrease in sex trafficking in Sweden, other countries began to follow suit. Sweden was the pioneer for combatting demand for commercial sex using the Survivor Model.
Last year, they took it a step further and brought this model to the online world. Last July, a new law took effect making it illegal for people to purchase sexual acts via online platforms, like OnlyFans. Just like the core principle of the Survivor Model, those selling themselves on OnlyFans will not be criminalized.
OnlyFans and similar websites have interactive features that allow subscribers to have interactive experiences with the creators and even pay for them to do specific sexual acts. Viewing pornography or paying for content that has already been produced will remain legal.
This step by Sweden is yet another pioneering moment for the country as they are the first in the world to bring the Survivor Model in the digital space. This is a vital move to protect women, as forcing victims to perform on webcam has become a common form of sex trafficking with the rise of the Internet.
Ready to Take Action?
Making sex buying a felony is a crucial deterrence factor for potential sex buyers. Urge your state legislators to combat sex trafficking by passing felony sex buying bills!
