After fighting with her immediate relatives, Emily* sought out a new place to stay. She called up her close family friend, whom she viewed as a maternal figure all her life. This woman, of course, allowed Emily to stay with her, but what she thought was a long-time friend extending an olive branch was the beginning of a harrowing nightmare.
Emily awoke one night with a gun to her head and this friend, who she viewed as a mother, forcing her into the sex trade. Over the next few months, Emily was shot up with sedation drugs and sold to over 200 sex buyers.
It wasn’t until an employee heard her screams from a hotel room that the police were able intervene.
Most people who hear this story will be enraged at the person who deceived and sex trafficked Emily, and rightfully so.
But what about the 200 men who paid to rape her? Shouldn’t they be held accountable too?
It’s time to stop sex buyers from committing these atrocities and slipping away unscathed. Historically, laws in the U.S. have criminalized prostituted persons. But what about the buyers?
Instead of targeting prostituted persons, we must go after the sex buyers. Sex buyers fuel the demand for the sex trade. Because few people would willingly perform sexual acts for money, sex traffickers take matters into their own hands by deceiving vulnerable individuals and forcing them into the sex industry to meet this demand.
*Survivor name changed
Delaware, North Carolina, and Oklahoma Increase Penalties on Sex Buyers
If sex buyers feared severe criminal penalties, then it could deter them from purchasing sex in the first place. This would eliminate the demand, which would sink the prostitution marketplace and eradicate the problem of sex trafficking.
Happily, in a recent wave of victories, states across the U.S. are beginning to recognize this! This session, Delaware, North Carolina, and Oklahoma passed legislation to increase criminal penalties against sex buyers, demonstrating a keen understanding of the role these men play in fueling sex trafficking and a political will to hold them accountable.
On August 29, Governor Carney of Delaware signed  H.B. 264 into law, which makes sexual exploitation of a minor a felony.  Allies in Delaware, including Mandi Mendoza, survivor leader of co-chair of the Delaware Anti-Trafficking Action Council, and the great folk at Zoe Ministries, led the charge in this important victory! Â
On June 28, 2024, the North Carolina governor signed into law H 971, “Hotel Operation and Personnel Education Act,” which makes all sex buying (whether from an adult or a minor) a felony on the first offense, effective December 1, 2024. This change was recommended by NCOSE at a North Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force meeting in 2023.
The Act also requires hotel personnel to complete mandatory training for recognizing the signs of human trafficking. This victory is a result of the tireless work of  North  Carolina  allies, including  NC Stop Human Trafficking. We are grateful for the powerful advocacy that they have devoted to defending human dignity.
Finally, Oklahoma also passed a law making sex buying a felony charge on the first offense. The bill was signed into law on May 22, 2024 and will take effect in November 2024. This would not have been possible without Oklahoma’s Office of the Attorney General swiftly making this legislation a top priority oafter law enforcement noted that sex buyers were coming to Oklahoma from Texas, where solicitation is a felony offense.
