
Atlanta Spa Shootings: Decriminalizing an Inherently Violent and Bigoted System of Disparity Cannot Make It Safer
Fully decriminalizing an inherently bigoted and violent system of disparity can never make it safe. In March 2021, our nation once again faced a terrible mass shooting as eight victims (seven women and one man)—six of whom were women of Asian descent—were murdered while working in massage parlors in Atlanta. It took no time for…

STATEMENT – NCOSE Expresses Sympathy for Atlanta Shooting Victims
Washington, DC (March 17, 2021) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) issued a statement in response to the murders of several women in the Atlanta area. It has been reported that the police said that the suspect targeted the massage parlor and spas because he allegedly claimed he had a “sexual addiction” and it was a “temptation…

STATEMENT – NCOSE Issues Statement on Charleston v. Nevada
Washington, DC (December 11, 2020) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) issued a statement with an update in the lawsuit, Charleston v. Nevada. On December 10, 2020, the Ninth Circuit issued a decision in Charleston v. Nevada, affirming the district court’s decision to dismiss the case. Plaintiffs Bekah Charleston and Angela Delgado-Williams were sex trafficked…

Iceland’s Sex Trade Ban: A Model for Gender Equality
Gender equality means that no woman is for sale. Iceland has taken this premise seriously by effectively banning the entire sex trade: no strip clubs, no pornography, and no prostitution. In 2009, Iceland implemented the Nordic (or Equality) model, making it illegal to buy sex – or to base one’s “employment or livelihood on prostitution…

STATEMENT – PA Legislature Must Recognize Harms of Decriminalizing Entire Sex Trade
Washington, DC (October 15, 2020) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) expressed strong opposition to a bill introduced by Rep. Summer Lee into the Pennsylvania House of Representatives that would fully decriminalize the entire commercial sex industry including pimping, sex buying, and brothel owning. “We oppose this harmful policy proposal, as it will…

Sex buyers want to normalize Sugar Dating. That’s regressive and dangerous.
With sugaring, an aggressively regressive system has been normalized in our society to the point that we have mainstream publications advising well-off men on how to exploit young women for sex. In Summer 2020, a Men’s Health article discussed the concept of “sugar dating” in disturbingly neutral terms – including what a sugar daddy looks…

Survivors of Sexually Exploitative Multi-Billionaires Are Still Awaiting Justice
Survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation were dealt an unjust blow when lawyers for New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft were able to convince certain Florida judges that videos investigators gathered of him paying for sex in an illicit massage parlor should not be admitted to court. Kraft faces two charges of solicitation of prostitution…

Demand Forum, popular tool to curb sex buying, comes to NCOSE!
Men who buy people for sex provide the revenue stream—and thus the economic motivation—for all prostitution and sex trafficking. Their choice to engage in sex buying is the root of sexual exploitation. Without consumer-level demand, there would be no need for pimps and traffickers. Supply (victims) and distribution (sex traffickers) are symptoms. Demand is the cause….

On Racism and Sexual Exploitation
Racism is everywhere in sexual exploitation. Pornography is rife with racist material that celebrates the degradation of black women, men, and children. Commercial sex buyers are predominantly white men while victims of sex trafficking are disproportionately women and girls of color. Predators prey upon the people society has marginalized, which means minority communities are a…

Online Sexual Exploitation Creeping Back into U.S. Due to Lack of FOSTA-SESTA Enforcement
The passage of FOSTA-SESTA in 2018 was a major legislative victory for survivors of sex trafficking. It gave survivors a route to justice by providing a civil right of action. It also empowered state Attorney Generals to prosecute websites that facilitate sex trafficking. Furthermore, its impact on the online commercial sexual exploitation landscape was immediate…