The American Library Association and Its Longstanding Pornography Problem, Explained
When most of us think about our local library, we picture a safe place for students to research, senior citizens to read, and children to listen to stories read aloud by one of the librarians. It is a pleasant picture. But, as many individuals and families enjoy the benefits of their local libraries, the American…
On Wayfair and Viral Conspiracy Theories About Sex Trafficking
Recently the media and social media platforms have been flooded with claims that the popular furniture company, Wayfair, is participating in or complicit with child sex trafficking. Beginning as a random musing from one individual who noted a perceived discrepancy on a web page for a specific Wayfair product, theories have since taken on a…
How Hypersexualized Children’s Dance Impacts Children
“Children deserve to learn and experience the gift of dance in safe environments that do not sexualize them. Children deserve to love dance, their bodies, and themselves. Children deserve to not be victims of sexual exploitation.” This is the mission of Dance Awareness: No Child Exploited (DA:NCE). Founded in 2016 by dance educator and author…
Carmen Caliente Explains How Grooming, Sex Trafficking Led to Life in Pornography
Sexual exploitation is a web of intersectionality that spans the globe and all manifestations of sexual abuse and exploitation feed into and off of one another. Recent news of predatory grooming, sexual abuse, rape, and sex trafficking allegedly perpetrated by a wealthy individual in Florida are more evidence of this reality. Lanfranco Pescante (Franco), the…
Pornhub’s Darkly Ironic Claims About Racism and Social Injustice
As we have stated, “Addressing sexual exploitation means addressing racism and the systems that allow oppression and marginalization to continue.” In the continuing conversation about race and sexual exploitation, it would be impossible to stay silent about the largest internet pornography provider: Pornhub. In response to recent events, including protests for racial justice in all…
The Long Racism of the Sex Industry
The sex trade is a haven for racial violence in this country. It violates the most basic human rights of women and girls of color, largely with impunity, as it has for centuries. Under chattel slavery in the antebellum South, enslaved black women were commonly raped by their owners and owners’ friends. Sometimes they were…
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…
Combating Demand is Crucial for Protecting Victims of Prostitution
For advocates and allies in the movement to end sexual exploitation, the arrest of even one sex buyer, pimp, or trafficker is cause for celebration. It’s like Christmas when hundreds, even thousands, of these exploiters are held responsible for their actions. For Marian Hatcher of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) in Chicago, Illinois, “Christmas”…
Commercial Sex Industry Takes Advantage of Unemployment Levels During Times of Crisis
During times of crisis when unemployment levels are subject to increase, sexually exploitative entities that are already well versed in coercion apply increased pressure on vulnerable women (and men) to use commercial sex as a way to make “ends meet.” The coronavirus pandemic is no different. As the U.S. and global economy have been rocked,…