The greater the demand, the greater the need for more “product.” In the world of sex trafficking, the “product” is a human person. He or she, often a young girl or a young boy, has been manipulated by force, fraud, or coercion into a dangerous situation of abuse and slavery. The “customers” in these commercial transactions, are usually adults, overwhelmingly men, of every race, creed, and economic status, who pay money for sex acts. What may be shocking for many to understand is that customers are commonly middle-aged, middle- upper class married men who go home to their families at night but arrange to purchase sex from a trafficking victim on their way home from work or on their lunch break.  It’s not unusual that a sex trafficking victim may have to “service” up to 30 customers a day, seven days a week.

The sex industry is driven by the desires of the customers. Those who profit from the business of commercial sex take care to make every “type of product” available that their customers may “need”. This means that they must dehumanize many different people in order to provide a selection and variety of product. Therefore, they must have victims who have blonde, black, red, and brown hair. They must have victims of different skin colors and eye colors. They must have victims of different heights, weights and ages. Often they recruit very young victims. Whatever the customer is interested in, they try to make available, to increase their own profits. This is one of the ugly truths of the sex industry.

One of the best ways that we can end sexual exploitation is by addressing the ever increasing demand. As long as adults seek to pay money for sex, young people will continue to be tricked and trapped into sexual slavery. As long as we continue to shame victims and turn a blind eye to buyers, we are perpetuating the cycle of abuse.

Prostitution is not a victim-less crime! We need to stop dehumanizing and criminalizing the victims and start addressing the customers. For someone who is paying for sex acts, it is very likely they are buying sex from a child. Victims who claim to be or appear as 18 years old are probably 12-16 years old.  We need to see this as it is, modern day slavery and child abuse!

View this video from Shared Hope International for more information.

Demand

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5PUxpSVPUDs

A Word of Hope to Those Bound by Sexual Addiction

Dear Brother or Sister in Christ,

Come home! There’s no sin that makes you unlovable to God.

There’s immense mercy, healing, and forgiveness awaiting you.

Do not be afraid! Today is a day for freedom!

Check out these resources for freedom from pornography and tools for growing in sexual purity.

When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.- Colossians 3:4-5