- Dec 22, 2017
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Full article:
Stop the Traffic
Some text of article:
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Online sex trafficking occurs most commonly in the form of advertisements for sex trafficking victims posted on websites and in pornography. The two are inextricably linked.
Although most people would shudder at the thought of encouraging or engaging in sex trafficking, pornography today is as pervasive and as popular as ever. Young children are exposed to it at record rates, and the neurochemicals in their brains become conditioned to the sexual images on a screen. This is not only creating a public health crisis but also contributing to the proliferation of sex trafficking.
THE PORNOGRAPHY LINK
At the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, we’ve heard countless stories of individuals who have had pornography made of them while they were being either prostituted or trafficked.
Videos of sex trafficked persons can be uploaded to mainstream pornography websites, and even performers in mainstream pornography can be sexually abused on set.
While people assume everything they see in pornography is pure fantasy, anyone watching may be vicariously participating in, and even enjoying, another person’s living nightmare. Nobody who watches pornography can be certain that they have not watched trafficked persons’ abuse.
Further, pornography creates and drives the demand for trafficked women and children.
Research demonstrates that pornography changes the brain, which leads to addiction and a desire for harder, more deviant materials. It also creates “permission-giving beliefs,” such as the idea that it is normal to pay for sex or that women enjoy violent sex. These changes often lead users to act out what they have viewed.
Spouses and girlfriends usually do not want to participate in violent sexual behavior, so the user seeks it elsewhere — sometimes through prostituted or trafficked women and children.
In a study published in 2007, interviews were conducted with 854 prostituted women from nine countries. Nearly half reported being upset by customers trying to make the women perform acts seen in pornography.
A similar study dating back to 1984 found that nearly 25 percent of prostituted women reported being assaulted by a client “making reference to something he had seen as inspiration for his acting, or insisting that the woman enjoyed the assault.”
Recent research continues to show that pornography is linked to increased rates of sexual and physical aggression. While certainly not everyone who watches pornography will act in a sexually violent way, or will go on to purchase another individual for sex, pornography use increases the likelihood of both.
VIRTUAL AUCTION BLOCKS
While some people unwittingly participate in online sex trafficking by watching pornography, others intentionally purchase other human beings through websites.
Online ads for sex appear across the Internet, including mainstream social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
But one website stands out as particularly culpable for the exploitation on its platform. Backpage is a website that emulates the Craigslist online classifieds model but serves as a virtual auction block where sex buyers can shop for human beings.
The National Center on Missing and Exploited Children has reported that 73 percent of all child sex trafficking cases it has handled involved the website.
With operations in nearly 100 countries and 950 locations worldwide, Backpage is likely the largest facilitator of sex trafficking in the world. Though the site is used to advertise a variety of nonsexual services and products, the California Attorney General’s office reported that from January 2013 to March 2015, 99 percent of Backpage’s worldwide income was directly attributable to its ads selling sex.
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WHAT WE CAN DO
The first step in response is to ensure that we are not participating in the use of pornography, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church identifies as a “sin gravely contrary to chastity” (2396, cf. 2354). The U.S. bishops remind us in their 2015 pastoral statement on pornography, Create in Me a Clean Heart, “You are beloved sons and daughters of the Father. Be not afraid to approach the altar of mercy and ask for forgiveness. Many good people struggle with this sin. You are not alone; there is always hope!”
...
Our nation is suffering a public health crisis caused by pornography, yet most churches have no materials available on the topic. Shouldn’t the Church be the first place to look? As Pope Francis reminds us, the Church is a “field hospital” for the wounded.
...
Stop the Traffic
Some text of article:
...
Online sex trafficking occurs most commonly in the form of advertisements for sex trafficking victims posted on websites and in pornography. The two are inextricably linked.
Although most people would shudder at the thought of encouraging or engaging in sex trafficking, pornography today is as pervasive and as popular as ever. Young children are exposed to it at record rates, and the neurochemicals in their brains become conditioned to the sexual images on a screen. This is not only creating a public health crisis but also contributing to the proliferation of sex trafficking.
THE PORNOGRAPHY LINK
At the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, we’ve heard countless stories of individuals who have had pornography made of them while they were being either prostituted or trafficked.
Videos of sex trafficked persons can be uploaded to mainstream pornography websites, and even performers in mainstream pornography can be sexually abused on set.
While people assume everything they see in pornography is pure fantasy, anyone watching may be vicariously participating in, and even enjoying, another person’s living nightmare. Nobody who watches pornography can be certain that they have not watched trafficked persons’ abuse.
Further, pornography creates and drives the demand for trafficked women and children.
Research demonstrates that pornography changes the brain, which leads to addiction and a desire for harder, more deviant materials. It also creates “permission-giving beliefs,” such as the idea that it is normal to pay for sex or that women enjoy violent sex. These changes often lead users to act out what they have viewed.
Spouses and girlfriends usually do not want to participate in violent sexual behavior, so the user seeks it elsewhere — sometimes through prostituted or trafficked women and children.
In a study published in 2007, interviews were conducted with 854 prostituted women from nine countries. Nearly half reported being upset by customers trying to make the women perform acts seen in pornography.
A similar study dating back to 1984 found that nearly 25 percent of prostituted women reported being assaulted by a client “making reference to something he had seen as inspiration for his acting, or insisting that the woman enjoyed the assault.”
Recent research continues to show that pornography is linked to increased rates of sexual and physical aggression. While certainly not everyone who watches pornography will act in a sexually violent way, or will go on to purchase another individual for sex, pornography use increases the likelihood of both.
VIRTUAL AUCTION BLOCKS
While some people unwittingly participate in online sex trafficking by watching pornography, others intentionally purchase other human beings through websites.
Online ads for sex appear across the Internet, including mainstream social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
But one website stands out as particularly culpable for the exploitation on its platform. Backpage is a website that emulates the Craigslist online classifieds model but serves as a virtual auction block where sex buyers can shop for human beings.
The National Center on Missing and Exploited Children has reported that 73 percent of all child sex trafficking cases it has handled involved the website.
With operations in nearly 100 countries and 950 locations worldwide, Backpage is likely the largest facilitator of sex trafficking in the world. Though the site is used to advertise a variety of nonsexual services and products, the California Attorney General’s office reported that from January 2013 to March 2015, 99 percent of Backpage’s worldwide income was directly attributable to its ads selling sex.
...
WHAT WE CAN DO
The first step in response is to ensure that we are not participating in the use of pornography, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church identifies as a “sin gravely contrary to chastity” (2396, cf. 2354). The U.S. bishops remind us in their 2015 pastoral statement on pornography, Create in Me a Clean Heart, “You are beloved sons and daughters of the Father. Be not afraid to approach the altar of mercy and ask for forgiveness. Many good people struggle with this sin. You are not alone; there is always hope!”
...
Our nation is suffering a public health crisis caused by pornography, yet most churches have no materials available on the topic. Shouldn’t the Church be the first place to look? As Pope Francis reminds us, the Church is a “field hospital” for the wounded.
...
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