Have you ever wondered why sex trafficking exists? Who fuels the demand? Here are some statistics that will give you a better understanding of the men (and very occasionally women) who create the problem. Human trafficking can be broken down like any other trade… It’s an issue of supply and demand. Without demand, there is no need for supply. I feel that this is the only way to put a stop to this injustice.

Join me in praying for the hearts of men. Even though they are currently the problem, they can become the solution.

These statistics provide an overview of the men who choose to purchase sex.

Who They Are:

• 62% of interviewees identified as having a regular sex partner (girlfriend or wife).
• The age when men first bought sex ranged from 10 to 52. The average age was 21.
• 39% of interviewees were regular pornography consumers. Interviewees frequently mentioned reenacting pornography with women in prostitution.
• 14% of interviewees had been in the armed forces, and 50% of those men had purchased sex during military service.
• 22% of interviewees felt guilty and/or shameful the majority of the time they purchased sex.
• For 20% of men, prostitution was their first sexual experience.

Why They Do It:

•  46-48% of interviewees buy sex to obtain sex acts they could not get from a partner or are ashamed to ask of a partner.
• 83% consider buying sex an addiction.
• 19% purchase sex to obtain a sense of companionship.
• Cultural reasons such as pornography (49% thought of women in porn as prostitutes), constructions of masculinity (didn’t want people to think they weren’t a man), and workplace culture that may encourage the purchase of sex.

Men’s Acknowledgment of Why Women Enter Prostitution:

• 66% of interviewees stated that women become prostitutes out of economic necessity and 27% thought that the majority of women in the sex trade are homeless.
• 57% of all interviewees believed that the majority of women in prostitution experienced some type of childhood sexual abuse.
• 25% of the men had encountered a woman in the sex industry who they believe was forced into prostitution.

Men’s Acknowledgement of Harms to Women in Prostitution:

•  49% of interviewees said that prostitution exploits a woman’s sexuality. 42% stated that prostitution causes both psychological and physical damage.
•  13% had seen an act of violence perpetrated against a women in prostitution.
•  80% of interviewees thought that prostitution had an overall negative impact on communities. They specifically mentioned the negative impacts of increasing crime (29%), being a bad influence on children (28%), and devaluing the neighborhood (24%).
•  21% of interviewees did not think that it was possible for women in prostitution to be raped.
• 75% of men had observed a woman in prostitution with a pimp, and 40% had bought a woman in prostitution who they identified as having a pimp or manager. 27% of interviewees described the prostitute-pimp relationship as exploitative and harmful.

Crime and Legality:

• Estimates suggest that “for every john arrested for attempting to buy sex, there are up to 50 women in prostitution arrested.”

These statistics were gathered from a 2008 Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation report titled, “Deconstructing The Demand for Prostitution: Preliminary Insights From Interviews With Chicago Men Who Purchase Sex,” and Melissa Farley’s research with the Prostitution Research and Education Organization.

Also, please watch Jacob’s Story. It’s life changing.

 

As many of you know, I currently live in NYC, which so happened to be my lifelong dream. I’ve never been happier with my location. I came to pursue a career in fashion, but the Lord has given me new direction. I wanted to work in the fashion industry to live an exciting life filled with the glamorous things that are portrayed on TV, blogs, magazines, etc.  Instead, I found myself with a great job in a great city with a great sense of void and yearning for more. What possibly more could I ask for? My dreams had come true.

Well if you know me, you know that I’ve always had a philanthropic heart and I found myself at a crossroad. I don’t care about things, I care about people. Specifically women and girls. More specifically those who are being trafficked for sex.

I was introduced to the issue of sex trafficking a couple years ago and I hung on every word. My heart filled with pain, my eyes filled with tears, and my soul filled with passion. I have never forgotten about the stories I heard, the faces I saw in the pictures or the issue at hand. From the moment I heard about it, I knew I couldn’t sit by while other people worked to fight the issue. I knew that at some point, I had to be on the front lines of the battle. I had to be one of the few who is willing to fight for the freedom of others.

My time has come and the time is now. I have committed my life to fight this injustice and hope that in my lifetime I can see human trafficking abolished.

If there’s one thing that I’ve learned this year, it’s that people and relationships are precious. Despite our downfalls and the sin that binds us, we are precious in the eyes of God. In turn, we should be precious in the eyes of each other. What is more valuable than the people in this world? – The ones we know and the ones we don’t.

With that being said, I want to challenge you:

1) Love people enough to get involved in some way.

2) Love people enough to spend more money on ethical products rather than shopping for the best deal. Everything from our food to clothing to electronics is touched by slavery. It’s difficult to find fair-trade, ethical products and they are usually found at a premium, but they do exist.

3) Love people enough to support organizations and ministries that help trafficking victims regain their life, help prevent it from happening, or who are simply trying to spread awareness.  (It’s my plan to share as many of those with you as possible.)

4) Love people enough to not support pornography, strip clubs, brothels, prostitution, or anything else that’s related. These create the demand for sex slaves and if you know anything about economics you know that when there is a demand, there has to be a supply to meet it.

The issue of human trafficking is massive and can be so overwhelming, but remember this: you are not here to save the world but you are here to touch the hands that are within your reach.

I want to leave you with the lyrics to a song… Most days it’s the only way I know how to look at this issue and seek God’s plan in all of this.

“God I look to You, I won’t be overwhelmed

  Give me vision to see things like You do

  God I look to You, You’re where my help comes from

  Give me wisdom, You know just what to do”

- Jenn Johnson, God I Look To You, Be Lifted High

I am encouraging everyone to educate yourself and others on the issue of human trafficking. It is my passion and I want to see slavery abolished in my lifetime.

Take the first step and watch this video:

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