“The CIA estimates that between 50 000 and 100 000 girls, boys and women are trafficked annually into the United States to be pimped out or sold for forced sex. Worldwide more than 1 million people are trafficked across international borders against their will.”
“We are not finding victims in the United States because we’re not looking for them.” – The U.S. State Department’s Advisor on Trafficking.
The movie Trade does an excellent job in opening one’s eyes to the horrors and reality of the modern day sex trafficking industry. In other words, if one were to parallel the movie Blood Diamond to the movie Trade, it would go like this: Trade is to the sex trafficking industry, as Blood Diamond is to the diamond industry.
If this is such a serious problem, why are so many people unaware of it?
When people hear about sex trafficking, most people are disgusted at the thought of buying another human being for sex. After all, how can we treat other human beings as objects? This conjures up thoughts of slavery and dehumanization.
However, when you speak to pimps or people actively trading other human beings for sex, you will never hear them say that this was their dream job growing up. In the same way, when you speak with rapists or pedophiles, they will always admit that they never thought they would get this far. I’m sure you can agree with me when I say that there are no children who dream about growing up, raping others, and having sex with children.
Then how do people get to this point in their life?
“…each of you is tempted when you are dragged away by your own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full–grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15)
In other words, it’s a progression.
When you ask pedophiles, rapists, and pimps how they got to that point in their life, they will all say the same thing – it started with viewing others as objects. In other words, when one views pornography, one isn’t looking at a human being anymore, one is looking, lusting, and fantasizing over an object.
You don’t believe me? Well, here’s a question to all of you who have looked at pornography before: When you were looking at pornography, did you ever stop to think about that person’s life story? Does that person have parents? Brothers? Sisters? Children? A spouse? Where does that person live? Is that person doing it voluntarily or are they also forced and chained into the sex industry? What if that person was your daughter? Would you still look at those images? The fact is, no one ever thinks about those questions when they look at pornography because those who view pornography have begun to see people as objects.
However, there comes a point when pornography isn’t enough. Therefore, those individuals go to strip clubs. The same thing happens in strip clubs. Even though one is viewing real human beings, one still doesn’t ask those questions or consider that person to be a human being. As a result, one will not treat the stripper as a human being, but only as an object that can be bought for one’s own entertainment. It’s dehumanization.
After that, strip clubs won’t be enough either. Therefore, those individuals will begin to buy prostitutes. And the same thing will happen again. After that, prostitutes won’t be enough either, etc. The cycle just keeps on spiraling down and down. You get the point, right? It’s a progression.
The fact is, sex trafficking exists because there’s a demand. Prostitutes exist because there’s a demand. Strip clubs exist because there’s a demand. Pornography exists because there’s a demand.
Are you fueling that demand?
If you are, you are fueling sex trafficking.