Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act which involves force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person involved has not attained 18 years of age. The specific forms of exploitative activity from which sex trafficking generates enormous profits are the prostitution of women and children and the filming of those acts of prostitution — i.e. pornography. This modern form of involuntary servitude involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person to perform a commercial sex act — a sex act for which anything of value is exchanged.

There are strong links between pornography and sex trafficking.

Here are some key points to understand:

• Pornography is used as a “tool” to train young children and women so that they will “know” what to do in performing sex acts.
• Often, the forced sexual acts between the prostituted woman/child and the John will be filmed and photographed and then shared elsewhere.
• Studies show that pornography users often seek to act out what they have viewed in porn. Often their partners will not engage in such acts, so they seek it elsewhere – increasing the demand for trafficked women and children to be prostituted.
• Pimps are operating more and more online as it becomes easier to connect with potential buyers and to remain anonymous. Some popular websites have become “virtual brothels” where one can quickly find prostituted women and children to engage in sex acts.
• As addictions to pornography increase, users seek harder and harder material. There is a recent boom in the availability of “live” porn as trafficked children and women are forced to perform “on-demand” sex acts in front of web cameras as “Johns” or porn users watch.
• Porn users do not and cannot distinguish between trafficked women, prostitutes, and porn stars.
• Pornography fuels the global sex trade by driving demand into the mainstream of society.

Additional points about sex trafficking:

• Somewhere between 100,000 and 300,000 youths are trafficked and sexually exploited for profit within the United States every year.
• According to the United Nations, 2 million children alone are prostituted in the commercial sex trade.
• More than 300,000 cases of female trafficking have been reported in the United States.
• In the U.K., 35% of trafficked women were exposed to pornography, including being shown pornography to “groom” them into prostitution.
• If a person is compelled to engage in a commercial sex act (which includes the filming of commercial pornography) through fraud she is a victim of sex trafficking.
• The use of pornography serves as a marketing tool for forms of sexual exploitation such as sex trafficking, slavery, and sex tourism.
• Of 854 women in prostitution, 49% were admitted that pornography was made of them while they were in prostitution.
• One of the most significant and persistent barriers to combating human trafficking is widespread insistence on distinguishing between sexual trafficking and prostitution.
• Men who pay to watch prostitutes be prostituted on film are long-distance johns.

GET HELP OR REPORT A CRIME:

Trafficking in Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force at 1-888-428-7581

National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE

National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE

We are compiling a list of professionals that have a proven record helping GYE members. If you were helped by a professional therapist please tell us about it and send us the therapist's contact information so we can share the information with others.

Please send details and how you were helped to: help@gye.org.il

GYE was indeed very useful in helping me realise, over a period of time, that I was actually an addict, rather than simply having issues with shemiras einayim. I have therefore now joined a local SA group.

I tried the 90 day challenge, and when I repeatedly failed to achieve it, that led me to Dov's phone call, which, to my shock, led me to realising that I am an addict. When the calls were still not enabling me to stop acting out, Dov put me in touch with a local SA member which ultimately led me to joining SA.

I am making some progress, BH, but still have a long way to go. However, I do believe/hope/ pray that it is possible for me to achieve long term sobriety.

I don't think I would have gotten to SA were it not for GYE, so I am definitely grateful to you. I do think it may be useful for SA to be more clearly signposted on the site for those who are addicted.

Thanks again.

The Netivos Shalom of Slonim writes that the struggles a person finds himself struggling with the most in life are an indication of what his particular Neshama was sent down to the world to fix, and the path that his soul is meant to use, to come close to Hashem.

Do you have a problem with obsessive and compulsive porn use? Have you seriously tried the tools on GYE and feel that you are not getting better? Maybe it’s time to consider joining a 12-Step program.

Porn Anonymous (PA)
If you’re compulsively acting-out with pornography and masturbation we suggest you explore joining Porn Anonymous (PA). If you need help deciding whether to join PA, call Michael at 347-699-2368, or email help@pornanonymous.org to schedule a time to talk. For more information visit pornanonymous.org (Hebrew: p-a.org.il / Yiddish: pa-yid.org).

Sexaholics Anonymous (SA)
If your compulsive acting-out has progressed beyond the screen (with other people, paid sexual services, etc.) we suggest you explore joining Sexaholics Anonymous (SA). To figure out if SA is for you, call Dov at 917-414-8205, or email Dov at dov@guardyoureyes.org to schedule a time to talk. For more information visit www.sa.org.