How Men and Boys Can Help Fight Sex Trafficking

Ms. Magazine has a helpful checklist of actions men and boys can take to help stop human trafficking, especially as it involves the exploitation of women and girls.

Sex trafficking of women/girls is one of the fastest growing phenomena of modern-day slavery.  Increasingly, anti-slavery and womens rights advocates are looking at reforms that would attempt to limit or end demand for sex.  Traditionally, in most nations, laws governing sex-related offenses such as prostitution and soliciting for sex fall heaviest on the women themselves.  Penalties for those who operate brothels and work as “pimps” are often less severe. Customers (“johns”) often receive — if anything — a light fine.  The unintended consequence is that demand for sex remains high, since the risk of prosecution of customers is low.

This imbalance is increasingly the focus of anti-trafficking experts.  One place they are looking for data and experience is Sweden, which enacted legislation in 2008 that prescribes harsh penalties for sex customers, while treating the prostitutes more as victims.  Results to date are encouraging; Swedish law enforcement say trafficking into the country has declined sharply as demand has dropped.  Other nations, and several states in America, are evaluating the Swedish model.