Fight The New Drug (00:11):
Today’s Considered Before Consuming podcast is a bonus episode, pulling together a few different interviews from a variety of experts. Today’s episode focuses on how sex trafficking is intertwined in the production of pornography, and how the purchase of sex exploits those who are in desperate situations. We hope that you enjoyed this bonus episode of Consider Before Consuming.

(00:37):
Human trafficking is often misunderstood as solely involving the illegal movement of people across borders for the purpose of forced labor or sexual exploitation. While these aspects are undoubtedly significant, the broader reality of human trafficking is far more complex and multifaceted. The misconceptions surrounding human trafficking and its connections to pornography, limit public awareness and hinder effective response efforts as they fail to acknowledge the diverse victims traffickers and methods involved, ultimately perpetuating the cycle of victimization. Dr. Donna Hughes, a professor at the University of Rhode Island, and a leading international researcher on human trafficking, gives a simple definition of human trafficking and how it ties into the production of pornography.

Dr. Donna Hughes (01:26):
Sex trafficking is defined as a commercial sex act, as a result of force fraud or coercion. And being in, in pornography is a commercial sex act because someone is being paid to engage in this sex act. If they are there as a result of any force meaning someone has told them that they have to do this, that has threatened them to do this fraud, which is being tricked. If someone tricks them into doing this, if a pornographer producer of pornography says, you come and we will do this particular sex act and pay you. If they show up and they say, well, we’ve decided we’re gonna do something else, the woman has been tricked, and then there’s coercion, meaning that she’s, there’s subtle ways of threatening her. We won’t pay you, you won’t be able to do any more films.

(02:17):
You won’t make any money. We’ll complain to your agent. All these things are, are tactics of coercion, and they’re used all the time in the pornography industry. Comparison you can make between pornography and mainstream film production. And that is that when there is a violent scene in the mainstream film production we all know that it’s fake. We all know that they’re pretending. We all know that they’re acting. When you switch over to pornography, that’s entirely different. What you’re seeing in order to make those films actually has to be done. So therefore, that is a difference. That is not an act, that is something that’s actually happening to that woman.

Fight The New Drug (02:56):
Dr. Hughes defines sex trafficking as a commercial act produced through force fraud or coercion, and made a distinction between pornography and mainstream media. Dr. Mary Irvine, who is an adjunct professorial lecturer at American University further explained how pornography is different than mainstream media.

Dr. Mary Irvine (03:15):
So when we think about sex trafficking, we, we think about someone being forced to engage in some kind of sexual behavior due to force fraud or coercion. If we would have a situation where let’s say a woman has voluntarily consented to take action in a pornographic film she shows up willingly. She’s maybe signed some consent forms or an employment contract or something, and she has maybe listed a set of behaviors, you know, of what she’s going to engage in and she’s not going to engage in. So up to this point, we say, okay, she’s, she’s a consenting adult, you know, she’s participating in this willingly. But if at some point then the directors, the producers, the other people acting out these scenes, they decide to switch things up and they say, well, we know you weren’t really into this, but we think it’s gonna be really good for the viewers, so we’re gonna go ahead and do it anyway.

(04:06):
Then at that point, she has been deceived, right? She’s, she has been defrauded in a way. Certainly if they force her then to engage in this other set of behaviors or activities, then at that point, she’s absolutely being sexually abused and, and being sexually coerced. So that’s why it’s so incredibly problematic and I think ludicrous to ever even suggest that people can have a contract for pornography, like an employment contract, because it’s not like acting in other ways, because we’re talking about something that’s so physically intimate and so psychologically intimate as well. And so, I I always find it just so disturbing when people say that porn actors have consented to this set of behaviors because it’s like, in what other situation in life would we ever say that it was, it was acceptable for someone to just sign a contract for sex before it happened. We would expect there to be that ongoing active communication with both people checking in constantly. Does this still feel good for you? Are you enjoying this? Pornography isn’t about mutual sexual pleasure for the people involved. You know, pornography isn’t about sex at all. Pornography is about sexualizing hierarchy and inequality.

Fight The New Drug (05:23):
Dr. Irvine added some important insight into how pornography can easily transform into a trafficking situation by way of coercion, human trafficking is intertwined with the production of porn, but the commercialization of sex is a complex industry. Valiant Richie is the special representative and coordinator for combating trafficking in human beings, for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He explains how the solution to eliminating human trafficking is reducing the demand for exploitative sex, including pornography.

Valiant Richie (05:57):
In my experience, the label of trafficking has been a, a really problematic distraction. And what I mean by that is not that trafficking isn’t a serious problem, it most definitely is, but what happens is people get fixated on this third party exploiter. And so they, their whole analysis is either it’s trafficking or it’s consensual, and if there’s no trafficker, then of course it must be consensual in a victimless crime, and that’s not our experience at all. Our experience is that people in prostitution, whether they have a third party exploiter or not, are often again, among the most vulnerable in our community. They’re engaged in this out of a constrained lack of choices. And so when you have a collection of people who are people of color, who are marginalized, who are poor, who are criminalized, and you have somebody on the other side of the transaction who is most likely white, privileged, employed and not criminalized, you have a very exploitative toxic situation going on whether or not there’s a trafficker.

(06:59):
And this analysis is missed time and time and time again because the prevailing analysis fails to account for the nature of vulnerability and how people who are vulnerable get exploited, whether or not there’s a pimp or a trafficker. The reason that matters here is because it highlights the fact that the act of buying sex is an exploitative act, whether or not there’s a trafficker. And that is very, very similar to the act of abusing pornography in ways that that take advantage of, of somebody, whether or not there’s a trafficker in the pornography section, right? Women get exploited through pornography. All of the, all the time people in prostitution have pornography made about them by buyers and then used and distributed and exploited and so forth, whether or not there’s a trafficker. And so what I think we want to look at is more how people who buy sex are often engaged in a number of very toxic behaviors towards women and children, and we wanna address those activities, and if we can, if we can actually reduce them and eliminate them, trafficking will go away. Trafficking is a symptom of a problem. It’s a supply response to a demand problem. And so if we can address that demand problem, we can really solve a lot of these other issues.

Fight The New Drug (08:24):
By understanding the complexity of human trafficking and its connection to pornography, each of us can begin to have a real impact on the world of sexual exploitation by making healthier choices in what media we choose to consume.

(08:47):
Thanks for joining us on this episode of Consider Before Consuming. Consider Before Consuming is brought to you by Fight the New Drug. Fight The New Drug is a non-religious and non-legislative organization that exists to provide individuals the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding pornography by raising awareness on its harmful effects, using only science, facts and personal accounts. Check out the episode notes for resources mentioned in this episode. If you find this podcast helpful, consider subscribing and leaving a review. Consider Before Consuming is made possible by listeners like you. If you’d like to support, Consider Before Consuming, you can make a one-time or recurring donation of any amount at ftnd.org/support. That’s F-T-N-F.O.R.G/support. Thanks again for listening. We invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blind spots, and consider before consuming.