Sex trafficking and prostitution not so different
Many prostitutes endure abuse, threats and torture
By Lillian Schrock
Sex work isn’t a black and white issue when it comes to personal consent. In fact, research conducted in 2010 by the Anaheim Police Department in Orange County, Calif. found most prostitutes were sex trafficked, even if they entered prostitution voluntarily.
For many, sexual coercion started at a young age. According to Dr. Yolanda Graham, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Devereux Georgia Treatment Center, studies show up to 90 percent of sex workers were sexually traumatized as a child.
“I think the line becomes very blurred in many cases where a woman may voluntarily connect with a young man in a pimp role, but because of abuse, threats or torture, it generally does become a situation where it is involuntary even if it began as a consensual engagement,” Graham said.
Check out these statistics on prostitution and sex trafficking to see they’re more alike than they are different.
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