Most people involved in commercial sex industry did not dream of having sex for money when they were little kids. Many, if not all, were forced into it. A landmark government study commissioned by the U.S. Justice Department was recently released by the Urban Institute. While the study only covers eight major cities in the U.S., many revealing data are possibly true of any commercial sex industry around the world–including our own, the Philippines.
- A pimp is an individual who controls the actions and lives off the proceeds of one or more women who work the streets. Generally, pimping becomes trafficking when “the threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving payments or benefits to a person in control of the victim” is present. (For the purposes of this article, the term “pimp” will be used for both pimps and sex traffickers.)
- Nearly one-third of the pimps interviewed said they entered the underground commercial sex economy because they grew up around it. Exposure to sex work as children made the trade seem like a normal, achievable means to earn a living.
- Recruitment is the most important component of any pimp’s business model. Pimps recruited individuals of all ages, genders, and races.
- Pimps recruited sex workers in different spaces, such as scouting at transportation hubs, mass transit stations, nightclubs, strip bars, malls, high schools, college campuses, local neighborhoods, as well as through online and social media channels.
- Pimps appeal to individuals’ emotional dependencies and economic needs through “finesse pimping.” The study found that different forms of coercion and fraud, sometimes independent or even free of physical violence, are used by pimps to recruit and control employees.
- The majority of pimps reported imposing rules on employees. Rules related to drugs and alcohol are common. Many pimps said that employees using hard drugs are typically unreliable and a danger to themselves.
- Pimps responded to rule violations in multiple ways, including physical violence, isolation, and confiscating possessions.
- In terms of revenue, about 18 percent said they impose a dollar figure quota that employees would have to earn each day. These figures range from $400 to $1,000, depending on the day of the week.
- Nearly 21 percent of the pimps interviewed said their greatest fear was being arrested and prosecuted.
This post was taken from Joe Carter’s 9 Things You Should Know About Pimps and Sex Traffickers. View complete post at The Gospel Coalition.
