I read yet another article in the July 13, 2015 issue of the St. Petersburg Tribune about sex trafficking. Chris Nocco, Sherriff of Paso County, Florida had an article on the editorial page. He says:
“Sadly one of the fastest growing crimes globally is the commerce of our own children…The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that one in six endangered runaways reported to them were likely sex trafficking victims…Shared Hope International estimates that at least 100,000 children are being used as prostitutes in American, and as one of the fastest growing crimes with an annual value of about $32 billion globally.”
Covenanteyes.com reports the following statistics on the porn industry revenue.
Just seven years ago, global porn revenues were estimated at $20 billion, with $10 billion coming from US consumers. However, by 2011 both global and U.S. porn revenues had been reduced by 50%, due in large part to the amount of free pornography available online. It is estimated that 80-90% of Internet porn users only access free online material. As far as online pornography is concerned, from 2001 to 2007, the Internet porn industry went from a $1-billion-a-year industry to $3-billion-a-year in the US alone.
One more fact:
Family doctor.org reports, “In girls, puberty usually starts around 11 years of age, but it may start as early as 6 or 7 years of age. In boys, puberty begins around 12 years of age, but may start as early as 9 years of age…most girls are physically mature by about 14 years of age. Boys mature at about 15 or 16. “ Precocious puberty may start even younger.
The bottom line is that sex is big business as well as a common commodity used for barter. Sex a very powerful urge for many, if not most, of we humans. Some studies reports that it is difficult to find male subjects who do not visit Internet porn sites. Other studies report that women are increasingly using porn. I recall several years ago discovering, to my surprise, that there was a thriving, high end male prostitutes business in Wheeling, WV which serviced mostly married women. I also discovered from another client of that there were very active sex clubs for married couples. I already knew that when I first moved to the Wheeling, WV area there were three very profitable adult bookstores at which there was considerable sexual activity. When I left in 2015 there were still two such stores, which were still doing a thriving business. Some heterosexual couples and individuals, some gay men and many men and women who self identified as heterosexuals enjoy being serviced by another male or female were the customers. As with any profitable business, one or two customers do not keep these business thriving. My informal surveys which include talking to those who work at these and other adult bookstores assure me that the clientele include people from a broard spectrum of professionals and backgrounds. Doctors, steel workers, oil field workers, attorneys, accountants, and housewives, as well as others, make up the populations of individuals who use these services.
There are also the street prostitutes and the individuals who make use of those services. Sometimes these prostitutes are underage although some claim to be “barely legal” and use their youthful look to attract customers. I have had clients who were in prison for having sex with underage prostitutes, for being 19 years old and having sex with a consensual teenager, for exposing themselves and having public sex with another consenting adult. Additionally, I had clients (and probably friends) who made regular use of the Internet hookup sites and other “dating” sites featuring nude or nearly new and sexually explicit males and females.
Mr.Nocco says in his editorial, “For those who put a price tag on life, and sell our children as a commodity, we will hunt you down, for our lack of compassion will not be tolerated.”
When I attempted to find information about the individuals who used the services of underage prostitutes or the ones who intentionally downloaded and/or viewed sexually explicit child pornography I found very little. There are a few articles, but, in general, it would seem as if we humans have spent relatively little time, energy and money in exploring why it is that so many individuals seems to make use of various sexual services, many of which are illegal. I did find a few articles on Juvenile Prostitution. One of these was:
Gangs and Girls: Understanding Juvenile Prostitution Paperback use pre formatted date that complies with legal requirement from media matrix – January 19, 2009
by Michel Dorais (Author), Patrice Corriveau (Author), Peter Feldstein (Translator)
In this article the authors state that young girls engage in prostitution in gang situations to: (1) becomes sex slaves, (2) make money which assures some independence, (3) a satisfy a desire or willingness to be submissives and be taken car of and (4) to satisfy a desire for the adventure.
I also know from my clients as well as talking to other men and women in recovery that many individuals use sex as a means of bartering either directly for drugs or for the money which will procure the drugs to feed their addictions.
Depending on which articles or results of interviews one reads, most of the workers in the adult pornography business are either miserable or having as good at time at their job as the majority of those who pursue other careers. As we know, a very large percentage (70 + according to some studies) of workers in all jobs are unhappy or even miserable in their current job situations.
There are also the legal adult clubs where one can watch a pole dance or for an extra fee enjoy a lap dance. Frequently for another fee one can have a private lap dance.
It would seem that we humans are a very sexual species and that we begin to have sexual feelings from birth. We are capable of climaxing and parenting a child at earlier and earlier ages.
On reason.com it is reported: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reports that the number of registered sex offenders in the United States has increased by nearly a quarter in the last five years. The total in the most recent survey was 747,408, up from 606,816 in 2006, the first year NCMEC did a count.
Our prisons are overflowing with individuals. Depending on whose statistics one uses the United States has only 4 or 5 percent of the world’s population and either 22 or 25 percent of the world’s inmate population. If we lock up everyone who is engaging in sexual behavior of which we disapprove we will have an even higher percentage of the world’s inmate population and we will, under our current system of so called justice continue to have the world’s highest recidivism rate.
What is the answer or possible answers? What are the questions?
1. Are we going to continue to leave it to our law enforcement individuals and agencies to catch and lock up as many individuals as possible for as long as possible in hope that this approach will reduce the sexual behavior which we think is immoral or that which we just do not like or approve of?
2. Are we going to just focus on the seemingly never ending battle of rescuing young people who are being used in the sex trafficking trade?
3. Are we going to face the fact that we humans are very sexual at an earlier and earlier age and that we need to be more proactive in teaching safe and healthy means of dealing with very strong desires?
4. Are we going to face the extent to which we humans use sex as an addictive drug so that we do not have to face uncomfortable feelings and issues?
5. Are we going to continue the search for more lifelike sexual surrogate robots? Can we make these so that they satisfy the urges we are now satisfying in ways, which we think, are immoral?
6. Are we going to develop medication, which makes young people impotent until such time as we deem them ready for responsible adult sexual behavior and possibly parenthood?
In a SPECIAL NEWSWEEK EDITON 5/16/15 AT 11:51 AM an article by Dan Savage suggest that:
“Just one thing: We’re told a lie when we are children that one day we will grow up, become adults and have sex. And the truth is, one day you will grow up and sex will have you. Sexual reproduction is a quarter billion years old. Sex made us. Sex is older, stronger and more powerful than we are. We negotiate with sex from a weaker position, and we have to be cognizant of that. We have to figure out how to channel it—how to incorporate it into our lives in a healthy way, in a way that makes us feel fulfilled, and that doesn’t destroy our partners or us. But to swan around pretending we are in charge is to begin your interaction with sex from a dishonest place—and dishonesty never works in sex.”
This article appears in Newsweek's special edition, Science of Sex, by Issue Editor Lesley Savage of Topix Media Lab.
It seems clear that the time has come to consider what Mr. Savage and others are suggesting. Just turning up our noses, closing off our ears, and hiding our eyes does not seem to be effective or sensible ways of behaving. We are going to have to embrace and discuss the reality that with few exceptions, we humans are sexual beings who can learn how to enjoy our sexuality and be responsible, loving human beings.
At the same time we have to come to terms with what nearly all experts agree on. Violent rape or sexual assault is not primarily about sex. It is about power. Just punishing people who feel important or good about themselves only when they can prove their power over another is not effective. We have to more accurately diagnose and treat individuals if we hope to reduce the number of inmates in local, state and Federal institutions.
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