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 enjoy this bonus episode of Consider Before Consuming.

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. Sex trafficking is defined as a commercial sex act as a result of force, fraud, or coercion.

And being 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 going to 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. You won't make any money. We'll complain to your agent.

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