After a rise in recent high-profile cases, public perception of what sex trafficking is, its legal definitions and realities, has become increasingly misunderstood. The 19th clarifies this and debunks common misconceptions about it.
One of the biggest misunderstandings around sex trafficking is the idea that trafficking always involves kidnapping or physical force. However, many victims are manipulated through psychological coercion, financial dependance, or threats.
The legal framework defines sex trafficking as compelling individuals into commercial sex acts through force, fraud or coercion. For minors, any commercial sex act is considered trafficking, even without coercion.
“These are situations where people oftentimes even have some autonomy. They may be walking out in the world, they have cell phones — but they just can’t get out of the situation that they’re in because they owe someone a debt or because they depend on that person for a variety of different things,” says Amy Farrell, a professor of criminology and affiliated WGSS faculty at Northeastern University.
Part of the reason there is so much confusion in public discourse is because laws vary across states and the ways in which charges are applied differ case to case.
Spreading anti-trafficking misinformation can be incredibly harmful. Eradicating trafficking requires addressing systemic issues like economic inequality and racial justice, rather than relying solely on the criminal justice system. Trafficking is often driven by a deep human need for connection, challenging simplistic narratives that frame it as a battle between good and evil.
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