Pornography and sex trafficking are two industries that most don’t think have to do with one another. In actuality, it's further from the truth. Pornography fuels the demand for sex trafficking.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, numerous porn sites gained an influx of users. OnlyFans CEO, Tim Stokely, shared that more than 200,000 users joined the website. In December of 2020, about 500,000 new users joined OnlyFans every single day. Profits also increased tremendously for the company. Many of the users who joined were college students who turned to these sites for income to pay for tuition, classes, or bills. The same happened with PornHub, which had more visitors than Netflix in 2020.
Despite their profits, these same companies (among other porn sites) have been sued for profiteering off of sex trafficking or abuse victims. One investigation from BBC News revealed that OnlyFans (a popular porn site where you upload pornographic videos or pictures for a fee) was doing little to ensure minors couldn’t access the website.
PornHub and its parent company, Mindgeek, were sued by nearly 50 sex trafficking victims, who state the organizations willingly profited from their abuse. The plaintiffs (all dubbed “Jane Doe'') stated that the companies didn’t try to stop their abuse from being shared. Despite numerous victims begging PornHub to take down videos of their rape/abuse, the company refused. There is also the download button on PornHub, which means even if a video was taken down, if someone downloaded the video, that person could reupload it to PornHub or other websites. What goes online stays online. This allows for victims to continue to be re-exploited even after the content is removed.
The porn industry is not a safe industry. It’s extremely profit-driven. Numerous actresses and actors have shared their stories of abuse while shooting a scene but were forced to release an exit video. The concept of “exit videos” is to show the video is in ethical standing and that performers weren’t hurt during filming. Many have stated that they were coerced if that statement isn’t released.
Pornography makes certain acts acceptable, even normalized. Rape, underage sex, and incest are common themes on porn sites.
Joshua Broome (pictured above) is a former porn star who left the industry after 6 years, and turned his life over to God. In an interview, Joshua shares some of his story and his perspective on the issue of pornography and its ties to sex trafficking.
Question #1: Why did you leave the porn industry?
Joshua: After being in the industry for 6 years, I became more depressed. The success and fame I had, once I obtained it, I thought it would make me happy. It actually escalated my depression. It didn't fill that void. Upon that realization, I was even more depressed. I even considered suicide. Right after that, I won Performer of the Year. I was nominated twice before. I thought that’s what I wanted. When they announced my name, I wasn't at the awards show. I was at home, crying out to God to end my life. It wouldn’t be until I went to a bank one day that would change my life forever. I went to the bank to cash a check. I usually used a dropbox, because the check's memo had the name of the movie I worked on, and I didn't want them to know what type of movie I worked on. I went in, completed the transaction, and the teller said to me, "Joshua, is there anything I can do for you?" I was taken aback. I hadn't heard my name in so long, and avoided anyone who really knew me because I was ashamed. I felt the pain of not responding to my family and friends. I felt conviction. That's when I quit. I called my agent, my agency, and PR person to tell them I was retiring. So that happened. After that, I spent 2 years running from my past. I covered up my tattoos, changed my number and social media. I didn’t want anyone to know who I was. It was eating me up on the inside. I felt trapped. In this day and age, we feel like we can't escape the mistakes we’ve committed. We believe our mistakes make us who we are, and we continue to do that sin. One day, I met a woman and told her the truth about my past, and she took me to church. That day, I became saved. That woman is now my wife.
Question #2: Based on your personal experience from the porn industry, did you ever come into contact with someone being sexually exploited or sex trafficked?
Joshua: Indirectly, yes. Every person in that industry is sexually exploited. One way I know of sexual exploitation is how your agent has you sign a contract to perform. When you sign a contract for a porn scene, they give you a contract that says you'll be paid for that sex scene. Most people don't bother to read the legalities in that contract. In actuality, you're signing away to all photos and videos. There's a caveat that basically says your employer can, at any time, sell all content to whoever they want. Currently, there's 200 fake profiles of me all over social media, dating sites, sex toys, pictures of me in adult film stores, and more, despite me being almost 10 years out of the industry. Working in the porn industry also takes away your consent. There is no consent in this industry. You sign away to doing something you don't have full knowledge of. The director will just say "Do this for X amount of time" with this amount of people, and you don't know what you're consenting to until it's over. Once you make your money, that is it. All that content is owned and sold to whoever.
To describe what you asked me, here’s a scenario I know from personal experience. A girl in the industry becomes very popular in the industry, but has a NO list. The “No List” consists of people someone won't work with or acts they won't perform. “Boundaries I'm not willing to cross.” Once your career dissipates, an agent manipulates the performer to do that "thing" they said they refused to do. That NO List is nonexistent in that industry. NO means not yet. They convince you to do it to become popular again. You might as well continue to get paid and stay popular, they say. You lose yourself. There’s also the possibility your agent will have you act as a prostitute, if you aren’t bringing in profits like they want.
Speaking personally, 30 of my friends who were in the industry like me went through that process. They said their phones don't ring anymore because they were no longer relevant. People see them as an object. Never saw their worth as a person. These people who I knew and loved took their life, because they believed their life was no longer worth living. Their content is still being sold and viewed. Pornography dehumanizes people.
Question #3: What advice do you have for anyone with an addiction to porn?
Joshua: Just like any addiction, if you want to quit you have to have a why. Until you are honest with yourself, you won't be able to quit. Understand why pornography is harmful to you and your loved ones. It does impact how you treat people. The content you're watching, it's a person. That person is a child of God, someone's daughter, son, or even parent. A person isn't a product or transaction to be had. If you don't realize that, you don't view people as valuable. You're consuming a counterfeit version of sex. If you take what you see in porn into real life, you hurt others. Porn impacts your mental health and relationships. That's why pornography fuels rape culture or sex trafficking. You CAN quit, and there are ways to go about this. Be honest with yourself, and learn what’s your why.
Education on the fact that sex trafficking and pornography are intertwined is necessary in order for change to take effect. Individuals such as Joshua are helping expose the exploitation often overlooked inside the porn industry. You can follow him on Instagram and TikTok and listen to his podcast titled “The Counterfeit Culture.”
Please join the movement today. You can get facts from Fight The New Drug and participate in their "No Porn November" challenge.
