The Psychology Behind Sex Trafficking

http://www.freedomcongress.org/

Not only is there an economy for sex trade, but also the reason why sex trafficking continues to go on is because of the Psychology behind it. I became interested in this topic during my Psychology class first semester when my teacher explained to us that there is a relationship between economics and psychology when it comes to sex trade. In this blog post, I argue that the psychology behind the sex trade makes people feel trapped and therefore the trade is only growing.

According to Jonathan Van Dyke in a recent article called, “Psychological Warfare Propels Human Sex Trafficking World,” Dyke argues that  “The brainwashing that has been done is unbelievable — this psychological warfare the pimps have done with these girls.” The brainwashing is done by the pimps and Dyke describes that there are two different types of pimps. The Gorilla pimps demand a certain amount of money, and if the prostitute does not make the quota, she will most likely be beaten and held from basic amenities such as food and clothing. So therefore, they will do everything they can in order to meet their quota so they are not beaten and without basic needs. These threats that the pimps make make the girls feel trapped because they know if they try to escape, they will be severely beaten, or worse. The other type of pimp that Dyke describes is the Romeo pimps. These pimps will treat the prostitute more like a girlfriend upfront and the relationship often will start like boyfriend and girlfriend, before turning intense and violent. There is even a honeymoon period where the pimp will buy the young victim dinner, clothes, cellphones and jewelry (Dyke). These Romeo pimps give a false love to these girls and because of that, their brain tells them that they will be able to work things out when the relationship gets messy. It’s human nature and behavior to desire to be wanted or loved and once these girls feel this from these pimps, they have a hard time escaping when things get abusive because they keep telling themselves that the relationship will get back to what it was at the beginning. Denial, is a defense mechanism and most of these girls involved with Romeo pimps deny that there is a problem.

In another article in “Psychology Today” by Dale Archer, it shows examples of three girls who were brain-washed into the sex trade.Kara Nichols, Kayla Croft-Payne, and Raven Cassidy Furlong, all had certain things in common. According to Archer, “All three have one thing in common: They were young, pretty, in contact with men online and were tempted with modeling work. This is a classic case here in the US. Young women are targeted because of their vulnerability. Jobs like modeling, dancing, or being a nanny for a wealthy family are dangled. They are promised exciting work with good pay, and a meeting is set up where they are abducted and transported- typically to a large city where no one knows them. They are addicted to drugs and then forced into prostitution, with abhorrent living conditions and frequent beatings.” As you can see, these pimps know how to control the psychology behind these women and lure them in by promising well-paying jobs. Not only is sex trade flourishing because of the economics behind it, but also because of the psychological brainwashing tactics the pimps use on their victims. 

Future Research: In my next blog post I plan to research the factors for the supply of prostitution and sex trafficking.