Sex Trafficking Sociology

Introduction and Summary of Victim Portrayal
How victims are portrayed within news media generally tend to follow particular patterns in terms of what elements are considered newsworthy. Other than in the rarest of cases, or occasions in which the victim fits the media’s ideal type, are victims the central focus of the news story. However, these patterns are significantly altered when it comes to cases and crimes of sex trafficking. This paper will not focus attention on one single specific victim of this crime, instead it broadens its scope of focus towards the larger collective group of victims that fit under the category of victims of sex crimes. These victims are studied as whole, rather than as individuals because this subset of victims
Sex trafficking is a major social problem that is prevalent both internationally as well as within Canada. The United States Department of State estimates the 600,000-800,000 people are trafficked across international borders while even more still are trafficked within their own countries (Cree, 2008). While certain countries have higher instances of sex trafficking, such as many Asian countries in which there is a much longer history of this practice, it is very prevalent in United States and has extended to be a significant social issue within Canada (Butcher,
This is due to two key reasons, the first, as Weitzer (2007) outlines, is that of the moral crusade that has originated against sex trafficking in the last decade, a topic which will be discussed in greater depth in the following section of this paper. The second contributing factor that contributes to sex-trafficking victims to be viewed in a more positive light in comparison to sex-workers acting on their own free will is the fact that they have reduced personal control over their behaviours and consequences (Menaker and Franklin, 2013). When women are forced into prostitution their motivations for commercial sex activity are entirely different than those who enter into it on their own free will. While the media and general public still strongly condemn the act of commercial sex, they show compassion for the individual who is forced into this lifestyle and determine them to be far less culpable (Menaker and Franklin, 2013). Additionally, the blameworthiness of women forced into prostitution is mitigated by the victimization history of the individual. Victimization history including childhood abuse and previous crimes of sexual abuse. Research shows that when the victimization history of an individual forced into the sex trade is disclosed it significantly reduced the public’s perceptions of