The Complexities of the Demand Side of the Online Commercial Sex Industry

Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to describe how one online sex buyer forum shapes beliefs, relationships, and practices around participation in the commercial sex industry and sex trafficking.;Background: The scholarly community is polarized around the phenomenon of sex trafficking. Those who believe in abolishing all forms of commercial sex believe that violence against women is central to the existence of the commercial sex industry. Conversely, those who believe in decrimalization of illegal commercial sex acts (i.e. prostitution) assert that it is within women's purview to choose to sell sex. First, a review of policies was conducted that affect adding human trafficking as a reportable child welfare category in Illinois. A subsequent review then examined the use of mixed methods research to explore the phenomenon of sexual victimization. Building from the results of these reviews a pilot study explored the feasibility of using an online sex buyer forum for research.;Method: A qualitative descriptive design was used. A line-by-line content analysis of men's online postings from four Midwest cities in the USA Sex Guide explored indicators of sex trafficking. The results were further analyzed using principles of critical discourse analysis.;Results: Indicators of sex trafficking were found but difficult to identify because they were often psychological in nature (coercion) and most likely intentionally veiled to evade law enforcement. Men who buy sex using sites like the USA Sex Guide often acknowledge that those who they are purchasing sex from are vulnerable women. Finally the USA Sex Guide is an example of a virtual community that socializes particular conventions and ideologies surrounding commercial sex that overlap with the coercion element of sex trafficking.;Conclusions: These findings support a subtle connection between commercial sex and sex trafficking by exposing how the preferences of buyers of sex can potentially influence the types of women involved in the commercial sex industry, such that the women match the preferences of the buyers. Practice and policy that respond to government and societal tolerance are needed, in order to address the intersections between the demand side of the commercial sex industry, potential force, fraud, and coercion indicative of sex trafficking; and meaningful solutions.