I think there’s also a real danger involved in labeling all commercial sex as trafficking, something that occurs commonly in the public imagination and even sometimes in our legal system.

Because all commercial sex is illegal (in most jurisdictions) the distinction between harmful practices and socially beneficial practices get entirely lost.

It should be against the law to take advantage of vulnerable people and manipulate them into sex work. It should be against the law to force vulnerable people into dangerous situations and exploit them or practically enslave them.

But when the practice of prostitution itself becomes a key definition of sex trafficking, are we really furthering the goals of identifying sex traffickers and putting them out of business?

Or are we helping drive everything underground, making truly exploitative and harmful practices harder to find?