Is sex trafficking on the rise? This is a difficult question to answer, because there is no metric by which we can really measure it. We can however explain some of the reasons behind why one might be led to believe that sex trafficking is more prevalent these days, even though that may not be the case.
With greater awareness of the crimes of sex trafficking, comes a push for more resources to be available to law enforcement and more resources equal more arrests. However, more arrests doesn’t necessarily mean there are more crimes being committed, it may just be that they are finally able to catch people they hadn’t been able to before. The media also plays a major role in creating a hyper sensationalized state around stories involving sex trafficking or sex crimes to peak a viewer’s interest and increase ratings.
For more information on sex trafficking in Texas, read our blog post “What is sex trafficking and what types are we seeing in Texas?” or watch SMB’s video here.
Video Transcript
Shawn McDonald: “Short answer’s I don’t know. For a couple of reasons. Law enforcement, number one, is putting more resources towards it than they used to. Clearly. So you’re going to automatically see a rise in the number of arrests. But does that mean necessarily that it’s happening more often than it did 10 years ago? No. Because they weren’t enforcing it 10 years ago like they are now and the resources they put towards it. And then the media attention plays a big part. I mean, you only know what media tells you. You know, if media doesn’t report it, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. If media reports it, doesn’t mean it’s happening more often than it did 10 years ago. But now, you hear a lot about it so people are interested. You know, you hear human trafficking, you hear it the TV you perk up and you watch.”
Interviewer: “For sure.”
Shawn McDonald: “Not like that 8 or 10 years ago. You hear human trafficking people discounted it so media didn’t run with it. They run with what gets people’s attention and gets clicks. And now, right now, it’s human trafficking. You see a lot with, like we talked about, with the female teachers having sex with the male students. That’s starting to peak people’s interest. So there’s a lot more stories they run on it. They give it air time that they didn’t use to give.”
Disclaimer
*This blog post “Is sex trafficking on the rise?” is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.