United States Internet Sex Slaves

The internet has created an industry for internet sex slaves. The primary target of internet sex slaves are women and young girls. Although boys and young men are also internet sex slaves, the majority of human trafficking victims are female.

Donna M. Hughes is a professor of Women's Studies at the University of Rhode Island. Donna Hughes has done extensive research about human trafficking and sex slaves. The reports and findings from both Hughes and others are alarming and shocking.

Prior to the internet, human traffickers had to travel within the United States or abroad to secure purchasing of females for sex slavery. However, with the growth of the internet, human trafficking is now being conducted via telephone and satellite transmissions. (AFA Journal, 2004). Human trafficking is now possible by viewing images of potential girls, bidding on the internet and paying for via the internet. With the decrease in travel and being anonymous on the internet, it is now possible for more human trafficking transaction to occur for purchasing internet sex slaves.

Even though prostitution and sexual exploitation of persons is illegal in the United States, the penalties are minimal for human traffickers. The majority of crimes for sexual exploitation are not felony sentences and carry significantly low criminal and court fees in comparison to the profits being obtained from this industry. Stiffer penalties could decrease the number of people in the internet slave industry over an extended period of time.

According to a report given by Donna Hughes, "Hughes said estimates of the money that pours in through the sex industry - prostitution, the sale of women and children through sex trafficking, the sale of child pornography, etc. - are between $7 billion and $57 billion a year." (AFA Journal, 2004)

There is an estimated 2 million children that are working worldwide as sex slaves. (AFA Journal, 2004)