Abstract
One of the controversial issues surrounding sex trafficking is its links to prostitution. Among the points of disagreement are the degree to which sex trafficking feeds prostitution, and whether all prostitution is sex trafficking. Such disagreements aside, there is no question that the profit from sex trafficking derives from the exploitation of victims as prostituted persons. Thus, any preventive efforts focused on containing and reducing sex trafficking must, we believe, take account of its connections with prostitution.
Drawing largely on information from three empirical studies, our chapter examines this linkage. Subsumed within the general question of just how sex trafficking is connected to commercial sex and what the implications are for prevention, we examine how women are recruited, and what role their consent may play in possibly putting them on the road to victimisation. We look at who the traffickers are and how they are related to intermediaries at different stages in the process. Then we consider the character of the commercial sex industry itself to discern possible points for intervention and interference. From all this we formulate potential situational crime prevention approaches for reducing sex trafficking.