Jenna Jameson is speaking out against trafficking in porn

With many issues flaring up in the media currently, it’s easy for other pressing issues to be pushed aside. What’s even scarier than the rising invisibility of global human rights issues? They can be happening right under our noses. 

The media has largely been turning a blind eye to the alarming prevalence of sex trafficking which remains pervasive around the world. Sex trafficking doesn’t just occur in faraway countries. In fact, Hollywood has a long history of sexual exploitation – especially in the porn industry which racks in a tremendous profit off of abusive material.  

The International Labor Organization estimates that 4.8 million people are impacted by sexual exploitation globally. Moreover, research from Rescue: Freedom, an anti-trafficking nonprofit, reveals that in many countries, nearly half of these exploited women report that abusers made pornography of them while they were being sold for sex. 

Luckily, celebrities can help draw attention to global issues such a sex trafficking – especially when the celebrities have had experiences that shed light on the subject. Ex-porn star Jenna Jameson has recently started speaking out about the abusive porn industry and its ties to sexual exploitation & sex trafficking. 

Jenna Jameson comes forward

Sometimes called “The Queen of Porn”, Jenna Jameson is one of the most famous adult entertainers on the internet. However, in 2008 Jameson retired from her porn career and started revealing the industry’s dark secrets. Jameson’s autobiography titled How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale, delves into her personal trauma connected to sex trafficking.  

Recently Jameson has taken to Twitter to share her harrowing experiences and offer her support for the latest campaigns targeting internet pornsites. A survivor of sexual exploitation, grooming, & trafficking, Jameson tweeted about her history:

“My father had no idea that at 16, my boyfriend (23 yrs old)and his father were grooming me to be trafficked into strip clubs and eventually porn. Please stay involved in your kids lives and question EVERYTHING. #SaveTheChildren.”

Combatting the industry

To fight the pornography industry – specifically Pornhub – Jameson has been drawing attention to a campaign known as Traffickinghub run by Laila Mickelwait and her foundation Exodus Cry. Jameson uses the #traffickinghub hashtag to reference posts from Mickelwait, chiming in about the serious issues she exposes. Jameson tweeted:

“This depiction is of a real girl. A 14 year old girl who was raped+recorded. This recording was heavily viewed on @PornHub. These quotes on the image are from real men on PornHub.85% of child porn consumers are abusers.”

Pornhub verified a 15 yr old who was missing for a year. She was found in 58 videos on the site. The child was part of the ModelHub program where Pornhub takes a 35% cut of sales. Pornhub directly profited from that abuse. This piece was inspired by her story. #Traffickinghub pic.twitter.com/WYxpeSsTbA

— Laila Mickelwait (@LailaMickelwait) July 31, 2020

Jenna Jameson’s long history in Hollywood – initially dreaming of being a Las Vegas showgirl eventually exposed her to the abusive world of pornography. Jameson expressed how culpable Hollywood is concerning sex trafficking, saying:

“The reason why Hollywood has been so incredibly silent on child sex trafficking is not only do they partake, they are covering for the big league hitters. The ones that hide in the shadows under the cover of a crown.”

Jenna’s unhelpful tweets

While Jameson is a fervent advocate against sex trafficking, it can’t be ignored that she also offers some controversial conservative opinions that have been called widely “unhelpful.” Jameson has a history of “rage tweeting” and pushing her pro-life views. For example, she tweeted:

“The less children in the foster system, the less federal funds given to the CPS. A lot of bonuses are handed to these agents, not to mention the trafficking money. It’s in their best interest to take your kids!”

In response a person on twitter wrote, “Most children are in foster care because their parents didn’t care enough. And few care (or notice) when they’re suddenly nowhere to be found.” 

Stop the demand

Porn & sex trafficking are inseparably linked – yet so many wrongly defend the porn industry and ignore its crimes. While, of course, not all pornography is non-consensual – there’s no way to know for sure that it isn’t. The average porn consumer (most hooked before eighteen-years-old) has no idea that they’ve likely watched victims of sex trafficking. 

According to the International Labor Organization, sex trafficking generates $99 billion annually just from commercial sexual exploitation. Moreover, underage victims largely experience online abuse – one survey saying that 63% of underage sex trafficking victims said they had been advertised or sold online. 

Vulnerable people are being endlessly exploited by the porn industry which makes tremendous profits off of the sexual abuse. It’s essential to spread awareness and decrease the overwhelming demand for porn in order to target sexual exploitation & sex trafficking.