Understanding How Sex Trafficking Works: A Conversation Over Coffee

The most silent experiences can carry the most violence.

When people think of sex trafficking, they imagine scenes from Taken – a film dramatizing teenage women being abducted for sex trafficking. The reality, though, can be much more subdued. Sex trafficking can happen in plain sight through processes and systems that we assume are safe.

The “everydayness” of how sex trafficking unfolds is precisely what makes it so dangerous and puts vulnerable people at risk. Jenny Barber, Co-founder and Impact Strategist at Talitha Coffee knows this firsthand. She was exposed to trafficking from a young age and faced exploitation as a child.

Sex trafficking is estimated to impact 6.3 million people globally. The United States has the second highest number of people affected by sex trafficking: more than 16,000 people in 2022 alone.

Misunderstanding how sex trafficking works means missing crucial signs that someone is a survivor, as well as overlooking opportunities to prevent sex trafficking from taking place.

By making the topic of sex trafficking a common, accessible conversation (one that can be had over coffee), more people can truly understand how it works. Having louder conversations about sex trafficking can help people suffering in silence and contribute to stopping sex trafficking entirely.

Pour a cup and be ready to take what you learn to your next coffee date. Below is what sex trafficking really is and how we should be talking about it.

Facts about the reality of sex trafficking

In case you weren’t aware of how prevalent sex trafficking is in the US, here are some sobering facts you should know:

• Sex trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. (source)
• Women and girls represent 90% of sex trafficking victims. (source) 
• Most traffickers use psychological methods to trick, defraud, manipulate or threaten victims into sexual exploitation providing commercial sex or exploitative labor. (source)
• Traffickers can be from criminal groups or can be the victim's family members, parents, intimate partners or acquaintances. (source)
• In the US, sex trafficking has been uncovered in bars, massage parlors, hotels, truck stops, apartment complexes, street prostitution, and escort services. (source)
• Trafficking is severely misidentified by authorities. In two jurisdictions in the United States, only 6% of potential human trafficking victims were recorded by authorities in 2020. (source)
• During National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil said “one of the most underreported crimes is sex trafficking.” (source)

Three common ways sex trafficking works

Sex trafficking doesn’t have to involve abduction and it’s not a far-off issue. Often, it happens slowly, from seemingly trustworthy people, and in a context that’s familiar to the survivor.

Of course, trafficking can be complex and nuanced, but to dismantle common misconceptions, these are three of the most common ways that sex trafficking works.

#1. The CEO model

This model refers to when criminal organizations create or use fraudulent businesses to lure people in with the promise of work. Sometimes this can involve bringing people from overseas to a new country — typically offering a “new start” or “hope for a better life”.

An example of the CEO model is women who move to somewhere like Los Angeles pursuing a career in acting but accept a job in a bar to make ends meet. The bar looks like a legitimate business, yet behind the scenes the staff are sexually exploited.

#2. The Romeo model

The Romeo model is when individuals look for young, vulnerable people to exploit. The individuals tend to come from single parent homes and are looking for a place of belonging. In these scenarios, traffickers may start a false romance, and quickly and deeply gain power.

An example of the Romeo model is a new romantic partner who showers a vulnerable woman with gifts and attention, but later isolates her from her family and friends as they become increasingly abusive. They may encourage the woman to work as an escort and eventually become her pimp. 

#3. The Guerrilla model

The guerilla model aligns with the Taken depiction of trafficking. It involves physical force or kidnapping, moving across state lines or borders, and is generally operated by criminal networks.

An example of the guerilla model is during armed conflict, where criminal groups overpower individuals and keep them under their control through threats and violence. Unlike the ‘Romeo’ model, this type of exploitation happens faster because it bypasses ‘grooming’ and directly begins with exploitation.

Across all of the models, malicious actors are using digital tools and social media more and more to target others and manage operations and finances.

Why sex trafficking should be a conversation over coffee

It may sound uncomfortable to encourage people to talk about sex trafficking over coffee, but the more we talk and learn about sex trafficking, the more people can detect early signs of it, support survivors of it, and take action to stop it altogether.

Normalizing talking about sex traffic makes it less of a taboo in society and helps neutralize feelings of guilt, shame, and denial that many survivors carry. These harmful narratives contribute to survivors falling into patterns that can repeat abuse in their lives and prevent them from succeeding as they deserve.

Knowledge is power. Making sex trafficking an accessible topic of conversation in daily life, makes survivors, vulnerable groups, and the general public stronger against the oppressive nature of it.

For instance, Jenny didn’t recognize that she was a survivor of sex trafficking until she began speaking about it. 

While working in anti-trafficking (a sector she’s been in for more than 15 years), she once shared her personal story, to which a woman responded: “Oh, so you’re one of us. You’re a survivor”. Until that moment, Jenny’s guilt and shame had been so intense that she didn’t see herself worthy of the title. Only by talking was her experience made real to herself.

Raise the discussion over a glass

The average person in the US spends 50 hours per year just purchasing drinks from cafes during the workday. If even a portion of that time was dedicated to discussing what sex trafficking is, how it takes place, and what the impacts are, the world would be so much better informed and would be better equipped to eradicate it.

Try it. The next time you go for coffee, bring up a fact about sex trafficking or mention a story that you’ve heard/read about sexual exploitation. The idea isn’t to force people to share, or to dominate chats with difficult subjects: it’s to engage with world realities and make regular space to address harm that is happening daily, in silence.

These are the conversations that will ensure ending trafficking is always on the table.