Sex Trafficking & Commercial Sex Industry Statistics*

COMMERCIAL SEX INDUSTRY

• 4.8 million people are trapped in forced sexual exploitation globally.
• 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry are women.
• Whether or not they were trafficked or entered by “choice,” research shows that women working in the commercial sex industry experience higher rates of drug addictions, sexually transmitted diseases, violent assaults, and mental health challenges than the general population.
• 95% of women in the commercial sex industry have a history of childhood sexual abuse.
• 95% of women in the commercial sex industry want to escape, but see no other means for survival

STRIP CLUBS

• There are more strip clubs in the United States than any other nation in the world.
• The strip club industry in the US boasts an estimated revenue of over $7 billion.
• Proprietors within the strip club industry distanced themselves from the seedy past image associated with clubs. Instead, they market their establishments as gentlemen’s clubs and cocktail lounges that offer adult entertainment.
• The highest number of strip clubs can be found in Texas (214), Florida (208), and California (177)
• According to one survey, 54% of women working in strip clubs have reported also working in prostitution or escorting.
• According to one survey, 23% of women working in strip clubs have also worked in porn.
• According to one survey, women working in strip clubs experience the following:
  • Struggles with mental health – 91%
  • Depression – 76%
  • PTSD – 67%
  • Anxiety – 64%
  • Substance Abuse Issues – 69%
  • Homelessness in the past 2 years – 24%
  • History in the Foster Care system – 13%
• Research has shown that stripping has the following impact on women involved:
  • Distorts perceptions of money and sexuality
  • Encourages them to blur their personal boundaries about previously unacceptable sexual acts
  • Teaches them to develop contempt for men
  • Reduces their sex drives and causes problems in their intimate partnerships
• Women who work in strip clubs often feel tremendous pressure to conform to an image that will gain the most attention from the customers.
• The pressure to achieve a certain image becomes so intense that many women working in strip clubs reconstruct their appearance, develop eating disorders, and turn to drugs to stay excessively thin.
• Women working in strip clubs often feel like they have to compensate for their “flawed” body image by taking off more clothing or performing more graphic moves on the stage and floor, stretching their own boundaries to appeal to customers’ personal tastes.
• One survey found that over half of women begin working in strip clubs between the ages of 18-20.
• A study revealed that women working in strip clubs experience the following:
  • Physical assault – 100%
  • Attempted vaginal penetration with fingers – 61%
  • Attempted vaginal penetration with objects such as bottles or cell phones – 33%
  • Attempted rape – 17%
  • Verbal threats – 44%
• More than half of women working in strip clubs report they have been threatened with a weapon.
• Research has shown that 100% of women working in strip clubs had been propositioned for prostitution and 75% had been stalked by men associated with the clubs.
• Work in strip clubs has been linked to trafficking, prostitution, and an increase in male sexual violence against both the women who work in the clubs and those who live and work in their vicinity.
• A 2008 report in London looked at lap-dancing in one community and found that in the three years before and after the opening of four large strip clubs in the area, incidents of rape in the community rose by 33%, while sexual assault rose by 55%.
• Sex buyers report that they can always find minor girls in strip clubs.
• In one survey, 65% of women who have worked in strip clubs identified as victims of sexual exploitation, 31% identifying as victims of sex trafficking.

PORNOGRAPHY AND CHURCHES

• A Barna study revealed that:
  • 68% of church-going men view porn on a regular basis.
  • Of young Christian adults 18-24 years old, 76% actively search for porn.
  • Most pastors (57%) and youth pastors (64%) admit they have struggled with porn, either currently or in the past.
  • 21% of youth pastors and 14% of pastors admit they currently struggle with porn.
  • More than 1 in 10 youth pastors (12%) and 1 in 20 pastors (5%) said they’re addicted.
• A survey reported that 50% of all Christian men and 20% of all Christian women are addicted to pornography.
• 93% of pastors see port as an increasing problem in the church, but only 7% have any plan to deal with it.

THERE'S HOPE
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​You are on this page because we have prayed for you. We need you and these women need you. They need to know they are loved and worthy right where they are.  

​Consider how you can serve today with Hadassah's Hope, on the front-lines or behind the scenes.

* Statistics taken from the Treasures Sex Industry & Trafficking Stat Guide. It is full of additional information and statistics. Their website also contains educational and training resources. Visit: https://www.iamatreasure.com/