Power, Law, and Culture: Service Providers' Perspectives of the Contributing Factors to the Perpetuation of the Human Sex Trafficking Industry Within the United States

The objective of the research was to explore the factors that perpetuate the sex trafficking industry in the United States. Professional service providers in different fields that engage the population provided their perspectives of sex trafficking. Results from this mixed-method research indicated factors such as cultural tolerance of sex trade, inappropriate laws to protect victims and prosecute perpetrators, and abuse of power. Additionally, the underpinnings of participants' viewpoints of the industry emerged. While the focus was on the United States, the ubiquity of this global concern containing research possibilities and potential responses to combat this system of oppression, sex trafficking remains inadequately defined, stifled by obsolescent policies and sexist ideologies of prostitution, as well as sporadically quantified with excessive focus on prevalence and minimal attention to underlying facets. To combat sex trafficking efficaciously, legal, political, and social alternatives are discussed. This modern day slavery damages victims' livelihood and society's health.