Q&A with The National Center on Sexual Exploitation

All human beings have an inherent dignity that must be respected and defended. Pornography is an attack on the dignity of those who are used to make it.

“Victoria” (name changed to protect her identity) was one of the first pornography performers that connected with The National Center on Sexual Exploitation. Dawn Hawkins, NCOSE’s Executive Director, had the opportunity to meet and talk with Victoria about her first time participating in a pornography shoot.
Victoria ran away from a difficult home situation after being raped when she was 16 years old, and found herself alone and on the streets. She was quickly recruited to “work” in a strip club. She felt like it was her only option for survival.

She hated the experience and the constant fear she lived in. When an “agent” showed up at the club and told Victoria she could make more money working only one or two days a month in a totally safe environment, doing only things she felt comfortable doing, while being treated like a star, she thought it sounded like a great opportunity.

Nevertheless, Victoria was hesitant and scared of what would be expected of her. So the agent helped her make a list of the types of acts that she was not comfortable doing, explaining that she would never have to do those things. At the top of her list, Victoria wrote that she did not want to have sex with more than one man at a time.

When she showed up for her first shoot, Victoria found herself in the exact situation she had explained she did not want to do. The scene was a “gangbang.” When she objected, her agent said that she had signed a contract and that legal action would be taken against her if she did not proceed. Victoria was the only woman on the entire set that day and felt completely powerless to say no. And so the shoot proceeded.

It was like reliving her earlier experience of rape all over again. After the filming, she felt completely broken. She had no more confidence or power at all. All she had left was the money she had been given—more than she had ever received before. When they called again urging her to do another shoot, she felt like nothing mattered anymore, and so went on to make many more films.

Dawn has heard dozens of stories similar to this one. Performers, both those currently performing and those who have left the industry, have shared with her about numerous experiences of being forced, coerced and manipulated into participating in sex acts they were not comfortable doing or never consented to do. The pornography industry is in the business of pushing boundaries; it doesn’t matter if the women are yelling no or stop.

We especially want people who watch pornography to know that the images they are watching are, very often, acts of real abuse against real women. From the viewers’ side of the screen, there is no way to know if women are “consenting” and “acting” or being forced. We want people to know that pornography preys on those who are vulnerable to exploitation due to their immaturity (i.e., “barely legal” age) or desperate financial circumstances, and that many performers are manipulated and coerced by boyfriends, husbands, parents and so-called managers. We want people to know that many women in pornography come from broken backgrounds and their tragic experiences have been used against them, conditioning them to accept abuse for the entertainment and enjoyment of the viewer.

When people become educated about the multifaceted harms of pornography and about how their own pornography use is a form of participation in sexual exploitation, some start to care. The abuse and degradation inherent in all pornography, when addressed in the light of day, ignites a sense of compassion and urgency in people who do not want to stand by while others suffer.

NCOSE’s work to educate the public has led to increased awareness about pornography as a public health crisis. The state of Utah is considering a resolution that would officially declare pornography a public health hazard, and other states may follow their lead. More individuals and experts than ever are rising up to speak out about pornography’s harms.

NCOSE also leads an international coalition of organizations and advocates that helps to educate leaders in various disciplines about the links between all forms of sexual exploitation. Citizen activists are also on the rise, addressing the presence of pornography in libraries and schools or working to hold corporations accountable for policies that facilitate sexual exploitation. When an individual becomes educated, another advocate joins the movement.