Sex Trafficked Women,Drug Dealers,and Men Who Buy Sex: A Look at “Race”

Abstract

Black, Native American, Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander women all have histories of sexual violence in the United States. Their historical victimizations have set a precedence for contemporary commercial sex victimization. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of “race” in sex trafficking. Data from 50 women with sex trafficking histories resulted in three candidate themes and five subthemes that include (a) sex trafficked women (White women, Black women vs. White women, and all women with unique subthemes related to drug use and locations); (b) Black male traffickers; and (c) Black and White male customers.

Keywords

race racism sex trafficking trafficker drug dealers

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