COUNTER-DEMAND WORKING GROUP

Through the Human Trafficking Task Force of the Attorney General's Office, law enforcement, attorneys, victim services, and non-profit organizations are joining to together to form strategies to target the demand that fuels sex trafficking. Multiple studies have shown that targeting demand is an efficient and effective way of targeting the sex trafficking market as a whole. For example, after legislation in Sweden that increased legal penalties for buyers was passed, street prostitution reportedly decreased by 50-75% (Swedish Government Report SOU, 2010). This working group operates by separately targeting frequent and non-frequent buyers with different strategies. By targeting the demand for commercial sex, we are preventing and disrupting the flow of money into the industry that creates trafficking. Some of the strategies that our demand reduction working group are using include online intervention, buyer outreach, and intelligence gathering on high frequency buyers.

Get Help

Call the National Human Trafficking toll-free hotline at 1-888-373-7888: Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocates are available 24/7 to take reports of potential human trafficking.

Text the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 233733. Message and data rates may apply.

Chat the National Human Trafficking Hotline via www.humantraffickinghotline.org/chat

Need Help Finding Resources? https://mocate.org/resources/missouri-resource-guide/