Human trafficking has connections to many different industries including agriculture, manufacturing, and entertainment. Regarding entertainment, Hollywood has come into the spotlight recently because of rampant sexual harassment, sexual assault, and human trafficking—like the Harvey Weinstein case. In the same vein, several music celebrities have been accused of sex trafficking and exploitation. As more cases come to light, it is clear the various branches of mainstream entertainment are connected to human trafficking.
The Film Industry and Human Trafficking
A survey by the Hollywood Commission found one in every five women had been sexually assaulted or sexually harassed in their careers. Sadly, one in twenty of the survey participants reported sexual assault or harassment taking place inside of the twelve months leading up to the survey.
Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation in the Mainstream Film Industry
From Kevin Spacey’s abuse of many boys since 1996 to allegations against Bill Cosby for assault, rape, and inappropriate touching of sixty women since the 1960s, the film industry is full of sexual indiscretions. For decades, Harvey Weinstein sexually exploited women which has made him the face of sex crimes in Hollywood. Weinstein’s brother and the Weinstein Company have been accused, but never convicted, of trafficking victims to the once-“King of Hollywood.”
Sexual exploitation creates a demand for trafficking, and the film industry’s recent courtroom appearances demonstrate the connection.
Ex-Smallville actor Allison Mack was convicted in June 2021 for trafficking women for her leader, Keith Raniere. The women were branded and sexually exploited, and at least one of the victims, an aspiring actor, joined under the deception of mentorship from Mack. Mack and Maxwell stand out as two of the most recent high-profile female traffickers.
Most known victims are women for both Hollywood and the adult entertainment industry, but not all of them are. Terry Crews, for example, was assaulted by the notorious Harvey Weinstein. Likewise, Brendan Fraser came forward with his experience of abuse by Hollywood Foreign Press Association former President Philip Berk about fifteen years earlier. When 4,026 men were surveyed by the Hollywood Commission, 10% of them reported being sexually assaulted or harassed in their careers, though 22% admitted to unwanted sexual attention and 9% experiencing sexual coercion.
The Movie Version of Human Trafficking
In addition to the reality of the problem, sex trafficking is a popular Hollywood story beat. In movies like Taken, The Whistleblower, and Trade as well as TV shows like Criminal Minds, CSI, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Hollywood suggests that human trafficking can be solved quickly, saving one person solves the problem, and the hero is the center of the story. On the contrary, human trafficking is extremely difficult to stop, and it takes months or years—if ever—for people to be saved and criminals to be brought to justice. All the action that these TV shows and movies depict give an unrealistic view of what human trafficking is.
Similarly, the movie industry will frequently promote abuse and sex trafficking in their movies, especially of minors. A recent example is Netflix’s show Baby which has been accused of promoting and normalizing child sex trafficking and sexual abuse. The show was inspired by an Italian teen sex scandal but exploited the stories of these teens.
In a letter to Netflix executives to have the show canceled, sex trafficking survivors said, “There are no ‘baby prostitutes’ – only sexually abused, exploited, and raped children.” This example of dramatizing reality for viewership worsens the problem because it influences viewers to think that sex trafficking is not that big of a deal. Baby, like many other productions in the movie industry, fails to address human trafficking in a way that is productive to society. Instead, Hollywood victimizes a storyline for profit.
The Music Industry and Human Trafficking
Like the movie industry, the music industry models a series of human trafficking incidents.
Especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of human trafficking was exposed throughout the music industry. DJ Bassnectar has denied but been accused of sex trafficking from multiple women. Likewise, spouses Clifford and Tameka Harris, better known as TI and Tiny, have been accused by tens of people regarding sexual abuse, illegal drugging, and sex trafficking, with over a dozen of the accusations landing in lawsuits. Still more, Brian Warner, better known under the moniker Marilyn Manson, has received multiple accusations of sexual assault and human trafficking, including model Ashley Morgan Smithline and actors Evan Rachel Wood and Esmé Bianco. After years of allegations and still pleading not-guilty, R. Kelly was found guilty of one count of racketeering and eight counts of human trafficking under allegations of six people who say they were sexually exploited.
Human trafficking, especially sex trafficking, is not new to 2021 in the music industry. Like the late Michael Jackson, who was suspected by the FBI of running a child sex trafficking racket, the music industry has a history of people who have abused their celebrity roles to exploit others. Sometimes, as with DJ Bassnectar, sex trafficking coincides with concert bookings; in other cases, as with Manson and Jackson, the human trafficking and sexual exploitation occurs in perpetrators’ homes.
Fighting Back Against Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation
The public has a general awareness of human trafficking and the abuse that goes along with it, but many do not understand the extent and the misinformation surrounding it. A lot of information about this topic is promoted by Hollywood and shown with glamor and action.
Mainstream Media Activism
In recent years, however, key voices in mainstream entertainment have been actively combatting human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Many documentaries and films have been released with accurate and heart-wrenching depictions of human trafficking, and movements like #MeToo have driven awareness of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking.
The #MeToo Movement
The #MeToo movement has become an international icon, giving people, especially women, the strength to come forward with tales of abuse and shed the sense of shame some victims have held. While some well-known celebrities have shared their stories as victims, other celebrities have lended support and encouragement to people sharing their stories. The movement’s strength lies in its size with unknown, but likely millions, of accusations shared.
Organizations against Human Trafficking
Singer Ricky Martin created the Ricky Martin Foundation which aims to help victims of sexual assault and fight against human trafficking with a focus on child trafficking. The foundation started in 2004, and their mission statement is to “promote, defend and educate on human rights to ensure dignified treatment, equal opportunities and the inclusion of all people to access a life of dignity and freedom, including and not limited to those who are victims of human trafficking.”
Actor Ashton Kutcher is known for campaigning against human trafficking. He and Demi Moore co-founded THORN which focuses on creating technology that can stop sex trafficking by identifying victims. Kutcher testified in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about human trafficking in 2017.
Advocacy and Education
In relation, The Asservo Project has been working hard to promote awareness of human trafficking at home and abroad. See what we are doing to raise awareness of human trafficking through education.
References
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Batha, E. (2018, January 11). Netflix accused of glamourising child sex trafficking with “Baby” drama. Reuters. Retrieved December 11, 2021, from https://www.reuters.com/article/media-netflix-sexual-exploitation-idINL8N1P65EW.
BBC. (2021, April 7). Harvey Weinstein timeline: How the scandal unfolded. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41594672.
Escandon, R. (2020, October 28). Sexual harassment still prevalent in Hollywood even after the #MeToo movement, survey finds. Forbes. Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/rosaescandon/2020/10/28/new-survey-finds-high-rates-of-sexual-assualt-in-hollywood/?sh=2ed708143f76.
Heffler, J. (2021, July 22). Bassnectar responds to explosive sex trafficking lawsuit, denies allegations. EDM. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://edm.com/news/bassnectar-denies-allegations-in-sex-trafficking-lawsuit.
Jeffries, M. & Nick Harding. (2020, July 10). Michael Jackson suspected of running a child sex trafficking racket, new reports claim. Mirror. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/michael-jackson-suspected-running-child-22335274.
Kreps, D. (2021, September 16). Lawyer seeks sexual abuse investigation against T.I. and Tiny. Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/t-i-tiny-sexual-abuse-investigation-lawyer-1134533/.
Limbong, A. (2021, June 30). Actor Allison Mack sentences to 3 years in prison for NXIVM case. Retrieved January 12, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2021/06/30/1011728671/allison-mack-sentenced-nxivm.
Madani, D. (2021, July 1). 60 women accused Bill Cosby. his conviction had been considered a big win for #metoo. NBCNews.com. Retrieved December 11, 2021, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/60-women-accused-bill-cosby-his-conviction-had-been-considered-n1272864.
McClellan, J. (2021, June 30). Fourth accuser sues Marilyn Manson for sexual assault and human trafficking. USA Today. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2021/06/30/marilyn-manson-now-facing-four-lawsuits-sexual-assault/7816952002/.
Pratt, M., & Dalton, A. (2018, December 24). Kevin Spacey is charged with groping a young man. AP News. Retrieved December 11, 2021, from https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-ap-top-news-us-news-boston-north-america-8f0006f707b24161bea222f931e575df.
Ricky Martin Foundation. (2021, May 27). About us. Ricky Martin Foundation. Retrieved December 11, 2021, from http://rickymartinfoundation.org/en/about-us/.
Taukli, F. (2017, October 13). Terry Crews’ revelation sheds light on black male sexual victimization. NBC News. Retrieved December 11, 2021, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/terry-crews-revelation-sheds-light-black-male-sexual-victimization-n810096.
United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. (2017, February 15). Corker: U.S. at historic turning point in global fight to end modern slavery. Retrieved January 14, 2022, from https://www.foreign.senate.gov/view/corker-us-at-historic-turning-point-in-global-fight-to-end-modern-slavery. Variety. (2018, March 6). Brendan Fraser alleges HFPA ex-president Philip Berk sexually assaulted him. NBC News. Retrieved December 11, 2021, from https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/sexual-misconduct/brendan-fraser-alleges-hfpa-ex-president-philip-berk-sexually-assaulted-n850566