Introduction & What is Sexual Exploitation?

This is podcast episode #1, thank you so much for tuning in! Maybe you're listening because you're familiar with our organization, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, or maybe you just clicked on it because of the catchy name. Either way, I'm glad you're here! Today I'm going to give you a quick tour of what we're about and what you can expect to gain from this podcast. We're gonna get you the information and practical tips you need to combat sexual exploitation. What is sexual exploitation? In a broad (and incomplete) sense, it's any situation where someone is being used - for another's sexual pleasure - in a way that lacks consent, or is demeaning or harmful. That means we'll be talking about sex trafficking, prostitution, pornography, rape culture, campus sexual assault, and more. Unfortunately, this issue is prevalent in our culture today -- we are constantly hearing questions like "does the super bowl really cause sex trafficking?" and "is prostitution a job like any other?" and "is porn actually linked to increased sexual violence?" We're going to talk with experts every week about these topics that are happening around us every day - and even better, we're going to give you a clear action step you can take at the end of every podcast episode. Sometimes the world can be a depressing place - but we are seeing so much hope, and so many prominent victories in the movement against sexual exploitation, and I want to give you the tools to join in, and make a difference. To tell you a little more about me, I work at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (or NCOSE), a non-profit located in Washington DC that works to address the links between all forms of sexual exploitation. You'll hear a lot about NCOSE because most weeks I'll be joined by a colleague from this organization who will help me answer the big questions. NCOSE was founded in 1962, and it embraces a mission to defend human dignity and to advocate for the universal right of sexual justice, which is freedom from sexual exploitation, objectification, and violence. All you need to know now, is that NCOSE does three things 1) public education 2) coalition leadership of around 300 organizations and experts and 3) changes corporate or governmental policies that facilitate sexual exploitation. Last year, in fact, we changed 15 corporate policies at places like Google, Hilton Worldwide, and Overstock.com. I got into this work because I'm really passionate about human rights, and about getting people like you involved in this fight. I remember when I was in college the topic of "sex trafficking" was really "hip" for lack of a better word. Everyone I knew was talking about it, but nobody knew what they could do to actually make a difference. And now that I've found so many ways one individual can have an impact - I'm excited to share! Anyway, thank you so much for listening and joining us in this movement. Make sure to check out our website: endsexualexploitation.org to learn more about what the National Center on Sexual Exploitation does, and be sure to tune in for our next podcast where we're going to answer the question: is porn causing a public health crisis? If you have any questions you want us to address during our podcasts, please email [email protected]. Thank you again for all of you who have listened - this has been the Sexploitation podcast. Have a great week.