What do the American Library Association, the Department of Justice, Snapchat, and HBO have in common?
All were named to the 2016 Dirty Dozen list by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. Now in its fourth year, this annual list highlights 12 corporations or organizations which profit from or support obscenity and the sexual exploitation of women, men, and even children.
- The ALA refuses to filter public computers, allowing access to pornography in an open space, even by children.
- The Department of Justice refuses to enforce obscenity laws, even those upheld by the Supreme Court.
- Snapchat allows for the quick and easy dissemination of pornographic images, especially of its teenage users. Its built-in cash-sharing tool even allows its young users to profit off sharing these images, including sexts that were intended for private use.
- HBO repeatedly pushes the boundaries of sexually explicit content. As just one example, the popular fantasy show Game of Thrones routinely features violent rape scenes.
Make sure to review the entire Dirty Dozen list.
Why the Dirty Dozen List Matters
Organizations like the National Center on Sexual Exploitation have been working tirelessly to reveal the connections between pornography and sex trafficking. When sexually objectifying images are tolerated or even endorsed, this drives a demand for the exploitation of women and children all around the world.
Lists like the Dirty Dozen help in a few ways. First, they bring to light that our sin, or even our simple choices, has far-reaching consequences. In Genesis, Abraham’s sexual exploitation of the slave Hagar led to the founding of a nation that hounded his legitimate heirs for generations—and that was for the “good intention” of helping God fulfill His promise. Similarly, we may be trying to help the wrongfully imprisoned overseas by donating to Amnesty International, but we’re also helping to decriminalize pimps and johns who have coerced women and children into sex slavery.
Second, lists like the Dirty Dozen can and do make a difference. After Google was named to the Dirty Dozen list a few years ago, its representatives met with Covenant Eyes and National Center on Sexual Exploitation representatives to create new policies so as not to profit from porn in these ways. Negative press and reasoned pressure are effective.
Join us at the Set Free Summit this April to learn more from Dawn Hawkins and Patrick Trueman of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation about how pornography fuels sex trafficking, and how we can stop it.
