Knowing What to Do, But Not How
If you have followed TFC Global for the past few years and have been reading the Gateway to Freedom Foundation articles, you’re fully aware that one of the main issues in the fight against sex trafficking is the demand for consumer sex. To put it simply, without the demand for pornography, prostitution, or adult dancing, there would be no sex trafficking. In over 10 years of anti-sex trafficking work, I have yet to meet one person who denies this. This means that when it comes to combatting sex trafficking we know what needs to be done to end it, i.e. reduce and end the demand for consumer sex, but we struggle regarding the question of how. How do we go about ending the demand? This is where the rubber meets the road.
The how question is one we take seriously at the Gateway to Freedom Foundation. It is the question that drives the work we do including the programs and resources we develop. As a result, we have gained some valuable insight about what it takes to reduce and end the demand for consumer sex. Here are just a few things we have learned. The first and most important is that ending the demand is possible. The work we do is not in vain. There are solutions to reducing and ending the demand. We are seeing people break free from consumer sexual beliefs and behaviors and walk in freedom. This success is important as it encourages us to keep going and to grow and develop more solutions.
Secondly, we have learned that people want to get free. There are many people who feel trapped in consumer sexual behavior and have experienced many negative outcomes because of it. Far from being put off by intervention opportunities, many users are searching for solutions and willing to make personal sacrifices to get free. This provides a call to action for us to reach as many people as possible with awareness, and let people know that if they want to get free, GTFF can help.
Third, people who are trapped in the behavior need to be offered hope, not judgment. It doesn’t work trying to shame people into getting free or to judge them for their behavior. We find that by helping people identify the pain their behavior is causing them and then to offer them tangible solutions is the best approach.
Finally, there is no “one size fits all” tool, program, or resource. That is why we offer a variety of tools and resources for people, knowing that different things work for different people. Whether it is our 3-day workshop, our Live Free online community, personalized consultation and support, or resource directory we are fully equipped to help people find the right resource for them.
Thank you for supporting the Gateway to Freedom Foundation. Your support has helped us learn effective ways to reduce and end the demand for consumer sex, and therefore end sex trafficking. To continue to support the work please go here to donate.