According to Robert W. Peters, co-author of The Slave and the Porn Star: Sexual Trafficking and Pornography, states, “The relationship between, pornography, sex trafficking, and prostitution is real and cannot exist without one or the other”. Pornography is an advertisement for prostitution. It degrades, dehumanizes, and corrupts not only our views on women but it is also normalizing prostitution and commercial sexual exploitation. We no longer see women with respect but instead as a sexual object used for pleasure, where women are just a commodity in the business world.

Catherine Mackinon, a feminist professor at Harvard Law School states, “Consuming pornography is an experience of bought sex” and thus it creates a hunger to continue to purchase, objectify, and act out what is seen. And in a very literal way, pornography is advertising for trafficking, not just in general but also in the sense that traffickers and pimps use pornographic images of victims as specific advertising for their “products.”

Many hotels worldwide play pornography on their pay-per-view channels for their guests. After working with UNICEF’s campaign on human trafficking, Peter Stordalen, owner of Nordic Hotels in Scandinavia, decided to stop playing pornography in his hotels. Though pornography is a social norm in today’s society, he decided to make a big change. Stordalen hopes to start a revolution with banning pornography for hotel viewing just like how his hotel chain were the first to ban smoking. “The porn industry contributes to trafficking, so I see it as a natural part of having a social responsibility to send out a clear signal that Nordic Hotels doesn’t support or condone this,” said Stordalen. (article)

            Last summer, scholars wrote letters to different hotel chains across the nation to remove pornography from their businesses. Many hotels such as Omni Hotels and Resorts have stopped selling pornography, while others like Marriot and Hilton are still continue sales. In the letters, scholars focused on the studies of pornography and the negative consequences it has on viewers. Pornography not only reduces respectable views on women but it is also changes the views on relationships such as in marriage in society. “Our views are being deceived by making society believe that lust and satisfaction is considered love instead of being respected and fulfilled”, stated by Ana Stutler, Covenant Eyes writer.

            Cooperate businesses need to step up and start following Stordalem’s lead by not being engaged with pornography. All it takes is one person to make a difference and Stordalen’s lead has started making other people see the connection. Pornography does add to sex trafficking. It advertises prostitution and makes it seem like it is okay. Society needs to take a step back and realize the things they engage in actually do affect their views and behaviors.