Exodus Cry video targets sex-buying demand as Congress advances trafficking bill

Exodus Cry has released a six-minute video aimed at the demand side of sex trafficking just as a bipartisan bill to reduce that demand gains traction in Congress. The group is urging the public to back the measure, which would push U.S. anti-trafficking policy to more directly measure whether countries are acting against sex buying.

Why it matters: - Exodus Cry is trying to shift the anti-trafficking debate toward buyers, arguing that sex trafficking persists because people are willing to pay for sexual access to others. - The group’s message lands as Congress considers legislation that would make demand reduction part of how the U.S. evaluates foreign governments’ anti-trafficking efforts. - If passed, the bill could add pressure on countries to take action against sex buying, sex tourism and the commercial sex market that profits traffickers.

What happened: - Exodus Cry released a six-minute video, “The Real Reason Sex Trafficking Exists,” on Aug. 21 on the organization’s YouTube channel. - The video is part of the group’s “End Demand” push and calls Americans to confront sex buying. - The release comes as the bipartisan Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act, H.R. 9043, gains momentum in Congress. - Exodus Cry is also urging people to watch and share the video, sign a petition supporting the bill and contact their representatives.

The details: - The video opens by saying one in six U.S. men has paid for sex. - Exodus Cry says the video challenges common misconceptions about trafficking and shows how money from sex buyers fuels a global exploitation industry. - Benjamin Nolot, Exodus Cry’s CEO and founder, said trafficking exists because there is a market of people willing to pay for sexual access to others. - Nolot said the buyer has largely been invisible in the sex trafficking conversation and that dismantling the industry requires confronting demand. - The Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act was introduced in May. - Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., and Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., are leading the bill. - As of Aug. 25, H.R. 9043 had 15 cosponsors, split between 8 Republicans and 7 Democrats. - The bill would strengthen the criteria used in the State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report to judge whether foreign governments are making serious and sustained efforts to reduce demand for commercial sex. - The bill would assess whether countries prohibit the purchase of commercial sex acts or adopt anti-sex-buying policies. - The bill would also assess whether countries educate sex buyers about how traffickers exploit people in prostitution. - The bill would further assess whether countries reduce demand for international sex tourism by their citizens. - The legislation has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. - Four committee members are cosponsors: Rep. Madeleine Dean, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif. - Exodus Cry said the committee has bipartisan support for the bill within its ranks. - Helen Taylor, Exodus Cry’s vice president of impact, said the U.S. has an opportunity to send a message that fighting sex trafficking requires confronting the people whose money fuels it. - Taylor said the legislation would make demand reduction a meaningful part of how the U.S. evaluates global anti-trafficking efforts. - More than 200 anti-trafficking organizations in 32 countries and 102 sex trade survivors have signed an international letter supporting the bill.

Between the lines: - The video and the bill are aimed at reframing sex trafficking as a market problem, not only a criminal enforcement problem. - The bipartisan sponsorship and committee support suggest the legislation has crossed an early political threshold, even though it still needs committee action before advancing in the House. - The international letter of support signals an effort to present demand reduction as a global policy standard rather than a U.S.-only position.

What's next: - The House Foreign Affairs Committee must act on H.R. 9043 before the bill can move through the House. - Exodus Cry will continue pressing for public support through the video, petition and direct outreach to lawmakers. - The group is also trying to build broader international pressure on governments to address demand for commercial sex.

The bottom line: - Exodus Cry wants Congress to make sex-buying demand a central part of U.S. anti-trafficking policy, and the bill already has enough bipartisan support to keep the issue moving. More information is available on Exodus Cry’s website.