No buyers, no business. It’s a simple concept, but for sex trafficking, it applies to the business of buying humans.
One North Texas nonprofit organization is trying to target sex trafficking at its source: the buyers.
The Net is a Tarrant County-based nonprofit that offers programs to support sex trafficking survivors in their healing journey. The organization provides financial literacy classes, employment opportunities, and social outings.
The Net offers a Men Against Sexual Exploitation (MASE) program. Led by men, MASE aims to change the culture around the objectification of women and children.
As part of the program, The Net staff members partner with the nonprofit Epik Project to place decoy ads on websites that are popular for buying sex. When buyers click on these ads, they are met with a trained staff member who attempts to educate them on the devastating impact of buying sex.
“We go into these conversations trying to educate them on the reality of what they’re participating in,” said Ty Bowden, The Net’s associate director, in an interview with The Dallas Express.
“The majority of these men don’t recognize the depth of what they’re participating in. They really do think that the women they’re paying are doing it of their own free will,” Bowden added.
According to Bowden’s experience, almost two-thirds of men who participate in this behavior want to stop. Many feel trapped by a sex addiction or a compulsive lifestyle.
“At the same time, many of these men do kind of know what they’re doing is wrong, but how loud that voice in their head is varies,” Bowden told DX. “We want to help connect them to resources to help them make those positive changes, where they will stop on their own.”
Bowden explained that his team tries to show men that they are not only doing something harmful to the women but also to themselves.
“Obviously, our number one priority is reducing further victimization,” said Bowden. “But a really close second priority to that is, hey, let’s help this guy not participate in this because we don’t believe that it’s the healthiest way he can fill whatever hole he’s trying to fill in his life.”
Violent pornography, especially when consumed at an early age, can lead men down a path where they eventually turn to participating in buying sex. Eventually, pornography no longer satisfies their urges, and they turn to more drastic measures, explained Bowden.
“I’ll sit down across from a guy who’s just been arrested … and every single guy that I have asked in that situation, ‘Do you consume pornography?’ All say yes,” said Bowden. “It’s kind of an escalator that leads to real-life action being taken.”
Previous sexual abuse in childhood and loneliness are other factors that can lead men to buy sex.
In 2021, Texas made it a felony to participate in paying another person for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct. When the buyers are arrested, The Net continues to work with them to retrain their minds.
The Net partners with Tarrant County jails to create an online course that buyers on probation must complete. A sex trafficking survivor, a former buyer, and a sex addiction therapist created the course.
While the program includes comprehension quizzes to ensure the users are taking in the information, it also contains questions requiring deeper reflection.
“What we really tried to do is make it challenging and reflective,” Bowden told DX.
“My biggest pleasant surprise of this whole thing has been, yes, they’re being mandated to be there by the court to complete this course, but a high percentage of them, based on their answers, are actually taking it seriously,” said Bowden. “They’re not just typing in a bare minimum to move on to the next question, but they’re actually thinking about these things as it relates to their life and how they can make some changes moving forward.”
Outside of working with buyers, The Net offers educational programs for men who want to be part of the solution but do not know how and where to start. In 2022, over 200 men from DFW attended a MASE breakfast to learn more about sex trafficking in the community.
The Net also provides parents with online safety classes for their children, small group meetings, and training activities.
Since 2017, The Net has had over 30,000 touch points with over 15,000 men attempting to purchase sex. In 2022 alone, their team of 14 volunteers had over 6,000 touchpoints with over 3,000 men.