9. The Reality and the Myths

Sex trafficking can be divided into the following stages: (1) the recruitment of potential victims by recruiters; (2) the transportation of victims by traffickers; (3) the selling of victims to brothel owners by stakeholders, be they recruiters, traffickers, or human traders who pay for the traveling expenses of victims or buy victims from traffickers; (4) the control of victims; (5) the subsequent victimization of victims by sex ring operators; (6) the use of debt bondage as a form of control; and (7) the exploitation of victims, primarily in financial terms. This chapter examines what the subjects in the study had to say about these processes, based on their own experiences and observations.