It’s happening here. And you can stop it.

From back alleys to Backpage.com, suburbs to cyber sites, human beings—especially women and girls—are bought and sold for sex. No matter the medium, there’s one constant—rampant demand.

Demand Abolition is eradicating the illegal commercial sex industry in the US—and, by extension, the world—by combating the demand for purchased sex. The most efficient approach to ending sexual exploitation is targeting sex buyers: when they stop buying, the entire system of degradation collapses.

Sign up to receive our email updates.
No buyers, no business.

  • Hidden



New York Times prints important editorial against full decriminalization of the sex trade

Posted by on August 31, 2015 in News

We at Demand Abolition are deeply disappointed with a resolution the International Secretariat of Amnesty International passed on August 11, calling for full decriminalization of the global sex trade. While we agree that women and men bought for sex should not be criminalized, we reject the idea that people should be able to purchase, for their own gratification, the bodies of those most vulnerable.

Rachel Moran

Rachel Moran

We’re not alone in feeling this way. Our longtime ally Rachel Moran, a survivor of the sex trade, had a powerful op-ed run in the New York Times this weekend clearly explaining the dangerous precedent Amnesty has set.

We hope you’ll join us in sharing the piece on social media and amplifying her message.

.@Amnesty listen to survivor @RachelRMoran: decriminalizing the sex trade will cause global “human rights violations” nyti.ms/1PDXOGh

Amnesty’s support of total decriminalization is a serious misstep for the organization, but its not too late to influence the debate. Its board meets in October to take this forward; if enough people voice their concern its possible the board members will see the light and reconsider the International Secretariat’s recommendation.

If you’d like more information on the topic, either for personal reference or to share on social media, we found these articles to be very informative:

  • Cindy McCain’s thought-provoking commentary in the Washington Post
  • TIME Magazine’s coverage of the vote, including Demand Abolition’s response
  • Simon Hedlin, former political advisor to the Swedish Prime Minster and current research consultant for Demand Abolition, wrote an insightful op-ed for the LA Times