A new study on the sex trafficking industry in the United States revealed the extent of online prostitution and labeled Atlanta, Ga. as the underground market's leading enterpriser.
The results from Urban Institute's probe shed light on some shocking figures.
Pimps and sex traffickers who had previously been indicted for their crimes were interviewed for the Urban Institute's study, according to the Washington Post. The convicted reported making somewhere between $5,000 and $32,833 per week during the height of their respective moneymaking endeavors.
According to the study, prostitutes, who make significantly less money than their pimps, don't always join the trade at the behest of their procurers.
"Female sex workers sometimes solicited protection from friends and acquaintances, eventually asking them to act as pimps," the study read. "Some pimps and sex workers had family members or friends who exposed them to the sex trade at a young age, normalizing their decision to participate."
Although the numbers vary by city, the sex business - which includes prostitution, erotic massage facilities, sex trafficking and prostituting online - raked in between $39.9 million and $290 million in 2007.
The study, which looked at eight various United States city, stated that physical violence against sex workers usually goes unreported. But pimps apparently didn't like being called a "pimp" in the negative sense of the word. The study did find that many pimps had psychologically controlled women to the point of abuse.
The Internet has been one of the largest contributing factors bolstering the sex trade. Sites like Craigslist.org and Backpage.com are prostitution solicitation hotbeds, where pimps can post photos and information on sex workers for anyone to commission.
Out of the eight cities studied for the survey, Atlanta was found to have the most profitable sex trade, bringing in almost $290 million in 2007, the Washington Post reported.
The seven other cities surveyed were Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, Miami, Seattle, Washington D.C. and San Diego.
See the entire study here.
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