Various available data show that thousands of men become victims of the sex trade, but most of them never speak of it, reinforcing the myth that men can’t be victimized in this way. Over the last couple of months, however, many men have publicly shared their stories in the hope that it will help in prevention and help the victims and encourage them to find help.
Most victims are young men and boys from vulnerable backgrounds, are exposed to poverty, are growing in single-parent households, or being homeless. Experts on the subject from GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting claim that this is one reason the victims remain unseen by society.
The latest national study showed that over a third of people involved in the sex trade are male, which is much more than is generally believed. Demographics that are at more risk are LGBTQ+ youth and males of color. However, the problem remains staggeringly underreported.
Most recently published confessions reveal a pattern: young people get lured by older men who then take advantage of their social situation and the stigma around the sexual abuse of men. Unfortunately, this reveals a much bigger problem — as a society, we tend to prioritize abuse of females over the mistreatment of men, which is why most crimes in this area remain unreported.
