Buyers Unmasked: Exposing the Men Who Buy Sex & Solutions to End Exploitation

This report seeks to shine a light on a consistently overlooked dimension of commercial sexual exploitation: the sex buyers who fuel this destructive system. The report features sex buyer quotes from across the country to expose the ways in which these men view and discuss the individuals they purchase for sex acts as well as the overall act of sex buying. By showcasing sex buyers in their own words, highlighting key trends among their attitudes, and revealing demographic data of sex buyers versus sex trade survivors across the U.S., we argue that current prostitution policies must be reformed to address these realities and offer possible solutions to end sexual exploitation. By examining case studies of Australia, New Zealand, and Rhode Island, we conclude that current calls to decriminalize “sex work” are a failed approach because they result in an expansion of the sex trade, offering more women and youth up to the very men we highlight in these pages, while frustrating efforts to hold sex traffickers and other exploiters accountable.

Instead, we offer the Survivor Model—a policy framework that provides services and legal protection to those engaged in prostitution while holding accountable those who exploit them for profit and sexual gratification. By analyzing data from Sweden, Norway, France, and other jurisdictions, we provide evidence that not only is the Survivor Model extremely effective at shrinking commercial sex markets and by extension, reducing sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, but it has also facilitated a cultural shift towards gender equality in nations that have adopted this approach. Moreover, the model’s legitimacy is bolstered by endorsements from significant international bodies, including the European Parliament and the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls. Finally, we cite promising programs in the U.S. that have implemented innovative sex buying reduction strategies that foster community accountability and restorative justice principles. By offering examples of success from multiple jurisdictions from across the globe that have effectively implemented the Survivor Model, as well as the positive impact it has had on cultural norms, we argue that more U.S. jurisdictions should adopt this survivor-centered model that prioritizes victim services, community accountability, culture change, and ultimately violence prevention.

At a time when misogyny and male violence against women and girls are pervasive, it is more important than ever to commit to a future that upholds safety, justice, and equality as our collective priorities.