Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants to protect people who end up in movies like the ones Stormy Daniels starred in — specifically, DeSantis is introducing legislation aimed at porn stars forced into the adult film business by brutal human traffickers, an enormous problem worldwide.
(Daniels, now the most famous porn star in America, was not trafficked but chose her profession after a career as an exotic dancer.)
Human trafficking, and specifically sex trafficking, have more endpoints than the adult film industry — there are a multitude of bad ends for the trafficked — but with his new legislation, DeSantis is targeting an adult film industry that derives huge sums of money from trafficking, and therefore might be made to pay reparations to its victims.
As the Polaris Project explains: “Sex trafficking is the crime of using force, fraud or coercion to induce another individual to sell sex. Common types include escort services, pornography, illicit massage businesses, brothels, and outdoor solicitation.”
Today I signed legislation to combat human trafficking and support victims of these terrible crimes.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 16, 2023
Victims will now be able to:
Recover damages from adult entertainment establishments;
Receive restitution from the sale of their trafficker’s seized property; and
Participate in… pic.twitter.com/JOt16Nt4CZ
The DeSantis push is to give victims restitution for their exploitation — and put those who commit these crimes on notice. DeSantis says that “victims will now be able to: Recover damages from adult entertainment establishments; Receive restitution from the sale of their trafficker’s seized property; and Participate in educational programs offering alternatives to prostitution and adult entertainment.”
