The Illegal Commercial Sex Industry in San Diego
San Diego is experiencing a spike in its illegal sex trade. The illicit sex economy is estimated to be over $800 million in San Diego alone. Increased involvement from organized crime and gangs in sex trafficking rings—compounded with an environment of declining resources for services and more sophisticated methods of recruitment of victim—has created a perfect storm where commercial sexual exploitation can thrive. One of the more troubling aspects of this problem is that some of the area’s most prolific sex buyers are members of the military stationed in the area. Sex tourism occurs in every corner of the hospitality industry from high-end to low-end hotels and there are estimated to be hundreds of erotic massage parlors throughout San Diego County.
How CEASE San Diego is Addressing the Problem
CEASE San Diego takes a multi-stakeholder approach in combating sex buyers in effort to keep San Diego, America’s Finest City. Working together with law enforcement, city officials, survivors, community-based organizations and service providers, the CEASE San Diego Team is committed to ending the demand for commercial sex by implementing tactics such as establishing sting operations, creating cyber patrols, implementing john schools, community-awareness campaigns and targeting high frequency buyers at massage parlors.