Do Prostitution Advertisements Reduce Violence Against Women? A Methodological Examination of Cunningham, DeAngelo, and Tripp Findings

Abstract

A recent study by Cunningham, DeAngelo, and Tripp (unpublished 2017, 2019) found that advertising prostitution online led to a lower rate of homicide of women in the United States. These findings have circulated widely in the mainstream media as proof that advertising prostitution online increases the safety of prostituted women. The study's findings were used to argue against the 2018 passage of a federal anti-trafficking bill: Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA), known collectively as FOSTA-SESTA. This new law holds websites that knowingly facilitate sex trafficking accountable for the harms they cause. Passage of the legislation led to the shutdown of sites that profited from prostitution advertising. Backpage.com, a major site for prostitution advertising, was shut down by the U.S. Department of Justice just days following Congress' passage of the legislation, but prior to FOSTA-SESTA being signed into law. Within days of the passage of the legislation, operators of other prostitution advertising sites shuttered their sites. Our critique of the article is based on the assumptions and methodology employed by Cunningham et al. We find the study is methodologically flawed. First, the study fails to demonstrate a link between the decline in the female homicide rate and online prostitution advertising. Second, the study does not measure the murder rate within the population of women in prostitution to show that online prostitution advertising keeps prostituted women safe. Third, the authors attempt to explain the reasons for a decline in the murder rate of women via speculation. Fourth, the study defines "safety" as not being murdered, ignoring other forms of violence inherent in the sex trade. Fifth, Cunningham et al. wrongly extrapolate findings from 2002 to the present by speculating about the impact of FOSTA-SESTA on prostituted women's safety, without accounting for shifts in Internet culture and usage. The findings and conclusions from this study could lead people to believe falsely that using and expanding online prostitution advertising sites will reduce violence against all women, as well as prostituted women. The safety of people in prostitution is a serious concern. Consequently, other measures should be examined to protect them.