Date
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Time
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Name
Behind Closed Doors: How Familial Abuse, Grooming, and Pornography Sustain Trafficking
Track
Prevention
Connie Rose Amber Johansen
Description

Familial sex trafficking is one of the most concealed and least understood forms of exploitation. It thrives behind closed doors, where those entrusted with care—often parents or guardians—become traffickers. Less recognized, yet critically connected, is the role of pornography in these intra-familial dynamics. Within these homes, pornography is not only a product of abuse, but a method of grooming, control, and normalization that perpetuates silence and trauma. This session explores the complex intersection of intra-familial child sexual abuse (CSA), pornography production or exposure, and trafficking. It reveals how these systems of harm overlap and reinforce one another in ways that often go undetected, even by trained professionals. Drawing on survivor narratives and current research, we examine how pornography—particularly genres marketed as “amateur” and “gonzo”—mirrors real-life abuse and appeals to consumer desires for “raw” and “authentic” content. These genres frequently replicate or reflect actual exploitation, contributing to the normalization of violence and increasing demand for younger, more extreme material. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how familial pornography functions as both a tool of coercion and a commodity that feeds the global pornography industry. Survivors are often exposed to pornographic content early, then coerced into being filmed or participating in its production. This abuse is then memorialized, shared, and weaponized through threats of exposure. As a result, victims are silenced not just by fear and shame, but by the digital permanence of their exploitation. The session highlights how pornography is used to desensitize both victims and buyers, creating a feedback loop that escalates demand and deepens harm. It also addresses the unique challenges of identifying and responding to familial trafficking, including the emotional complexities of betrayal by caregivers and the legal and psychological barriers to disclosure. Grounded in trauma-informed frameworks, this 90-minute workshop will present real-world case studies and interdisciplinary insights. Participants will explore how pornography and trafficking converge in family systems, how to identify subtle red flags, and how to intervene through survivor-centered, multi-disciplinary approaches. Ultimately, this session calls attendees to look beyond the screen—and beyond the myth of stranger-danger—to recognize that trafficking and exploitation often begin at home. Through courageous conversations, survivor-led insights, and collaborative learning, participants will leave equipped to prevent, identify, and respond to familial exploitation with clarity, accountability, and compassion.