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This week, he is answering readers' questions for The Times. Here's a query concerning whether it is possible to end sex trafficking. I thought his answer was worth sharing.
Q. How in heaven's name can sex trafficing of young women and girls be halted? It is outrageous that all over the world such abuse continues.
— Dr. James D. Fett
— Dr. James D. Fett
A. The crucial step to end sex trafficking, as with ending traditional slavery in the 19th century, is to shine a light on it. Once people are aware of it, then public pressure builds to 
end it. So it's important to build a movement to call attention to the abuses, and a number of organizations on left and right are doing that.
One of the impediments, however, is the distrust between left and right. They often disagree about what should be done with prostitution by consenting adults, and so they spar over that — instead of focusing on the huge common ground, the shared belief that no 14-year-old should be kidnapped and forced by a pimp to have sex with customers. My view is that we should focus on the common ground, because if the two sides can work together there'll be far more progress on eliminating child prostitution.
I've seen that progress is possible. In Cambodia, when I first reported on this subject, 10-year-olds were being sold openly to the highest bidder. These days, brothel-owners can go to jail for trafficking in girls, and so they're more careful about keeping younger girls and about keeping them against their will. One brothel owner I interviewed many times over the years found that her profit margins were eroding, and the risk of going to prison was rising, so she closed the brothel and opened a grocery store instead. That's what needs to happen on a broader scale.
end it. So it's important to build a movement to call attention to the abuses, and a number of organizations on left and right are doing that.One of the impediments, however, is the distrust between left and right. They often disagree about what should be done with prostitution by consenting adults, and so they spar over that — instead of focusing on the huge common ground, the shared belief that no 14-year-old should be kidnapped and forced by a pimp to have sex with customers. My view is that we should focus on the common ground, because if the two sides can work together there'll be far more progress on eliminating child prostitution.
I've seen that progress is possible. In Cambodia, when I first reported on this subject, 10-year-olds were being sold openly to the highest bidder. These days, brothel-owners can go to jail for trafficking in girls, and so they're more careful about keeping younger girls and about keeping them against their will. One brothel owner I interviewed many times over the years found that her profit margins were eroding, and the risk of going to prison was rising, so she closed the brothel and opened a grocery store instead. That's what needs to happen on a broader scale.
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