Demandforum.net, a website officially introduced on Tuesday by Abt Associates, is the first venue to offer comprehensive information on the more than 900 city and county initiatives in the U.S that aim to combat prostitution by getting men to stop buying sex.
“It takes three conditions to keep a market flourishing: supply, demand and distribution,” Abt Associates said in a press release unveiling the Demandforum.net website. “Eliminate demand from the equation, and the market collapses--even if it's the age-old business of prostitution.”
"Businesses can't stay afloat if they don't have buyers, and that's what these efforts are about in over 900 U.S. communities--discouraging men from buying sex," said Michael Shively, Ph.D., developer of the website and senior associate in Abt's U.S. Health Division.
The idea to build the website was a result of Abt's nationwide assessment of sex trafficking demand-reduction efforts conducted for the National Institute of Justice. The site features a map of the U.S. with markers over areas of the country where anti-demand tactics programs are offered.
"We found hundreds of programs in the U.S. that were targeting the demand for commercial sex but most were operating in isolation,” Shively said. “Staff from one program didn't often know about other programs in a neighboring state. We found through our research that police and community organizations and other stakeholders interested in ending sex trafficking and prostitution welcome the opportunity to learn what others were doing, and to share their information as well."
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