Isolation and Support Dynamics among Women in a Pimp-Based Commercial Sex Ring

Author: Unger, Leslie; Doychak, Kendra & Raghavan, Chitra

Abstract: Women involved in commercial sex rings are often isolated, with only each other as their primary social supports. Such relationships are marked by competition and distrust, promoting women’s belief that only the trafficker can be trusted. In a novel longitudinal case study, using a grounded theory approach and network analysis, we analyzed the social dynamics of four women and two pimps. Data were derived from approximately 200 wiretapped conversations – ranging from two to 56 minutes – recorded over a four-month period. Results indicated that women were isolated, engaged in unsafe and unreliable social networks, and controlled hierarchically by the pimp and horizontally by other women. Our most important and unexpected findings centered on how coercive control was maintained successfully with minimal pimp control. Previously unrecognized tactics of coercive control directed by the pimp, such as push-pull dynamics, emerged and warrant future research. These results further our understanding of coercive control and the power pimps exercise over victims, even when not present. Increasing this understanding is critical for influencing more just policy, shifting from criminalizing women involved in commercial sex to understanding the impact of coercive control and compliance. These results can empower the women and enlighten policymakers and advocates.

Keywords: sex trafficking, commercial sex, coercive control, social support, pimps, victims