By Qamar Bashir
The global crisis of sexual exploitation did not happen by chance. It was the direct consequence of a single legal decision: the June 21, 1973 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Miller v. California, which legalized the distribution and marketing of adult content under the guise of free speech. This decision unleashed a monster that grew unchecked, embedding itself into cultures, economies, and digital landscapes worldwide. Today, we are living with the consequences of that decision, and unless the root cause is reversed, no legal reform, including the recently passed TAKE IT DOWN Act, will be enough to stop the damage.
The pornography industry is not a small fringe sector—it is a global behemoth. Estimates put its annual revenue between $97 billion and $100 billion. In the United States alone, the industry contributes between $12 and $20 billion to the economy. In California, over 50,000 individuals work in the porn sector, from performers to production crews. This industry thrives on the exploitation of women, children, and marginalized communities—turning human intimacy into a commodity for mass consumption.
The online adult entertainment market, valued at $76 billion in 2024, is projected to exceed $118 billion by 2030. Cable and satellite providers also profit enormously, retaining up to 80% of pay-per-view revenues from adult content. And this is not a phenomenon confined to the United States. The ripple effects of America’s legal precedent have spread worldwide, creating industries of sexual exploitation in vulnerable countries.
Thailand: Once known for its cultural heritage, Thailand has become a global hub for sex tourism. Thousands of women and children, often trafficked, are trapped in an industry catering to foreign demand, particularly from Western countries.
Philippines: The country faces an epidemic of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC). Tens of thousands of minors are coerced into performing explicit acts in front of webcams, with paying customers predominantly in the U.S. and Europe. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reported over 30,000 cases of OSEC in a single year.
India: With weak enforcement and a booming digital market, India is grappling with millions of cases of non-consensual intimate images, sextortion, and revenge porn. Victims, predominantly women, face lifelong stigma and psychological trauma.
Pakistan: The impact of legalized pornography has been profound. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority reported that approximately 20 million Pakistanis attempt to access pornographic websites daily, despite government bans. In 2023, the NGO Sahil documented 4,253 cases of child abuse, with over half involving sexual abuse. Additionally, the U.S. State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report identified 20,809 sex trafficking victims in Pakistan, including 921 children.
Africa: Trafficking networks in Nigeria, South Africa, and other regions have expanded, with victims—especially minors—coerced into sex work. Human trafficking for sexual exploitation is now one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises across the continent.
Europe: The European Union reported over 10,000 victims of human trafficking in a single year, with the majority subjected to sexual exploitation. Eastern Europe, in particular, has become a pipeline for trafficking women into Western markets.
United States: Despite its legal protections, the U.S. is far from immune. The National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 15,299 victims in 2022, with 5,572 cases involving sex trafficking. The FBI has flagged an alarming rise in cases of child exploitation linked to online pornography.
Globally, the University of Edinburgh estimates that over 300 million children are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse annually. In the UK alone, reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material surged by 380% in a single year. These statistics are not just numbers—they are lives shattered, futures stolen, and human dignity erased.
This is the landscape in which the TAKE IT DOWN Act was introduced. The Act, passed in December 2024 and signed into law by Trump on 19th of May 2025 was championed by First Lady Melania Trump aimed at criminalizing the distribution of non-consensual intimate images, including deepfakes, and requires platforms to remove such content within 48 hours of notification. It is a necessary step, but let us be honest—it is not enough. The law addresses the symptoms of the problem, not its cause.
The real issue is that the legal framework created by Miller v. California remains intact. As long as pornography—whether consensual, adult, or otherwise—is legally protected and commercially distributed, the monster will continue to thrive. The victims, especially in poorer nations, will not have the resources, knowledge, or legal access to seek redress. They will remain trapped in a system that profits from their suffering.
It is not practical to expect millions of exploited individuals across the globe to navigate complex legal systems to have their images removed. Laws like the TAKE IT DOWN Act are reactive; they respond after the harm is done. By then, the damage—psychological, reputational, and financial—is irreversible.
What is needed is a complete reversal of the 1973 decision. Pornography, in all its forms—whether adult, consensual, or otherwise—must be outlawed. This is not about censorship or prudery; it is about common sense and basic human decency. It is about dismantling an industry that profits from the exploitation of the vulnerable, the normalization of deviance, and the destruction of societal values.
The numbers speak for themselves. The global sex trade, fueled by legalized pornography, is estimated to involve over 25 million people, with children—both girls and boys—making up a significant portion of the exploited. Human trafficking for sexual purposes alone is a $99 billion industry. These figures represent not just economic data but a moral failure on a global scale.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act is a step in the right direction, but unless we confront the root cause—the legal and commercial normalization of pornography—the exploitation will continue. The world must learn from America’s mistake, not repeat it. It is time for countries to outlaw pornography entirely, dismantle the legal frameworks that protect it, and take decisive action to protect their citizens—especially the most vulnerable.
This is not a call for censorship; it is a call for sanity. A call to protect the fundamental dignity of the human person, to stop treating bodies as commodities, and to halt an industry that has done untold harm. The TAKE IT DOWN Act has opened the door. Now, the world must walk through it and finish the job.
By Qamar Bashir
Press Secretary to the President (Rtd)
Former Press Minister at the Embassy of Pakistan to France
Former MD, SRBC
Macomb, Michigan, USA
