Female sex workers aren’t the only ones who have felt victimized. Pimps reported that the media stereotypes them as violent, even though they do admit to using physical abuse as punishment. They also said they view “pimp” as an offensive term.

An investigation of the sex trade in eight major United States cities uncovered this information as well as other findings. The study aimed to reveal the scale and size of this underground system. Researchers held over 250 interviews with law enforcement officers, pimps, lawyers, child pornographers and prostitutes.

The study found that the going rate for prostitutes was the same across the country, about $150 an hour. Pimps said they could charge more for a white woman and a younger woman, and that they believed involvement in the sex trade posed a low risk as long as they left minors alone. 

Sex work can be profitable (the pimps interviewed earned between $5,000 and $32,833 per week), but workers report high operating expenses. For example, one pimp in San Diego paid a hotel $24,000 and another dropped $3,000 to $4,000 a week on shopping trips for employees. 

And like many other industries, the sex trade has been affected by the recession. Sex workers have dropped prices and added packages, such as Veterans Day specials, according to Atlanta law enforcement.

Child pornography is one area of the underground sex trade that does not bring in a profit. It is usually traded for free online. For this reason, perpetrators described it as a “victimless crime” because their money isn’t funneled into the drug trade or supporting any other illegal activity. 

But in other fields of sex trade, the benefits extend to other industries. Pimps, brothels and escort services pay drivers, nannies and secretaries to keep their business efficient.

The Justice Department commissioned the report to gain more insight into fighting underground sex work.

Read about other findings here.

Reach Executive Producer Anne Artley here