Local Campaign Against Sexual Exploitation


Artemis Fund, Inc. joins other local social justice groups and progressive individuals throughout the Pioneer Valley (MA) to call on the Valley Advocate to take social responsibility and drop its ads for massage/escort services. With growing public awareness of the violence inherent in the sex industry and the problem of global trafficking, community objection is increasing towards ads in the Advocate that promote exploitative and potentially illegal activities that harm the most vulnerable in our communities.

Many of the massage/escort ads in the Advocate blatantly promote prostitution or use coded language like "g," "gfe," and "greek" which have been deciphered to mean "sex without condoms" or "anal sex" by various sources. Other ads in the Advocate advertise sexual services by "exotic" and "foreign" women, raising concerns about sex trafficking and the sexual exploitation of vulnerable immigrants.

These dangerous and irresponsible ads cannot be taken lightly in an ever increasing globalized society in which prostitution and trafficking are often intricately linked and are victimizing greater and greater numbers. Today, trafficking human beings for sexual exploitation, labor, and domestic servitude is the third fastest growing illegal enterprise. The United States is the second highest destination in the world for trafficked women, with an estimated 17,500 women being smuggled in every year.

Few activities are as brutal and damaging to people as prostitution. Extensive studies attest to the fact that prostitution is not a victimless crime. Numerous factors push women into a life of prostitution, particularly a lack of economic options and childhood sexual abuse. Field research in nine countries concluded that 60-75% of women in prostitution were raped, 70-95% percent were physically assaulted, 68% met the criteria for post traumatic stress disorder in the same range as treatment-seeking combat veterans and victims of state-organized crime, and 92% stated that they wanted to escape prostitution immediately. In another study, 75% of women in escort prostitution had attempted suicide. Prostituted women comprised 15% of all completed suicides reported by hospitals.

Progressive groups and individuals throughout the Pioneer Valley are asking the Advocate to cease profiting from the commercial sexual exploitation of women and children. Groups in other regions and states have succeeded in getting local papers to remove ads associated with sexual exploitation. In New York City, the National Organization for Women has successfully persuaded over a dozen publications to sign an anti-trafficking pledge "Trafficking Free, NYC!" and stop publishing ads that advertise illegal massage parlors and promote prostitution. Local groups and citizens committed to social justice in the Pioneer Valley are calling on the Advocate to follow suit.


Take Action



Please join us in urging the Valley Advocate to demonstrate social responsibility and drop its massage/escort ads. It is time for the Valley Advocate to stop sacrificing journalistic ethics and integrity in exchange for the almighty advertising dollar. Let's come together as a community and demand "People before Profits!"

  • Write letters to the Advocate urging them to drop massage/escort ads. Click here to view a sample letter and get addresses.
  • Sign the campaign postcards to Advocate editor Tom Vannah, Publisher Aaron Julien, and CEO/President Tom Brown and get your family and friends to do the same. Contact us and we'll send you a stack of postcards.
  • Sign on as a public supporter of the campaign as an individual or a group, business, or organization.
  • Spread the word about the campaign by talking to friends and family and distributing materials.
  • Donate time, money, and skills to the campaign.

Learn More


Prostitution Research & Education (PRE) conducts research on prostitution, pornography and trafficking, and offers education and consultation to researchers, survivors, the public and policymakers.
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-International (CATW) is a non-governmental organization that promotes women's human rights by working internationally to combat sexual exploitation in all its forms.
Lola Greene Baldwin Foundation helps people escape the life of prostitution, survive, and recover from its long-term effects. It also provides education about the effects of the sex industry on those used in it, and its effects on the larger community.
NYC-NOW's "Trafficking Free, NYC" Campaign Success: New York Press drops massage/escort ads.
Sweden's Prostitution Solution: Why Hasn't Anyone Tried This Before? Article that looks at the Swedish model on prostitution which decriminalizes the selling of sex, but maintains the criminalization of pimps, johns, and traffickers.
NoPornNorthampton aims to increase awareness about the impact of pornography and sexual exploitation on people and communities. NPN's website offers extensive information and resources, including 500+ articles.