Laila Mickelwait, Founder and CEO of the Justice Defense Fund, is the driving force behind the Traffickinghub movement, a global initiative supported by millions aimed at holding Pornhub accountable for monetizing and globally distributing child sexual abuse, rape, trafficking, and other forms of nonconsensual image-based abuse. Since 2006, Laila has been a relentless advocate against sex trafficking, establishing herself as a leading expert in the field.
The Traffickinghub movement is a decentralized and diverse effort to hold Pornhub and its executives accountable for complicity in mass sexual crime, bring justice to victims, and implement preventative policy. To amplify and advance this cause, Laila authored the national bestselling book “Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape, and Sex Trafficking”, published by Penguin Random House in July, chronicling her tireless battle for justice on behalf of countless victims. The book delves into the stories of many victims as they came forward, the testimony of company insiders, and the ongoing legal battles stemming from the egregious actions of Pornhub’s owners and executives, highlighting the dangerous consequences of unchecked user-generated content. With each page, readers are drawn into a chilling narrative, witnessing firsthand the making of a global fight that challenges our views on the dangers of a world dominated by a lack of accountability for abusers. As this true story unfolds in the courts today, "Takedown" invites readers to join a movement that is shaping the future of internet safety.
In “Takedown,” Laila Mickelwait confronts the systemic exploitation perpetuated by Pornhub, propelling a global legal battle to reshape internet safety and justice. The book was conceived as a tool to galvanize public support, and increase pressure on lawmakers and government officials to end impunity for Pornhub and all corporations who engage in this type of abuse. Through gripping storytelling and investigative rigor, Laila describes how she employed a multifaceted strategy that resonated globally.
Crafting a narrative that combined dense factual evidence with a gripping, true-crime storytelling style was a challenge. This approach was crucial to appeal to a mainstream audience, engage readers, and raise awareness for audiences who may not normally be drawn to a book about human trafficking. To achieve this, the story was presented in the first person and present tense, immersing readers in a compelling journey of discovery to meet victims and whistleblowers and witness the crimes firsthand, helping them emotionally connect to the issue. Reviewers have noted that the book reads like a true crime thriller, which was precisely the goal.
By harnessing the power of social media, Mickelwait continues to share her findings with her followers and beyond to turn individual shock and outrage from these crimes into a unified call for sweeping consequences and reforms. The impact of "Takedown" has been amplified through extensive media coverage by The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Newsweek, The Sunday Times, TIME, and Katie Couric Media, among others, bringing this critical issue to the forefront of public consciousness.
"Takedown" not only exposes the atrocities enabled by Pornhub but also provides a roadmap for change, emphasizing mandatory age and consent verification, legislative action, and accountability for platforms hosting user-generated pornography. Laila’s work is further enriched by survivor stories, which help humanize the issue of online exploitation and serve as a rallying cry for justice and support.
The organization that Laila co-founded, the Justice Defence Fund (JDF), aims to end impunity for abusers, bring justice to victims and advocate for preventative policies. The organization works to achieve these objectives with a team of advocates, therapists, social workers, attorneys, policy specialists, and PR experts. JDF is dedicated to making the internet safer for generations to come.
The Traffickinghub movement has seen significant success, with over 2.3 million petition signatures from every country in the world that helped generate thousands of media articles, along with participation from hundreds of survivors and 600 organizations. Because of the movement, Pornhub was forced to remove 91% of its unverified and illegal content (The site took down over 50 million images and videos) in what Financial Times called “the biggest takedown of content in internet history.” Pornhub was criminally charged by the U.S. government for profiting from sex trafficking, cut off by Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, lost all mainstream advertisers, its CEO and COO were forced to resign, and nearly 300 victims have sued the company in 25 lawsuits, including multiple class actions on behalf of tens of thousands of child victims.
The book trailer about the movement earned over 20 million views across social media and “Takedown” quickly became a USA TODAY, Associated Press, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller in the first week of publication, driving increased awareness and petition signatures. 100% of the proceeds from book sales are being donated to the Justice Defense Fund to advance this important cause.
The Justice Defense Fund exists to be a lighthouse to survivors of image based sexual abuse and has supported hundreds of survivors who have reached out as a result of the Traffickinghub movement’s success. Since the book’s launch there has been a significant increase in the number of survivors who are reaching out for help.
