ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I outline sexual trafficking as I see it depicted in the book of Esther. I argue that sexual exploitation begins in Esther 1 when Vashti is summoned to endure the sexualized gaze of the king and his inebriated male peers. Further, I point out that Vashti’s punishment for refusal to acquiesce is connected to and results in a legalized sexual trafficking enterprise that is facilitated in the second chapter. I identify the process, means, and goals, as well as the parties involved in sex trafficking economies. I then analyze themes and terminologies central to trafficking, such as beauty/beautification, law, circuits, hotspots, silence, naming/namelessness, characteristics of traffickers, luring, and recruitment tactics among other factors that contribute to vulnerability.
