Question: What if a trafficked person consents, do you still call it human trafficking?
Powerlessness
Yes. Its still trafficking because the [consent] of trafficked victims becomes irrelevant. When the means of trafficking (example: coercion, luring, debt bondage etc) are used on most of these victims, they feel powerless.
But the important thing to remember is we have the power to stop this crime, or ignore it and allow it to grow.
Modern day slavery can be stopped, its just a matter of time. Victims are going to get rescued. They will be freed, they will be rehabilitated and they will heal. This will happen with or without you.
But wouldn't it feel good to help?
"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral." - Paulo Freire
Loren Landau (Prof.) is the Director of the Forced Migration Studies Programme (FMSP) at Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mr. Landau seems to think exaggerating the issue leads to criminalizing people who should be protected. I always thought it was the other way around, but to get a clearer perspective on the topic at hand I've emailed Mr. Landau about one of his comments in the article.
The comment had to do with conclusions about human trafficking during the 2006 World Cup in Germany - a country whose human trafficking laws are more established and concrete than South Africa's, but where prostitution is legal.
(CNN) -- South African Dr. Sonnet Ehlers was on call one night four decades ago when a devastated rape victim walked in. Her eyes were lifeless; she was like a breathing corpse.
"She looked at me and said, 'If only I had teeth down there,'" recalled Ehlers, who was a 20-year-old medical researcher at the time. "I promised her I'd do something to help people like her one day."
Ehlers is distributing the female condoms in the various South African cities where the World Cup soccer games are taking place.
"... To
distribute 30,000 free
devices under supervision
during the World Cup."
- Dr Sonnet Ehlers
The woman inserts the latex condom like a tampon. Jagged rows of teeth-like hooks line its inside and attach on a man's penis during penetration, Ehlers said.
Once it lodges, only a doctor can remove it -- a procedure Ehlers hopes will be done with authorities on standby to make an arrest.
Sunitha Krishnan, is a super hero to the lost. Recently she has become one of my favorite communicators, and not because of her oracle ability but because of her relatability.
Sunitha is co-founder of Prajwala, an organization focused on helping victims of sex trafficking find shelter and rehabilitation. She has helped more than 3,000 women and children, from ages 3 - 40, all being victims of sexual assault. In September of 2009 after being asked to speak, Sunitha decided to speak of 3 children who were sexually assaulted. Armed with nothing but cute photographs, she was able to touch the hearts of millions. During last years talk Sunitha took time to tell her own story and talk about why she is so passionate about helping the unfortunate, leaving us all to analyze our own actions, thoughts and intentions. While infront of business, government and NGO officials Sunitha used her platform to plead for help and to offer a new way of thinking, so that others can have a new way of life.
"Don't tell me one hundred ways how you can not respond to this problem. Can you apply your mind for that one way you can respond to the problem?"
"I'm asking you, in your limited world, can you open your mind, can you open your hearts ... not as charity but as human beings that deserve all of our support." - Sunitha Krishnan
“You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” - Isaiah 62:6-7
"We're talking about being intercessors and standing in the gap." - Bret Mavrich, Director of Abolition
Exodus Cry, an international anti-trafficking organization, sent a group of 14 to South Africa this month to help with the World Cup. Led by Blaire Pilkington, their mission is simple: outreach, initiate awareness and prayer.
Earlier this month John Barr, of Outside the Lines, spoke with E. Benjamin Skinner and Melanie Hamman on South Africa's issues with human trafficking leading up to the World Cup.
With a number of claims that 40,000 victims would be trafficked to South Africa because of the World Cup and the government's misleading actions in handling new laws to protect the victims of sex trafficking, was South Africa's government ready to stop and prevent human trafficking?
Here Tom Davis shares a moment in time. When people from around the world are getting ready to get their fill of the 2010 World Cup, South Africa's sex trade is as well.
On Monday I’m leaving with Hayden and Gideon to do ministry in South Africa and attend a few World Cup games. Children’s HopeChest is supporting several orphanage carepoints there and we’re looking at helping victims of human trafficking. Girls are being trafficked to South Africa right now at alarming rates. One of the interviews I’m doing is with the woman in this video who rescues these girls. Watch this, it’s quite disturbing. - Tom Davis, Beyond the Game
With the World Cup being the hottest event on the planet, its no secret that South Africa's government is looking to profit from an expected 500,000 foreigners, but so is their sex trade.
More than a year ago activists informed the South African government of the concern of a growing illegal sex trade during the World Cup. Laws to protect victims and prosecute their traffickers were some recommended action steps to take in their preparation. Well a new law was never passed and with no comprehensive law in place the big question now is, "what exactly is being done about sex trafficking during the 2010 World Cup?"
After the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Jackie Selebi, South Africa's National Police Commissioner had a great idea to prepare for the influx of soccer fans and party goers. While speaking to the Parliamentary Safety and Security Committee he was quoted as saying:
This weekend a Wall Street Journal article decided to used 3,000 words in an attempt to confuse readers about human trafficking during the 2010 World Cup.
I had the pleasure of reading an artilce this morning titled, Suspect Estimates of Sex Trafficking at the World Cup. It was filled with research and quotes about human trafficking during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but Carl Bialik also managed to misinform readers that the 40,000 persons trafficked, during the two most recent World Cup events, are bogus claims. He seems to think its a lot less. Well Numbers Guy, as you call yourself, here are some more numbers!
There has been word spread about men who buy sex since for as long as anyone can remember. The comment I heard most recently, and thought myself is, "if men knew the women they were paying to have sex with were trafficked, tricked, enslaved, and/or in danger by a pimp or trafficker, they wouldn't buy sex from these prostitutes". Well we were all wrong. A portion of an article states:
"The UK-based Poppy Project and U.S.-based Prostitution and Research Education Center teamed up to interview 103 men in London who had bought commercial sex. Of those men, 55% believed that the majority of women were lured, tricked, or trafficked into the sex industry unwillingly ..."
... and they still bought sex
"Additionally disturbing was the belief of many men that once a transaction of prostitution began, the woman no longer had a right to refuse sex."
The image to the right, while showing statistics on prostitution, link pornography to grooming tactics used by pimps. A link between the way pornography is viewed, and the viewer's image of sexual relations is expressed when someone purchases sexual services, a type of behavior that high-end escorts and call girls are not excluded from. While being abused by their pimps to stay loyal, prostitutes are also victims of the same abuse the 'porn star' is subjected to in free internet porn. What will it take to end this cycle?
The third step in combating the DEMAND of sex trafficking requires only one name: Ashton Kutcher. Earlier this month at the release of his new film, Killers, Ashton decided to make a small poster highlighting the words, "REAL MEN DON'T BUY GIRLS!!". It surprised me to see someone from Hollywood leading the fight against sex trafficking, but leave it to Ashton to be the first person to stand up and stand out! Not only is it real awareness, but its simple, easy and all of us can do it.
3.This third step allows you to be a little creative. Work with a local graphic design program at a university or college to create posters aimed at deterring individuals from purchasing sex, like the above. And even if you won't be appearing on any red carpets anytime soon, volunteer to help raise funds to print and exhibit the posters in your community. Or use some of the resources at caase.org/ to download poster designs there.
Ashton's statement is bold and entertaining (in a good way). But its also precise and direct. A perfect example to follow in raising awareness for trafficked victims everywhere.
The message is clear - PEOPLE SHOULD NEVER BE BROUGHT OR SOLD
STOP THE TRAFFIK is a growing global movement of individuals, communities and organisations fighting to PREVENT the sale of people, PROTECT the trafficked and PROSECUTE the traffickers.
"It is those who doubt and are blind that keep the world in blind ignorance and prevent civilization from protecting its motherhood." - Dr. Carle C. Quale
I'll tell you something crazy ... I believe we can stop the immoral sex trade. It won't be easy or even simple, but I believe we can do it. Because if you think about it, a lot of these problems start when someone is just a child. The trafficker joins a gang and the stronger the gang becomes, well trafficking young women to clientèle is just the next step. And then there's the victim. Very few choose their plight, but the majority want out, but don't know where to go for help, or they can't seem to stay clean, so the resources available do little.
So how do we do it? We use resources to help those that are hurting, yes. But we also use resources for the children. Make new resources, or more of the old ones, doesn't matter when you live in a country with unlimited supply. We make each other aware of problems, then do something significant towards a solution. The fact is, we can't wait another hundred years for someone to do it for us. Our girls can't wait ... our boys can't wait. Learn how to take action today ... and do something.
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered remarks on the release of the 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC.
The 10th annual Trafficking in Persons Report outlines the continuing challenges across the globe in the fight against modern day slavery. And for the first time the Report includes the United States. Clinton says the US is ranked based on the same standards as every other country. Clinton also says the Report is specific, and hopes that it will galvanize more action.
New York State Legislature has passed a bill that would let victims of human trafficking clear prostitution charges off their record.
Young women are often times lured or convinced to come to the New York area with promises of summer jobs or permanent work, but they find themselves coerced into prostitution. Many of these young women get arrested, charged with a crime even though they were forced to do the work against their will and released back to the hands of the traffickers.
Steve Jobs is clear on where Apple stands when it comes to porn. Apple will not sell porn. Apple will not be responsible for the distribution of porn to kids.
On one Friday night in May, a tech blogger decided to comment on one of Apples newest commercials used to describe the iPad - thin, beautiful packing, 200,000 aps and already a "revolution". The revolution also includes saying no to porn apps. This has of course upset a lot of free speech / adult industry / liberal advocates who, not to mention, are also customers of Apple products.
In April at a question-and-answer session at Apple’s iPhone OS 4 event, a journalist asked the CEO whether Apple would consider allowing customers to load apps through means other than the App Store, and Steve noted Android as an option for porn fans.
"You know, there's a porn store for Android." ... "You can download nothing but porn. You can download porn, your kids can download porn. That's a place we don't want to go, so we're not going to go there."
In the fight against human trafficking, the first question that you might ask is, "How does one "go after" the customer? ...", myself included.
Today is the second step in the HOW 2 Fight Demand series. This series includes ten steps; an arm full of actions that individuals or groups can do to fight the demand of sex trafficking. Visit the CAASE website to find the entire list and other related resources.
2.After you've got a good understanding of the role that the demand for commercial sex plays in prostitution, write "Letters to the Editor" and "Op-Eds" to newspapers that participate in victim blaming and hold them accountable for how they cover the issue. When you write, encourage them to highlight the role the demand pays in the harms experienced by individuals in the sex trade.
Today I wrap up my series on how to become celibate. This all started back in April when Lady Gaga said that it was better to be celibate than to risk getting the Aids virus. While on Mac's Viva Glam campaign, Lady Gaga came clean with the world about how she feels about sex and how her fans should follow in her foot steps.
"... I can’t believe I’m saying this – don’t have sex. I’m single right now and I’ve chosen to be single because I don’t have the time to get to know anybody. So it’s OK not to have sex ..."
The only thing is, she didn't teach us how to do; and thats where I come in. Over the past month or so I've filled readers in on how to become celibate. I say "become" because theres more to it than what you do; making the decision to practice celibacy sets your standard at a higher level automatically. Regardless of your past, you can instantly become a new person.
ACTOR / WRITER / FILM MAKER -After a phone conversation with Michael Cory Davis, one word I want to use to describe him is "passionate". Michael's first inspiration to join the crusade for traffick victims was because of a girl named Svetlana. Now with a new movie coming out this fall, find out what else has him excited. The end of this post includes bits of our conversation.
Michael is a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn to two Jamaican parents. As the middle of three children, Michael was raised in a very creative household with high academic standards. His journey into the world of the arts started from the young age of 9 where, at any given time, he was performing in school plays or writing and animating books. Michael received his first true thespian training in junior high school at Satellite West in Brooklyn, which led to his acceptance to the prestigious Fiorello H. Laguardia H.S For The Performing Arts.
"We highly recommend this film, not just in terms of acting and drama but because it also gives a very good representation of the issue of sex trafficking" Ruhama - an Irish NGO which works with women affected by prostitution.
"This unflinching, bleak drama has been achieved with a strong cast (in which Russell is oustanding), visual imagination and narrative flair on a very small budget." The Irish Times
Plot: The story is based around the central relationship between a newly arrived African migrant in Taiwo (Ruth Negga) and a Dublin-bred man-about-town in Keely (Karl Shiels). Theirs is a knotty association that is born of callous economic symbiosis, but which eventually grows to include a degree of mutual affection. However, Taiwo is a wanted woman, having escaped from the gangsters that brought her into the country, and it does not take the latter terribly long to track down their missing asset, with – you guessed it – predictably gritty results!
In response to a comment I saw online about teen prostitution, today I'm taking some time to describe where this type of behavior actually takes place.
Victims of sex trafficking are often found in the streets or working in establishments that offer commercial sex acts including, but not limited to brothels, strip clubs and pornography production houses. Such establishments may operate under the disguise of:
37-year-old Colin Anthony Dyer goes on trial this morning on charges of sexual battery on one woman, and human trafficking of her and another. He was one of four arrested last year in what the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office described as a sex trafficking ring.
Authorities at the time said Dyer's co-defendant, Kenyatta Cornelous, was the ringleader of a group that lured in young women, impressed them with a $600,000 house the men were renting in Treasure Island, and forced them into prostitution. Dyer is the first to come to trial. Cornelous' trial date has not been set.
The alleged victim of the rape is a woman who was older than 18 but under 21. Her name and exact age are not listed in court records.
She told attorneys in April that she was working as an exotic dancer in February 2009 and needed to move out of her apartment. She heard that a man named Kenyatta Cornelous "helped out girls that were down on their luck."
After several conversations with Cornelous, she also met Dyer, whom she called his "wing man." The men helped her sublet an apartment near 49th Street in St. Petersburg. She also visited Cornelous' house in Treasure Island, where there were several other women who appeared to be living with him.
Later, she said, Cornelous told her he could get her a job at Vegas Showgirls, 10570 Gandy Blvd. N, near St. Petersburg. It had more customers than the club where she was working at the time, "So I figured I'd give it a try."
Then, according to records, Cornelous explained the deal to her: "He was my, quote-unquote, 'Daddy.' I worked for him now. I would be working at the club six nights a week for 12- to 14-hour shifts. He explained to me the way that the VIP room works, like $275 for half an hour. You have to do whatever the gentleman requests, whether it's having sexual intercourse or just oral intercourse, whatever they want, they pay for it. The club supplies, you know, condoms and things like that, towels and stuff."
Chip Jones, manager of Vegas Showgirls, denied last week that there had been any prostitution in the club, and said the charges against Dyer, Cornelous and the others, "had nothing to do with us."
Colin Anthony Dyer
"There was never nothing done inside here," he said.
The woman said she also would have to give sex to Cornelous and his cohorts. "Pretty much they owned me."
Cornelous also told her Dyer "was my Uncle C and he would be taking care of me … until I was broken in or whatever," she said.
Kenyatta Cornelous
She was "incredulous," but she says they gave her a drink and she blacked out. When she awoke, she said she found tears and bleeding on parts of her body that indicated to her she had been raped. There was no way to get to a doctor. Ultimately, she says she lost her baby — she was in the first trimester.
The men, including Dyer, also gave her little blue pills — oxycodone — for the pain, she said. She ended up getting addicted.
She also said some of the men got angry one night and, "Kenyatta took me back in the bedroom of the Treasure Island house in the master bedroom and raped (another woman) and I." Another night, she said, Cornelous ordered her to give oral sex to Dyer. Another time, she said, Dyer raped her.
One night, she says, she and another woman started screaming "we're being kidnapped" and "help us." She says Dyer stopped them, at one point shutting the door on the other woman's finger.
Her break came when Cornelous needed her to get some new identification, which meant she had to call her father. She says Cornelous gave her a script of what to say, and watched closely as she made the call.
But another woman started "throwing a fit" about something, which distracted Cornelous, and gave her the chance to tell her father to "come save me."
She told him, "bring some money so you can pretend you're a customer."
So that night, she said, her father arrived at Vegas Showgirls as planned, acting like a customer, and said he was going to get her away from the club.
But she was worried about Cornelous. She told her father, "I'm scared that he's going to kill me."
They left anyway. "I didn't even get dressed, I didn't even put my street clothes on, I walked out of there with the bikini on and my 8-inch clear heels … and my dad was holding my hand, pulling me out the whole time."
When bouncers rushed out of the club and tried to stop them, she says her father told them: "This is my daughter. … If you try to stop us, I'll kill you."
Top leaders in South Africa's travel and tourism industry signed the Tourism Child Protection Code of Conduct - calling for zero tolerance of child exploitation.
JOHANNESBURG, 9 June 2010 - UNICEF applauded the South African tourism and hospitality industry for its significant commitment to put an end to child sex tourism. The Tourism Child Protection Code of Conduct is aimed at protecting children and to leaving an enduring legacy of good practice beyond the World Cup, which starts Friday 11 June.
"The contribution of the travel and tourism industry is [vital] to help stamp out child sexual exploitation. When it comes to the sexual exploitation of children, there can be no innocent bystanders. ... Effective child protection is only possible when all sectors of society were mobilised. Together, we must demonstrate [zero] tolerance of child exploitation and make South Africa a tourist destination that is safe for children." - Aida Germa, UNICEF Representative
Fourteen leading organisations in the South African travel, hotel and tourism industry have signified that they are behind the Code. They include AVIS, Hertz, Budget and Europcar; Sun International, Radisson, Protea Hotels and Tourvest. These companies have become signatories to The Code to help ensure that tourism facilities do not become havens for crimes against children.
Yesterday’s signing is also linked to a wider UNICEF-led national communication campaign ‘Let's Give a Red Card to Child Exploitation’ aimed at protecting children during the World Cup and beyond. Tens of thousands of visitors will find Red Card child protection information and referral numbers in their hotel rooms, rental cars and tour package dockets.
To date, nearly 1,000 companies in 35 countries have signed The Code. Tourism businesses that choose to sign The Code commit themselves to implement the following measures on an ongoing basis:
Establish an ethical corporate policy regarding sexual exploitation of children.
Train personnel in the country of origin and in destinations.
Introduce clauses in contracts with suppliers, stating a common repudiation of sexual exploitation of children.
Provide information to travellers (e.g. brochures, posters, in-flight videos, ticket slips, home pages, etc).
Provide information to local "key persons" at tourism destinations.
CelebritiesAshton Kutcher and Demi Moore aren't afraid to use their fame to make a difference. The Twitter enthusiast called out sex traffickers and the johns that support underage prostitution at the premiere ofKillersin Hollywood last night, hopefully giving pause to any red carpet gawkers who thoughtDemi Moore’s boytoy was totally into sex slaves. There’s no reason for desperate men to resort to horrifying criminal activity to meet attractive women, anyway—they can always go on one of Ashton’s reality shows!
Shelley is also a former porn actress fighting tirelessly against the pornography industry which affects most of the world in a destructive way. Unrelenting in the cause of human rights, Shelley is passionate to educate people all around the world about the abusive and illegally operating porn industry as well as inspire the world to stop viewing pornography and stop contributing to the destruction of men and women who are being abused daily in the pornography industry.
Shelley's message: PORN IS NOT GLAMOROUS.
Because of the huge epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, drugs and prostitution, and abuse toward adult industry workers with lack of help available, Shelley and her husband Garrett founded the Pink Cross Foundation, a nonprofit public benefit corporation created to reach out to adult industry workers offering emotional, financial and transitional support for those who want out of porn and the sex industry.
Shelley has been working with adult industry workers since 2002 when she began volunteering as a teacher and counselor at local rescue missions and prisons in the State of California. She has worked at Madera Rescue Mission, Bakersfield Rescue Mission, Central California Women's Facility Prison, and Valley State Prison for Women and has traveled throughout the United States as a speaker and counselor on the negative effects of pornography at various recovery programs, churches and secular organizations. Shelley and her team have worked with thousands of people struggling with pornography addiction in the Pink Cross Foundation Help Forums as well as reach out to thousands of porn stars and sex workers through outreach and individualized care packages.
A former stripper, prostitute and pornographic actress in the 80's and 90's, Shelley suffered major negative effects of the pornography industry and was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depressive Disorder, Impulse Control Disorder and substance abuse due to years of trauma from the sex industry.
In 1994, she was infected with the non-curable disease Genital Herpes while making a pornographic film and later developed early cervical cancer. Shelley had three unexpected pregnancies from prostitution acts, two ending in miscarriages. Later, with her husband, she had an Entopic pregnancy and a third miscarriage. FOUR total pregnancy losses. Shelley understands very well how destructive the pornography industry is.
After finding God through Christianity and enduring eight hard years of recovery at the Champion's Center in Tacoma, Washington, Shelley was able to live a normal healthy Champion life.
Shelley received her Bachelor's of Theology degree at Vision International University in California on December 7, 2009 and is an ordained Chaplain with the Order of Saint Martin.
Shelley has attended Pierce College in Tacoma Washington for her general academics, Wisdom For Life Leadership School in Tacoma Washington and Harvestime International Bible College where she received a Christian Workers Certificate in Biblical Studies in 2003. Shelley majors in Theology and minors in Creative Writing.
Shelley is also the executive director of Pink Cross Foundation, a non-profit organization that reaches out to porn stars and sex workers to help them rebuild their lives as well as helping those who struggle with porn addiction.
Shelley enjoys raising her daughters, cooking, reading about great Reformers, sharing the good news and inspiring people to never give up and is extremely involved in missionary and social work.
Shelley speaks knowledgeably on such topics as the secondary negative effects of prostitution and pornography, the truth behind the porn industry, legislation concerning adult entertainment, how to overcome pornography addiction, the risks and effects of sex work, sex education and other subjects to include Theology, Christianity,and more.
Shelley Lubben is an experienced media guest and has appeared on various radio and TV shows, including: Dr. Phil, MTV, VH1, the 700 Club, Daystar and more. She is a captivating speaker who can provide a PG or R rated version of her story, depending on your audience. She has spoken for both secular and Christian venues.
To learn more about Shelley please visit her personal web site at www.shelleylubben.com or watch videos of Shelley speaking on the videos page.
It is believed that the process of international sex trafficking begins and ends with the demand for women and children. Pimps need women and girls so they go to a person that can provide them. This theory is popular with traffickers around the globe where they are know to take advantage of poverty stricken areas, unemployment and a desire for better opportunities - this is also a domestic issue.
With traffickers acting as power brokers for any pimp with a thriving organization, the demand for these services is the real fuel or motivation for this supply chain. And the solution is simple: "If there were no customers, there would be no prostitution". After today you'll know who those customers are and who else is responsible for taking what used to be a business for outcasts to the second most profitable criminal act in the world.
I. A Joint Effort
"The crucial factor in determining where trafficking will occur is the presence and activity of traffickers, pimps and collaborating officials running criminal operations ... Corruption of government officials and police is necessary for trafficking and exploitation of large amounts of women and children ... Prostitution operations depend on attracting men. Pimps and brothel owners have to advertise to men that women and children are available for commercial sex acts. Officials have to ignore this blatant advertising."
II. The Who's Who of Demand
There are four parts of the demand cycle. the men that buy commercial sex, the exploiters who make up the sex industry, the states that are destination countries for victims, and the culture that promotes or tolerates sexual exploitation of men women and children.
Men, known for purchasing sex acts to meet their emotional needs (not physical needs) say that even though they purchase sex over and over they feel unsatisfied. Often times these men will have little respect for women. They want the kind of control in a sexual encounter that does not require them to be nice or polite. They can humiliate, degrade and hurt the woman or child, if they want.
The exploiters include traffickers, pimps, business owners of commercial sex establishments (strip clubs, brothels, massage parlors etc ...) and corrupt officials all make money selling sex as a commodity. Although domestic sex traffickers and organized crime groups have received the most publicity, if they were all locked up this would still be a big problem.
In every state, the wealthy have control over how prostitution and trafficking is handled. With that said, its easy for poorer and less powerful countries to be influenced by corrupt officials and or organized crime groups. In the United States government officials are now in the process of admitting responsibility for the problem of sex trafficking, but without opposing the exploitation of women in prostitution to only opposing the worst violence and crime. Internationally, prostitution has been raised to sex work, allowing women and children to be smuggled across borders. This only leads to the recommendation to legalize prostitution to solve the problem; which then leads to a conversation about the tax revenue that the government would gain.
Also, when the prostitution business is booming, government officials become jealous of the criminal's cash flow, thinking they aren't getting their share.
Stormy Daniels, former porn actress running in Louisiana Senate election
Finally, the culture, or mass media, plays the biggest role of all in normalizing prostitution by painting a picture of glamor and a way to make a lot of fast cash. Girls and even women see themselves becoming independent, liberated and empowered.
"In the battle against a worldwide sex trade, the voice of moral authority that condemns all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse is being lost." - Donna Hughes, Professor
To learn how to fight the demand of sexual exploitation follow my new series of posts to know how to take the first step. In the meantime, check out for yourself how the demand cycle works in the video clip below. It includes an overseas venue for rich foreigners, a wealthy and violent pimp, and also an expensive house party for a young American male. It reveals how normal this truly is.
Be warned: this video clip also includes rape and some profanity. Please watch it at your own discretion.
A few months ago on Facebook I was asked some questions about an article from the Chicago Tribune's Mary Schmich. The article was about sex trafficking in America and it included quotes about targeting the "demand side" of the crime. I thought the article was very interesting but the comment I received later caught my attention even more. It goes as follows:
"I read about stopping HT yet, I am flummoxed on the practical application. For instance, in the Mary Schmich article I read, ""You have to make it very expensive and unhappy for the customer," she said. "We've got to punish men who are buying sex from children. We have to stop normalizing it."
"That means going after the customer and making it clear that here in Chicago we're not going to put up with this."
How does one "go after" the customer? How does one actively "make it expensive" - fines and prison time?
My only problem with it was I didn't have an answer. After asking around I realized just how uncommon this answer really is.
So today I'm starting a series about how a normal citizen like yourself can fight the demand of sex trafficking. Before I get started I want to recognize The Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation. Their website provided material for this series and they are also an example for any organization to follow or join in the fight against sexual exploitation, to include sex trafficking.
Underage teen prostitute
1.Ok, the first thing a person can do is understand the role that the demand for commercial sex plays in prostitution. Be vigilant about refocusing conversations about prostitution away from blaming the woman to holding the people purchasing sex accountable for their actions. Challenge people in your friendship circle to stop patronizing sex trade venues. Highlight how practices that have become socially acceptable, such as hiring women to strip at bachelor parties or going to strip clubs, can be harmful and serve to normalize the exploitation aspects of the sex trade.
This step takes us out of our comfort zones the first day. Most of the time when we think of how we can take a stand against sex traffick, we think of someone else and not our friends. But this proves that everyone is in a position to take action. I encourage you to take the first step and watch how people realize you took a stand when they didn't. I think a lot of us are going to be surprised at the results!
"If there were no customers, there would be no prostitution."
A young lady describes how after meeting a man on the internet, he lured her into turning tricks on the streets of Hawaii.
19-year old "Robyn", whose voice is altered and her face hidden to protect her identity, tells Hawaii news what was supposed to be a friendly encounter, quickly landed her in a life of forced prostitution.
"I was raised in a good family, I went to church, I went to school, graduated high school with honors, and had five scholarships to any school I wanted to go to" said "Robyn".
Because of stories like Robyn's, Hawaii is in the process of creating a new law, Senate Bill 2045, which would bring new and specific charges for pimps like the man described by Robyn. It would also allow for a witness protection program.
