Above from: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Bed Series: An Intimate Look Behind the Scenes at a Paris Brothel (1890s)
This is making the local news in Portland:
Toronto man arraigned in Portland for leading sex trafficking network: PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A Canadian man was extradited to the U.S. and arraigned in federal court in Oregon on Friday for leading an international sex trafficking organization in the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Excerpt:
Court documents say Chen (from Toronto) led a sex trafficking organization that recruited women, primarily from China, to travel to other countries for prostitution.
Authorities said this trafficking network had a “’boss’” in charge of a brothel in hotels or apartments in multiple cities. They also said, dispatchers would schedule dates with the women.
More than 30,000 phone numbers and records were found in a computer program by law enforcement. They said Chen also promoted prostitution in Portland, Tigard and Beaverton.
On November 15, 2018, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Chen along with four co-conspirators—40-year-old Weixuan Zhou, also known as Marco Zhou, of Guangzhou, China; 36-year-old Yan Wang also known as Sarah Wang, of Temecula, California; and 35-year-old Chaodan Wang, and 38-year-old Ting Fu, both of Beaverton. They were also charged with racketeering.
Since the leader of this ring was operating from Canada the following is worth noting:
Prostitution in Canada is legal with strict regulations. Under the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, it is legal to communicate with the intention of selling sex; however, it is illegal to communicate with the intention of buying sex and illegal to purchase sex services. It is legal for sex workers to advertise their own services, but not others' services. It is also illegal to sell sex near any area where a minor (under 18) could reasonably be expected to be present, such as schools, playgrounds, etc. These are just a few of the provisions in the law. From Countries Where Prostitution is Legal.
This is in part a story about how slowly the wheels of justice can turn considering Chen and four co-conspirators were indicted by a federal grand jury in Portland On November 15, 2018. It also is a story that hits close to home since I live in a Portland, Oregon suburb and often find myself in the nearby cities of Beaverton and Tigard.
Of greater import is the question as to whether the fact that prostitution and various kinds of sex work being illegal leads to far more hardship and to the exploitation of women significantly more than it would if it was legal and strictly, reasonably, and fairly regulated.
There were 30,000 men in the computer records of the prostitution operation reported on in the recent news. This means that 30,000 men in various cities across the country felt the need to avail themselves of the services of just these prostitutes. To put that in perspective, consider that Deborah Jeane Palfrey, otherwise known as the DC Madam, had 10,000 to 15,000 phone numbers in her records.
While the studies about men paying women who make their living as prostitutes are a decade old there’s no reason to believe the statistics have changed significantly:
When the Kinsey report on male sexual behavior was published in 1948, it revealed among its then-scandalous findings that up to 69 percent of American men had paid for sex at some point in their lives.
Since then, the notion of the "john next door" has been perpetuated in pop culture, and even in some recent studies. But new research drawing on a large-scale nationally representative sample of men shows that frequenting prostitutes is not actually all that ordinary in the United States.
About 14 percent of American men said they paid for sex at some point in their lives, but just 1 percent said they visited a prostitute in the past year (2010), according to the study, which is, in part, based on data collected as part of the General Social Survey by researchers at the National Opinion Research Center. Reference: What Kind of Men Go to Prostitutes?
Prostitution is only legal in the United States in 10 counties in Nevada. This is from the same website as above:
Where is prostitution legal in the United States? Prostitution is illegal everywhere in the U.S. except for 10 counties in Nevada. Brothels are permitted in counties where prostitution is legal, and both brothels and prostitutes are subject to federal income taxes. Prostitution is illegal in the remaining Nevada counties: Clark, Douglas, Eureka, Lincoln, Pershing, and Washoe. Las Vegas and Reno are located within Clark and Washoe county, respectively, meaning prostitution is illegal in both cities. Nonetheless, the majority of prostitution in Nevada occurs illegally in Reno and Las Vegas.
This is from A Safer Nevada:
Turning Interest Into Action
Dealing with the challenges of today requires problem-solvers who bring different perspectives and are willing to take risks. A Safer Nevada emerged out of a pursuit to inspire and support the community, and a desire for actions to speak louder than words. Most people agree that prostitution (we refer to it as "sex work") should be decriminalized or legalized in some form, but nobody ever does anything about it...except us.
Established in 2021, we’re a Political Action Committee created specifically for the express purpose of decriminalizing sex work in Nevada. Our PAC is registered with the Nevada Secretary of State and thus we are allowed to collect donations and campaign.
We are driven by progressive ideas, bold actions, and we hope to build a strong foundation of support.
This all opens the question as to whether prostitution and other forms of sex work should be legal and strictly regulated in a fair and reasonable manner to protect those engaging in it in the United States. What do you think? Take the poll.
Sunday, Feb 20, 2022 · 8:24:29 PM +00:00 · HalBrown
Afterthought:
Those engaged in sex work need to feel secure enough so that if they are exploited or abused they don’t hesitate to go to the police. The police must treat them with respect and aggressively go after the perpetrators who if and when caught will be prosecuted as if they committed the same offense against any other victim.