I'm a day late in getting started, but here we go... (Originally posted at http://minneapolitanmademoiselle.blogspot.com/)
Welcome to the first in a series of 16 blog posts, one for each of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign. These posts are intended to provide a little information on the selected topic or on something interesting related to the topic, such as innovative ideas or efforts to address the topic. I am by no means an expert on all of the topics that I will be writing about, but I do a bit of research before I take to the keyboard. Please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments.
Note: Given the theme of the Days of Activism, my own interests and the research I've been able to find, much of this post will focus on the trafficking of girls.
We've all heard stories about sex trafficking, those horrible tales of young girls being sold or kidnapped and working in filthy brothels in India or Thailand.
But that's not the whole story.
The reality is that sex trafficking of women and girls is happening right here in the cities and towns of America. A recent film, Sex and Money, follows a group of young-ish photo journalists as they travel around the country, interviewing federal agents, victims, politicians, activists, psychologists, porn-stars, and many others, about the issue of domestic minor sex trafficking. They talk about the state of this type of trafficking, how it often works and what can and should be done to end it, among other topics. I thought it was a well-made film and a good introduction to the problem of domestic minor sex trafficking here in the U.S. Enough with the film review, now onto the real heart of the issue.
It is estimated that 100,000 to 300,000 children in America are at risk for sex trafficking every year. The majority of these victims are runaway or throwaway youth who end up living on the streets and becoming involved in prostitution. Many of these youth have a history of sexual abuse. The average age at which girls first become victims of prostitution is 12-14. For boys and transgender youth, the average age of entry into prostitution is 11-13 (Estes & Weiner).
Research estimates that pimps control about 50% of the girls involved in prostitution in the U.S. They scout bus stations, malls, high schools and use the Internet, looking for vulnerable youth that they can manipulate and exploit (NIJ Report). Once they've won victims over with promises of love, money, etc. they often use a combination of force, fraud and coercion to maintain dependency and keep girls in "the game" (Polaris Project Guide). Similar to domestic violence situations, girls often attempt to leave their pimps 5 to 7 times before they are successful (interview from Sex and Money film).
There is often a period of grooming to prepare girls for what they'll be expected to do as well as nightly quotas - a minimum amount of money that they need to make in order to be housed/fed or simply to ensure that they're not punished (Polaris Project Guide).
Pimps often do not fit the stereotypes that many Americans believe, and men who buy sex (johns) are often perceived as the "man next door" (interviews from Sex and Money film; see research on PRE website as well). A recent study conducted by the folks at Prostitution Research and Education (PRE) provides some startling details about men who buy sex, and I suggest that anyone interested in knowing more on the topic read the study, available on their website.
Domestic minor sex trafficking makes a lot of people a lot of money (see Polaris Project Guide for an example) and the risks involved in engaging in buying and selling are pretty low. Most arrests that occur are of victims, and they are often not treated as the victims they truly are and offered the support and resources that they need to get out of prostitution (Sex and Money film; NIJ Report). Here in Minnesota, our legislature recently passed Safe Harbor legislation, which offers youth victims the help that they need instead of criminalizing them. Minnesota is one of a small number of states that have passed such legislation.
Check out the Polaris Project website, for more information on trafficking as well as suggestions for what all of us can do to end human trafficking.
Sources:
Domestic sex trafficking guide from the Polaris Project
Estes, R. & Weiner, N.A. The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
In the U. S., Canada and Mexico - executive summary and full reportof the US national study.
NIJ Special Report on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
Film: Sex and Money