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Can Johns Be Turned Into Defenders?

Fifteen to twenty percent.

That’s the number of American men who will buy sex at some time during their lives. That number may seem exaggerated, but not when you look at the fact that 100,000 children will be trafficked in the U.S. this year.
That means that there are a lot of men out there who buy children for sex.
But this doesn’t have to continue. We can stop this.
But how?
How do we stop these men from buying sex? And how do we ensure that they won’t fall back into their old ways?
Several means of deterring buyers, “johns”, have been tried:

  1. Attending an educational “john school”
  2. Community service
  3. Greater penalties
  4. Putting their names in the newspaper, on a billboard, or on the internet
  5.  More jail time
  6. Adding them to the sex offender registry

 

What’s the most effective method? What will stop these men from continuing to destroy the lives of these young girls?

According to a 2011 study on Boston buyers of sex, adding buyer’s names to the official sex offender registry is the greatest deterrent for johns. It beats out jail time, greater penalties, and community service. Unfortunately, it is also more effective than putting these men through “john school.”
Right now, it seems like cold, hard sentencing, and registering these men on the sex offenders list is the best way to deter buyers of sex.

But who’s to say that couldn’t change?
Could these men be reeducated? One john who went through a reeducation program in Tennessee said: “I’m so embarrassed … These girls are somebody’s daughters. I have a daughter.” He changed. Could other men be effectively taught that these girls they’re buying are someone’s daughter or sister?
We hope so.
What about you? What can you do today to turn johns into Defenders?
Give time, give money, and educate yourselves and others about America’s serious problem of sex trafficking. Spread the word.

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Fighting Fire with Fire: Using Technology to Thwart Human Trafficking

Guest Post By: Cleo Tung
Master of Philosophy, Criminological Research University of Cambridge

Cleo Tung holds a Master of Philosophy in Criminological Research from the University of Cambridge. As a 2010 Gates Scholar, Ms. Tung focused her dissertation on exploring different NGO perspectives on human trafficking in the US. She is the former Vice President of the United Nations Children’s Fund at the University of California, Irvine, where she completed her BA in Criminology, Law & Society.

Although human trafficking predates information and communication technologies (ICT’s) such as the Internet, mobile phones, and social networking sites, there is little doubt that trafficking activity now takes place in the digital domain. Indeed, traffickers increasingly rely on ICT’s to recruit, advertise, and sell their victims. As the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking notes, ICT’s are ideal conduits for trafficking because they “…provide a degree of anonymity and/or disguise which allows them [traffickers] to commit their crimes with reduced risk.”

Indisputably, ICT’s exacerbate the trafficking problem. The upside, however, is that the same technologies can ameliorate anti-trafficking efforts, as recently noted by Mark Latonero’s study at the University of Southern California, Human Trafficking Online. For example, ICT’s have proven critical to public awareness campaigns including the DNA Foundation’s “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls” campaign, which has helped educate the public on child slavery via social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. In fact, organizations are increasingly cognizant of ICT’s as an effective tool for expanding public understanding of human trafficking. Shared Hope International’s YouTube channel, the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking’s webinars, and this very blog are but a few examples of such recognition.

Smartphone applications like the International Justice Mission’s IJM Mobile also signify the emergence of ICT’s as a useful anti-trafficking tool. Through IJM Mobile’s “Make Some Noise” feature, users can easily help raise public awareness and galvanize support for anti-trafficking policies by posting the latest trafficking-related news in their social networks.

Technological innovation in the anti-trafficking field is further exemplified by Survivors Connect, a California-based organization dedicated to leveraging ICT’s against human trafficking. Like IJM, Survivors Connect employs mobile technology with its SMS: Freedom helpline service, through which users can reduce their risk of victimization by connecting to professionals and resources (e.g. information about trafficking scams, safe migration, child protection, and emergency support) via text messaging.

Beyond mobile technology, Survivors Connect offers a range of data mapping programs, notably Freedom Datamap, which crowd sources information about where anti-trafficking organizations work and provide services globally. Freedom Datamap enables professionals, lawyers, service providers, government agencies, and international organizations to share critical trafficking information in a single space. Users submit their information through various media (e.g. email, Twitter, web reports), which is then aggregated into direct reports and plotted on an interactive map. With this program, users can easily access and share data, thereby empowering them to enhance collaboration efforts, learn best practices, and identify gaps in knowledge.

As we have seen here, technology can play a critical role in combatting the trafficking problem. Whether it’s raising awareness of the issue through Facebook or sharing the latest research through a webinar, anti-trafficking work has great potential to improve as technology continues to advance. For many, this could mean a life free from the violence, exploitation, and abuse endured under the conditions of modern-day slavery.

Special thanks to Founder and Executive Director of Survivors Connect, Aashika Damodar, who agreed to discuss her organization’s anti-trafficking work.

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Where is She Going?

Rob, a new Defender, recently did his part to try to save a potential victim of sex trafficking.

At church, Rob’s pastor spoke about Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking. Listening to his pastor, Rob felt the spiritual and emotional weight of what he was hearing. “We were sitting there, with our jaws dropped,” said Rob.

His pastor gave him a copy of Renting Lacy, and he couldn’t put it down.

A couple days later, Rob was sitting at a stop sign, about to turn onto the highway to go to the gym. He looked to his left, and that’s when he saw her. She was wearing baggy clothes, and pulling a bright red suitcase behind her. She looked like a runaway. She couldn’t have been more than 14 or 15 years old.

As he merged his vehicle onto the highway, Rob kept thinking about what he’d learned after reading Renting Lacy. He knew he had to go back. He got off at the next exit, and circled back to where he’d seen the girl.

By that time, she was sitting at a Chevron station with her belongings, sipping a soft drink. Rob felt inside that something was different—something wasn’t right about her situation. “She had a look in her eyes that said her innocence was lost,” said Rob. He called 9-11. The dispatcher told him two sheriff patrol cars were headed to the scene.

Twenty minutes later, the girl had already left, and Rob saw the two law enforcement officers speed past the Chevron.

He often wonders what happened to the young girl, whether the police managed to save her, or whether she became another domestic minor sex trafficking victim…

If you are in a scenario like Rob found himself in, don’t hesitate to call the police. They will get help for the girl.

Click here to learn more about how you can stand up as a Defender and protect innocent girls, like Rob did.

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Unavoidable Destiny | The “bottom girl” – victim or criminal?

Although I never physically or psychological abused any of the girls in my “stable,” I am considered a criminal.  Under the direction of my pimp, I upheld the rules and maintained control.  I ensured the girls were working and not sitting down in the club; I made sure the girls were not “out of pocket” (behaving outside the rules and guidelines of the pimp). I had to drive the girls to work, if I refused, I was threatened with death. Yet by driving, I became a criminal and was charged with conspiracy to the Mann Act–driving minors across state lines for illegal commerce.

A bottom girl is almost always emotionally attached to her pimp.  This is referred to at the Stockholm Syndrome–a condition that makes victims empathetic and defend their abusers. A bottom girl is extremely loyal to her pimp. Through manipulation, the pimp allows the bottom girl to feel she is in an intimate relationship with him/her and is not enslaved. The manipulation may simply be a reminder of how much she is loved as the pimp provides food, clothing, and housing for her; a reminder that all her bills are paid and life is easy.  Her compliant obedience to her pimp is not only to make him happy but also out of terror of the outcome if she does not act accordingly.

This is where things get complicated. When law enforcement becomes involved, a bottom girl will initially defend her pimp as she mistakes his abuse as an act of kindness. She defends the pimp’s act of rape, severe beatings, and verbal abuse by blaming herself. She often feels that she deserved what was done to her.

A pimp will convince a bottom girl that law enforcement will not rescue her; they will arrest her and send her to prison. And just like the pimp promised, the bottom girl is often arrested and charged as a co-defendant in a trafficking or prostitution case. She is inclined to believe the lies told to her by her pimp and has no trust in law enforcement.  Having been warned by her pimp and receiving no rescue or services, she becomes unwilling to corporate in the investigation and tries to protect him. Believing that the pimp will be proud of her, she is often willing to accept any charges brought against her.

Anti-trafficking organizations understand that the bottom girl was under the direction of her pimp when she committed crimes.  However, her dual role as a victim and criminal make it complicated for lawyers, prosecutors, and judges to uphold the law while acknowledging her victimization. Yet, justice must be served and the bottom girl is faced with taking responsibility of her own actions despite the circumstances.

Come back next week to learn how Shared Hope has effectively addressed this issue.

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Hold ‘Em for Freedom

Matt knew he wanted to host an awareness event, after taking the pledge and becoming a Defender. His goal was to organize an event that would both attract men and raise awareness about sex trafficking.

So, he organized a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament and called it “Hold ‘Em for Freedom.”

The premise? Educating men about sex trafficking while playing poker.

At the event, Matt had tables set up with facts about sex trafficking, books on the issue, and a laptop playing the full-length “DEMAND” video. Matt began the event with a presentation by dispelling 3 myths about sex trafficking. “(One), that most women choose to become prostitutes, (two), that sex trafficking doesn’t happen here, and (three), that there is nothing we can do about it,” he said.

He challenged men to take the pledge, and set up laptops for them to sign up as Defenders or donate.

The turnout was great, and by the end, “Hold ‘Em for Freedom” resulted in over $1,000 being raised for victims of sex trafficking.

“I believe that sex trafficking will continue to be a weight on my heart,” said Matt. “(It) will therefore have a place in whatever ministry God places before me.”

We salute you, Matt. And we’re proud to call you a fellow Defender.

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