Commentary Archives - Page 13 of 14 - Shared Hope International

February 24, 2012 by Guest

USAID’s New Counter-Trafficking in Persons Initiative

The United States has a long history of helping developing nations around the world. USAID has been the forefront agency involved in extending U.S. assistance overseas from the time it was created in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. Beginning in 2001, USAID has played a major role in U.S. efforts to eradicate modern day slavery. On February 23, 2012, we were honored to join other leaders in the anti-human trafficking field for the launch of USAID’s new Counter-Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) initiative.

The Counter-Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) initiative contains 5 objectives that incorporate the 4 P’s – Prevention, Protection, Persecution, and Partnership – in hopes of reducing human trafficking around the globe.

The five objectives can be broadly separated into two categories:

1. Education: compiling the knowledge of current anti-trafficking methods to improve future endeavors and training for USAID staff members

2. Assistance: integrating human trafficking efforts into already-established programs, and increase investment in high-risk regions

During the launch, Shared Hope was one of only two NGOs noted at the meeting and was commended for our domestic efforts, with special praise for our Rapid Assessments on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking in Washington, Arizona and Virginia. We were honored to be recognized.

Speakers at the briefing emphasized the utilization of technology to help fight trafficking, as well as increased communication between and among governments, organizations, missions, etc. Technology has already proved its usefulness: two boys enslaved on a fishing boat in Asia saw the Human Trafficking hotline number on MTV, called, and were rescued. Technology and collaboration, coupled with the new C-TIP initiative may help in the decline of modern day slavery.

October 14, 2011 by Guest

Purchasing Power: Why Do Johns Buy Sex?

The comprehensive new study, “Comparing Sex Buyers with Men Who Don’t Buy Sex,” headed by Melissa Farley, is a follow-up to Farley’s 2009 study, and discusses the characteristics of men who buy sex versus those who don’t. Besides their involvement with prostitution, they revealed different attitudes and behaviors when it came to sex. An overwhelming amount of johns reported that prostitutes “like” to have sex, which contrasted with the view of one non-sex buyer who said “They don‘t enjoy it at all. They just blank their mind out. Men think they enjoy it, but it is just fake.” Furthermore, non-sex buyers revealed that “coercing” someone by paying them for sex was not a “turn-on” for them.

Johns reported that they purchased sex because they were guaranteed submissiveness on the part of the prostituted woman or child. The distinct power imbalance and lack of relationship obligation was noted as a driving factor for those who purchase sex. Many of the johns reported having girlfriends or wives, and say they purchase sex to do the “dirty” sex acts that they would not do with their significant others because these acts could cause her to lose her self esteem. Though sex buyers recognize these distinctions, many commented that the sense of entitlement and degradation towards woman that develops from purchasing sex taints other relationships and their general attitude towards women.

Two-thirds of both the sex buyers and non-sex buyers observed that a majority of women are lured, tricked, or trafficked into prostitution; however, this failed to deter sex buyers from purchasing sex. Almost all study participants agreed that minors were readily available to purchase for sex. About a third of sex buyers knew many prostituted women started when they were underage, but this also provided no deterrence from purchasing sex.

One non-sex buyer illustrated an understanding of the force used in prostitution:

“I don‘t think prostitution is quite the same as rape. Rape is worse. But it‘s close to the rape end of the spectrum. It‘s not rape, because there is superficial consent. On the face of it, the prostitute is agreeing to it. But deeper down, you can see that life circumstances have kind of forced her into that, even though she has agreed to it. It‘s like someone jumping from a burning building—you could say they made their choice to jump, but you could also say they had no choice.”

When asked what would deter them from buying sex, the top three deterrents incorporated consequences that would cause the buyer to be identified, these included: 1) added to a sex offender registry (89%), photo/name in local paper (84%), photo/name on billboard/poster (84%). Community service and having to attend an education program ranked as the least likely to deter a buyer from purchasing sex.

In efforts to slash demand, the Defenders, an initiative of Shared Hope, encourages accountability through the Defenders pledge that they will never purchase sex or engage in other exploitative behaviors. The Defenders host truck stop campaigns and motorcycle rallies to draw awareness to the issue and prove that some men defend women rather than exploit them.

August 4, 2011 by Guest

Methods to the Movement – Combatting Sex Trafficking

On June 23, 2011 at the ATEST-CNN forum on human trafficking, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca reminded those attending that just because it’s a new day doesn’t mean the old ways don’t work. The people who fought against legal slavery had good ideas. So, below are a couple of the old, a couple of the new, and a couple of sparks to inspire you to combat sex trafficking.

Old

Pamphlets

During the early anti-slavery movements, pamphlet distribution kept abolitionist printers busy to help spread awareness. In the Library of Congress’s African American Perspectives: Pamphlets from the Daniel A.P.Murray Collection, 1818-1907 there are at least 100 pamphlets on anti-slavery and in From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1824-1909 there are at least 78 pamphlets concerning anti-slavery.

Boycotts

The Free Produce Movement (1790s-1860s) was a boycott against slave-produced goods (mainly sugar and cotton) that birthed organizations and stores that produced and sold only non-slave labor goods. Although ethically produced goods did not became less expensive than slave-made goods, “estimates suggest some 300,000 people abandoned sugar, with sales dropping by a third to a half” (from BBC article Tools of the Abolitionists).

New

Flash Mob

Flash mobbing is when individuals socially coordinate, assemble in a public place, perform an unusual act and quickly disperse. This is an excellent way to spread awareness since it piques curiosity. Love146 held a dance flash mob called “Can You See Me?” in London. Professional performers volunteered their time to raise awareness about child sex trafficking.

Billboards

Sometimes billboards give us an unfortunate craving for a burger. There are times, though, when they give us important information. In response to the findings of the Washington Assessment on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, Shared Hope International launched the “Do You Know Lacy” national ad campaign. Starting in Washington, Shared Hope has put up billboards around Seattle to raise awareness about sex trafficking of American girls.

Sparks

Smartphone QR Code Readers

Today advertisers and companies use barcodes can be scanned to deliver deals and information to a smartphone. These codes could be advertised on the bus or in the subway to give readers additional information on the issue. What a great way to say a lot with just a few lines!

Click here for more ideas on how you can help fight against sex trafficking.

July 14, 2011 by Guest

The Numbers Game: What The Village Voice Article Really Says About Sex Trafficking in the US

The 100,000 to 300,000 estimate of sex trafficking victims in the US has caused controversy. The Village Voice’s article, “Real Men Get Their Facts Straight,” a cheeky pun alluding to Kutcher’s Real Men Don’t Buy Girls campaign, targets this figure, saying that it’s a farcical overestimation.

The Village Voice looks at a different figure, 827, which is the average number of youth arrested on prostitution charges each year. What the Voice doesn’t realize is that the low number of children arrested on prostitution charges is a good thing. Increased training has resulted in law enforcement identifying prostituted children as trafficking victims, and thus, not guilty of a crime. Shared Hope International has trained over 10,000 first responders – many of whom now seek to place child victims in services instead of handcuffs. Jurisdictions that have a high number of arrests for prostituted minors indicate lack of training and a need to change department procedures to aid victims. Based on this, arrest records for prostituted youth should never serve as an estimate the number of trafficking victims in the US.

Other estimates vary. In a New York study, the number of prostituted children in 2008 in New York City alone was 4,000. A Georgia study estimated that the number of youth trafficked in Georgia in a year was about 4,000. Those are only studies from two areas of the US and are much larger than the 827 that the Voice supports in place of the number anti-trafficking advocates estimate. But why is the Village Voice so dedicated to targeting these larger figures?

The Village Voice has, for quite some time, run adult classified ads through Backpage.com. Upon the removal of the adult services section from Craigslist.com, the Voice benefitted from a huge revenue jump. Now, they’re claiming that their First Amendment right “was shouted down in the name of children.” However, the First Amendment has its limitations in situations where our freedom of the press and speech conflict with other laws—like the laws that make it illegal to purchase children for sex.

This freedom of speech, however, is quite profitable for online classifieds. In fact, the Georgia study found that ads on Craigslist for prostitution received three times as many responses as the same ads listed on similar sites.

It appears the Voice doesn’t put a face to any of these girls who were exploited through their site, even referring to the victims as “whores” in one point in the article. Perhaps if the Voice saw these girls as victims rather than a meager statistic, they would take some responsibility for perpetuating the trafficking of children.

June 9, 2011 by Guest

Do Inappropriate Human Trafficking Task Force Names Encourage Victim Blaming?

An 11-year-old Texas girl was gang raped by 18 men ranging from middle school boys to 27-year-old men.

Her case prompted nationwide controversy, even inspiring Florida state Rep. Kathleen Passidomo to fight for new legislation requiring stricter dress codes in Florida public schools. Passidomo rationalized the legislation as protecting young Floridian girls, since the 11-year-old in Texas was reportedly raped “because she was dressed like a 21-year-old prostitute.” This story reveals that victim blaming is still prevalent in today’s society, making efforts to combat it even more urgent.

Victim blaming is a critical issue when trying to protect the rights of domestic minor sex trafficking victims. Victims are often labeled with derogatory names, arrested, and jailed rather than provided with services they need and deserve. Shared Hope supports progressive changes in social attitudes, like referring to DMST victims as “prostituted children” rather than “child prostitutes,” to shift the blame away from the victim. In fact, simply changing the language towards victims has proven to be a powerful tool in changing society’s perception of the crime.

However, how can attitudes truly be converted when services created to protect DMST victims carry names that are inherently accusatory? For example, in South Florida, the FBI task force, which responds to DMST victims, is called “Minor Vice Task Force.” Vice is an umbrella term for crimes involving actions considered by their very nature immoral. Thus, this title implies that the focus of this task force is minors engaging in “immoral” crimes, crimes they are forced to commit as trafficking victims. Other examples include the National Innocence Lost Task Force, which although represents a step in the right direction of viewing the trafficked minor as a victim, may be interpreted by those who are served by that force as having lost all their innocence, and still fails to maintain neutrality despite well meaning efforts. Although prostitution is legally a crime, the San Francisco Task Force on Prostitution and Vallejo Prostitution Task Force titles reinforce the idea that prostitutes are the real criminals, which perpetuates victim blaming, rather than revealing that purchasing young girls for sex as the true crime. It seems odd that the names of some human trafficking task forces would focus on the victim of the crime, considering that many other task forces, such as drug task forces, maintain a sense of neutrality about the purpose of the task force.

The purpose of a task force is to target a specific type of crime and those affected by it. Task forces like the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force and the D.C. Human Trafficking Task Force have accomplished neutrality while allowing room for minors to still be seen as victims. These simple changes in language can help shift our nation’s victim blaming tendencies towards to the real perpetrators.