Leading a worldwide effort to eradicate sexual slavery...one life at a time
Apr. 2 – Old Town Alexandria Patch: The Universities at Shady Grove to Host April 11 Event on Human Trafficking, Featuring Film Screening, Panel Discussion
Apr. 4 – Lion’s Roar News: Nurses sponsor supply drive to aid human trafficking victims
Apr. 9 – Mansfield News Journal: Bill to reduce human traffic demand
Apr 16 – Duluth News Tribune: Local view: Human-trafficking act needs to protect all victims
Apr 22 – Oregon Faith Report: Human trafficking bill heads to Senate
In 2011, the state of Massachusetts received an “F” in Shared Hope International’s Protected Innocence Challenge report. It received a final score of 45, with especially low scores regarding the criminalization of domestic minor sex trafficking and protective provisions for child victims.
Just a year later, Massachusetts has been named the Most Improved State, raising its score by nearly 30 points! It’s an exciting accomplishment about which state lawmakers and advocates should be very proud. But how did they do it? Here’s an overview.
In 2011, the state received just 2.5 out of 7.5 points for its domestic minor sex trafficking laws. In 2012, it increased that score to 7.5 out of 10. It’s a more than 30% improvement that happened mainly because Massachusetts passed its first-ever sex trafficking law. The law not only addresses sex trafficking specifically, but does not require victims under 18 to prove force, fraud or coercion.
In addition, the new laws distinguish between buying sex with an adult and buying sex with a minor, and make it possible for purchasers to be charged with trafficking crimes as well.
Massachusetts also recognized that the internet has changed the way human trafficking crimes are committed. In response, state lawmakers passed legislation that imposes a five year sentence, and/or a fine of $2,500 for anyone convicted of “human trafficking or commercial sexual activity by electronic communication.” There is also a mandatory five year sentence and minimum $10,000 fine for any subsequent offense.
But they didn’t stop there! Massachusetts also took significant steps towards protecting child trafficking victims. The state enacted laws specifically designed to provide specialized services to all sexually exploited youth, and allow trafficking victims to use trafficking as a defense against prostitution charges. The laws also allow victims under 15 years of age to testify via closed-circuit television. And finally, the statute of limitations was extended to 15 years for human trafficking charges, and eliminated entirely for sex trafficking of minors.
Governor Deval Patrick has high hopes that the new laws will serve Massachusetts well, saying that it will “protect innocent victims, and give Massachusetts the tools to prosecute the criminals committing these egregious crimes to the fullest extent.” Also showing optimism is Representative Eugene L. O’ Flaherty, who says the new laws “give law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to combat this issue that is often hidden from society and provides victims, particularly young children, with the safety and services they need to get their lives in order.”
In January, the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE) published a study about the role of the internet in the commercial sex industry. According to the study, an increasing number of people use internet-based communication to discuss and access commercial sex. In fact, 34% of men surveyed reported buying sex via the internet. “’Our Great Hobby:’ An Analysis of Online Networks for Buyers of Sex in Illinois,” focuses on the exchange of information among men who post on the USA Sex Guide in Illinois. This study is a qualitative analysis of a survey conducted in the summer of 2010.
The USA Sex Guide serves as a community and an important resource for men to inform themselves about buying sex throughout Illinois. The “mongers,” as they call themselves, have formed a brotherhood centered on protection, training for newer members, and of course, their “great hobby” of buying sex. For these men, information is control. Prior to the internet, they had to learn on their own how to navigate the world of commercial sex, but now they have a guide.
The commercial sex industry in Illinois is harmful, as it is everywhere. Men on the USA Sex Guide web site admit to being violent and/or aggressive towards the women they buy; they disregard the harm they cause, defending themselves by blaming the women – saying the women “deserve” the treatment they get because they are prostitutes. In fact, the study cites a survey conducted by Durchslag & Goswami in which 21% of the respondents said they believe rape of a prostituted woman is not possible; they don’t believe the concept of rape applies in the context of prostitution. And while some men appear concerned or preoccupied by the evidence of violence they see, it almost never deters them from buying sex.
The men that posted on the USA Sex Guide seem to view sex trafficking or sexual slavery as something separate from the broader commercial sex industry, when in fact it’s an integral part. Many users seem unconcerned about any potential “red flags” regarding minors, instead concentrating on the girls’ youth as a turn-on. These notions make it extremely difficult to protect the girls because they are seen as a transient commodity instead of someone’s daughter.
Many of the men blame women for enticing them to buy sex. One even states that “the only way to stop demand is to stop the prostitutes by giving them some type of work to do.” However, despite the assertion that demand is not the issue, we’ve seen that targeting demand has a significant effect on the commercial sex industry. Over 80% of the men surveyed for this study said they would be deterred from buying sex if they knew they could be charged with a crime, or if there was a risk their families would find out. Increased law enforcement presence in the area might simply end their “cruise” for the night, but getting busted would end their activity permanently.
“Our Great Hobby” is an enlightening survey. It reveals not only the underlying attitudes of men who buy sex, but more importantly indicates that the best way to fight commercial sexual exploitation is to address demand.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2013
Contact: Taryn Mastrean
602-818-3955
Taryn@sharedhope.org
WA HOUSE HEARING ON COMPREHENSIVE BILL TO FIGHT CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING
Survivors of trafficking testify for SB 5669 and SB 5488 to bring justice to Washington’s trafficked youth
Vancouver, WA – A public hearing on SB 5669 and 5488 will take place on Tuesday, March 12. Together these bills would close gaps in Washington’s laws to ensure there are no places for traffickers and buyers of child sex trafficking to hide in Washington. Proposed bill SB 5669, sponsored by Senator Mike Padden (R-WA), would update the body of laws dealing with human trafficking to strengthen Washington’s ability to fight human trafficking, including criminalizing use of the Internet to sell or purchase sex acts or commit sex trafficking. Proposed bill SB 5488, sponsored by Seattle Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-WA), raises the stakes for Internet exploitation of children by imposing an additional fine when commercial sexual exploitation of children involves an Internet advertisement. Both bills passed the Senate unanimously on March 4, 2013 and are scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Public Safety at 8:30 AM on March 12, 2013.
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE:
WHAT: House Hearing on SB 5669 and 5488
WHEN: Tuesday, March 12 at 8:30 am PST
WHERE: Hearing Room D, John L. O’Brien Building, 504 15th Ave, S.W., Olympia
WHO: Senator Mike Padden (R-WA)
Brianna, Survivor Advocate; Intern, Shared Hope International
Marie, Survivor Advocate; Resources Coordinator, Shared Hope International
ABOUT THE SURVIVORS:
Brianna and Marie know firsthand the importance of strong laws.
Three years ago, Brianna was targeted by a trafficker while working as a waitress at a local restaurant. The trafficker appeared as an older boyfriend and convinced her to travel to Phoenix with him to meet his family. Days before they left for Arizona, a friend intervened with the help of a trained law enforcement officer and Linda Smith, President and Founder of Shared Hope International. Today, Brianna serves as an intern at Shared Hope and attends nursing school. Stories like Brianna’s are only possible because trained, knowledgeable law enforcement had the tools they needed to protect Brianna.
Marie was five years old when she was first used in child pornography. By nine years old, Marie’s stepfather had taken her virginity and was selling her to friends for sex. Marie became pregnant by one of the men her stepfather sold her to and birthed her first son in the basement of her stepfather’s house when she was fourteen. Marie was placed in foster and group homes, only to flee to the streets where she felt safer than home. Yet, life on the street was dangerous and difficult and Marie fell victim to a pimp. One night, Marie got in the car with a violent buyer. In self-defense, she stabbed the man with a small knife she carried for protection. She spent six years in prison for the murder of that violent buyer before coming to work at Shared Hope International.
PROVISIONS OF THE BILLS:
• SB 5669 removes a barrier to prosecuting child sex trafficking crimes by amending the trafficking law to eliminate the requirement that force, fraud or coercion be proven when the victim is a minor, joining 32 other states and the federal government, and aligns Washington’s trafficking law with the federal law by using a reckless disregard standard in proving a defendant’s knowledge that a minor victim was under 18.
• SB 5669 addresses demand for sex trafficking by including buying or purchasing as prohibited conduct under the trafficking law.
• SB 5669 limits the need to rely on victim-witness testimony by expressly prohibiting a defense based on a minor’s consent to engage in commercial sex acts, recognizing that minors cannot consent to commercial sex acts. SB 5669 protects trafficking victims who testify at trial from traumatizing cross-examination by extending the protection of the rape shield law and expanding the law permitting testimony by closed circuit television to include minors under 14 who are victims of sex trafficking or sexual exploitation.
• SB 5669 increases deterrence and helps to pay for the costs stemming from trafficking victimization by raising the mandatory fee in a trafficking sentence to $10,000.
• SB 5669 requires defendants convicted of trafficking, commercial sexual abuse of a minor and promoting travel for commercial sexual abuse of a minor to register as a sex offender.
• SB 5669 provides prosecutors and law enforcement with a critical tool for combatting gangs and sex trafficking enterprises by amending the state racketeering law to include trafficking, promoting travel for commercial sexual abuse of a minor and permitting commercial sexual abuse of a minor as predicate crimes.
• SB 5669 addresses the pervasive use of the Internet to purchase, promote and advertise commercial sexual exploitation of children by amending the offense of communication with a minor for immoral purposes to include use of the Internet for “the purchase or sale of commercial sex acts and sex trafficking.”
• SB 5488 imposes an additional $5,000 fine when an Internet advertisement facilitates commercial sexual abuse of a minor, promoting commercial sexual abuse of a minor or promoting travel for commercial sexual abuse of a minor.
MEDIA MATERIALS
To access Washington’s Protected Innocence Report Card that grades the state on its level of protection against domestic minor sex trafficking, please visit: http://sharedhope.org/what-we-do/bring-justice/state-by-state-grades/
For media convenience, a variety of video clips and resources, including DMST survivor comments, are available at this location: http://sharedhope.org/media/
ABOUT SHARED HOPE INTERNATIONAL: Shared Hope International was founded in 1998, by former U.S. Congresswoman Linda Smith, and exists to rescue and restore women and children in crisis. We are leaders in a worldwide effort to prevent and eradicate sex trafficking and slavery using a three-pronged strategy: prevent, restore, and bring justice. For more information about Shared Hope International, and the Protected Innocence Challenge, go to sharedhope.org
For more information contact Taryn Mastrean at (602) 818-3955 or taryn@sharedhope.org.
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Mar. 7 – Examiner: What you can do to stop Human Trafficking – Part 2
Mar. 8 – Northwest Asian Weekly: Washington State Senate adopts comprehensive anti-trafficking law
Mar. 10 – KSL-Utah: Sunday Edition: Child sex trafficking, prison relocation, smoking in cars with kids
Mar. 12 – CSU Chico News: S.T.O.P! Presents Human Trafficking Awareness Week March 25-29 at CSU, Chico
Mar. 13 – The Examiner: Oregon nearly fails the Raise Your Grade report card
Mar. 19 – Mail Tribune: Talk on human trafficking set
Mar. 21 – Huffington Post: Organize to Scrutinize Your Local Sex Trafficking Laws
Mar. 26 – San Francisco Chronicle: Oregon lawmakers target child sex trafficking
Mar. 28 – ChicoER: What’s happening today in the north valley
Mar. 28 – Washington Times Communities: Sex trafficking: Ministry works with victims in Washington, DC
