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April 5, 2016 by Rachel Harper

Shifting towards Justice: Non-Criminalization of Child Sex Trafficking Victims

During the 2016 legislative sessions this year, at least 10 states have introduced legislation that would protect a child from being blamed for their own commercial sexual exploitation, meaning that prostitution offenses would not apply to minors. As of August 1, 2015, 14 states and DC had already enacted full non-criminalization provisions to prevent prosecution of minors for prostitution. This means that almost half of the country has enacted or is considering legislation to protect child sex trafficking victims from being put on trial for the very conduct that constitutes their victimization. Under federal law, any child who is bought or sold for sex acts is a sex trafficking victim. Last year, in the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, Congress urged the states to treat commercially sexually exploited children as victims and direct them to services instead of punitive responses and prosecutions.

Laws that protect all minors from prostitution charges are necessary to justly respond to juvenile sex trafficking victims and safeguard child victims from being treated as criminals. No child should be unfairly stigmatized as a “prostitute,” especially by the courts. In short, there is no such thing as a “child prostitute.” Shared Hope’s policy paper, Non-Criminalization of Juvenile Sex Trafficking Victims “discuss[es] the social and legal importance of ending criminalization of minors for prostitution offenses.” Prosecuting or charging a youth for prostitution offenses based on commercial sex acts is irreconcilable with the fact that the commercial sex act, itself, constitutes the abuse, rape, and exploitation of the child, rendering that child a victim in need of restorative services. Arresting, charging, detaining, and prosecuting child sex trafficking victims can re-traumatize these vulnerable victims. Additionally, arresting youth can strengthen trauma bonds with traffickers who have warned victims that they would be arrested and blamed if they were to seek help from law enforcement or were “found out.” Youth are often further bound to their trafficker and feel isolated from society when they are arrested. In her book, Walking Prey, Holly Austin Smith shares the harmful effects of her arrest and detention:

When I was arrested by law enforcement for prostitution, I was made to feel like a criminal, like a juvenile delinquent. I felt stupid, ashamed, and ostracized by society. Days later, alone in my bedroom, I felt so abandoned, so forsaken by society, that I attempted suicide.

Implementing non-criminalization and ensuring safety for commercially sexually exploited children is a consistent concern, and states have taken varied approaches in shifting from punitive to service-focused responses. Shared Hope’s field guidance document, Justice for Juveniles – A Field Guidance Report, surveys promising approaches to implementing non-criminal responses for juvenile sex trafficking victims.

Ensuring that comprehensive, trauma-informed, individualized services are provided to these victims is vital. As the trend of non-criminalization grows, states must simultaneously increase avenues to specialized services for commercially sexually exploited youth. According to the Protected Innocence Challenge, as of August 1, 2015, 29 states plus DC have enacted some sort of protective system response to direct minors away from punishment or detention and towards services, including responses of non-criminalization and other mechanisms, such as diversion or mandatory referrals by law enforcement to child welfare. Dollars are better and more justly spent on providing services to child sex trafficking victims, instead of arresting, prosecuting and punishing.

We look forward to the day where no commercially sexually exploited child in the U.S. can be charged as a “prostitute.”

March 22, 2016 by Guest

Communities of Faith: Join in this Mission of Love

by Dan Sartor

In April of 2016, Shared Hope International will host its first JuST Faith Summit in Orlando, rallying faith communities to join the mission to eradicate sex trafficking. As a person of faith I see great potential for diverse individuals from an array of backgrounds—geographic, cultural, socioeconomic, and religious—unifying to address what is arguably the greatest social, economic, and moral scourge of our nation and our world. Once we see the pervasiveness and power of the sex trafficking industry, especially the role and impact of pornography in this industry, we see that the very fabric of society, locally and globally, is at stake. Will we acknowledge each human body and soul as sacred and worthy of honor? Once we learn the tactics of this industry and come to see the lives of the enslaved, we see that it is the most vulnerable of our world who are victimized: our children.

There is a passage from the Christian Scriptures that states, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…” (James 1:27, English Standard Version). Many trafficking victims currently are, or have been, children who were sexually abused, traversed through the foster care system, and/or fled from abusive home environments. In all the ways that matter most, these children lacked a parent who was sufficiently proximate, protective, safe, and loving.

Traffickers systematically target, groom, coerce, and then psychologically and physically enslave their young victims with traumatizing tactics which are strikingly similar to torture and war crimes. As they emerge into adulthood, the history of repetitive interpersonal trauma twists their psychological and neurological functioning. As a result, their abilities to regulate emotions, to rationally problem solve, to manage behavioral impulses, to trust, to maintain healthy relationships, and to engage in moral reasoning can become notably more challenging. As a psychologist, I see these issues manifest in post-traumatic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety, personality disorders, addictions, eating disorders, dissociative disorders, and medical conditions—many of which simultaneously exist in a single DMST victim.

Pimps regularly fashion the identity of their victims as “wives,” who in reality are the most afflicted of all widows, despairing of hope to ever know the life-giving, self-sacrificing love of another. Their world instills beliefs that they are mere objects of abuse, denigration, and abandonment. Not seeing any other reality, victims may participate in the systematic recruitment, grooming, and traumatization of new victims. Sadly, the victims often become perpetrators: victimize others or be victimized.

Yet hope lies in our sharing together in this mission of love. Love brings justice. Love restores. And love is the best prevention. In the absence of love, children are susceptible. In the absence of love, sexual addicts fuel demand for DMST in empty attempts to fulfill their spiritual and relational needs. Who better to build loving individuals, families, and societies than communities of genuine faith? To visit orphans and widows will lead us to love them!

To hear more from Dan Sartor, join us on April 20-22 in Orlando, Florida at the JuST Faith Summit!

About Dan Sartor

Dan is the Director of Counseling Services at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL. He holds an academic appointment as an Associate Professor of Psychology at the college and is also an adjunct faculty member at Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta, GA. Dan trained as a generalist in Clinical Psychology; his clinical specializations include trauma recovery, addiction recovery, sexuality issues, and crisis of faith/spiritual issues. He has taught numerous graduate-level psychology and counseling courses and is an active member of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies and the American Psychological Association. He remains passionate about the work of soul care and its long-standing history in the Church. His personal mission is to facilitate spiritual vitality and relational restoration through teaching, counseling, writing, and personal encounters in the lives of individuals, families, and communities. Dan completed his undergraduate work at Moody Bible Institute, where he studied music and theology. He then earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University in Los Angeles and a M.A. in Counseling from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL. Prior to joining Trinity Christian College, Dan was a core faculty member for three years at Richmont Graduate University (RGU) in Atlanta, GA, following years of private practice and teaching graduate level courses. Before entering the field of mental health, he served in general pastoral and worship-leading roles as a Presbyterian minister. From this context he pursued training in counseling and psychology to better encourage and care for those who struggle through life’s greatest challenges and deepest sorrows. Dan and his wife, Robin, have four children who span the ages—and many activities—of middle school and high school. He enjoys camping with his family, reading, music, and home improvement projects.

March 17, 2016 by Guest

These Programs have Empowered Women Worldwide

Guest Post by Ashley Macdonald

While anyone can become a victim of human trafficking, Shared Hope recognizes that traffickers target susceptible individuals. Financial instability is among the vulnerabilities that can aid a victim to fall in to the horrors of human trafficking. Shared Hope International’s Women’s Investment Network (WIN) program offers women the opportunity to engage in hands-on vocational training, leadership development, and job skills courses so they build self-esteem and achieve financial independence.

International training programs are active in Nepal, India, and Jamaica. Agriculture is the mainstay of Nepal’s economy, therefore Asha Nepal’s programs include vegetable, cow and coat farming as well as tailoring, cooking, and handicrafts. In India, Ashagram provides a range of handicraft services to fit the diverse economy. Ashagram includes a sewing center, jewelry unit, bag weaving and henna design. These programs contribute to positive integration into the global economy. In Jamaica, the economy is dependent on services. Remittances and tourism account for 30% of GDP, therefore the Theodora Project focuses on appropriate skills training that meet the demand within the tourist sector. These programs enable the student to acquire the skill set to start a small business. The WIN program looks at how providing these services can address Jamaica’s large-scale unemployment rate.

Domestically, Shared Hope runs a nine-month three-phase WIN program that focuses on computers and administrative skills. Women in the program commit 20-25 hours a week to train on-site. Shared Hope International looks for partners that emphasize the importance of helping survivors gain financial independence, reflecting the principals of our WIN program. For example, Fields of Hope, a project of On Eagles Wings Ministries, allows female survivors of human trafficking (ages 16 and up) to receive valuable job skills training, spiritual mentorship, counseling, and accountability.

Sara, a participant of our domestic WIN program, states, “I gained the confidence I needed to believe I really would be able to support my son and myself. Being part of an organization that rescues women around the world while at the same time becoming better equipped for a career has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.” These programs have empowered women worldwide. Marcia, a participant of the Theodora Project, tells us of how her financial instability led her to fall in to the horrors of human trafficking. She has been working on her financial independence for over a year now with the help of our Jamaica WIN program. Providing survivors with the skills and means of creating their own economic sustainability helps reduce the risk of re-victimization and gain independence.

March 14, 2016 by Guest

SOCIETY’S PERSISTENT MISCONCEPTION: WOMEN SELL SEX BECAUSE THEY SHOULD AND MEN BUY SEX BECAUSE THEY CAN

Guest Post by Shea M. Rhodes, Esq

Commercial sexual exploitation can be viewed, simply, as a two-part system: supply and demand. Under an economic theory, supply (prostituted persons) follows demand (purchasers of sex). In theory, one would surmise that if demand could be eliminated, commercial sexual exploitation would cease to exist. In order to refocus efforts on eliminating the demand, society must shift its conception of what fuels commercial sexual exploitation. Society’s current views glamorize the selling of sex, normalize purchasing sex, and reinforce the status quo of unequal policing of prostituted persons.

Girls are taught from a young age that “sex sells” and is, therefore, glamorous. This message is pervasive in our society. From a very young age, girls are over-sexualized and taught that their worth is tied to their sexuality and perceived attractiveness by men. With this message ingrained, girls grow up to become women with low or diminished self-esteem and rely on men for validation. Craving attention, praise, and affection, girls become prime targets for men to sexually exploit them.

Too often men are taught that using women for their sexuality is normal. From a young age, aggression and foul play are justified based on the idea that “boys will be boys.” Some boys seemingly never outgrow this phase, as this adage continues to justify the actions of men long into adulthood. As men, they buy sex because society has not yet been willing to recognize the role that demand plays in the victimization of prostituted persons. Purchasers of sex are seen as “typical” men, and not as criminals. Societal views reinforce that men who purchase sex will suffer no consequences for their actions.

Despite legislative changes that open the door for the prosecution of the demand, the unequal policing of the crime of prostitution reinforces gender-based inequalities. Archaic views that women voluntarily enter into the life persist. Accordingly, prostituted women are routinely arrested and convicted, while the demand are rarely targeted by law enforcement and even more rarely arrested or convicted.

Earlier this month was Super Bowl 50, the golden anniversary of the Super Bowl and a golden opportunity to shift society’s focus to the demand. In recent years, the Super Bowl has become a large platform for educating the public on the realities of commercial sexual exploitation. Prior to this year’s game, Denver Broncos rookie Ryan Murphy was detained and questioned by police during an investigation into prostitution. Even though he was released by the police and never charged in the incident, the Broncos promptly decided to send Murphy home. The team and its management, from a high-profile stage, shouted to the world that demand for sex cannot and will not be tolerated.

However powerful this message was, it merely scratched the surface. In order to curb demand, there needs to be a complete shifting of the paradigm where men are taught that purchasing sex is not a normal business transaction between consenting adults. Rather, society must accept that over-sexualizing girls and women and normalizing the demand perpetuates the problem of commercial sexual exploitation.

With comprehensive legislation that allows for the prosecution of demand, increased media attention, and the support of national anti-demand organizations, we are in the position to correct these misconceptions and make the statement that society will no longer tolerate the purchase of sex.

Headshot-200x300 Shea M. Rhodes, Esq. is the Director of the Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE Institute) at Villanova University School of Law. Throughout her career, Ms. Rhodes has worked with survivors of sexual violence, human trafficking, prostitution, and commercialsexual exploitation,including operating her own law practice where she represents victims and survivors. She also serves as an advisor to multiple criminal justice initiatives focused on addressing the needs of child and adult victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Prior to her work with the CSE Institute, Ms. Rhodes served as an Assistant District Attorney for the City of Philadelphia for almost ten years where she helped to found Project Dawn Court, a diversion program for women who have been repeatedly charged and convicted of the crime of prostitution, a primary mode of sex trafficking, and developed a Law Enforcement Working Group to facilitate collaborative investigation and prosecution of cases of human trafficking between local, state, and federal agencies in the Philadelphia region. Before joining the District Attorney’s office, Ms. Rhodes served as a staff attorney for the Crime Victim’s Law Project where she provided legal assistance and advocacy for adult and child victims of rape, sexual assault, and stalking.

Ms. Rhodes currently serves on the Board of Directors for Dawn’s Place, the Greater Philadelphia region’s only residential treatment program for women who are victims of sex trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation, and sits on the Oversight Committee for the Project Dawn Court. She is also provides the administration for the Pennsylvania Alliance Against Trafficking in Humans, an initiative of Pennsylvania’s community partners, victim service organizations, and law enforcement working to implement Act 105, Pennsylvania’s comprehensive human trafficking legislation. Ms. Rhodes also sits on the Pennsylvania Anti--Human Trafficking Advocacy Work Group and is a member of Philadelphia’s Anti-Trafficking Coalition. Ms. Rhodes is a graduate of Villanova Law School and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas. She is the Owner and Principal Attorney of the Law Offices of Shea M. Rhodes, LLC, specializing in working with survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Prostitution, and Human Trafficking on criminal, adjudicatory and child dependency matters, with a practice area in the Greater Philadelphia region.

March 13, 2016 by Guest

Things Just Got Real.

Guest Blogger: Jo Lembo

My husband Nick and I go out regularly representing Shared Hope International’s message of prevention. When we are invited into area schools, we use the film Chosen, which tells the story of two girls, ages 13 and 18, who broke the stereotypical at-risk youth picture. They were from good homes, straight-A students, athlete, cheerleader, in youth group; and still they were tricked by traffickers.

This week when we introduced the film to 2000 students in two assemblies at Skyview High School in Vancouver, WA, I told about the five most common types of pimping: boyfriend relationship, violent guerilla, gang, survival sex where you trade your body for basic needs, and familial, where someone in your family is selling you. As we always do, we encourage students who know if this happening to a friend or if it’s happening to them, to go to a trusted adult, “and sometimes it can’t be someone in your family.” Because we had met with 100 of the staff the month prior, I knew the counselors and teachers were ready to field questions and knew what actions to take if a child came forward.

After the second assembly, a security officer approached me and asked if we would be willing to talk with a 16-year-old girl who was, at that moment, in the counselor’s office and very upset. He told us she had come in after the first film showing, crying and saying she was afraid that this was happening to her.

This is when you know what you are doing is important. Really important. And possibly the lifeline for a desperate kid who has the courage to reach out. So we took a deep breath and stepped into the counselor’s office with the girl I’ll call Amanda. She struck me as being strong, almost defiant. And she was. Having heard that her family members might be the ones to groom her, and that sometimes the safe person might not be in her home, she left the first assembly determined to get help elsewhere. She stopped a security officer and told him she needed to go to the counselor’s office. He escorted her through the door, where she began to cry and unfold her story. Then, at the close of the second assembly, he came to get me. Would we be willing to talk to her?

When Nick and I arrived in her office, the school counselor had already done what she is trained to do. She had called law enforcement and had made a mandatory report to CPS sharing the details from Amanda. And she had found out that no crime had been committed yet.

Was the step-dad creepy? Yes.

Had he come into her room while she was dressing? Yes.

Had he made lewd remarks about what she could do to his body? Yes.

Had he touched her? No.

Had he threatened her? No.

Had she talked to her mother about his 9 counts of prostitution? Yes. And her mother had told her there’s nothing wrong with paying money to go on a date. Her mother also told her that she had a dirty mind and needed to stop thinking about him that way.

Was that going to stop her from sharing these things now that she had heard that Lacy and Brianna could have gotten help had they known? No. She was now determined this was not going to happen to her.

What are you most afraid of? He said he’s moving us to Portland, to an apartment on 82^nd Street. She doesn’t want to lose her support at Skyview.

With the counselor, the security guard, Amanda and us, the two presenters of the film Chosen, we talked about a plan for her to stay safe. As a part of a strong and broad network, I was able to give the counselor contact information for a wonderful victim advocate right there in her county who is willing to talk with Amanda and help her figure out what is happening and advise. We gave the counselor information about a strong program operating in Portland and the contact information of someone in the Portland school system for Amanda to reach out to if they move. Her counselor encouraged her to call 911 if anything happened to make her feel unsafe; that she had a right to call no matter what anyone would tell her. She remembered in the video Chosen the guy had told her bad things would happen to her family if Lacy asked for help, and she said she wasn’t going to let that happen. She would call.

Amanda seemed visibly stronger and more confident as we stood up to go. I handed her my card so she would have my information. I told her she is brave and strong and she is going to be okay.

And I believe she will be. Because now she knows.

For more information go to www.justfaithsummit.org

This blog post was originally part of our 2016 Faith Summit Speaker Blog Series.