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February 8, 2012 by SHI Staff

“The Life”: What Circumstances Walked Leah and her Sister into this Living Terror?

She was just 12 years old when she was led into “the life” by her 14-year-old half-sister. After several horrible weeks, she was rescued by police officers — they found her sister in a hotel room, engaged in a sex act with a man, with Leah naked and crouched in a corner, crying hysterically.

What circumstances walked Leah and her sister into this living terror? Did this scenario take place in conjunction with the Super Bowl or another major sporting event? Was her 14 year old sister one of those youngsters featured on Backpage.com as “young and fresh”? Was life at home simply a rehearsal for the abuse the girls would get on the street?

The arm that wrapped around them and pulled them close…the voice that whispered promises of hope and care…the hand that reached out with belonging…they suddenly turned into hot breath and a vice grip. No twisting out of its grasp. The grasp of DEMAND.

Regardless of how they got there, Leah and her sister were taken because young girls are seen as sex plums for the picking-and until there are real consequences for “picking”, there’s no stopping it. DEMAND.

Shared Hope is fighting DEMAND because even one girl is one too many. Our Protected Innocence Initiative is helping to change laws all over the country and bear down on that demand. Since December 1, 2011, when the Protected Innocence Initiative was announced, over 60 state laws have been introduced to address all aspects of the thriving marketplace of children for sale for sex. We applaud leadership in Indiana, host of this year’s Super Bowl, who moved aggressively to pass key anti-trafficking legislation in advance of the event.

And we are grateful to you for your encouragement and your support that have made the Protected Innocence Initiative possible and effective!

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.

June 5, 2011 by Guest

Too cool for school? Not John!

Don’t worry about picking up school supplies or studying for exams…this isn’t your average school.

On March 29, 2011, the Colorado Senate passed Senate Bill 85 which will create a first offender program, in other words a “John school,” that will make it possible for those put on trial for soliciting, pandering, or patronizing a prostitute to wipe their records clean of the offense. The prostitution-related charge will be dismissed as long as it is the offender’s first offense, the offender pleas guilty to the offense, pays the $5,000–10,000 fine and completes the program. Reservations about this bill and similar legislation stems from the question of whether or not first offender programs (John schools) are effective. Do “John schools” really reform buyers and can they do the same with traffickers and pimps? Moreover, is it sufficient punishment for the harm the offender imposed on the victim?

According to a 2010 article by the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE), “John schools” sprung up in the mid-1990s to deter buyers of commercial sex from repeating the offense in the future by educating them about the risks and societal implications their actions create. They educate “Johns” about many aspects of prostitution by including information on the laws, health risks, and testimonies from survivors.

In 2008, Apt Associates Inc. conducted research on the efficacy of “John schools” and found positive results overall, including a decline in recidivism rates (number of repeat offenders). The study claimed that first offender programs were cost-effective, sustainable, and transferable (could be replicated in another area). Unfortunately, however, “post-class survey suggests that the program effectively informed johns about the consequences of participating in prostitution, but did not significantly lower the self-reported likelihood of soliciting in the future.” Several other studies revealed the same conclusions.

Conversely, some experts say there is not enough evidence to determine the effectiveness of “John schools.” CAASE, Prostitution Research and Education, and the Chicago Coalitionfor the Homeless conducted a study in 2008 that entailed interviews with 113 men who bought sex and found that only 41% believed that “John school” acted as a sufficient deterrent to demand for commercial sex. Men stated the top deterrents from purchasing sex would be: photo/name in the local paper (87%), jail time (83%), or photo/name on a billboard (83%). Texas used this approach during the 2011 Super Bowl– posting mug shots of men convicted of trying to purchase sex in Arlington on a billboard near the Super Bowl stadium. The study recommends that “John schools,” in order to be more effective, should include individual sessions on a long-term basis between buyers and clinical practitioners.

The effectiveness of “John schools” is a dynamic debate in which the proven lower recidivism rates stand in stark contrast to “John school” graduates continued willingness to purchase sex. Stay posted as we announce future research and demand reduction efforts.

March 24, 2011 by Guest

Lawrence Taylor: Busted, Not Broken

In an interview with Fox News Insider, former NFL football star, Lawrence Taylor, displays bluntness about his solicitation of a prostituted minor despite his slick attitude and several off the cuff comments. Surely, few believe that this super star was properly punished when he was sentenced to a mere 6 years of probation on March 22 for buying sex with a girl who looked young enough for Taylor to ask her age and mentioned the presence of a pimp. And even though LT got off the hook in court, he admits the worst punishment of all is bearing the shame of his actions to his wife.

While Taylor accepts his conviction saying “I’ll take my punishment like I should” (1:45), he displays a great misunderstanding of the weight of what he has done to a child forced into a life of commercialized sex. “It’s a world of prostitution and you never know what you’re gonna get” (3:28). Taylor says that sometimes the girls are pretty, and sometime they are ugly, describing them as products rather than people—a disturbingly common attitude among millions of buyers of sex.

Stemming from this attitude, Taylor pities himself as a man seeking a “clean” transaction rather than feeling remorse for the crimes inflicted against the child who is one of thousands who are trafficked within the U.S. every year. In his justification, he claims that “I’m not the cause of prostitution,” (1:05) but if all common buyers stopped demanding sex—even from lonely football stars on long, 11 day trips—prostitution would cease to exist as we know it.

“It’s one of those crimes—I guess you call it crimes—where you never think you’re gonna get busted because everybody does it, you know? Until you get busted. Then it’s more embarrassing than anything else” (5:20). There’s no guessing here. Underage prostitution—which is human trafficking by definition—is illegal despite lack of knowledge, and despite lack of guilt.

Lawrence Taylor, thanks for showing the world what your average buyer looks like…an unremorseful, everyday, average Joe. Your demonstration of ignorance shows us why normal men need to be educated about the devastating effects of human trafficking; because it’s not about the pitiful lonely man. It’s about 100,000 American children that become victims of human trafficking each and every year.

Look for key misunderstandings of prostitution in interview with LT:

“I’m not the cause of prostitution.” (1:05)
“It’s a world of prostitution and you never know what you’re gonna get.” (3:28)
“I didn’t really want a relationship; I’m not looking for a relationship.” (4:23)
“It’s all clean,” [in reference to feelings]. (4:30)
“I’m not saying it’s alright, but God, it’s the oldest profession in the world.” (4:43)
“I guess you call it crimes.” (5:21)

Look for the prevalence of human trafficking and prostitution in everyday American culture:

“You can start by just opening up the phone book.” (5:01)
“I have used the services before.” (5:14)
“Everybody does it.” (5:28)

Share your findings:
Be sure to share this post via email, facebook, and/or twitter because it’s so incredibly important to change attitudes towards this crime! Lawrence Taylor’s defense demonstrates a classic buyer’s reaction to getting caught which focuses on his own justification rather than the child’s victimization. All the while, his hesitation and body language reveal that despite all reasoning, he knows that “it’s not alright” (4:43).

March 11, 2011 by Guest

Why So Young? — Why the average age a child is first exploited through prostitution is 13

The AVERAGE age a child is first exploited through prostitution is 13 years old.

This shocking number is not a coincidence or evidence that today’s youth are more delinquent than the generations before them. Rather, it reveals the fact that pimps are using more manipulative tactics to recruit younger girls.

To understand why the average age of entry is so young, we must understand the strategy used by pimps. When many people think of sex trafficking, they think of kidnapped children enslaved in a foreign brothel. However, the commercial sexual exploitation of minors occurs in every corner in the U.S. While kidnapping for the purpose of sex trafficking does occur in America, a common tactic used by pimps is trauma bonding. According to Patrick J. Carnes, Ph.D., trauma bonding is defined as the “Dysfunctional attachments that occur in the presence of danger, shame or exploitation.” Pimps often implement this strategy by initially playing the role of a girl’s boyfriend. He takes her out to nice places and showers her with gifts in an effort to gain her trust. As the relationship continues, the pimp starts to exert more power over the girl, engaging in increasingly rough sexual activity, and even beating her. Eventually, the pimp convinces the girl that they are low on money. Isolated from her friends and family, she often has no choice but to comply with the pimp’s demands to sell her body for sex. The trauma bonding process brainwashes the victim into believing that she is choosing to engage in this lifestyle, despite the fact that every step was calculated by the pimp to manipulate her.

According to Shared Hope International’s “National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking,” 70% of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) victims have experienced physical or sexual abuse prior to being trafficked. In addition, the risk of being trafficked increases exponentially for children who run away from broken homes or abuse. In fact, research indicates that 1 in 3 girls will be trafficked within 48 hours of running away. Girls who have an absent father figure may also be more likely to be targeted for the commercial sex trade. Many DMST victims have one or both parents in jail or on drugs. Though these factors may increase the risk for a girl to be targeted for exploitation in the commercial sex industry, a girl’s most vulnerable point is simply her age. Young girls are often more susceptible to rely on the perceived love and security that a pimp initially offers. Additionally, youth brings a lack of life experience, a lack of social support, an increased difficulty to meet financial needs for survival and fewer coping mechanisms.

In such a lucrative industry, utilizing minors to meet the demand for paid sex is a sly business move – one that turns a huge profit for pimps. Thus, in an industry driven by an ever growing demand, the young and impressionable provide the most convenient and profitable supply for pimps. Shared Hope International is committed to ending domestic minor sex trafficking and activating a nation that protects, rather than purchases, our children.