johns Archives - Shared Hope International

April 19, 2013 by SHI Staff

Advocating: Will You Join the Cause to End Demand?

Guest Blog Post by Ethan Morrow

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of attending a lobbying event at the Oregon capitol building, in Salem, OR. At the event, hundreds of people advocated for two bills that would help crack down on buyers, and offer better protection for victims of human trafficking. It was very encouraging to see the variety of people that showed up. From pastors and ministers, to college students and children — who took a day off of school to make a difference, a very diverse crowd of people showed up.

It was very encouraging for me to see so many people show up and engage in the process of politics in order to make a difference and protect women and children. In addition to this encouragement, the process of this event was also fascinating. I say this because I got an inside look into the political system. Everyone who lobbied, including myself, got the opportunity to enter into the offices of individual politicians. We got to speak with senators and representatives personally. We got to have a regular conversations, and we got to share our own personal experiences with human trafficking, and why it is important we end it.

I realized that politicians are people too, and they are highly influenced by the power of personal, individual story. A group of students from a Warner Pacific College student club delivered a large stack of hand-written, individually addressed letters that encouraged the politicians to support the bills. People showed up, conversations were had, and we made a huge influence!

That is a testament to the power of taking action. It truly shows that together, we can end demand. Together, we can change society and make a difference. At this lobbying event, the idea of changing the world wasn’t just an idea—it was becoming a reality.

Defenders, we can make a difference. Our stories have impact. We just need to share them. I want to issue a challenge to all Defenders: show up and share your story. At this lobbying event, it was probably 90% women—maybe even more. What if we had a lobbying event that was 50/50, or even 90% or 100% men? Imagine the impact we could make in supporting bills that target the johns and buyers. My fellow Defenders, together, we can end demand. Will you join the cause?

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.