legislation 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?

July 1, 2011 by Guest

Attorneys General United in Fighting Human Trafficking

Washington State Attorney General and recently elected President of the National Association of Attorney Generals (NAAG), Rob McKenna, named human trafficking as NAAG’s issue of the year. Under NAAG’s initiative, Pillars of Hope, McKenna hopes to push the issue of human trafficking into nationwide recognition.

McKenna stated that awareness of human trafficking is at a “tipping point.” With the release of Shared Hope’s Protected Innocence Report Card for Washington in early 2011, McKenna said that he and other Washington legislators have taken the problem of human trafficking as a serious issue that needs to be addressed. He hopes NAAG’s Pillars of Hope: Attorneys General Unite Against Human Trafficking will result in the American public being well-informed about human trafficking, as well as a means to prosecute traffickers and johns.

The Pillars of Hope initiative outlines a set of goals that encompass many facets in the fight against human trafficking. Under the Four Pillars of Hope, NAAG sets out to 1) increase prosecution through proper identification of traffickers, johns and victims; 2) prosecute traffickers and buyers by encouraging every state to implement the anti-trafficking statutes; 3) rescue victims by providing shelter and legal support and; 4) focus on public awareness and victim identification to reduce demand.

Pillars of Hope is an ambitious initiative that addresses a challenging dynamic in the fight against human trafficking: awareness. Days before McKenna announced Pillars of Hope, he provided remarks by video at the Protected Innocence Legislative Briefing held by Shared Hope International and hosted by the Family Research Council. This forum aimed to raise awareness of the need for anti-trafficking laws at the state level. In McKenna’s address, he referred to DMST as a “hidden problem,” but with the release of Shared Hope’s Report Card, which gave Washington a “C,” many are starting to realize the scope of this problem.

For McKenna, a “C” isn’t good enough, and he hopes Washington will one day receive straight “A’s”— leading the charge against sex trafficking. McKenna reported that awareness among legislators has already increased since Washington received this mediocre grade, as Washington passed Senate Bill 6476, which increased penalties for buyers and traffickers and offers additional protection to trafficking victims. With Attorneys General across the U.S. uniting in this effort, we can hope the goals set out by the Pillars of Hope will reduce demand, provide criminal justice tools to prosecute traffickers and johns and provide services to victims. By making human trafficking NAAG’s issue of the year, McKenna is sending a message to traffickers and johns that, in America, kids are not for sale.

February 24, 2011 by webdesigner

Sen. Reid Stirs Up More than a Little Dust

On Tuesday, February 22, legal prostitution looked death in the face. On that day, Harry Reid, US senator of Nevada, spoke to Nevada state legislature about education, clean energy, term limits, and outlawing prostitution. Although this final subject only amounted to about 6.5% of hisentire speech, it exploded into news coverage, chit-chat, the blogosphere, and heated debate across the country. While Sen. Reid was concerned that this portion of his speech elicited so much attention, he deserves public support for the strong stance he took, stating that “the time has come for us to outlaw prostitution.”

Why would Sen. Reid risk saying such a bold statement? He insisted it was because he wanted to “prove that we’re [Nevada is] a 21st-century state” revealing that he believes legal prostitution mars the reputation of Nevada. He followed with an anecdote about meeting a company who chooses not to move to Nevada over this very concern. Sen. Reid reasoned, “Nevada needs to be known as the first place for innovation and investment – not as the last place where prostitution is still legal.”

Sen. Harry Reid is correct. Legal prostitution does give Nevada a bad name, but that is not the only effect this industry has had on its state. According to Shared Hope International’sresearch, Las Vegas, only 60 miles from a legal brothel establishment, is a major destination for trafficked children in the United States. But how do we know that legal prostitution actually encourages illegal human trafficking? The truth is that Las Vegas has become America’s capitol for prostitution and trafficking. This is supported by the fact that while brothels do not set up shop in the city, they and other escort services pay hefty fees to advertise in Las Vegas, creating a culture that accepts and supports the sex trade, and ultimately paves the way for illegal activity. Vegas residents and tourists are exposed to legal prostitution through advertisements and encouraged to participate in the industry. As a result, demand for commercial sex increases in high population areas. Where there is demand, there is supply.

In response to Sen. Harry Reid’s comments on outlawing prostitution, many brothel owners have either reacted in anger—like Dennis Hof who was interviewed by CNN—or dismissed the position entirely in hopes that Reid’s words will not inspire Nevada residents and legislators to institute a ban on prostitution. Lance Gilman, owner of the Wild Horse and Mustang Ranch brothels in Storey County said, “It is one thing for Harry Reid to say we ought to outlaw brothels. It is quite another for our Legislature to decide to take up a bill. If that happens then it is a whole different scenario.” Lance Gilman bluffs that he feels no threat.

Mr. Gilman created the opportunity for us to prove him wrong. And now we hold the power to perpetuate change and make a difference. Reid took the first step in sparking discussion, and we the people can unite taking the next step by creating legislation that outlaws prostitution in America for good. Spread the news to those in Nevada. Tell them to pick up their pens and write their legislators about the issue at hand. If lawmakers are ever going to make change, they’ll do it by the sheer will and determination of their constituents.

April 5, 2010 by SHI Staff

The Swedish Approach to Prostitution, Part II

The Swedish Approach to Prostitution: Could it work in the U.S.?

Since 1999, Sweden has taken a unique approach to prostitution. In Sweden, it’s a crime to pay for sex. Prostitutes (mostly women and children) are referred to government funded programs aimed at getting them out of prostitution while customers (mostly men) who are paying for sex are charged and prosecuted.

Would that approach work here in the United States? What if we made it a crime to buy sex, and focused our attention on stopping the demand? What if instead of charging prostituted women and children with soliciting, we copied Sweden: investing in support services to help them leave prostitution, and charging the person who is paying for sex?

Obviously, the US and Sweden are different countries. So what are our differences in approaching prostitution?

The 1999 law makes it clear that Sweden sees prostitution as a women’s issue, and as a form of violence against women and children. This is very different from our current view in the U.S.

While both countries recognize women’s rights, Sweden has often led the U.S. in terms of timing. Women in Sweden were given the right to vote in all municipal elections in 1909; in the United States, women gained the right to vote in 1920. Sweden outlawed rape in marriage in 1965; in the U.S., marital rape was finally outlawed in all fifty states in 1994, when Texas enacted a law. Sweden also has more women in government than the U.S. For several years, Sweden led the world with the highest female representation in government (close to 50%). And the female politicians were vocal supporters of Sweden’s legislation. To contrast Sweden and the U.S., at the end of 2009, Sweden had 46.4% women in government (second highest in the world); the U.S. had only 16.8% in the House of Reps; and 15.3% in the Senate.[i]

Perhaps the biggest difference between our two countries is our view of prostitution. Here in the United States, prostitution is not seen as violence against women or children; and we do not view or treat prostituted persons as victims, even when the prostituted person is a child well under the age of consent. As for the customers or “johns” who pay for sex, here in the US they remain largely faceless and outside the law.

Sweden is taking a fundamentally different view. By looking at the whole situation, Sweden sees a larger picture where the customer who is paying for sex is the criminal and the prostituted woman or child is the victim. Here in the U.S., we’re not seeing that bigger picture. Our focus is solely on the prostitute, whether woman, man or child. The nature of the exploitation isn’t named; and the person who is paying for sex (“customer”,“john”) remains largely outside our view.

There is no reason we couldn’t borrow from Sweden’s law and introduce legislation in the U.S. that shifts the crime from the prostituted child or woman to the person paying for sex. But to change our legislation, we need to change the hearts and minds of our legislators. Changing our view to the bigger picture is a good way to start.

[i] Source: Women in National Parliaments. Info compiled by the Inter Parliamentary Union, based on information provided by National Parliaments as of Dec. 31, 2009 available at http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm

March 31, 2010 by SHI Staff

The Swedish Approach to Prostitution, Part I

For the past eleven years, Sweden has taken a unique approach to prostitution. In 1999, the Swedish government passed a law making it a crime to pay for sex. The selling of sex remains legal but people who pay for sex are charged with a crime.

The Swedish perception of prostitution as an aspect of male violence against women and children led to this unique approach to the issue. The Swedish government “officially acknowledged [prostitution] as a form of exploitation of women and children and…a significant social problem,” saying that gender equality would remain “unattainable as long as men buy, sell and exploit women and children by prostituting them.” By making it illegal to pay for sex, Sweden targeted the demand side of the commercial sex industry.

How is it working in Sweden?

Initially, there were very few arrests because police officers were reluctant to arrest people. Once the officers received in-depth training, however, things quickly changed. A study conducted in 2004, just five years after the legislation came into force, found that Swedish brothels and massage parlors had disappeared, and street prostitution had been reduced by two thirds. An article published in Sweden’s The Local newspaper in 2008 noted that Stockholm no longer has a red light district, and law enforcement officials now express strong support for the law because it has allowed them to tackle organized crime, which is often associated with prostitution.

Some supporters don’t feel the law goes far enough. The law allows for men to be fined and serve up to six months in jail but as of 2008, no man had gone to jail and only 500 men (50 per year) had been convicted and fined. Several legislators want tougher penalties and are calling for “more teeth” in the law. This is concerning for anti-trafficking advocates who see victims of sex trafficking mixed with the victims of prostitution in practice. Men who buy sex from a trafficking victim should be subject to much steeper penalties and the victim rescued and provided restorative services.

Some opponents criticize the law for failing to take into account sex workers’ opinions on this issue. Some sex workers’ organizations believe women have a right to choose prostitution as a life and work choice, and they resent the government’s interference in this business of prostitution. Other opponents say that Sweden’s law hasn’t really reduced demand but has simply pushed prostitution underground – onto the Internet and into women’s homes- making it more dangerous for prostitutes.

Regardless of the debate, a recent study showed that support remains high among the Swedish people, with 80% continuing to support the legislation. Other countries, including Finland, Norway, Scotland and Britain have been influenced by Sweden’s approach, considering or passing legislation that makes it illegal to pay for sex.