pimps Archives - Shared Hope International

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.

June 27, 2011 by Guest

Hide but not seek. Changing America’s response to trafficking.

“Harriet ran away from home when she was 11 years old and moved in with a 32-year-old man who sexually and physically abused her. Then he convinced her to become a prostitute. In the next two years, Harriet became addicted to drugs and contracted numerous sexually transmitted diseases. The police arrested Harriet when she was 13 and charged her with committing prostitution, and placed her on probation for 18 months in the custody of juvenile probation officials. Her lawyers have appealed the decision, arguing that since she could not legally consent to sex, she cannot face prostitution-related charges. The police made no efforts to find her pimp.” (United States Department of State)

Harriet is just one example of 100,000 American children who are sexually exploited through prostitution in the United States each year. Many children are vulnerable for sexual exploitation because of their age, emotional instability due to unstable home life, history of sexual abuse, and/or being a chronic runaway. As many as 2.8 million American children run away from home each year. Within 48 hours of hitting the streets, experts estimate one-third of these children are lured or recruited into the underground world of prostitution and pornography.

The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA) in 2000 created the tools to enable the U.S. government to address the prosecution of traffickers, protection for victims, and prevention of human trafficking. However, protecting victims and prosecuting traffickers is a challenging and complex process.

One of the greatest challenges faced in the prosecution of domestic sex traffickers and pimps is the separation of the victim from their immediate environment long enough to help them realize they are in fact victims. Most are under the severe psychological and physical control of their pimp, and trauma bonds between victims and pimps are very difficult to break. Trafficking victims often remain loyal to their trafficker, sometimes suffering arrest and prosecution to protect the identity of their trafficker. When this occurs, victims may be sent to juvenile facilities or back to their often dysfunctional family, instead of receiving safe shelter and necessary care such as psychological counseling. This experience could re-traumatize the child, causing greater distrust against the criminal justice system and increasing the possibility of the child returning to their trafficker.

States have increasingly started recognizing the importance of identifying and protecting trafficked minors through legislative and advocacy efforts; however, it is still not enough. The ongoing efforts of the justice system, NGOs, and non-profit organizations are crucial to meet and overcome the challenge of protecting the children in our country

April 12, 2011 by Guest

The Nejloveanu Family: A Look Into How Pimps are Created

Sex trafficking is one of the most inhuman acts in the world. Its utter disregard for basic human rights is staggering. It begs the question, who would do this? Two months ago, the Nejloveanu father-son duo were handed hefty convictions for sex trafficking in the UK. The Nejloveanu family charmed multiple women between the ages of 16 and 25 into selling their bodies for money. They kept the women as their “sexual playthings” through threatening, beating, and degrading them. So why did they do it?

The act of human trafficking is an inexcusable crime but there are some key events in childhood that may be responsible for desensitizing traffickers to violence. A Chicago based study of 25 ex-pimps found that 76% experienced sexual assault as a child, with the average age of assault being 9.5!

The study showed that one of the reasons why people start pimping is the influence of other pimps’ wealth. One former pimp praised his father’s success as a pimp and expressed how that caused him to want to join the family business.

“I wanted to be respected like my daddy. He dressed very well, $400 and $500 suits. He drove the best Cadillacs. I wanted all of that. I grew up in it. It gave me the same things I saw my daddy with. I loved pimping.”

While there is research documenting how pimps control, employ, and recruit women for the sex trade, little is known about why they begin trafficking. According to the Chicago study, another reason why pimps get involved in the industry is the relatively low danger of prosecution compared to the large payoff. The ex-pimps in the Chicago study made anywhere between $150,000 and $500,000 in one year! Marius Nejloveanuand his father made anywhere from $117,000 to $234,000 every year.
From the case of the Nejloveanu family and the Chicago Study we can infer two possible reasons why pimping begins: the hefty income and the lack of danger. The payoff for pimping can become less advantageous by making it easier to convict traffickers, increasing the penalties, and requiring a well trained police force to be present in areas of pimping. Lastly, it is clearly important for interventions in child sexual abuse and physical violence, which are precursors of pimping and trafficking and contribute to transforming victims into victimizers.