Sex Trafficking in the United States Symphrosa Maingi, David Githinji, Sassy Payakante, Rachel Ngom

Overview

Sex Trafficking- Defined Sex trafficking is defined as: The recruitment, transportation (within national or across international borders), transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. Sexual trafficking is accomplished by means of fraud, deception, threat of or use of force, abuse of a position of vulnerability, and other forms of coercion.

Why Sex Trafficking? Male demand for the sex of prostitution and related sexual entertainment

Who are the Victims? Majority are women and girls Young boys Runaway, missing, abducted, throwaway children and youth Mentally ill persons

Who are the Buyers? Men who buy women in prostitution come from all nationalities and races. In the northern Midwest, law enforcement officials reported that generally white males, aged 30-50, patronized the saunas and strip clubs Men from U.S. military bases were frequently mentioned as buyers in the Southeast.

How are Victims Trafficked? A promise of a good job A false marriage proposal turned into a bondage situation Being sold into the sex trade by parents, husbands, boyfriends Being kidnapped by traffickers Using Facebook and Myspace

Statistics The human trafficking business generates $9.5 billion in the U.S every year ( Federal Bureau of Investigation) Estimated 300,000 child trafficked victims(FBI) 13 yrs average age of a trafficked victim in the U.S (US Department of Justice) Forced sex up to 20 times a day ( A21 Campaign) Within 48 hours of being on the street, one in three teens will be lured into prostitution(National Incident Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Throwaway Children)

What to Look For

Types of Sex Trafficking Prostitution Pornography Stripping Live-sex shows Mail-order brides Military prostitution Sex tourism.

Methods of Control Denying freedom of movement Isolation Controlling money Threats and intimidation Drug and alcohol dependencies Threatened exposure of pornographic films Physical and sexual violence.

Where is Sex Trafficking? All over the world In the United States :Main destination West Coast, the Midwest is a major supplier of young women 18 and under through I-35 ( Shared Hope International: Catholic Key Magazine) In MO, reports of trafficking activities in Florissant, Jefferson county, Kirkwood, Kansas City, Chillicothe and South City.

In OUR Backyard Rise in prostitution along S. Broadway

Katie Rhoads Video slave-trade-in-St-Louis

What has the Government Done? The national anti-trafficking plan of the United States recommends prevention, protection for victims and prosecution of traffickers. Enactment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) made sex trafficking a serious violation of Federal law.

Governmental organizations for anti-trafficking Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS) Department of Homeland Security: US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Department of Justice : Office of Victims of Crime (OVC),Civil Rights Division Department of Labor International Labor Affairs Bureau Department of State. Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP) FBI

Non governmental organizations for anti-trafficking Polaris Project Freedom Network USA ECPAT USA Shared Hope International GEMS- New York

Local Organizations St. Louis Restore and Rescue Coalition International Institute Catholic Charity The sisters of St. Joseph Healing Action Network

Intervention strategies Protection Prosecution Prevention

PRA in St Louis:

Other PRA: Case Studies Attend “Johns” school or face prosecution. Former prostitutes and trafficked victims and advocacy in Chicago. “I am not buying it” Super Bowl XLV campaign Youth as mentors in New York. Boston city transit campaign US CBP- “Don’t be fooled” campaign

Recommendations Education Burden of proof shift Community Involvement Collaboration

Education Creative resources need to be developed for raising public awareness about sex trafficking in both sending and receiving countries. Education and public awareness campaigns about trafficking should utilize the media in immigrant communities in the United States. Legal information should be disseminated to social service providers and advocates for immigrants and abused women, in an easy-to-understand style. Guidebooks or other information should include specific contact information for federal agencies and departments that investigate trafficking and prosecute traffickers.

The Women, the Traffickers, and the Buyers Trafficked women should not be treated as criminal illegal immigrants, but as victims of violence and human rights abuses. The burden of proof needs to be shifted to the traffickers. Legislation must not allow traffickers to use the consent of the victim as a defense against trafficking. Laws and law enforcement must address the demand side of the sex industry. It must be made more difficult for buyers to purchase women for commercial sex. Laws against buying women must be strengthened.

Community Involvement Essential to prevention, prosecution and protection. Media, law enforcement and social service providers must be sensitive to the complexities of community participation in anti-trafficking campaigns Communities should not bear the resource burden alone. Joint effort of government, women’s and community groups Government should work with a variety of community-based groups

Collaboration Needed between local police officers and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors. Law enforcement and social service providers should collaborate and cooperate in prevention of trafficking, protection of victims, and prosecution of traffickers.

What Can YOU Do? 1.Educate yourself: read books, watch movies/documentaries &attend related discussions Join support effort groups: Amnesty International 3. Share what you have learned 4.Acquint yourself with literature on post traumatic stress and trauma treatment 5.Call: