Sex Trafficking In The U.S.?
Posted by Michelle Moquin on May 25th, 2010
When I read this article I found it to be quite shocking. Not because of the subject matter but because of the subject setting – We’re talking sex trafficking, and yes the sex scene is here in the U.S.
When I think of sex trafficking, I think of some of the places that I have visited overseas, and warned to be extremely careful… “Don’t travel alone as a woman.”
Yes, we are aware of the plight of women and young girls in other countries; even last year I blogged about the young girls in Tijuana, Mexico who are kidnapped and forced into prostitution. They are eventually smuggled through a dangerous corridor that leads them to the U.S. in places such as New York’s illegal brothels, where they live as sexual slaves till whenever.
In a report in 2005, as many as 17,500 sex slaves are smuggled into the US each year, according to the federal stats. That stat is disturbing enough.
But now I read that young girls living here in the U.S. are ‘tricked’ into becoming prostitutes by boys not much older than themselves. It is a problem and it is growing.
Child prostitution has become a national problem in this country. Yes, I know that you have trouble believing that. You don’t want to believe it, so you tend not to.
“Widespread sex trafficking in children?”, you may be saying to yourself. “Sure, it happens overseas in places like Thailand and Moldova, and while there may be some of it here there’s not that much of it in our country.”
Based on a months long investigation and some reportorial digging, I’m here to tell you that you are wrong. We all are. We’re in denial.
In covering news for more than 60 years, I’d like to think that few stories shock me anymore. But this is one of them. We ran across it late last year and the more we dug, the more disturbing it became.
Eighty-year-old men paying a premium to violate teenage girls, sometimes supplied by former drug gangs now into child sex trafficking big time? You’ve got to be kidding. Nope. That’s happening and a lot more along the same lines.
The business is booming. One of the worst areas for it runs along lines running roughly from Seattle to Portland, to San Francisco and Los Angeles, to Las Vegas. But no place in the country is immune.
To pick just one example among many, Portland, Oregon is without doubt one of the nation’s treasures. It has been voted one of the best places to live and work. But according to police, the city and its outlying communities has become a hub for the sexual exploitation of children. In a recent nationwide sting by Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, Portland ranked second in the country for the number of rescued child prostitutes. And according to Doug Justus, the workhorse sergeant in charge of Portland’s tiny Vice Detail, many of the children caught up in this are middle class kids from the area.
The girls, sometimes as young as 12, often 13-16, are lured by a “front man” in his mid-to-late teens. He becomes her “boyfriend,” taking her to dinner, buying her nice things, sometimes meeting her parents. The girl eventually moves in with him. Then he says they need money to continue being together. First, she’s enticed to sleep with his friends to pay the rent. Soon she’s turning tricks for what police say is an endless supply of older men willing to pay top money for sex with very young girls. Other times convincing the young adolescent girls to sell themselves happens very quickly.
“It is an out-of-control problem. It’s unbelievable,” say Justus. “I’ve only done this vice-squad job for three years. I’ve been a cop for 29. If you had told me three years ago that a 14-year-old girl would go to a food court, meet a guy, and three hours later be selling herself, I’d a said, no frigging way. It happens every single day, every day.”
It is a very lucrative business, according to Justus. “An average pimp with one kid will make between $800 and $l,000 a day. That’s seven days a week, 30 days a month,” he said. And the pimps usually have a stable of young girls. No wonder so many criminals in the drug trade have turned to it which they have in droves. There’s less chance of being caught, less chance of being prosecuted if caught, lighter sentences — if any — if convicted.
There is, and has been for a long time, a national “War on Drugs.” There isn’t one on child prostitution and what amounts to a slave trade. Only feeble efforts at best.
Justus is frustrated that the Portland police have only two full-time vice investigators, compared to dozens of drug investigators.
“I’m not a politician. I’m just a cop. But if I’m a criminal and I got busted for drugs and I had a regional (drug) task force over here. And there’s another task force over there, and there, and then I know there’s only two vice investigators in the city of Portland, let me think. I think I’ll sell women because what are the chances of me being caught?”
The story we’ve prepared is not about prostitution per se. This is about child abuse. This is also about statutory rape and compelling prostitution among the young. All are difficult to prove. A major reason, according to police, is that it’s extremely difficult to convince a young girl to testify against their pimps and “johns”. They are afraid.
Sgt. Justus told us the story of a 16-year-old girl whom he convinced to “roll” on her pimp. But before she could testify against him she disappeared — and her pimp walked free. Justus has spent the last year looking for her and fears she’s dead.
How many children are being peddled on the streets of Portland and in other cities and towns, to say nothing of the Internet (Justus and other law enforcement people say Craigslist, along with other Internet sites, are major factors in the spread of child prostitution)? Hard to know about the real numbers. The most conservative estimates are that at least 100,000 American children are being victimized. Many experts say they believe it’s closer to 300,000 or more.
Whatever the number, it is a national outrage and disgrace. And the problem is growing, not diminishing.
If you want to see the video related to this story, click here.
Readers: I thought the number of sex slaves smuggled into this country was bad enough, but when it is reported that hundreds of thousands of girls are being victimized in the U.S., that is just shocking to me. Is anyone else shocked by this stat?
My first thought is: Why are the parents of these young, under 18-year old girls, allowing them to move out and move in with their so-called ‘boyfriend’ in the first place? My father would never have allowed that. And who are the role models in these young boys lives? Why haven’t their fathers taught them to respect and revere young women? These young girls could be their sisters, their cousins, and yet they have no problem pretending a mutual friendship and tricking them into prostitution.
It used to be that you never needed to worry about the young boys – they got a slap on the back from dad with one hand, and a condom thrusted in their other hand, along with a wink as they walked out the door. Getting a girl pregnant was ‘the issue’. Not anymore. Parents need to wake up and get hip to modern day misfortune. It is way different and much more serious than it used to be. Girls can live through an unwanted pregnancy, as traumatic as that can be. But thrust into the throes of prostitution by boys, and having to endure as a sex slave to men, is not something one can easily put behind them.
What is happening to our young boys? The answer is they grow up and turn into men (not all) who take advantage of young girls by paying a pretty price to have sex with them. So much for men being good role models. How are young girls ever going to have a chance at any decent relationship, when they can’t even trust a young boy’s friendship, not to mention marriage, when men of marrying age are taking advantage of them in the worst way? When does this revolving madness of the plight of women end?
On a side note…I was talking to a friend the other night who had just turned 50. I asked him about a few girls that I had met through him, and if he was still seeing them. He responded by saying that he wasn’t dating them; they were just friends -he could be their father. He then went on to say that he hasn’t dated much because when he meets women who are closer to his age, he discovers that they hate men by then. I laughed, but inside I thought, ‘This is so revealing. That simple sentence speaks volumes.’
Thoughts? Comments? blog me.
And on another note…I just wanted to let you know that I was informed that there were several countries blocking my readers from posting their comments. In order to figure it out, most of the comments were presently being blocked. I apologize for the frustration it has been causing. I have been frustrated too, as I miss reading your thoughts, and articles etc. I was told it may take another day or so to figure it all out, but it seems from the comments this morning that perhaps it is resolved. Thanks for your patience. As much as I would like to say that I will never have issues again, that is unlikely.
Zen Lill: Friends or acquaintances, no matter – You are influential; more than you think. Every time you tell us a story, I notice how people listen to you. I say, keep those martini glasses and host a party. :) Thanks for the article too – good stuff.
Terry: Love the name of your party. Of course open with this column, and please write back and let us know how it went. Thanks!
Hi Peter: Nice to hear from you again.
Janice: Thanks for your persistency. Another great article on the benefits of Vit C. You don’t have to convince this girl to soak in it a few minutes a day. Oh, and congratulations! I wish you a blissful pregnancy and a healthy baby.
MoveOn: Thanks for the heads up.
Mike: Hello. Nice to see your name in print too. I realize that you are not trying to be silent. I know that you have been shut out like the rest of my readers. I just wanted to give and shout and tell everyone that they were missed here regardless of the reason.
Valeri: I wrote my blog post last night only to wake up to your post from yesterday. Thank you for linking the article! – Olga Murray is one amazing woman doing incredible things for young girls in Nepal. And you’re right, not all white people are bad. Murray is a fine example of a woman who takes the plight of women and young girls seriously to do something about it. I am so inspired by her. Now if we can just help the young girls in our own country. Unfortunately it is going to take more than the price of a pig, but so worth the time and the effort too.
Hi Doug: I am sure Valeri can answer for herself, but I disagree. l don’t think that Valeri is stating that because Murray is white she is kind and loving. I don’t think the color of her skin has anything to do with it at all, and I believe Valeri doesn’t either. I’m confused of where you came to that conclusion from her statement.
However, I do think it means something that the woman is white. She is a white woman doing something for otws, when so much of what is posted here is about whites only caring about themselves and theirs, and loving their own kind: Other whites. Many whites (not all) not only do nothing for otws, but they try very hard to keep them down, to say the least. I believe the point Valeri was making, was just simply that not all whites are bad. A valid point that many people make here.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my ‘loyal’(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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May 25th, 2010 at 10:40 am
Michelle
I couldn’t pull up this day. My sister’s best friend’s daughter had a horrifying experience when she was in Thailand. Her daughter went missing for two days and we thought she had been forced into the child sex trade.
She had been taken in by a german couple but she wouldn’t speak because she was told not to speak to strangers.
Charles
May 25th, 2010 at 10:43 am
Zen lill
I am up to 120 sit up twice a day. I like your exercise input. It inspires me to get the body I want. I would love to get half the compliments you get daily.
Tilly
May 25th, 2010 at 11:09 am
How to Be Happy When You Have Every Reason Not to Be
Scott Hamilton
Figure skater Scott Hamilton, who won a gold medal in the 1984 Winter Olympics, has had to endure more than his share of tough times.
A childhood digestive disease, never properly diagnosed, permanently stunted Hamilton’s growth and nearly killed him.
His mother died of cancer while he was in his teens. Hamilton was dropped by the Ice Capades just two years after his Olympic win, putting his professional skating career in doubt. He battled testicular cancer in 1997 and a brain tumor (benign) in 2004.
Hamilton once lived in fear of the problems that seemed to lurk around every corner, but now he remains happy and optimistic even during difficult times. Here are his secrets for happiness in a very imperfect world…
Consider all problems temporary… and temporary problems unimportant. As a skater, I knew that I would fall when I tried to learn a new jump.
I also knew that these falls were irrelevant as long as I got up after each one and tried again.
I try to apply this lesson to my life off the ice as well. I might have a problem right now, but “right now” is just a moment in time that soon will be gone forever…
and my “problem” really is just the starting point of a journey that will lead to a solution to my problem. Why let a starting point affect my mood? What matters is where I end up, and that’s going to be somewhere better.
It might take me a while to solve my problem, but I will start to feel better as soon as I begin working toward a solution. I find tremendous joy in tackling my problems. It breaks the “victim mentality” — a sure path to unhappiness — and puts me back in control of my life.
Don’t face problems alone. Men’s figure skating is a solo sport, but I still needed a coach to get the most out of my abilities. Life often seems like a solo sport, too, but finding a coach — a spouse or a friend with whom we can share our problems —
will make our attempts to solve those problems more enjoyable and more successful. Humans are social animals, as my coach, Don Laws, used to remind me. We’re not designed to face problems alone, so we shouldn’t try to do so.
Find strength in challenges. My mother’s struggle with breast cancer taught me that there are positive aspects to even the most devastating losses.
For three years, my mother continued to earn a living… work toward her master’s degree… and raise three children, even as she endured chemotherapy.
As awful as it was when she died at age 49, the lessons I learned from her strength in the face of the challenges were the most important lessons of my life. I had been an underachiever as a boy, but following her example transformed me into an Olympic champion.
We cannot completely control the events of our lives, but we can control how we respond to them. It’s this that defines us. I choose to be happy about the wonderful example my mother set for me in those final years, not sad about her death.
Don’t delay difficult conversations. My first inclination when someone does something that bothers me is to bite my lip and remain quietly unhappy. Over the years, I have learned that stoicism only prolongs my displeasure. As much as I dislike confrontations, they often are the quickest path back to happiness.
Example: My agent, Bob Kain, no longer had much time for me by the early 1990s. He had added new clients and taken on a management role in his firm. My career was suffering — but for years, I said nothing. I didn’t want to damage my relationship with Bob. Instead, I let my resentment build until our relationship was almost irreparably harmed. After I finally spoke up, we found a solution — a different agent at the company would handle the details of my career while Bob served as adviser. I could have avoided years of unhappiness if I had just voiced my displeasure sooner.
Sell your smile… even to yourself. I once saw Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi miss her landing on a triple lutz and fall hard on her back in front of a large crowd. She must have been in pain — not to mention disappointed and embarrassed — but she immediately bounced back up with a huge smile on her face. The remainder of her routine was flawless.
The crowd gave Kristi a big ovation. Her smile had convinced them that the fall didn’t matter — everything was okay.
Kristi’s smile also convinced Kristi herself that everything was okay. It’s easy to lose confidence and feel bad when we “fall.” Smiling or laughing releases endorphins, hormones that trigger feelings of happiness and well-being. In other words, we don’t have to wait until we are happy to smile — we can use a smile to make ourselves happy.
I put this lesson to use in my own life by searching for the humor in my darkest moments. If I can laugh at myself, my problems seem less daunting.
Example: I was scheduled to skate in Peoria, Illinois, just hours after I learned that I had testicular cancer. I feared that this could be the last performance of my life, and I desperately wanted to do well –
but my mind was on my cancer, not my skating. Suddenly I noticed a woman in the front row ignoring my routine entirely and casually applying makeup.
It made me chuckle to think that this performance that was so important to me was so meaningless to her. My mood immediately lightened, and I was able to get through the rest of the routine.
Fight for change. The world changes. We change. It’s inevitable. The only way to remain happy is to embrace change and enjoy it.
We need to take pleasure in meeting new challenges and take pleasure in the surprises that lie around every corner. The changes that we fear often make our lives much better in the end.
Example: When the Ice Capades didn’t renew my contract, I feared that my professional skating career was over. As it turned out, getting fired led to one of the greatest successes of my life.
My agent, Bob Kain, and I started a rival skating tour, Stars on Ice, that is still going strong and earning money today — while the Ice Capades folded years ago.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Scott Hamilton, who won a gold medal in figure skating in the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo and cofounded the Stars on Ice professional figure-skating tour in 1986.
He is a member of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame and author of The Great Eight: How to Be Happy (Even When You Have Every Reason to Be Miserable) (Thomas Nelson). http://www.scottcares.com.
May 25th, 2010 at 11:24 am
If I misread and misspoke in my response to you Valerie, I do apologize. I do agree that her work that was referenced is doing good things. I enjoyed the post nonetheless.