A Culture of Indifference (R Rated)

WARNING: The following post has some very serious content. If you are easily offended, read it anyway - it could wake you up to the issue of sexual of minors in America. As a father of two daughters, the issue of sex trafficking has strong personal implications. The famous phrase by Martin Luther King Jr. that "A threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" ring equally true - the indifference to sexual exploitation anywhere is indifference to sexual exploitation in your own backyard (home, neighborhood, city).
If we are willing to ignore the wholesale exploitation of teens in Cambodia, India, or anywhere else in the world, we may find ourselves with an epidemic in our own country. We may also find a society that is anaesthetised to the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children. We must be willing to combat this for the sake of children globally - the future of society really does depend on it. I am not just 'crying wolf' - I have seen this close up around the world. We are talking about millions of young people; the future generation being sexually exploited and devalued.

What do we think this will bring to the next generation? If we are willing to sow indifference to children being sexually harmed, are we equally willing to reap the consequences? How about the consequences locally, right here in America? The truth is - we already experience it. It is here. News and media are beginning to elevate the issue of sex trafficking in America, particularly that of children. But, I am not sure we are ready to digest the reality.

I think the startling thing we are beginning to realize is that this is bigger, more complex, and disturbing than we would have ever thought. Articles emerging with minors 'pimping' out other minors. Parents, other adults, and even police officers trafficking children for sex. As a professional in the anti-trafficking field, we are always challenged by the issue of girls 'choosing' to be involved in prostitution. This deeply disturbs me that as a society, we actually have the inclination to believe that a 16 year old girl choosing to engage in commercial sex is actually a viable and acceptable option.Yet, I look at the media (not as solely responsible - (I volley between "art imitating life" and "life imitating art") and how girls are portrayed, how prostitution is glamorized at some level, and how there is a growing materialism in America to an extreme. This has created an attractive lure for young girls that are susceptible to being manipulated or coerced into 'the life'. As an example, 50 Cent is a celebrity, looked up to by youth.

Here are some of his recent lyrics from his song "P-I-M-P":
"She got a thing for that Gucci, that, that Prada
That BCBG, Burberry Dolce and Gabana
She feed them foolish fantasies, they pay her cause they wanna
I spit a little G man, and my game got her
A hour later, have that ass up in the Ramada..."
"...She like my style, she like my smile, she like the way I talk
She from the country, think she like me cause I'm from New York
I ain't that n***a trying to holla cause I want some h**d
I'm that n***a trying to holla cause I want some bread
I could care less how she perform when she in the bed
B**ch hit that track, catch a date, and come and pay the kid
Look baby this is simple, you can't see
You f**king with me, you f**king with a P-I-M-P"



What is the motivation for this kind of attitude and perspective? Money. This is a crime that is profitable. One girl, at 17, had made over a million dollars. People have said that the recession has caused Americans to reevaluate their values, yet sex trafficking in minors continues to be a cottage industry in the United States. What is my point? My point is this - our reaction to sex trafficking as a society makes us want to cringe and turn away. We don't want to see this. It's paralyzing. It's overwhelming and we feel helpless. We feel as though there is nothing we can do. Oh, certainly, we feel equal amounts of outrage - street justice comes to mind. But, neither of these are helping victims. Instead, we need to look for how we can make an impact. It is not an unsolvable problem, rather; this is something we can eliminate - we can bring an end to this. There are many things you can do:
1. Support your local and federal law enforcement agencies that investigate and prosecute sex trafficking cases.

2. Support laws that convict criminals (pimps, traffickers, buyers) and protect victims of sex trafficking.

3. Support, volunteer with, and encourage the agencies and organizations that are fighting sex trafficking and assisting victims.

4. Talk about this - sex trafficking is an invisible crime that only goes on undetected because we don't talk about it and bring it into our public forums.

"So, get involved. Find out who is doing what in your city and state - then, decide what it is that you can offer. Don't be paralyzed; do something - give money, give your time, commit to making a difference! Transitions Global has been moving its efforts to develop a domestic sex trafficking shelter forward, but it is a long journey. In the meantime, there are a number of great organizations that are doing good work in this field (there are many horrible ones too!). I encourage you to support the efforts of my heroes in the field: GEMS-Girls, SARC, and many, many more are doing great work in this field.

Why Don't They Just Run Away?

When we are talking about sex trafficking, the question that often arises is - "why don't they just run? If they want to be free, why don't they just leave?" I can understand why they are asking. In most global circumstances, victims of sex trafficking often appear to be free to do whatever they like.

In Cambodia, I have seen girls just meandering around the neighborhood, walking to the market, or talking with friends. In Greece, I watched girls eating at cafes, talking to friends, and walking along the streets during the day. Indonesia, the same. Vietnam, same. India, yeah, there too. The United States - yes, even there - the same. So, on the exterior of it all, the average person looking at sex trafficking victims must be a bit puzzled at the apparent solution to the problem - leave. Walk away from your circumstances and get help.

But, it is not that easy. First, I must add that I have seen the opposite side of the spectrum. It does exist. Girls held in chains, locked in rooms, and kept in horrendous living conditions in each of these places. That said, the majority of what we perceive looks to be a simple equation of self-will and action equalling freedom. Unfortunately, this is not the reality.

Anyone familiar with interrogation will know the power of psychological manipulation and control. The effect of having a person in a place of power and control over a person can have a serious effect. There is tremendous power in 'convincing' someone that something is true.

Let me give you an example - one of the girls that we work with in Cambodia was explaining the power her 'pimp' had over her. He never had to beat her or touch her. Many of the girls we work with, have had physical beatings, electrocution, and torture of unimaginable proportions. But, this particular girl told us of a different means of keeping her in control.

Having been taken from her home to a foreign city, she was out of her element. She didn't know anyone and had no bearings for where she was or how to get home. In the brothel, there were four other girls. She befriended one of them and they became like sisters - they trusted one another and depended on each other for strength. When this young lady would not 'obey' the brothel keeper, the pimp would bring her friend in and beat her in the girl's place.

She would be asked to follow the brothel keepers orders or her friend would be beaten repeadetly until she complied. This type of psychological manipulation trains the mind to believe and understand that there is nothing within your own control. Someone controls every element of your life.

This is why many sex trafficking victims believe that their pimps are everywhere and know everything. The pimps have created a false impression that they can control these young girls' worlds. It isn't true - pimps and traffickers are cowards - but, they have convinced their victims that they are somehow omniscent and worthy of their loyalty and obedience.

There are other ways of creating control - threatening family, promising hope for the future (money, marriage, etc.), having children with the girls and threatening to take them or harm them, and then of course, there is physical torture. Without getting into this too far, physical abuse can also become a part of the control, in that victims become 'addicted' to the abuse.

But, back to the question - why don't they just run? It would be so much easier for them if they walked away and got some help, right? Not so. First, victims believe that they are a part of the problem - that they are direct contributors to their plight. Most girls believe that they got into prostitution by being 'bad', worthless, or deserving of having men misuse them. They often believe that they are the criminals, which is re-enforced by the traffickers, pimps, and buyers.

They don't trust the police and they don't know where to turn for help. The reality in most places

is - you can't just walk up to a shelter and say, "I am a trafficking victim, can I stay here?" There are laws. In Cambodia, India, and the United States, there are specific laws that must be abided by to have custody of a minor. This means a process must be followed; a process that is often exploitive and intrusive by nature.

The truth of the matter is - we need more and better services that victims can access. Services that protect victims from the moment of rescue until they are in a rehabilitative service.

If you are interested in this topic and would like to explore this on your own, I would recommend Melissa Farley's book "Prostitution and Trafficking in Nevada - Making the Connections". If you are not a 'reader', I would highly recommend GEMS video "Very Young Girls". This film will give you a much clearer understanding in how girls are manipulated and exploited. We will continue to write on this topic and we will have more in-depth information available on the 'new' Transitions Global website coming later this summer.