What a terrifying statistic!
I attended an event recently to hear Karly Church speak about domestic sex trafficking in Ontario. She was a very eloquent speaker who conveyed a lot of shocking (at least to me . . . or am I just that naive?) information in a fairly short period of time.
Church discussed several misconceptions of domestic sex trafficking:
* Not all sex workers are trafficked. They may have entered the trade by choice or by personal circumstances such as homelessness or addiction. Only persons who have been forced or coerced into sex work by a third person or group are considered to trafficked.
* Movement is not necessary. Trafficked persons may work in a specific area or may be moved from town to town. In fact, a trafficked person may still live at home and go to school but be forced out to work by her pimp/"boyfriend" every weekend.
* A sex trafficker/pimp is rarely a complete stranger.
* Most traffickers are usually similar in age to their victims.
* Victims are rarely kidnapped.
* Trafficking is not gender specific. Pimps may be male or female. Victims may be male or female. For the sake of clarity in this post I will be using he for the criminal and she for the victim since that is primarily the case.
The stages of commercial exploitation are:
* Luring. The trafficker will assess a victim's vulnerabilities, collect information, find out which of her life needs are not being met, and make her feel special by taking the time to get to know her.
* Grooming and Gaming. This is where the red flags really start to appear. This stage is often called the honeymoon stage. The victim will often refer to the trafficker as her boyfriend. He will make her believe she is in love and that all her dreams will come true. He may promise her a home and family. He will instill a sense of belonging or family and promise to keep her safe. At this stage he will be providing all her basic needs as gifts, treating her to a place to live, new clothes, hair, and nails. He will be very complimentary. During this time, if the victim isn't already a drug user, illicit drug use may begin. Standing back you can see this is all too good to be true. But what teen would want to believe it wasn't true, it wasn't love?
* Coercion and Manipulation. At this stage the pimp will begin withdrawing all the gifts, compliments, and basic needs, leaving the victim to wonder what she did wrong. All she wants to do is get back to the honeymoon stage and she may be willing to do just about anything he wants in order to return to his good graces. He my ask her for sexual acts and break down her morals, values, and boundaries. When she complies, she is rewarded. The next step is to condition her to accept money for sex, giving her money rather than gifts. At the same time he will also be breaking down all her other relations until she is 100% dependent on him.
* Exploitation. By this time the he has broken her down. She will say yes to anything he asks in order to try and win him back. He may threaten the safety of her loved ones. He may demand repayment for all the money he has invested in her until she believes she is truly indebted in him. He may use emotional and physical abuse, or confinement and isolation to force her compliance. She will comply.
These steps probably seem very intensive and time consuming but the truth is, depending on the vulnerability of the victim, the whole process from luring to exploitation can take as little as 1 day or as long as several months. The investment is worth it to him because a pimp usually has more than one victim (a stable) and they are all making money for him. He can earn as much as $250,000 annually from each victim.
Where are victims recruited?
* Online through social media or dating sites
* Group homes and shelters
* Schools
* Through friends
* Street involved
Risk Factors
* Low Self-esteem
* Bullied
* Victims of abuse
* Marginalized
* Racialized
* Poverty
* Live in high crime areas
Women are not often pimps but victims of domestic sexual trafficking may become recruiters of new victims. She may recruit for her own self-preservation or survival, it may feel like an opportunity and a way to reclaim a bit of power and control. Remember that these women have been conditioned by their pimps to be compliant. We must remember to see them as survivors of domestic sex trafficking rather than as criminals.
Warning Signs that Someone You Know May be a Victim of Domestic Sexual Trafficking:
* the use of language pertaining to trafficking (such as "in the game")
* excessive primping with new clothes, hair, nails, etc.
* frequent relocation
* neglecting healthcare needs
* not in control of their own money - always owing money
* disoriented or isolated - withdrawn from friends
* secretive
* signs of a controlling or abusive relationship
* always accompanied by someone who seems controlling
* unexplained money, clothes, hair, jewelry
* no identification
* two cell phones or changes number frequently
* signs of branding (such as a tattoo)
* exhibits hyper-vigilance or paranoia
So why don't the victims leave? Fear. Where are they going to go? They have been made to believe that their family and friends don't care. What would they do? Then add to that the psychological hold their pimps have over them.
What can you do? Listen to your gut. Don't confront the victim or her pimp. Instead, contact Crimestoppers, police or a similar program. Give them a description of the person you believe is being trafficked and leave it to the specialists. These victims require special care to help them leave that life.
Another way to help is to raise awareness of this rapidly growing crime. Check out Project ONroute at https://www.facebook.com/ProjectONroute/ or https://courageforfreedom.org/solution/project-onroute/
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