JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING ACTS. 1738/H.R. 3530
March 14th, 2014The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA) is considered the most comprehensive bill in Congress right now aimed at fighting human trafficking. I had the opportunity to attend a briefing at the Capitol yesterday, March 13th, to discuss the implications of this bill and discuss the issues surrounding human trafficking. I listened to a panel of experts present their research and initiatives aimed at fighting human trafficking, and discuss the importance of JVTA in helping bring an end to human trafficking and the victimization of minors in the sex trade industry. The legislation focuses on four main areas to help victims of human trafficking and prosecute the perpetrators. These include: systematic collaboration within the government and law enforcement, victims' access to services, funding, and demand. Senators Wyden and Cornyn, and Representatives Maloney and Poe are the congressional sponsors of JVTA. Senator Wyden gave a powerful statement at the briefing yesterday afternoon, calling for everyone to stand behind JVTA and fervently fight to bring an end to human trafficking.
Systematic Collaboration
JVTA would increase the collaboration between law enforcement, treatment programs, legal services, and housing agencies to ensure that victims are treated with the care that they need and the justice they deserve from the moment they are rescued. Access to Services
Denise Edwards, from the National Children's Alliance, discussed in detail the importance of providing healing services to all victims of human trafficking. Currently, health and recovery services are only offered to foreign victims of human trafficking. JVTA would widen this scope by providing services for victims who are also US citizens and legal permanent residents.
FundingJVTA would create a fund within the Treasury Department allocated solely for fighting human trafficking. This fund would be comprised of fines collected from crimes related to sex trafficking, and would be used to provide services to trafficking victims, as well as create a block grant program which would aid the training of first responders and law enforcement officials. Yasim Vafa, from Human Rights Project for Girls, also noted that this training will help ensure that victims of sex trafficking are treated as such, and not criminalized for their victimization.
Reducing DemandSamantha Vardaman, from Shared Hope International, spoke about the importance of attacking the demand side of human trafficking. This legislation does just that by including the words "patronize" and "solicit" when talking about individuals who will be prosecuted as criminals of human trafficking. By going after the buyers as well as those who capture and control trafficked victims, huge steps can be made in bringing an end to the sexual exploitation of minors, and all other women and men who are forced into sex acts against their will.
Panel of Experts
Yasmin Vafa, Human Rights Project for GirlsCamille Cooper, ProtectDenise Edwards, National Children's AllianceSamantha Vardaman, Shared Hope International
State lawmakers are considering system-wide changes to how law enforcement and child welfare agencies rescue and treat child victims of sex trafficking — a widespread problem whose solutions have been hotly debated by victim advocates and state officials in recent years.
A bipartisan draft bill churning through the House Healthy Families Subcommittee seeks to create a statewide network of task forces and safehouses as well as specialized foster homes for sexually exploited children.
(Click on the link below to watch a video by Dan Wagner of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.)
The call in Tallahassee for specialized treatment for children wracked with immense psychological trauma is a response to victim advocates who say trafficking survivors need therapy and care beyond what delinquent juveniles receive in jails or foster children receive in traditional group homes.
The committee bill is indicative, proponents say, of a paradigm shift in Florida and elsewhere. Across the nation, laws are being rewritten and police are being retrained to treat so-called “child prostitutes” not as criminals, but as victims of the pimps, traffickers and johns who exploit them.
Next month, Christine Stark—a student with the University of Minnesota, Duluth, who is completing her Master’s degree in social work—will complete an examination of the sex trade in Minnesota, in which she compiles anecdotal, first hand accounts of Aboriginal women, particularly from northern reservations, being trafficked across state, provincial, and international lines to be forced into servitude in the sex industry on both sides of the border.
Stark’s paper stems from a report she co-wrote, published by the Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition in Duluth in 2011, entitled, “The Garden of Truth: The Prostitution and Trafficking of Native Women in Minnesota.” Through the process of researching and penning this report, Stark kept hearing stories of trafficking in the harbours and on the freighters of Duluth and Thunder Bay. The numerous stories and the gradual realization that this was an issue decades, perhaps centuries, in the making, compelled Stark to delve further into what exactly is taking place.
She decided to conduct an exploratory study, “simply because we have these stories circulating and we wanted to gather information and begin to understand what has happened and what currently is happening around the trafficking of Native American and First Nations women on the ships” said Stark, in an interview with CBC Radio’s Superior Morning. “Hearing from so many Native women over generations talking about the ‘boat whores,’ prostitution on the ships or the ‘parties on the ships,’ this is something that… was really entrenched in the Native community and we wanted to collect more specific information about it.”
Through her independent research and work with the Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Centre, Stark interviewed hundreds of Native women who have been through the trauma of the Lake Superior sex trade. The stories she’s compiled are evidence of an underground industry that’s thriving on the suffering of First Nations women, which is seemingly going unchecked and underreported.
In an article written for the Duluth Star Tribune, Stark describes one disturbing anecdote of an Anishinaabe woman who had just left a shelter after being beaten by her pimp—who was a wealthy, white family man. He paid her bills, rent, and the essentials for her children, but on weekends, “brought up other white men from the Cities for prostitution with Native women…he had her role play the racist ‘Indian maiden’ and ‘European colonizer’ myth with him during sex.”
“The Duluth harbor is notorious among Native people as a site for the trafficking of Native women from northern reservations.” She continues, “in an ongoing project focused on the trafficking of Native women on ships in Duluth, it was found that the activity includes international transport of Native women and teens, including First Nations women and girls brought down from Thunder Bay, Ontario, to be sold on the ships… Native women, teen girls and boys, and even babies have been sold for sex on the ships.” Christine Stark’s complete research paper will be published in September.
The fact that these horrendous crimes are taking place right under the noses of North American authorities is obviously disturbing and somewhat surprising, considering we have a Conservative government that is oh-so-tough on the commercialization of human beings. However, the word ‘trafficking’ can often be a blurry one.
I spoke with Kazia Pickard, the Director of Policy and Research with the Ontario Native Women’s Association based in Thunder Bay. Their organization has also been researching this issue. Kazia told me over email: “People assume that trafficking always takes place across international borders, however, the vast majority of people who are trafficked in Canada are indigenous women and girls from inside Canada and sometimes, as we're now starting to understand, across the US border.”
In an earlier interview with the CBC, she also alluded to the possibility that there was trafficking taking place across borders in Southern Ontario as well. She made it clear to me that the image most people imagine when they think about “human trafficking” often isn’t accurate: “The majority of women who are trafficked in Canada are indigenous women and girls. So it’s not that you have people being trafficked across international borders in shipping containers or something like that.”
Christine Stark’s report is one that cannot be ignored. If the government is as serious as they claim to be about human trafficking, they can’t dismiss what’s taking place between Duluth and Thunder Bay the same way that they have regarding the 600 missing First Nations women. To ignore this issue would point to an obvious double standard when it comes to the treatment of Aboriginal women, many of which are clearly being taken advantage of.
Eighteen intrepid law students and their fearless leader will be heading to Immokalee, Florida to better understand the legal and social needs of migrant workers and their families. More to come...
Two child prostitutes in front of brothels near Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 1996. Most of the girls were 10 to 15. The pimps don’t allow photographs, so I shot from the hip. CreditNicholas Kristof/The New York Times
We think of slavery in terms of those sepia photographs in the history books, the horror that Abraham Lincoln helped end. That’s what I thought when I first reported on sex trafficking in 1996 — and saw a terrified Cambodian teenager being sold for her virginity. She was a slave, I realized, every bit as much as those slaves in the history books.
I never expected to write about the subject again. But when you’ve seen teenage girls locked up and gang raped daily, it’s tough to go back and write about exchange rates. Millions of girls are subjected to this form of modern slavery, and to prove my case, I purchased two girls in Cambodia and left with receipts. When you get a receipt for buying a human being in the 21st century, something is profoundly wrong.
Then I began reporting on the issue here in the United States. I found that the atrocities and scale aren’t as bad as in some foreign countries, but we still have a vast trafficking problem. We don’t have the moral authority to tell other countries what to do until we clean up our own act.
This is also a soluble problem, but that means prioritizing the arrest of pimps, traffickers and customers. So when people ask me why I keep tilting at these windmills and writing about sex trafficking, I think back to that Cambodia teenager, who is probably dead by now of AIDS.
Here are seven stories about sex trafficking that I wrote over the past 18 years, the ones I cannot forget — a highlight reel of inspiration and heartbreak at once.
Brothels like this, in Svay Pak, Cambodia, locked up young girls, and the big difference from 19th century slavery seemed that the girls would be dead of AIDS by their 20s. CreditNicholas Kristof/The New York Times
I first reported on sex trafficking in 1996. Seeing kids locked up in these Asian brothels woke me to the idea that this can be a modern form of slavery.
A giant red X and sign promoting the End it Movement stands at Hueytown's First United Methodist Church. Youth minister TJ Phelps said that many youth group and church members are participating in today's Shine a Light on Slavery Day. (Cheryl Wray | cwray@al.com)
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - When Trent Erwin, president of the Auburn University branch of the International Justice Mission, tells people that there are between 27 and 29 million slaves in the world today he says that the response is always shock.
"There are more slaves today than at any other time in history," he said. "It blows my mind and blows the mind of others we're telling."
Erwin's group and many others across Alabama are doing their best to educate others about the injustices of human trafficking in conjunction with Shine a Light on Slavery Day. The day of awareness is sponsored by the End it Movement.
Erwin said that their members are drawing red Xs on their hands in order to stimulate conversation about the issue.
"When people see them they ask what's going on and why we have an X on our hand. It's a great conversation starter," he said. "We're also circulating videos and graphics via social media to flood the channels of communication with the reality that slavery still exists."
The End it Movement and other organization estimate that men, women and children are enslaved around the world and in the United States. They are often trapped in slavery through forced labor in factories, brothels, mines and other environments; in some situations, entire villages are trapped in slavery.
At Hueytown's First United Methodist Church, youth minister TJ Phelps said that his teenagers have become passionate about the issue and are encouraging education on it today in their schools and homes.
They are sporting the red Xs, wearing End it Movement shirts and telling friends about websites and social media tools that teach about human trafficking. Phelps has also hung up a sign in front of the church to draw attention to the movement.
Phelps said that teenagers seem especially invested in the issue--because they can identify with the young people caught in slavery.
"Most of the girls sold into prostitution in the US are between 18 and 24, and many of the slaves in forced labor around the world are kids," he said. "They identify with those girls and kids."
"Teenagers generally love to have a cause to support, and this is one they can totally get behind," Phelps said.
1 / 8
Billie Faye Massey of Hueytown displays her support of the End it movement along with her children Brayden and Emma.
Erwin said when people are told about the proximity of the issue, they are especially touched by its importance.
He said that human slavery isn't just a third world issue. It's something that happens in our proverbial backyard.
"Thousands upon thousands of people are enslaved right here in our country," he said. "The forms of slavery here look like sex trafficking and forced labor on farms."
Kit Moore learned about the injustice of human trafficking as part of mission trips through Birmingham's Church of the Highlands. His work at the Atlanta Dream Center focused on rescuing women from forced prostitution.
"We have a mission called Princess Night where they reach out to women on the street and give them a rose and a hand written card," Moore said. "We let them know God loves them, we love them and we can get them out if she wants to leave it behind."
Moore said that it's important for people to understand the reality of such situations.
"It is important for people to be involved and aware of human trafficking because these woman didn't choose this lifestyle," he said. "These ladies could be your sister or daughter and do not think there is a way out."
Phelps said that events such as Shine a Light on Slavery Day are important in educating others about an issue everyone should care about.
"This is something that all denominations and political groups are behind," he said. "We are called to help set people free."
Erwin said that Americans should be especially attuned to the plight of those in slavery.
"We didn't choose to be born into our American freedom, just like people in India didn't choose to be born into an untouchable family stuck in forced labor," he said. "We have to see other humans as our own. We have to see freedom as a liberty for all, no matter the country, culture or lifestyle. Freedom is for all."
BOSTON, February 22, 2014 – My name is Zoe Kessler, and I am both a clinical social worker and a survivor of commercial sex exploitation as a minor. As a clinician and an advocate against all forms of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), I have witnessed a gross misunderstanding for CSEC on the side of mental health professionals.
First of all, in order to provide effective mental health services to victims, mental health professionals must place value on “insider survivor knowledge.” Put simply, “insider survivor knowledge” is an understanding that can only be attained through personal experience. Without collaboration between survivors and service providers, the understanding for any victimization will be limited. This is because survivors can offer victim-centered insight into the potential effects from trauma, potential signs and symptoms of victimization, and those aftercare treatments that may be most appropriate and effective.
Zoe Kessler
One common misunderstanding, not just among health professionals but among the general public, is that victims of CSEC have a “true choice” in whether or not they are commercially sexually exploited. This belief can affect the ways in which mental health professionals view survivors of CSEC, just as it once did for the way in which professionals viewed survivors of domestic violence. For example, if a girl (or boy) runs away and is “turned out” by a pimp or continues to live at home while simultaneously under the control of a pimp, this child is a victim of exploitation and manipulation. Without “insider survivor knowledge,” professionals may place blame on those girls and boys. They might ask these victims: Why didn’t you ask for help?
Mental health professionals must collaborate with survivors in their attempts to understand the complicated traumatic effects of abusers’ tactics. Pimps and other traffickers hold power over their victims. It is not just the bodies of victims that pimps control, but also their ways of thinking and personal views of themselves.
One young woman’s story stands out as an example of how “insider survivor knowledge” could have benefitted a mental health worker. At age 14, Tanee was placed in a group home in the Boston area after experiencing abuse and neglect in childhood. Later, Tanee ran away from the group home while under the influence and control of a pimp. This pimp beat, raped, and forced Tanee to “turn” 10-15 “tricks” a night. He isolated her and deprived her of sleep, food, and water. On one particularly brutal day, Tanee reached out to her former group home for help. She hadn’t eaten in three days and was mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted.
A mental health worker responded; however, this professional immediately passed judgment onto Tanee’s situation. As she got into the car, Tanee was met with negative comments about her “hooking behavior.” Two days later, Tanee left the group home and returned to the pimp. Three years later, at age 17 and still under the pimp’s control, Tanee was picked up by an ambulance. She had been gang-raped and beaten so badly that she almost died.
Reflecting on her experiences, Tanee says she believes the horrors of those three years of abuse and repeated trauma could have been avoided if that mental health worker had received her with compassion and understanding. “Instead of asking me if I was okay, [the mental health worker] just assumed I was selling my body,” Tanee stated. “I already felt disgusting. She had two choices… she could have made me feel safe and accepted, or treat me like everyone else had at that point in my life… worthless.”
Unlike many girls in her situation, Tanee’s story has a happy ending. She began receiving services from My Life My Choice (MLMC) of the Justice Resource Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. MLMC is an organization that works with survivors of CSEC. Unlike many service providers, MLMC embraces the concept of “insider survivor knowledge” in their efforts to help victims of CSEC recover and transition to survivors. They provide both group and individual survivor mentorship and survivor-led counseling. Through these services, Tanee began to feel accepted and worthy. She is now a survivor mentor and group facilitator helping other young women in the MLMC program.
The survivor mentorship program at MLMC is a unique and vital service. Women who have had experiences of commercial sexual exploitation are trained to mentor other young women through their journeys of healing.
I grew up in a culture where therapists had never heard the term “commercial sexual exploitation”. I underwent traditional talk therapy where diagnoses and labels only further supported what I believed, which was that the abuse I endured as a child was my fault and defined me as a person. As a clinician, I see that traditional models of therapy often project the client’s problems or diagnoses onto the identity of the client.
Young women in Tanee’s situation are often criticized and judged for re-subjecting themselves to more trauma and abuse. This often occurs when victims return to the people who perpetrated against them. One manipulative tactic much like brainwashing used by traffickers is to convince children of their love and devotion. Traffickers will say things like: Nobody understands you like I do, Nobody will take care of you like I will, and There is nowhere for you to go because nobody wants you anymore.”
Although mental health professionals may have the best intentions, they can unintentionally pass their judgments onto clients, thereby endorsing their traffickers’ tactics. This can be re-traumatizing to the victim. In my experience, this kind of judgmental response from counselors solidified a negative self-identity that held me back from healing. In Tanee’s case, the mental health worker inadvertently reinforced those beliefs imposed onto Tanee by her trafficker: that she was worthless.
Currently, I am unaware of any academic institution that consults or collaborates with survivors of CSEC in their education and training efforts with mental health professionals. Although the positioning of survivors at the forefront of an academic or professional platform challenges the traditional concept of mental health training, I believe it’s vital to understand the abuse in CSEC as well as what’s necessary from professionals for healing. If greater value was placed on “insider survivor knowledge,” I believe we could create more effective therapeutic practices and policies, and we could better protect our young people from the horrific abuse of child sex trafficking and other forms of CSEC.
Written by Zoe Kessler, CSEC Survivor and Licensed Social Worker. Zoe is pursuing a doctoral degree with research study in survivors’ experiences in therapeutic practices; she hopes to improve policy and practices to ensure prosperous futures for all survivors. Zoe lives outside of Boston, MA with her husband and children. Contact Zoe at zbkessler@me.com.
By 
A giant red X and sign promoting the End it Movement stands at Hueytown's First United Methodist Church. Youth minister TJ Phelps said that many youth group and church members are participating in today's Shine a Light on Slavery Day. (Cheryl Wray | cwray@al.com)
