A Sex Trade Market in America?

In early 2004, Americans were shocked by "The Girls Next Door", an article in the New York Times that alleged that there was an illegal sex trade operation going on right in their back yards. This article, written by Peter Landesman, was the first of its kind, documenting the sex trade in the U.S. After this, notions that America was immune to such atrocities expelled and the U.S. faced the reality that the sex trade was real, and ubiquitous. This evil transcends all cultures and boarders. However, since then very little has been done to address the issue and help these defenseless, persecuted women. This paper seeks to examine the trade, its victims, what can be done, and what is being done by the U.S. and the U.N.

Article 3, paragraph (a), of the U.N.'s Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons states, "'Trafficking in persons' shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include...the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual
exploitation," (http://www.unodc.org/unodc/trafficking_human_beings.html). U.S. laws use the terms "force, fraud, and coercion" to define trafficking (Ellerman).

It is probable that over 30 million women have been exploited in the sex trade since the mid-70's (http://deepthought.armory.com/~leavitt/women.html). According to the U.S. State Department and the U.N. two million women and girls become part of the sex trade every year (http://www.womensfreedom.org/

artic633.htm). Of these, the C.I.A. reports thirty to fifty thousand are held in the U.S., with another eighteen to twenty thousand trafficked in every year (Landesman 30). The trade has become a multibillion dollar industry (http://deepthought.armory.com/~leavitt/women.html) consisting of 15 main trafficking groups, with 120 smaller divisions (Landesman 30). The sex trade follows only the drug and gun trades as the third, and fastest growing, criminal industry (Fisher 22). In fact some studies show that in the next ten years human trafficking will be a larger criminal enterprise than both the drug and gun trafficking (Ellerman).

Typically, these women come from newly independent (Ellerman), war-torn (United States Congress), economically distraught countries (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/1998_01_11_nyt_contraband.html). Most girls come from "rural areas and city slums" (http://deepthought.armory.com/~leavitt/women.html). The women who are enslaved in the U.S. come from Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the former Soviet Union (United States Congress). They enter the U.S. through the Mexican and Canadian boarders (Ellerman). The women are typically given false documentation of their identity to smooth over the U.S. immigration investigation process (United States Congress).

The traffickers steal the documentation needed to cross the boarder, including passports and birth certificates, from U.S. Citizens who are resemble the women they are trafficking (Landesman 30). They come by bus, boat, car, and plane (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/1998_01_11_nyt_contraband.html). States with the highest occurrences of trafficking are Florida, California, Texas, New York, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, Washington D.C., Georgia, and Hawaii (Ellerman). Brothels usually settle into urban areas but are becoming increasingly popular in rural and suburban regions.

There are three ways which women and girls enter the trade. The first way entails a promise of employment in the U.S. (http://www.womensfreedom.org/artic633.htm). In some cases women are promised jobs as models, secretaries, and dancers (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/1998

_01_11_nyt_contraband.html). In these occurrences, some women are scammed into paying their own expenses for travel, sometimes totaling over $3,000 (Landesman 30). The second group of women consists of women who have been kidnapped (Bales 42). In these cases, girls are kept from escaping by threats on their families' lives (Fisher 22).

The third group of women includes women who are sold into the trade (http://www.womensfreedom.org/artic633.htm). In one case, a Thai girl was sold for $2,000 (Bales 41) by her family due to the Thai reasoning that a child, especially a girl, is indebted to her parents for being born and raised (Bales 39). In some countries, parents hope for a baby girl so that they may sell her into such a life (http://deepthought.armory.com/~leavitt/women.html). In another instance, a girl from Tanzania was compelled to enter the trade to provide for her brothers and sisters (Ellerman).

In some instances women will go into the trade willingly, knowing that prostitution will be their primary job, but not expecting such violence and violations to befall them (United States Congress). This is because some of these women have a romanticized view of prostitution from seeing films such as Pretty Woman (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/1998_01_11_nyt_contraband.html). However this happens in very small numbers. A survey of Burmese women showed that only four in twenty nine believed their primary job would be prostitution (Kempadoo et al. 43).

The average age of a woman trafficked is fourteen to fifteen (Ellerman) with the majority of women being twelve to twenty-five years old (Kempadoo 44). (Despite the age of these girls, the term "women" is more appropriate because it includes all age groups.) In one brothel, three age groups were offered; toddler-5, 5-12, and 12 and up (Landesman 30). The traffickers burn a woman's travel documents, including passport, in front of her when she is captured. This signifies that she has no way out (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/

1998_01_11_nyt_contraband.html). The women are then kept in holding apartments (Landesman 30), bars, brothels (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/1998_01_11_nyt_contraband.html), or cages (Ellerman). They are kept cold, hungry, sleep-deprived, and drugged (Landesman 30). Women typically work seven days a week (Ellerman) and service up to 20-30 men a day (Landesman 30).

When a woman enters the trade, if she is still a virgin she is first taken to the "Room of the Unveiling of the Virgin". There she is raped until she can no longer be considered a virgin (http://deepthought.armory.com/~leavitt/women.html). One girl who entered the trade when she was 14 remembers, "Because I was a virgin the men decided to initiate me by raping me again and again to tech me how to have sex," (Ellerman). However, there are some instances where men will pay a virgin premium, which can be as much as $2,000 to take a girl's virginity and is usually marked by a special ceremony (Bales 56).

The "Unveiling of the Virgin" is part of the "seasoning process" which each woman goes through in order to break her will to struggle for freedom (Ellerman). Included in this process is the installment of motherly figures to gain the women's trust while beating them into submission. Another element of the process occurs to the younger, new girls who have never had to perform oral sex on a man before. In order to teach the girls how to perform this act, honey is applied to an older man's penis. After days of being starved and the threat of being beaten, the young girl eventually succumbs and performs the act. The women often are assigned special jobs, such as anal or oral sex, after initiation (Landesman 30).

Probably the most horrifying element of the trade is its use of violence, by clients and traffickers, to subdue the women. One girl recalled, "Girls who did not cooperate were taken down to the basement of the bar, where they were beaten across their backs (Ellerman). Girls are typically "beaten to keep them off-balance and obedient." In some cases girls are assigned to the "damage group". This is a group of girls which clients could do anything they wanted to, including beat and perform crude sexual acts on. One woman said that sex in the U.S. was much rougher than anywhere else she has been (Landesman 30).

However, equally atrocious is the health of women kept by traffickers. The truth is that the girls are so disposable that traffickers often have no motivation to keep them healthy (Bales 57). Many women report that customers do not use condoms. This leads to unwanted pregnancies in which the women are forced to have abortions and then return to work the following day (Ellerman). The practice of unsafe sex can also lead women to get various sexually transmitted diseases including HIV and AIDS. Approximately 20-30% of women in the trade are HIV positive (http://deepthought.armory.com/~leavitt/women.html). In addition to physical disease, many women suffer from mental illnesses such as depression, psychoses, and hallucinations and often make attempts on their own lives (Bales 59).

The reason why the trade has become so monetarily successful is due to its ability to minimize costs because women are coerced, not hired (Bales 54). A smaller operation of 10 women can make a trafficker over $200,000 a month (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/1998_01_11_nyt_contraband.html). Women can be bought for as much as $300,000 at an American cyber auction (Landesman 30) to as little as $400 in their home countries (http://deepthought.armory.com/~leavitt/women.html). In many places, women are simply put on blocks, half-naked and auctioned off in the street (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/1998_01_11_nyt_contraband.html). In some operations, women are "rented" for $15 for ten minutes (Landesman 30).

Most women are subject to "debt bondage". One woman recollects her saying, "I own you. You are my property and you will work until you earn your way out," (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/1998_01_11_nyt_contraband.html). Many women in the sex trade are told they "owe" as much as $40,000 to the traffickers holding them (United States Congress). In some cases women are even charged for beating their holders must administer to them (Bales 41). The traffickers dictate how the debt is paid back (Ellerman), and how much money they make. Women typically make 20% of the money they make for the traffickers (http://deepthought.armory.com/~leavitt/women.html). Many women see none of this money and if they do receive some pay it will most likely go towards paying off their "debt". This includes things such as rent and food. In one case, women had to sleep with 300 men in one month to keep her debt from increasing (Bales 41).

There are only two ways for women to escape the trade; death or deportation, which usually includes arrest. When asked why she never tried to escape one woman said, "Because what's out there? What's out there was scarier," (Landesman 30). Despite what one might think, girls often run back to the brothels after raids because they do not know what else to do (Bales 61). In the rare instance when a woman does escape, if she is caught she could be beheaded like a woman in Serbia, or thrown off a balcony like two women in Istanbul, both last year (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/1998_01_11_nyt_contraband.html). Even worse in the woman's mind is the threat to her family's life if she tries to escape (Landesman 30). The other way out is to be deported as an illegal alien or arrested as a prostitute (United States Congress).

Activist Louise Brown says the hardest part about a life in the trade is leaving. "They can escape physically from prostitution but they cannot escape from being branded a whore in the eyes of society. Women are permanently shamed," (Brown 233). First hand accounts tell us that this is in fact very true. Judith Mirkinson, an activist, says, "Prostitutes continue to be looked down upon as the scum of society, people who somehow deserve their fate," (http://deepthought.armory.com/~leavitt/women.html). One woman involved in the sex trade, Lena, questions, "How will I ever walk down the street like a human being again?" (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/1998_01_11_nyt_contraband.html).

Human Rights Watch is an organization that believes that in order for these women to receive help, they must start being portrayed for the innocent victims they are (Kempadoo et al. 43). The truth is that women who are forced into the sex trade are not prostitutes, but slaves, and they should be treated as such (http://deepthought.armory.com/~leavitt/women.html). Too often women are the prosecuted while their captures get away with a slap on the wrist (Landesman 30). Ndioro Ndiaye, Deputy Director-General of the International Organization for Migration, says "...traffickers profit from lax sanctions, insufficient countermeasures, and a lack of awareness on the part of potential migrants," (http://digitalopportunity.oneworld.net/external/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twnside.org.sg%2Fwomen.htm).

Laura Lederer, Director of The Protection Project, stress that the U.S. needs, "The Three P's: prevention, prosecution and protection." Many professionals and groups have offered explanations on what Americans and their government can do to end the trade. Louise Shelley, Director of the Center for the Study of Transnational Crime and Corruption, says there are seven important steps that must be taken in order to combat trafficking. First, the U.S. must facilitate relationships with law enforcement with areas which are exporters of sex slaves. Next, law enforcement agencies must be trained in how to spot and deal with trafficking. Third, the U.S. must support organizations which aim to give these women financial assistance. Then, the media must educate the public about trafficking. Fifth, inquiries into current trafficking rings must be pursued diligently. After that, the U.S. must create legislation to protect and give rights to women who are victims of trafficking. Finally, telecommunications must be monitored to look for child pornography, as it is a tell-tale sign of illegal trafficking.

Lederer says it cannot stop there. American must educate men and boys about the trade so that they can spot slavery if they ever inquire into sexual services (United States Congress). Sharon Cohn, director of anti-trafficking operations for the International Justice Mission, says "It's the easiest kind of crime in the world to spot. Men look for it all day, every day," (Landesman 30). Anna Diamantopoulou, the European Union 's Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, cites that one of the key factors in the trade's success is the demand for paid sex by men (http://digitalopportunity.oneworld.net/external/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twnside.org.sg%2Fwomen.htm).

However, it is not as simple as education and legislation. One study done by the Global Survival Network state that is most cases police are apathetic. In some cases, the police even sold girls back to traffickers when caught after brothel raids according to senior police officers (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/1998_01_11_nyt_contraband.html). Here it becomes obvious that some police are the ones protecting traffickers. One investigation found high-level officials getting paid as much as $20,000 a week to keep quiet (Landesman 30). In some instances, police are offered sexual services to look the other way (http://deepthought.armory.com/~leavitt/women.html). A girl involved in the trade remembers, "We had customers who were police, so you were not going to go talk to a cop," (Landesman 30).

Raids of brothels must be conducted regularly to create the appearance that the police are trying to regulate the sex industry. Yet brothel owners know when the police will be coming far in advance and in turn, only fines are issued. Because local level law enforcement is not willing to prosecute traffickers, their consequences if caught are minimal if not nothing (http://www.michaelspecter.com/times/1998/1998_01_11_nyt_contraband.html). One official at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City cited, "Corruption is the most important reason these networks are so successful (Landesman 30).

Nonetheless, something is being done on the national level. In 2000, President Bush signed into law the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000. Punishments for violating this act can range up to as much as 30 years in prison (Landesman 30). This act provides that the victim of trafficking be "admitted to the United States as a refugee...receive necessary medical care and other assistance...provided protection...[ensured] that the names and identifying information of trafficked persons and their family members are not disclosed to the public...
Another condition of the act is that the U.S. keeps a record of what each country around the world is doing to combat trafficking (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/laws/vawo2000/stitle_a.htm#prevention). In this report, countries are rated in three Tiers, with Tier One being the best rating. However, the motivation for the U.S.'s ranking of countries is rumored to be heavily politically influenced. In recent years, Thailand has been ranked as Tier Two when it is very well known that Thailand is one of the largest exporters of women in the sex trade. In addition, countries such as Libya and Iraq are Tier Three countries despite the fact that they are not major importers or exporters of women (Ellerman).

Other than the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000 no other legislation has been passed to protect the rights of trafficking victims. Many Non-Government Organizations are making strides in helping these women though. Christopher H. Smith, Chairman of the hearing before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights of the Committee on International Relations on the sex slave trade in Bosnia, states, "Nongovernmental organizations activist...are literally putting their own lives on the line...to work against organized crime and warn potential trafficking victims," (United States Congress). Organizations such as the Polaris Project are getting the word out about the problem by running websites like HumanTrafficking.org, an online database consisting of articles about the trade and its victims (Ellerman). Still other organizations are creating hotlines, drop-in centers, and support programs (http://deepthought.armory.com/~leavitt/women.html).

Despite the help of governments and nongovernmental organization, the trade continues to flourish. Despite concern citizens, brothels and holding houses continue to go overlooked. But apathy toward the problem is the gravest injustice to these women. However futile it may seem, the government and concerned citizens must keep pushing for stricter regulations on immigration, tougher sentencing for traffickers, and more rights for victims. The only way to stop these women's suffering is to be proactive.\

Works Cited

Bales, Kevin. Disposable People. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999.

Brown, Louise. Sex Slaves. London: Virago Press, 2000.

Ellerman, Derek. "Trafficking of Women and Children in the United States." Brandeis University. Women's Studies Research Center. 20 November 2002.

Fisher, Helen. "The Sex Slave Trade: Biological Imperatives, Cultural Trends, and The Coming Empowerment of Women." HastingsWomen's Law Journal 13: 21-29.

Horowitz, Michael. "Ending Sexual Slavery: A 21st Century Challenge." The Women's Freedom Network Newsletter May/June 1999: .

Kempadoo, Kamala and Doezema, Joe, ed. Global Sex Workers : Rights, Resistance, and Redefinition. 1st ed. New York City: Routledge, 1998.

Kenety, Brian. "Europe: Pledges Harsher Penalties for 'Sex Slave' Traffickers." ThirdWorld Network 8 March 2001. 12 Mar 2004 .

Landesman, Peter . "The Girl Next Door." New York Times 8 February 2004, 30.

Mirkinson, Judith. "Red Light, Green Light: The Global Trafficking of Women." Breakthrough Spring 1994:

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Office on Drugs and Crime, United Nations. Trafficking in Human Beings. 21 April 2004.

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Office on Violence Against Women, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000. 14 April 2004. .

Specter, Michael. "Traffickers New Cargo: Naive Slavic Women." New York Times 11 January 1998.

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United States. Congress. House. Committee on International Relations. Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights. "The U.N. and the sex slave trade in Bosnia : isolated case or larger problem in the U.N. system?" Hearing before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights of the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, Second session. 24 April 2002.