Combating Human Trafficking

"The law is a concrete and tangible expression of the belief that in Sweden women and children are not for sale."

- Gunilla Ekberg, Special Advisor on Prostitution and Trafficking for the Government of Sweden

The need to fight human trafficking
has never been greater.

"Prior to the recent creation of international and domestic anti-trafficking treaties, little enforceable legislation existed to address the problem of trafficking. The perpetrators of the illegal trade of people often went unpunished, with crimes undetected or ignored. Victims of human trafficking themselves have often been the ones criminalized, and out of fear and/or deportation, have often been reluctant to testify against their abusers. It is often very difficult for victims of human trafficking to be detected or to be helped due to the illegal nature of their forced labor, the isolation that is imposed upon them, language and cultural barriers, and/or the illegal immigration status of many victims.

The United Nations “Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons” of 2000 is the first piece of international legislation to directly address the issue of international trafficking since the 1949 “Convention for the Suppression of the Trafficking in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others .” On October 28, 2000 , the U.S. also signed anti-trafficking legislation with the “Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.” [For the most up to date information on international efforts to curb human trafficking, please see refer to the annual TIP reports generated by the U.S. Department of State]. Since this time, many other countries have adopted anti-trafficking legislation and victim assistance programs. While the efforts of some countries are proving effective, other countries are failing to implement their laws and empty promises. In some countries, corrupt law and immigration officials themselves continue to participate in the trafficking of humans or turn a blind eye to the problem in return for financial compensation.

Anti- trafficking advocacy among non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has been growing steadily since the mid-20th century. Many U.S. and international human rights groups and NGOs are actively working to prevent and combat trafficking, detect, and assist its victims. A number of these organizations can be found in the New York area, working alongside law enforcement to try to eliminate this devastating problem that affects so many men, women, and children every day" (AIFirefly.org). Check my blog later for a list of NGO's united in the fight against human trafficking! 

Methods of Recruitment

Vulnerability is key. "Traffickers often prey on people who are hoping for a better life, lack employment opportunities, have an unstable home life, or have a history of sexual abuse - conditions that are present in all spheres of society. Certain populations are especially vulnerable. These may include: undocumented immigrants; runaway and homeless youth; victims of trauma and abuse; refugees and individuals fleeing conflict; and oppressed, marginalized, and/or impoverished groups and individuals" (PolarisProject.org).

How do people become victims of human trafficking?
"Traffickers employ a number of different techniques to coerce, deceive, and force people into trafficking" (AIFirefly.org). They take advantage of people weaknesses, hopes, and dreams in order to coerce and deceive potential victims. "Deceptive ads for work abroad in local newspapers, and employment and travel agencies mislead people to believe that they will be migrating for legitimate jobs. Women and children can also be sold into trafficking by family members who have been promised high profit remittances. Often family members are equally deceived about the nature of work in which the women will engage. “Mail-Order Bride” or “marriage agencies,” many of which are operated over the Internet, are other forms of recruitment.

HopeForTheSold.com

However, one of the most common methods of recruitment is through community members, friends, or past victims of trafficking themselves. Victims of sex trafficking often recruit other women as a way to work off their own debt to a trafficker. Many women are aware that they will be working in the sex industries either abroad or domestically but are not aware of the exploitative conditions in which they will work. More forceful recruitment methods such as kidnapping or drugging are also ways in which people are trafficked" (AIFirefly.org).

Why don't victims leave?
"Traffickers use many kinds of tricks to discourage their victims from escaping. One common ploy is to confiscate the victim's passport once he/she is in the destination country, while telling him/her that if he/she escapes, the police will imprison him/her for being an illegal immigrant. Other methods include social isolation, debt bondage, use of physical or emotional violence, threats against the victim or his/her family, imprisonment and torture, shame, and/or use of Voodoo or magic ritual to frighten the victim" (IOMZimbabwe.org).

"Victims of trafficking frequently suffer violent forms of abuse at the hands of their traffickers or those who use their labor services. Debt-servitude also places trafficking victims in situations in which they are trapped and deceived. Victims are expected to pay back exorbitant sums to their traffickers for smuggling fees, housing, doctor’s bills, and/or debt from a drug habit. Often these sums are so high that it is not realistically possible that a person could ever work them off. Traffickers may also exploit a victim’s fear to keep him or her from leaving or going to the police. Fear of deportation, fear of further sexual or physical exploitation at the hands of officials, or fear of persecution for his or her engagement in illegal activities such as sex work and/or illegal entry may keep a trafficking victim from coming forward and asking for help" (AIFirefly.org). 

Why do Johns Solicit?

"Mongering has perhaps warped what I want in life. Because now all I want to do is stay single and f*** whores forever!"

- A john who has chose to pay for sex rather than date

Reasons for Solicitation 

"When times are tight, people look for ways to save money. "These days, it's cheaper to rent than to buy," says one man. He's not talking about videos, cars, or a place to live. He's talking about sex. Bargain sex ... For some men, cheap sex means sex that is bought ... Their answer is to remain single by choice and pay for play rather than pay for a date ... Paying for sex is also the answer to the relationship-wary - the jaded, the spurned, the disillusioned, or those who just don't want the hassles that come with relationships or marriage ... In essence, these men want sex without strings." 

Average cost of a date in the U.S.: $100
Average cost for sex with a prostitute in U.S.: $50

It's All about the Cash

"Some men who choose the lifestyle of a single john do so because they're fed up with the rituals and expenses of dating: "I have gone on date after date," says Charles, a 34-year old office manager in Dallas. "I spend and I spend and I spend, and I don't even get a kiss goodnight ... Well, I'm tired of it. I'm tired of spending hundreds of dollars on dates that lead me to nowhere land or my right hand ... So now I only date working women.""

Fast, Quick, and Easy

"For alarmingly increasing numbers of young men, dating in the twenty-first century has been reduced to a jaunt into a fast-sex outlet for a quick fix to satisfy a craving. They view paying for sex as faster, more certain, and more efficient than dating ... For these johns, it all comes down to prostituted women as a commodity. "Maybe I'm just more impatient," says one younger john. "I grew up in the age of fast food and hi-speed internet. I want sex NOW. Not in weeks, months? Years?!""

The Hassles of Dating
"Pay for play (P4P) ... is hassle-free. There are no attachments, no pesky emptions, no hurt feelings on either side. A "working girl" gives [johns] what they want, when they want, without any of the "issues" they may encounter in a relationship ... The desire to dispense with "emotional baggage" is a common theme among ... single johns. Others speak of eliminating the "drama" of relationships."

Jaded
"For another group of johns who reject the hassles of dating, the motivating is a failed relationship or marriage."

"I just got out of a three-year prison sentence [marriage]. It was a costly divorce but it was worth getting away from all her complaining. Every time I got home from work, it was bitch, bitch, bitch ... I no longer will go out with any woman on a date because I don't want and don't need the drama. Now when the urge hits, I call p a sex provider and she gives me exactly what I want - searing hot sex with no complaints, and better yet, no insults."
- Marvin, a car salesman

"Chasing women is a pain in the ass. Far too much aggravation for me. No, I'd rather pay for it right up front. Paying for sex stops all the "I wanna get married" stuff from the girlfriend. Doesn't set you up to get raped in divorce court ... and you can relax and enjoy yourself without all the drama that comes with living with a female."
- Online screen name "Roadwarrior"

Maximum Pleasure, Minimum Fuss
"For many johns the biggest benefit of all is that there's no wondering how the date will end - and they do consider these dates."

"At the end of the date with the prostitute you know you are usually going to get that release."
-Unknown

"I am a single guy. No girlfriend and wouldn't want one. I like pretty women and sex."
-Unknown

"I find it empowering that I can fulfill my manly needs whenever I want with minimum fuss. The best bit is that I can leave afterwards."
- Online screen name "Finlay"

Getting the Hot Girl

"Many ordinary guys - the kind without the glamour or the privilege of celebrity - are not satisfied with ordinary girls. What they want they perceive as beyond their reach: not the average girls but the babes."

"So, mongering is a way for me to get that choice girl. I just want to experience the beautiful side of life before I die. If it means going to Tijuana for a nice time or the Philippines, then that is good."
- Online screen name "Hot Stuff"

"I'd rather wank off to a porno. If I'm gonna be spending my heard earned cash I want to spend it on things that I can't get otherwise, which is stunningly beautiful women."
- Online screen name "Sleazy"

Recapturing Youth
"The boasts of men in their forties, fifties, and sixties who've "bagged" eighteen- and nineteen-year olds choke the discussion forums on Internet sex sites. Men also banter about the magic elixir that has renewed their sexual prowess and replenished their stamina: Viagra."

"There is no substitute to screwing a different 18-year old girl each time, any female with eventually get older and become boring sexually."
- Online screen name "Devilman

"There is no way a 21-year old would ever go on a date with me, never mind sleeping with me. But when I go to a 21-year old prostitute and show her the money, she doesn't say "no," and I get what I want: a date with a hot chick."
- Unknown

"When a hot, young babe says to me that she's never experienced such longevity, I, of course, don't tell her that it's all because of Viagra. I want her to believe that us old guys are better than the young ones. What we lose in recovery power, we make up in staying power."
- Unknown

Note: All quoted sections of this blog post are from "The Johns: Sex for Sale and the Men Who Buy It" from author Victor Malarek.

Who are 'the Johns'?

"Few of them look like what most people imagine men who purchase sex to be: awkward, creepy loners fixated on porn before heading out for something more real. To the contrary, many of these men look like very ordinary guys. Some are average-looking. Others are handsome. Some are young - as young as fourteen - others are in their twenties and thirties, sixties and seventies, even ... nineties. They are stockbrokers, plumbers, doctors, professors. They're also lawyers, judges, Boy Scout leaders, and accountants. Sometimes, they're men in uniform - soldiers, sailors, international peacekeepers, cops - and other times they're men of the cloth. Sometimes they're sorry, and many times they're not."

- Victor Malarek, The Johns: Sex for Sale and the Men Who Buy It

"In a [recent] comprehensive study, “Comparing Sex Buyers with Men Who Don’t Buy Sex,” Melissa Farley, PHD, Founding Director of the Prostitution Research and Education, compares the characteristics of men who buy sex versus those who don’t. Besides their involvement with prostitution, the men surveyed revealed surprising attitudes and behaviors when it came to sex and women". To read more on this article and the revealing attitudes of the men who buy sex, click here. 

A New Market for Sex
The Internet
No longer do johns need to cruise the streets, pull up to a prostitute, negotiate out in the open for services and price, and risk being nabbed for solicitation out in the open. "The Internet has become a one-stop shop for johns - a Yellow Pages directory, support group, and travel advisory rolled into one ... In the relative comfort of their homes and under the guise of a screen name, the johns share their reasons for wanting or needing paid sex, their fantasies, their escapades, their best and their worst. But they also rally around one another, offering comfort, validating each others' feelings and fears, and valiantly defending their lifestyle against attack by outsiders or creeping feelings of guilt."

Any Regrets?
"Men who buy into the lifestyle may spend a lifetime buying sex. Veterans speak of mongering for decades. Others, still young, claim in online posts that, having partaken, they never want to stop". "Ask these men whether they have any regrets, and you'll likely here a resounding chorus of "Hell no!"

Ten men were arrested for engaging in prostitution during
a sting Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 in Richfield.

"I feel no guilt whatsoever. I am getting what I need and I am helping them get what they need. No one is being hurt ... I do not believe that God would send me to hell for acting on my natural instincts."
- Screen name "Loaded"

"At least a couple of these girls would tell you, I'm one of the best things that ever happened to them ..."
- Unknown

"My only regret: Why did I wait so long? Why did I waste so much time and money dating normal women and not getting laid when all I had to do was hire a sex worker? Now I'm making up for all those lost years and I'm finally enjoying what man was put here for."
- Screen name "Man Whore"

"Yeah, I feel terrible pangs of guilt when I'm reaming [them]. But I'm Catholic so I go to confession so I can f*** them again the next week."
- Screen name "Addick"

Solicitation and Purchasing Women is Socially Acceptable
To Son ... with Love!
Long-held patriarchal traditions encourage boys' initiation into manhood through sex. The brothel is just one of a plethora of options to make this transition. This "right of passage" sends a "message [that] is twofold: passage into manhood in this forum is seen as an accomplishment and, more alarmingly, if you have money, you have the power to buy a woman." This tradition fosters the belief that in the future, they as fathers, should initiate their sons into manhood through the same right of passage.

Hangin' with the Boys
"Stag parties the world over are notorious for paid hanky-panky". Societal norms and pressures encourage men to have "one last go at their buddy's premarital freedom" by providing him with a hooker for his bachelor's party. "Men are routinely arrested by vice cops across North America while cruising hooker strolls in search of the evening's entertainment". Even when it's not for a bachelor's party, "guys' night out [evenings usually include a visit to the] nudie bar."

R & R
"Solders on R & R - a rest and relaxation break - and sailors on shore leave are notorious for paying for sex. For them, it is also a rite of passage, usually the last course after a wild night of chugging copious jugs of beer."

Travelling Johns
Johns travel abroad and search for other women than Western Women/American Women (WW/AW) because of the feminist problem. Johns are typically searching for women who will care for them and only them, whose mission it is to be completely selfless and will devote themselves entirely to the service of males. Many johns are threatened and disgusted by WW/AW because these women want power and equality, and because they are capable of independence and are not dependent upon men for success. Many third world and war-torn countries are currently experiencing a large influx of men searching for sex with women and young children (male and female). Additionally, in these countries men can pay a relatively small amount for the "services" they want in comparison to other countries.

"If I had lots of money, I'd be spending it on whores. I'd be banging them day and night in every hot spot on the globe. Thing is, I'm an ordinary Joe with a job that leaves me with just enough play money to take a two-week sex vacation once a year."
-Unknown

"They should erect a statute at the Bangkok airport in my honor for all the poor families I've helped with my hard-earned money."
-Unknown

Note: All quoted sections of this blog post are from "The Johns: Sex for Sale and the Men Who Buy It" from author Victor Malarek.