Forensic Victimology 2nd Edition

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Forensic Victimology 2nd Edition

• Chapter Sixteen Sex Trafficking

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Sex Trafficking

• Sex trafficking involves a sex act for profit
  induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which
  the person induced to perform the act is under 18
  years-of-age.
• This definition applies to most sex workers -
  anyone who works in the sex industry, performing
  sexual acts for money.

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Sex Trafficking

• Not all sex workers are necessarily being
  trafficked, though many are.
• There are many different kinds of sex workers.
  Type of sex workers include
• Brothels
• Escorts/Call girls
• Strollers
• Strip clubs

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Statistics

• Regarding incidents of trafficking
• 83 of human trafficking involves sex trafficking
• 48.5 forced prostitution 32 child sex
  trafficking
• Regarding suspects in confirmed human trafficking
  incidents
• Males were dominant but not exclusive
• Most were not white they were predominantly
  Hispanic
• Regarding victims in confirmed human trafficking
  incidents
• Females were by far more common than males
• Most were either Hispanic or white

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Statistics

• Victim age is of particular concern, as many
  prostitutes start work at a young age.
• With respect to these underage victims
• 55 of girls living on the streets in the U.S.
  engaged in prostitution
• 75 of the girls engaged in prostitution work for
  a pimp
• 76 of the transactions for sex with underage
  girls are conducted over the Internet
• The average pimp can make between 150,000 -
  200,000 per year from each girl

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Predispositions

• In many ways, it can be argued that a history of
  abuse leads to a predisposition to become
  victimized by sex traffickers.
• Being the child victim of abuse or sexual assault
  pushes kids out of their homes early and into sex
  work.
• Some run away from their homes or from foster
  care, and others are simply kicked out by a
  parent that no longer wants to care for them.

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Recruitment

• Recruitment refers to the means by which sex
  traffickers acquire sex workers.
• This is not something that happens by accident.
  It is generally the result of a planned con,
  fraud, or even a kidnapping.

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Recruitment

• The Con
• Traffickers who con their victims do so in a
  variety of ways that have remained unchanged over
  the generations.
• Examples include the following
• The sex trafficker may send a girl in to befriend
  the target victim and recruit them.
• The sex trafficker may coerce or reward the girls
  in their stable for recruiting straight
  girlfriends.

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Recruitment

• Indentured Servitude
• An indentured servant is a person with limited
  means that is transported to a new location,
  presumably for better opportunities, and works
  off the cost of their transportation, food,
  clothing, lodging and any other necessities
  during the term of their indenture.
• Kidnapping
• In cases where less confrontational methods of
  recruitment may not be successful they may kidnap
  their victims.

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Retention

• The cycle of dependence retains victims, even
  when they have the opportunity to leave.
• The primary element in this cycle is fear and
  once initiated, it is hard to break free.
• Other tools of the sex trafficker, with respect
  to controlling their victims, include
• Extortion
• Threats of violence
• physical abuse and
• Drugs.

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Sex Workers and Sexual Assault

• Trafficked sex workers are victims of rape. And
  their victimization is essentially unending, so
  long as they are unable to escape their
  situation.
• There is often a personal history involved. Many
  of these girls will have been raped as children,
  possibly by members of their own family.
• Many of these girls will have been raped by their
  traffickers.
• Rape is an occupational hazard for trafficked sex
  workers. Every new client is a potential
  rapist.

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Easy Prey

• Sex offenders frequently target those who work in
  the sex trade. They are easy prey for both
  sophisticated and inexperienced offenders alike.
• Illegal sex workers far less likely to report any
  attack to police, due to their complicity in
  criminal activity (e.g., prostitution, drugs).
• Sex workers are also targeted because of the
  vulnerabilities inherent things they are willing
  to do with any potential customer

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Voluntary Sex Workers

• There are many adult sex workers who participate
  in the sex trade voluntarily.
• There are two things that police investigators
  must remember about the voluntary sex worker
• They must be taken seriously when reporting a sex
  crime.
• They are an invaluable source of street
  intelligence.

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The Law Enforcement Response

• The law enforcement response to sex trafficking
  has been, generally, to focus on efforts to
  arrest the trafficked victims.
• The result of arresting the trafficked sex worker
  can be secondary victimization they may learn
  that the system does not recognize them as a
  victim, and that their trafficker has both power
  and immunity.
• Treating them with respect is the first and only
  place to start. From there, and investigation of
  the facts can begin and the truth of their
  circumstances learned.