men, reported Donna M. Hughes, a professor of women’s studies at the University of Rhode Island in 2005. Similarly, 89 percent of arrests in Chicago between 2001 and 2004 were women, 9.6 percent were men and 0.6 percent were pimps, Hughes wrote in “Combating Sex Trafficking: Advancing Freedom for Women and Girls.” Ranked just behind weapon sales, human trafficking is the second-most lucrative illegal market in the world, with an estimated annual value of more than $30 billion. “The United States is a source, transit and destination country for men, women
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by Ronni Mott
also face a mountain of stigma and shame and, frequently, a police record. Few organizations are prepared to deal with the complexity of victim’s issues or the danger posed by traffickers. Hours after giving her statement, the police sent Smith home in the same red dress Nikki had put her in the night before. “(Sex-trafficking victims) need immediate after-care,” she said. “After I was arrested, I didn’t get any care, none at all. All they cared about was getting my testimony. … I was completely in a state of crisis. Nobody was concerned about my well-being.” Brendan-C
Ranked just behind weapon sales, human trafficking is the second-most lucrative illegal market in the world, with an estimated annual value of more than $30 billion.
and children—both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals—subjected to forced labor, debt bondage, involuntary servitude and sex trafficking,” reports the U.S. Department of State. Seventy-nine percent of human trafficking is sex trafficking and, in the U.S., 70 percent of sex trafficking is linked to organized crime. “Gangs can make more money off of selling humans than selling drugs, and it’s a lot safer,” Middleton said. “They can sell a person 20, 25, 30 times a day, every day.” The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that 100,000 to 293,000 American children are in danger of becoming sexual commodities. The average age of a child’s entry into pornography or prostitution is 12, reports the U.S. Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. Getting out of “the game” isn’t easy, and prostitutes live brutal, short lives. “We’ll tell your parents you’ve been whoring,” a pimp might tell a girl, or he may threaten to kill her or recruit her little sister if she tries to leave. Most are dead within seven years. In that way, Smith was lucky. But victims of sex trafficking share many problems with victims of domestic violence: post-traumatic stress, fear, low self-esteem and lack of resources among them. Victims
Life became even more of a struggle for Smith. “Everyone was treating me like I was some dirty thing,” she said. “Everyone was treating me like I had chosen to prostitute, like that’s why I ran away: to become a prostitute.” ‘Emptiness and Sorrow’ “These girls need immediate trauma therapy for what they’ve been through,” Middleton said. For Jane, like other girls the CVP has counseled, other girls in “the life” were her friends, and she had a difficult time disengaging from them. “We were trying to pull her out, and they were trying to pull her back in,” Middleton said. “… People that she cared about were still being victimized every day, and she couldn’t do anything about it.” Others become accustomed to a standard of living—even if they never have control over the money they make, their traffickers dress and house them and give them gifts, something they haven’t experienced before. “They have to walk away from a lifestyle on top of everything else,” Middleton said. “It’s just extremely complicated.” Seven days after police sent her home, Smith tried to kill herself. She ended up in a psychiatric facility, where she got some treatment, but nothing related to the trafficking.
“I wouldn’t even hear that term for 20 years,” she said. Smith didn’t know what a “normal” relationship looked like, and she became entangled with a domestic abuser. She got into drugs and alcohol, and was in and out of therapy for years. Finally, with the help of counselors, she put her energy into school. She finished high school, went on to college and graduated with 3.6 grade average and a degree in biology. “I rose professionally,” Smith said. “I went all over this country, changing jobs. I moved up quickly because I didn’t have anything else. I was so empty inside. I was trying to fill it up with education and accomplishments, which is great; that’s a good thing, but I was so empty inside because I was carrying this terrible secret—that I used to be a prostitute.” In 2009, 17 years after the worst 36 hours of her life, Smith met Tina Frundt, founder and executive director of Courtney’s House in Washington, D.C. Like Smith, Frundt is a survivor of sex trafficking, and Courtney’s House is dedicated to helping victims heal. “I didn’t really, truly come back to life until I met other survivors who had been through the same thing,” Smith said. “That’s when I really got my healing.” Sex trafficking victims, even if they get out, frequently feel isolated. Because of their experiences, they don’t know whom to trust. They doubt anyone loves them just for who they are. “They never know if somebody’s going to turn on them or tell on them,” Middleton said. Today, Smith advocates for getting help to victims—something she didn’t receive for years. She is married now and lives in Virginia. She has a website, hollyaustinsmith. com, and she works as a consultant with AMBER Alert and numerous anti-trafficking organizations. She writes a weekly newspaper column about sex trafficking, and next April, Smith will publish a book, titled “Walking Prey.” “As happy as I am today, there were years of emptiness and sorrow,” she said. “I think I went through all of this for a reason.” “Once victims become survivors, they become extremely powerful women,” Middleton said. “That’s the cool thing about offering appropriate services to these victims: They can become survivors, in time. Once they are, they’re empowered to share their story, encourage others and be part of the answer—to be brave enough to walk forward and talk about what happened to them.” Because victims have come forward, she said, organizations like the CVP understand how to provide the help other victims need to survive, such as long-term therapy and intervention. Recently, Smith spoke to kids at the middle school where she had graduated a
Help Your Child Understand Pimps’ Tactics • A pimp will often single out a girl or boy who appears to be alone, apart from the crowd or without parental support or care. • A pimp does not typically look like a pimp, but rather like an attractive, fun, engaging and trustworthy person. • The mall has become one of the most common places for pimps to target pre-teens and teens. • A pimp will tell your child that he or she is beautiful, smart, unique and (often) misunderstood. A pimp will do everything possible to gain the trust of your child. • The seduction of your child may take months; but the pimp is patient, considering this as a business investment.
What Parents Can Do • Check your teens’ phone. Know who they are calling and monitor text messages. • Monitor your teens’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts and have their passwords. • Know the children your kids are hanging out with—and their parents. • Always have a chaperone with teens while they are at the mall. • Inform your children and community about the reality of trafficking It spans every race, gender and neighborhood in America— including yours. • Have clear family rules such as: Under no circumstances are your children and teens to approach a stranger’s vehicle; and your teens are to hang around age-appropriate friends. • Request your teens give you their cell phone overnight. SOURCE: courtneyshouse.org
few short weeks before Greg lured her into prostitution. The girls were dumbfounded. “The last question they asked was, ‘Why am I just hearing about this?’” she said. She urges parent to talk to their kids about what they’re watching on television or seeing on the Internet. “Teach them that their value does not come from boyfriends or sex appeal.” Smith said, and added: “I didn’t choose to be a prostitute. I was a victim. I was a child, and I was exploited.” Visit www.jpf.ms/sextrafficking for more 17 info about sex trafficking in Mississippi.. jacksonfreepress.com
Just Average Girls
Protecting Children