The post The Necessity of Safe Harbor Legislation and Its Implementation appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>Since the law’s passing in 2008, 11 states have followed suit and passed similar Safe Harbor laws. While some states have passed some measures that fall in line with some of the Safe Harbor provisions, there are still a total of 38 states that have yet to pass true “Safe Harbor” laws. That means in 38 states children can be arrested, prosecuted, and convicted as criminals when they are being sold for sex. The government recognizes the fact that children do not have the mental capacity to consent to a sexual act, but at the same time is holding them responsible for a criminal act. On top of their lack of the ability to consent, these children are immersed in an environment of constant duress, suffering from physical and sexual abuse from their trafficker or pimp. When these children are committing these acts they are doing so in a very confused and damaged mental state created by their trafficker or pimp.
With increasing awareness of the sex trafficking of children it has been acknowledged that these children are not criminals but victims, but both the laws and enforcement of child sex trafficking have not yet been modernized thus these children are not always treated as the victims they are. It is imperative that Safe Harbor laws are passed and implemented in the 38 states that have not already done so.
Even though there are 12 states that have Safe Harbor laws, few of them have yet to properly enforce their laws. Minnesota, one of the states to pass such a law, has been the first to make substantial efforts to enforce the legislation. “Safe Harbor laws go into effect August 1, 2014 and will shift the paradigm for at risk and sexually exploited youth, viewing them as crime victims rather than criminals,” said Linda Riddle, the program manager of Safe Harbor at Life House, a grantee agency in Duluth [2]. Since the law’s passing, Minnesota has allocated 2.8 million dollars for the provisions of the Safe Harbor laws which include training for law enforcement when dealing with child trafficking victims as well as housing for rehabilitative services for child victims [1]. While this is a substantial amount of resources diverted to these necessary programs, the estimated amount of money required to fully implement the Safe Harbor laws is 13.5 million dollars [1]. “The 2.8 million the Legislature allocated last session is about 21% of what we need to fully fund Safe Harbor,” stated Vednita Carter, executive director of Breaking Free [2]. Even Minnesota which has been pushing Safe Harbor into implementation can be doing more to increase and improve its efforts.
While New York was the model for the law itself, Minnesota will be the model for the law’s enforcement. Hopefully other states will follow Minnesota’s example and realize how essential Safe Harbor laws are for our children.
Sources
[2] https://www.breakingfree.net/files/breakingfree/files/Safe%20Harbor%20Press%20Release.pdf
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]]>The post Operation Cross Country and the Way Forward appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>Each year, Operation Cross Country increases awareness of child sex trafficking around the country with its annual campaign. Operation Cross Country grows regularly every year; last year the operation spread across 76 cities with 105 children rescued and 150 pimps arrested (2); the year before that 57 cities were investigated with 79 children rescued and just over 100 pimps arrested (3). The large increase of the operation’s size can be attributed to the realization of how effective the operation is and can be. The operation continues to expand to better fight child sex trafficking in more cities around the country. Yet for all the expansion of the operation it still only occurs during one brief week during the year.
The FBI reports that the total number of children it has rescued with its Innocence Lost National Initiative, which also runs Operation Cross Country, is 3,600 (1). The total number of children that have been rescued by Operation Cross Country is almost 600. That means nearly 1/6th of the children rescued by the FBI over the course of 11 years since the founding of the Innocence Lost National Initiative were rescued in only about 5 weeks (not including the assumed months of preparations and intelligence gathering), the combined length of all Cross Country operations. These numbers attest to the incredible success of the operation. Because of the effectiveness of these operations by the FBI, it is a surprise that this operation is contained to only one week a year. There needs to be a continual and focused effort of responding to child sex trafficking by law enforcement. This operation rescued an average of 24 children a day. 24 children are now off the streets and are receiving much needed help after one day. Imagine what it would be like if this was an ongoing operation, everyday hearing in the news that dozens of children have been saved from the horrors of sex trafficking. With an average of 24 children rescued a day, a full year Operation Cross Country would result in 8760 children rescued, which is a small proportion of the 250,000 kids estimated to be in trafficking (4), but still has a much larger impact than 168 children rescued from a one time annual enforcement action.
Operation Cross Country should be encouraged and pursued on a more regular basis than annually. The operation has done invaluable work for many children who have been abused and taken advantage of and will hopefully continue to combat the sex trafficking of children.
Sources
(1) https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/june/operation-cross-country
(4) https://renewalforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Victim-Population-Estimates.pdf
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]]>The post Heather’s Story appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>At the age of thirty-six, Heather, a survivor of the sex trade, shares her story. By working with Selah Freedom, a nonprofit organization focus on working with sex trafficking victims, she is now working towards her future goals and dreams. Though free from the sex trade, she continues to struggle finding jobs because of her arrest records. What do we do with people like Heather? Do we hold her past against her?
Her story starts out at the age of three, when she was raped by her stepfather. Growing up, she witnessed her mother being beaten and raped as well as her sister being raped. When she was ten, she coped by indulging in alcohol, marijuana, and sniffing paint to escape reality. A year later she became a runaway where she met her “boyfriend”, Conan, who supplied her with shelter, food, drugs, and care. Conan groomed Heather for prostitution by making her believe sexual exploitation was a part of love. He allowed friends to receive free sexual services from Heather and if she did not comply she would be beaten or locked up. At one point, Conan had more than twelve girls in his house behind an elementary school. He would take the girls to migrant camps. Returning to Conan’s house, the girls would cope by getting high while watching cartoons.
During middle school, Heather was continually prostituted. She was diagnosed with a learning disability and forced to participate in special education, then became pregnant and attempted suicide. At the hospital, she had an abortion and opened up about her stepfather raping her. The police conducted a lie detector test on the stepfather but he passed, so no one believed her about the rape. After the hospital, she was sent to live with her biological father and his wife. Instead of things getting better, things got worst. Heather was introduced to meth and encouraged by her father to continue prostitution. She became pregnant and her father fled due to owing drug dealers money. She was beaten and raped by the drug dealers, which caused her to have a miscarriage.
By the age of eighteen, she had a sixth grade education and suffered serious physical and mental problems. Even though she moved back into her mother’s house, she continued being prostituted. She ended up being picked up by a pimp who took her to Miami, where she got branded with a tattoo of his name. Being the oldest, she was the “bottom girl”, and she cooked, cleaned, and recruited younger girls. Though Eugene beat and prostituted the girls, he would also take them shopping and out for dinner. In one incident he took Heather to Disney World for the day, but at night he prostituted her in order to pay back the expenses for the day.
With arrests in various states and warrants out for her arrest, she was sent to a twenty-four month program at Teen Challenge. Within eight months, she fled from the program and was back on the streets. One of her customers ended up taking her back to his trailer, where he put a trash bag of nitrous oxide over her head, while she was high on crack. She woke up while she being put into a trash bag because he thought she was dead. This situation turned her life around and she started to seek help.
At the age of thirty, she started to seek help at Selah Freedom, which gave her a second chance. Now at thirty-six, she recently graduated from beauty school and is searching for a full time job. With her arrest record, it is hard to find an employer who is willing to hire her. Heather is one of the many survivors who still have a criminal record even though they were victims. Throughout Heather’s childhood, she had minimal resources to help her get out of her situation. When she tried to seek help, people did not believe her. There was no point where she could leave, and when she tried, she ended back on the streets. Though it is great that Heather got treatment from Selah Freedom, it is sad it took this long for her to escape a life of exploitation.(see article)
Heather had no choice but to be a part of this lifestyle. When could she have left the prostituted lifestyle? She tried seeking help from authorities; no one believed nor helped her. Nor did she choose to live this way. Victims do not voluntary ask to be prostituted. Prostituted people should not be viewed and charged as a criminal, but instead looked at as victims. Though there are Safe Harbor laws in place in various states , there also needs to be training with police officers to help identify trafficking victims instead of arresting them. Survivors like Heather should not have their records held against them. Instead their records should be expunged so survivors are able to start with a clean slate. States should provide resources for these victims by creating resources for their needs and accountability programs so they do not go back into the prostituted lifestyle. There needs to be an easier way to leave the life of exploitation. We as society should continue supporting organizations like Selah Freedom and the resources they provide. The more resources available to victims, the more likely they are able to become survivors and contribute back to society.
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]]>The post Zero Tolerance for City Officials appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>On August 16, 2013, a former Baltimore Police officer, Lamin Manneh, 32, was charged for prostituting his 19-year-old wife and operating a call-girl ring with more than 300 customers. Manneh posted more than 50 advertisements of these women on the Internet, supplied synthetic marijuana to the women, collected his entire wife’s earnings and took a percentage from the other women as well. According to ABC News, his going rate for clients was $100 for 30 minutes with his wife. While operating his call-girl ring, he would provide locations such as hotel rooms and also transport the women to various locations based on client’s preference. In case of an aggressive or non- compliant client, Manneh would even carry his police issued fire. see here
Previously in May, a sting by a human trafficking task force was conducted where Manneh’s wife agreed to have sex with an undercover Maryland trooper. Manneh was subsequently arrested and fired after less than one year in the police force. If convicted, he will be sentence to only up to five years in prison.
There should be zero tolerance for city officials caught sexually exploiting someone. If caught in the act of sexual exploitation, city officials should not only be fired from their positions, but they should receive harsh punishments as well. They should also not be allowed to work in their previous occupation again even if it is in another state. Actions like this should be taken seriously and zero tolerance should be enforced.
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]]>The post And Boys Too… appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>With limited research already available, it is difficult to know just how prominent the problem of male trafficking is. Very few female victims are reported each year compared to the actual number of cases, and males are reported even less. Often it is the fault of the law enforcement officer and the perception of boys being strong and able to avoid this type of situation. There is also shame associated with a boy being a victim of trafficking, and the victim may be worried of the stigma associated with his situation.
Vulnerability in boys showed similar trends to vulnerability in girls. Many are runaway or “throwaway” children introduced into the trade to meet their basic survival. Others begin in the industry to support a pre-existing drug habit or a habit forced upon them from their traffickers. Those pimping boys are not often referred to as pimps but as “market facilitators” finding work for the boys. The research showed that boys are often introduced into the trade slightly earlier than girls. The average age is between 11-13 for boys and 12-14 for girls.
When considering boys as trafficking victims there is often an assumption that the boys are homosexual. However, the majority of boys identify as heterosexual or as not knowing their sexuality. Homosexual boys introduced into the sex trade have a different experience than heterosexual boys. Many end up in the streets because they were kicked out of their home for being homosexual. One boy said he entered sex trading on his journey looking for true love. This population of victims needs to have individual research conducted to really understand their vulnerabilities.
Boys being trafficked are present throughout the United States. On the west coast, the population is mostly Hispanic, in the mid-west Caucasian, and on the east coast the majority are African American. They suffer from hardships resulting from the industry such as STI’s, physical injuries from abuse, depression, and even suicide. But there are not as many resources available to boys as there are to girls in similar situations.
Many boys are not able to access the same services because they are not referred to them. Law enforcement officials find boys and do not see them as victims. A common thought is that they are boys so they could get away if they want to because boys are strong and girls are weak. However, this is not the case. Boys suffer from the same treatment as young girls, with threats of abuse and possible death if they try to escape. Another limitation to the services offered to boys is that the boys themselves sometimes do not refer to themselves as victims. Some identify as hustlers to cover the shame associated with being trafficked. By not being reported male trafficking victims are not referred to services and there are also fewer services available to them.
What could serve to help these boys is more education on the problem. Training should be given particularly to law enforcement officials, so that they know how to identify male victims as well as female victims and refer them to appropriate services. Additionally, not all services are currently available to boys, such as shelters. There will need to be more available for boys as well as girls who are victims. In order for more services to be available, there needs to be more research done on the topic. With more research, the need will be better assessed to determine the need.
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]]>The post How Caylee’s Law Can Help Fight the Sex Exploitation of Children appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>The post How Caylee’s Law Can Help Fight the Sex Exploitation of Children appeared first on Renewal Forum.
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