House GOPers Say Return Child Sex Trafficking Cash

House GOPers Say Return Child Sex Trafficking Cash
by Emily Miller

09/17/2010

House Republicans said that congressmen should return campaign donations from Craig Newmark, whose Craigslist derived money from prostitution and child sex trafficking.

“Witting or unwitting, if you are complicit with a gross evil—and this is a gross evil—and it enables modern day slavery in a very huge way,” Rep. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) told HUMAN EVENTS. “You ought to just send it back and sever any ties whatever.”

Newmark has earned a lot of money off these ads, and has given over $84,000 to prominent Democrats. He had never donated to a Republican.

“I think it’s unwise to keep that money,” said Ted Poe (R-Tex.)

In the wake of Craigslist’s making $44 million this year from illegal sexual commerce, HUMAN EVENTS launched an investigation to determine which Democratic politicians and political organizations would return Newmark’s tainted donations. So far, only Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy’s has said she will be giving Newmark’s donation to a human trafficking focused charity.

When asked what President Obama and Speaker Pelosi should do with Newmark’s cash, Smith said that “they should send it back immediately.”

Poe praised Kilroy’s idea to give the Craigslist money to a charity fighting child trafficking.

“If we can take money from those who have inadvertently helped the people who trafficked,” Poe said. “We can take their money and use it for children, their resources and care. That’s a good use for that money.”

Smith, Poe and Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D.-N.Y.) and Jackie Speier (D.-Calif.) testified before a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday on domestic minor sex trafficking and the role of Craigslist in the illegal business.

HUMAN EVENTS asked the members of Congress who testified against child trafficking what they think politicians should do with the money from Newmark.

While the Republicans felt strongly that the Craigslist political donations should be returned, Speier refused to take a position on the political donations.
“That’s a decision every individual member will have to make,” Speier told HUMAN EVENTS when asked about what Democratic members of Congress should do with political donations from Craig Newmark.

Although Speier has called the company an “enabler for underage sex transactions,” she praises Craigslist’s benefit to online commerce. The company is based in her district in San Francisco. Speyer’s representative said he did not know if Newmark is a constituent.

Meanwhile, on Thursday night, Connecticut Democratic Senate candidate and current state Atty. Gen. Richard Blumenthal welcomed President Obama, a recipient of Newmark’s donation, to Connecticut for political fundraisers.

Blumenthal has been the national leader of law-enforcement pressure on Craigslist. On August 24, Blumenthal sent a letter on behalf of 17 other state attorneys general to Newmark, which said: “The increasingly sharp public criticism of craigslist’s Adult Services section reflects a growing recognition that ads for prostitution—including ads trafficking children—are rampant on it.”

Craigslist’s projected revenue of $122 million in 2010 grew an astounding 22% this year after doubling the Adult Services ad rates from $5 to $10 in May. The company will generate at least $44 million from its “thinly disguised advertising for prostitutes,” according to a report by the independent AIM Group consultants

Blumenthal—well aware that Craigslist earns 30% of its company revenue from these adult ads—wrote to Newmark that: “We recognize that craigslist may lose the considerable revenue generated by the Adult Services ads. No amount of money can justify the scourge of illegal prostitution, and the suffering of women and children who will continue to be victimized, in the market and trafficking provided by craigslist.”

So, although Blumenthal claimed last week a victory for Craigslist shutting its sex ads, he seemed to disregard the fact that Obama is keeping political donations from Newmark.

Obama spoke at a fundraiser for Blumenthal Thursday evening. The event cost $1,000 per person to attend at a Marriott in Stamford, Conn. Meanwhile, Obama has $9,600 of Newmark’s tainted money in his campaign coffers (five donations to his presidential campaign totaling $4,600 and $5,000 to his Hope Fund PAC). Obama has refused to return the dirty money. Blumenthal’s campaign did not return calls for comment.

Afterwards, Obama attended a $30,000 per-ticket dinner at a private estate in Stamford which raised money for the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Again, Blumenthal blatantly disregarded that the Democratic Party is the largest recipient of Newmark’s cash. The DNC has accepted four donations totaling $30,500 from the Craigslist founder. The DNC has refused to return the money or give it to charity.

In addition to giving money to Obama and the DNC, the Craigslist founder gave to:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) – $500
Democratic National Campaign Committee (DCCC) – $11,500
Sen. Al Franken (D- Minn.) – $3,000
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D- Calif.) – $2,000
Sen. Dick Durbin (D- Ill.) – $1,000
Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) – $500
Rep. George Miller (D- Calif.) – $1,000
Rep. Mark Schauer (D-Mich.) – $500
Rep. Jerry McNerney (D- Calif.) – $1,000
Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.) – $500
Rep. Patrick Murphy (D- Pa.) – $500
Rep. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) – $500

Child trafficking advocates and members of Congress at the hearing called on Craigslist to permanently take down its profitable Adult Services section. A Craigslist official, William “Clint” Powell, finally announced that the site was being removed permanently from the U.S. site, but the ads for sex with young girls are still up on Craigslist international sites.

Muse highlight human trafficking

Muse highlight human trafficking
(UKPA) – 3 hours ago

Muse have used the video of their latest single, MK Ultra, to raise awareness of human trafficking.

The British rockers – frontman Matthew Bellamy, drummer Dominic Howard and bassist Christopher Wolstenholme – have joined forces with MTV Exit (End Exploitation and Trafficking) to tackle the harrowing subject, following in the footsteps of Radiohead and The Killers.

“We feel honoured to be a part of this important movement to end modern day slavery – it is unacceptable that people are deprived of the most fundamental right to be free,” the band said.

Call to Action!!

Below is very informative article regarding House Bill 5575 that is in
hearings at this time. Everyone contact Congressman/women, Washington
contacts, etc. to get this passed which could help our kids!!

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/62902/20100916/sex-traffic.htm

Here is the video from the Congressional Hearings that took place yesterday on H.R 5575

http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2010/09/15/HP/A/38156/House+Judiciary+Subcmte+Hearing+on+Domestic+Minor+Sex+Trafficking.aspx

Great story from the Philippines

Over 200 victims of human trafficking rescued in Angeles City

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) — Joint operatives from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) rescued 268 women, including 15 minors, who were alleged victims of trafficking, from 10 establishments in Angeles City today, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said.

At a press briefing, De Lima said she received the initial report from Department of Justice (DOJ) Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar, head of the inter-agency council against trafficking.

The raid was conducted by departments including the NBI and the PNP after several weeks of planning and surveillance operations in at least three night clubs.

“We have dispatched state prosecutors to Angeles City to conduct inquest proceedings. It’s a multi-agency effort,” she said, adding this is a big boost to government efforts to curb human trafficking.

Craigslist says it won’t resume adult services

I agree with the comments that William Clinton Powell (listed below) made during the congressional hearings today on the issue of domestic minor sex trafficking. Many of the victims of human trafficking have been advertised on Craigslist. However, everyone acts as though this is the only website that does this. There are so many other websites that have the adult/erotic section yet no one says anything about them. While Craigslist is being attacked, other websites are benefitting from this. Some of these other websites allows post that are nastier than the ads posted on Craigslist. Craigslist is the only website I have seen where it actually has a disclaimer stating that if anyone suspects Human trafficking, to please report it. So why do they continue to be attacked in the media and by other anti trafficking organizations. We needed to stop focusing all of our attention on one website who is actually trying to do something about the issue of human trafficking. Let’s get together and attack some of these other websites that are doing the same or even worse.

Craigslist says it won’t resume adult services

By JIM ABRAMS
The Associated Press
Wednesday, September 15, 2010; 5:18 PM

WASHINGTON — A Craigslist official told lawmakers Wednesday that the classified ad website has no plans to resume its adult services section and defended the company’s efforts to stop the sexual exploitation of minors.

But William Clinton Powell also told a House Judiciary Committee panel that people seeking to advertise adult – or sexual – services will now simply migrate to other Internet sites.

He said the decision by Craigslist earlier this month to shut down the adult services section “may be a step backward in terms of addressing the core causes of the issue.”

Craigslist was responding to demands from state attorneys general and anti-child trafficking organizations to end adult services because it had become a favorite conduit for illegal ads.

“I have not had a girl who was not marketed online and most of them were marketed on Craigslist,” said Linda Smith, a former member of Congress who heads Shared Hope International, a group that rescues women and children trapped by sex traffickers.

Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., agreed that “the Internet has opened a whole new front in the war on trafficking, allowing demand to run free without practical obstacles.”

Powell, director of law enforcement relations for the nation’s largest classified advertising service, said Craigslist has been aggressive in working to stop child exploitation. He said the company encourages users to report suspected trafficking, features law enforcement and reporting hotlines, participates in the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipline and manually reviewed every adult service ad prior to posting.

“Craigslist has been virtually alone among the many advertising venues carrying adult ads in vigorously combating exploitation and trafficking,” he said.

Ernie Allen, head of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, agreed that the focus must now be broadened beyond Craigslist. “The goal is to destroy the business model for those who sell children for sex over the Internet.”

Lawmakers and witnesses said at least 100,000 minors are exploited by the commercial sex industry in the United States every year. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., chairman of the crime subcommittee, cited estimates that 450,000 minors run away from home every year, and about one-third of those end up being forced into prostitution.

Despite that, it appears that the United States spends more to combat sex trafficking overseas than it does in the United States, said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., who is sponsoring an anti-minor sex trafficking bill with Smith.

The Maloney-Smith bill would authorize up to $50 million over four years for grants to provide shelter and care for young victims and ensure adequate resources for law enforcement and prosecutors.

Many young people are treated as criminals instead of victims, and there are nationwide only 50 beds in shelters to address the needs of 100,000 victims, Maloney said.

FBI Questions Hustler Editor, Photographer in Sex Slave Case

FBI Questions Hustler Editor, Photographer in Sex Slave Case
EXCLUSIVE

A mentally disabled young woman allegedly kept for years as a brutally tortured sex slave in Missouri had her pictures taken by Hollywood photographer Ken Marcus for the cover of Taboo Magazine, a title in Larry Flynt’s Hustler empire — a situation that sent FBI agents knocking at Marcus’ studio and the Beverly Hills office tower owned by the porn mogul.

The images appeared in two issues of Taboo, the Flynt magazine specializing in hard-core fetish pornography. While it’s highly unlikely that Marcus or Flynt will face any criminal action, they could be called to testify or face civil action if the woman should ever choose to sue.

Marcus first took the woman’s picture for the July 2007 cover of Taboo (at left; photo cropped and blurred) with fetish model Anastasia Price. Her “master,” a 43-year-old man from Lebanon, Missouri, named Ed Bagley Sr. (pictured below, right), was also photographed.

The woman was back in the pages of Taboo one month later in an interview where she discussed her relationship with Bagley, who took the photos for that feature himself.

Federal prosecutors filed an indictment Sept. 8 accusing Bagley, known as “Master Ed” in the bondage and sado-masochism community, of keeping the woman as his sex slave for over seven years, torturing her, threatening her and giving her drugs. Bagley also allegedly sold the woman for sex and bondage sessions, live webcam shows and strip-club appearances.

According to the indictment, Bagley met her when she was a 16-year-old runaway and enticed her to move into his trailer in the woods through promises of “‘a great life,” including making her a model and a dancer.
Prosecutors said the woman believed she was legally bound to Bagley for life by a “sex slavery contract” he made her sign shortly after her 18th birthday.

Authorities first became involved in February 2009, when she showed up in an emergency room in cardiac arrest after allegedly being suffocated and electrocuted during one of Bagley’s “torture sessions.” The sessions allegedly included a long list of violent acts over the years: beating, whipping, flogging, forced abortions, choking, caning, skewering, drowning, mutilation, hanging, caging, shocking, stapling and sewing.

Bagley was charged with 10 counts, including firearms violations, forced labor trafficking, document servitude and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance to a person under 21. He faces a maximum of life imprisonment. Four other men are also charged for allegedly paying Bagley to have sex with the woman and watch torture sessions online.

According to the indictment, two of the men helped Bagley finance a trip to California in late 2006 “with the intent that the female victim perform sexual acts during a photo shoot” for Taboo.

In June 2007, Bagley discussed the Hustler appearance in an online forum for sado-masochists.

“My slave girl is in Taboo magazine, but it’s the July issue, she is in and on the cover … Also, the interview about the slave and Myself is in the august issue of Taboo … It was a very fun experience,” Bagley wrote.
The extremely graphic photos were taken by Marcus, a a well-known photographer who specializes in portraits of musicians, artistic nudes and erotic photos.
On his website, Marcus (pictured left) says he got his start at 13, as the youngest student of legendary landscape photographer Ansel Adams, who taught him for 13 years. Marcus went on to work as a lensman at both Playboy and Penthouse. He is perhaps best known for a series of iconic pictures of Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar, which he took as an official backstage photographer at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.

Marcus told TheWrap that he reached out to Bagley and the woman via email after he saw one of their live shows on Alt.com, which is part of FriendFinder Networks, a group of adult entertainment websites that purportedly has over 365 million members and is owned by Penthouse Media Group.

The shoots occurred over a period of several days at Marcus’ studios in Hollywood. Marcus later sold some of the photos to Taboo; others were available in a subscription area of his website.

Marcus also filmed the pair for his site. The video clip includes a brief moment where Marcus interviewed Bagley and the woman following a lengthy bondage session.

“Is this your first time being in Hollywood and doing videos?” Marcus asked the woman.

“Yes sir,” she responded in a childlike voice.

“Is this your last time being in Hollywood and doing videos?” Marcus asked.

“I hope not,” the woman answered with Bagley standing close beside her.

Marcus said he didn’t notice anything unusual about Bagley and the woman during the photo session.

“They actually seemed to be quite a lovely couple … if anything he was going out of his way to make sure she was as happy as possible. I was very shocked to see the government had any issue with them at all,” Marcus told TheWrap.

Prosecutors have described the woman as mentally disabled and said that Bagley threatened her with guns and physical torture when she attempted to escape or stop the violent bondage sessions. Although he said he met the couple only briefly and “may have very well been mistaken,” Marcus told TheWrap that he saw no sign the woman was forced, coerced or mentally disabled.

“They say she was of diminished mental capacity, we never saw that whatsoever. She seemed to be bright, intelligent and in control, able to say ‘yes’ and ‘no,'” Marcus said.

Marcus said he was interviewed by the FBI a few months ago in conjunction with the case.

“I have been interviewed and cooperated, and gave whatever information and documentation … I don’t know whether they are planning on calling me as a witness or not,” he said
FBI Questions Hustler Editor, Photographer in Sex Slave Case
Marcus also said that the FBI interviewed Taboo executive editor Ira Levine, the author of several books and husband to famous porn actress Nina Hartley. Levine could not immediately be reached by TheWrap.

Though they may be called as witnesses, neither Marcus nor the editors of Taboo appear to be in danger of criminal charges — as long as they maintain that they had no indication the woman was anything other than a fully consenting adult. However, all parties involved could be vulnerable to civil action should the woman decide to press charges.

And the situation probably won’t result in legal action for Marcus or Larry Flynt Publishing Inc. — but it certainly raises fresh questions about the ethics and practices surrounding hardcore, violent porn publishing.

And Flynt is certainly well-prepared to face those types of questions. The self-proclaimed “free speech activist” has spent much of the more than 36 years that he’s put out the Hustler magazines fighting court cases and public relations battles relating to the publication of pornography.

As of this writing, Flynt — whose operations include mainstream magazines, broadcasting ventures, a digital group, retail stores and a casino — has not responded to requests for a comment.

Spain Breaks Up a Trafficking Ring for Male Prostitution

I almost forgot to post this article. This case is a perfect example of the fact that human trafficking is not a woman’s issue, but a Human Rights issue. The majority of the cases of sex trafficking involve women and the majority of the johns are men. I think this is a point that everyone can agree on. However, when I advise people of the fact that women have been know to act as pimps and that there have been cases in where the john was a women, it appears as though the person I am speaking to is going to faint or explode. I know this is a fact that is hard to swallow, but women can be victimizers as well. As I have mentioned before, our society makes it tough for men to come forward and state that they are a victim, especially a victim of sex trafficking. Most people would laugh and make crude jokes at the expense of the victim. This needs to change. We need to accept the fact that men can be victimized as well and that in human trafficking, men have been exploited sexually as well. This article I am posting is in regards to a ring that was busted in Spain in where 80 men were rescued and 16 women were the pimps within this ring. I know I know, it seems outlandish to think that 80 men were controlled and exploited for sex. Welcome to the real world of human trafficking. Unfortunately there are too many misconceptions regarding the issue of human trafficking. Understand that the issue of human trafficking is ever-changing. Now this case did not occur in the U.S, but make note that this is happening here, but o one has taken the time to look into these types of cases.

Spain Breaks Up a Trafficking Ring for Male Prostitution
By RAPHAEL MINDER
Published: August 31, 2010

The police said 14 people, almost all of them Brazilian, were arrested over recent weeks as part of an inquiry into the network’s activities begun in February.
The sex workers were recruited in Brazil, with their travel costs to Spain initially covered by the trafficking network’ organizers in return for a pledge to work subsequently for them, according to a police statement. Most of the recruits, however, expected to work as models or nightclub dancers, although some allegedly knew that they were coming to Spain to offer sex.

The police estimated that between 60 and 80 men were brought to Spain by the network, most of them in their 20s and originating from Brazil’s northern state of Maranhão. They reached Spain by passing through third countries.

The network covered the whole of Spain, with the sex workers placed in, and then switched regularly between, apartments whose landlords received half of the money earned by them, as well as €200, or about $255, to cover food and lodging, officials said.

The police released a video of one of the apartments in which some of the arrests were made, with bunk beds and mattresses cramped into neon-lit rooms. The gang, meanwhile, advertised pictures of the men on Web sites as well as in classified newspaper ads. The sex workers were allegedly provided with Viagra, cocaine and other stimulants to help keep them available for sex 24 hours a day. Most of their customers are suspected to have been men.

The bulk of the arrests occurred on the island of Majorca, including that of the Brazilian accused of being the ringleader, whose identity was not disclosed by the police. The prostitutes ended up owing the network as much as €4,000 each and were sometimes threatened with death if they refused to pay the debt, according to the Spanish police.

Although it is the first time that police officers have broken up a professional male prostitution trafficking network, five people were arrested in 2006 in Spain’s western region of Extremadura for their involvement in an illegal Brazilian prostitution business. More recently, the police have dismantled several gangs exploiting female sex workers, generally from Eastern Europe or Africa. In July, 105 people were arrested for their involvement in a dozen prostitution centers around Madrid in one of the largest clampdowns to date.

A police spokeswoman who asked not to be identified said that Brazilian officials had been involved. Some of the prostitutes were also placed in custody for working illegally in Spain.

Ana Palacio, a former Spanish foreign minister, said that Spanish police officials were benefiting considerably from greater cross-border cooperation in their efforts to combat human trafficking. Cooperation, particularly with the French police, has also been crucial recently in the arrests of several leaders of ETA, the Basque separatist group.

“We have to continue fighting against these networks because there is a terrible human rights dimension to their activities and this does require better police coordination,” Ms. Palacio said. “Thankfully what we are seeing, also in the context of counterterrorism, is much greater willingness to share data and other information” among police forces.

$54 Million of Zimbabwe’s Diamonds Reach Markets, Bloody as Ever

I ran across a recent blog by Amanda Kloer and wanted to share this with you all. I know that sex trafficking may be an issue that you are passionate about and want to do everything possible to stop this from occurring here in the U.S. But we need not forget that there is other forms of human trafficking. There is organ trafficking, domestic servitude/servile marriage and the biggest most profitable type of trafficking:Labor. Just remember that unfortunately everyone in the U.S, including myself, is part of the demand on labor trafficking. We need to understand that many of the products that we purchase here in the U.S were picked or made by slaves in the U.S or in other countries. I myself am happy to say that I have never been into jewelry. Knowing what I know now, I could never own a diamond without feeling guilty. Unless I knew that no slave had anything to do with my diamond, I could never wear it proudly while stating that I am fighting modern-day slavery. I myself would feel like a complete hypocrite. So the next time you are shopping for a pair of diamond earrings, necklace or ring, take the time and re read this article.

$54 Million of Zimbabwe’s Diamonds Reach Markets, Bloody as Ever
by Amanda Kloer September 14, 2010 08:00 PM (PT) Topics: Child Labor, Slave Labor

If you’re in the market for some diamond jewelry but not for forced labor or human rights violations, buyer beware. Zimbabwe recently auctioned off 900,000 karats of diamonds from it’s controversial Marange fields, where there have been reports of widespread forced labor and other human rights abuses. And the auction was supervised by a monitor for the Kimberley Process, the group tasked with preventing blood diamonds from entering the global market.

Zimbabwe, and especially the Marange region, has had serious issues with violence and labor abuses in the diamond industry for years. Forced labor is rampant, and workers have reported being forced to mine diamonds at gunpoint and guarded with armed soldiers while they worked. Those who refused to join the military syndicates that control 95% of the mines in the area were assaulted. In addition to the direct rights violations, the lost revenue from diamonds that are being illegally smuggled and traded denies the Zimbabwean people desperately needed funds to help rebuild their economy. Marange is full of the sorts of industry abuses the Kimberley Process was created to protect against and other abuses no body is tasked with controlling, like human trafficking.

Katy Glen over at the Human Rights blog recently wondered whether or not whether the Kimberley Process has failed in Zimbabwe. It certainly didn’t do a great job over the weekend, when it allowed between $30 and $54 million dollars of diamonds from mines with horrific human rights abuses to be auctioned off into the international market. It hasn’t done consumers who are looking for conflict-free diamonds that don’t support slavery, child labor, or environmental harm any good, as the Kimberley Process doesn’t consider those issues. And it hasn’t helped the people of Zimbabwe, who aren’t getting their fair share of diamond sales which are allowed to go through. Maybe the Kimberly Process hasn’t failed Zimbabwe. Maybe it’s just failed.

Who says there isn’t child sex trafficking in the US?

On September 8 an online gossip site, broke a story of a 15-year-old Florida girl being involved in a porn movie. Now I am not 100% sure if this really occurred in Florida as the phone numbers listed on the missing child’s flyer has a Nevada phone number. However, the point of this blog is to show how a runaway child can easily end up in the hands of a trafficker. We need to improve so many laws that deal with children. Our child Welfare system in the U.S has too many loopholes which allows many of our children to fall through the cracks.

At this very moment. there are congressional hearings taking place in D.C. H.R 5575 is being discussed. This bill if passed, would create much-needed services for children that have been victimized in our sex industry here in the U.S. I say children because people need to understand that this is an issue that affects boys as well. Yes the majority of the cases reported are girls, but honestly how many boys can tell a law enforcement officer that he is being forced to have sex with men/women for money. Our society teaches our boys to be strong and “macho men”. This makes it very hard for boys to report any crimes committed against them. We need to understand that the issue of sex trafficking can affect boys as well. I urge you call to contact your state representatives and let them know that you support H.R 5575. This needs to pass as we have a scare amount of services tailored to children who have been sold for sex

Explosive Report!! Freaky New Adult Film Star Is Really a 15 Year Old Runaway!!!
September 08, 2010. MediaTakeOut.com just EXCLUSIVELY learned of a BREAKING STORY that may serve to ROCK the adult film industry.

Earlier this year, a 15-year-old girl named Charrida Smalley from Florida ran away from home. Her parents were WORRIED sick about her – and put out MISSING PERSONS fliers all over the country.

Luckily, last week, Charrida returned home SAFE and SOUND. Well, now for the SCANDALOUS PART. It appears that during the seven months when she was away, the young lady was being EXPLOITED.

Just two days ago, a very popular adult film company LEAKED footage of their new starlet – a young woman named Bieyanka Moore. If you look at the screen shots that we provided, not only does “Bieyaka” look almost EXACTLY like 15-year-old Charrida, but they have the VERY SAME TATS!!!

And as the below missing persons flier shows, Charrida’s nickname . . . is Beiyaka. DANG!!!

Why prostitution is not empowering women (how johns view a prostitute and the nature)

I came across this wonderful article today and wanted to share it with you all. I also wanted to add something that was excluded from this article. In many countries in where prostitution was legal, it was reported that the cases of sex trafficking increased. For example, Germany legalized prostitution. After this occurred sex trafficking cases increased by 70%. Now how is this possible. Quite simple. This all goes back to the issue of supply and demand. Knowing that there is less risk in soliciting a “prostitute”, the Johns will definitely be more apt to go to areas where their actions are not illegal. With the demand of sex being higher and not that many willing participants in the area, the pimps will have to resort to anything they can to meet the demand. This is when the iconic victim is lured into the sex industry. Legalizing prostitution does not end sex trafficking. This will only fuel this practice.

In the United States, prostitution is legal in Las Vegas. If people only know how many sex trafficking cases have been discovered in this area, they would be outraged and shocked. The saddest part about the victims that are found in Las Vegas is that the majority of them are minors.  So the next time someone says that prostitution should be legalized, you can advise them how it should not and why.

Why prostitution is not empowering women (how johns view a prostitute and the nature)
September 15th, 2010 12:03 pm ET.Not long ago, The Economist opened a forum discussing whether prostitution should be legalized in the United States. With overwhelming majority votes, The forum concluded that the prostitution should be legalized. The proponent of legalization argued that criminalization of prostitution in the United States fosters police brutality against prostitutes. She argued that the British model to allow prostitutes to report police brutality and sex crimes committed by johns against them improve human rights of prostituted women and sex trafficking victims to improve their human rights. The opponent, among many other things, began her argument by tackling underlying assumption behind legalization of prostitution– that no legislation can completely abolish prostitution in any society. Legalization of prostitution should be proceeded only if prostitution is fundamentally empowering women. Therefore, one must ask whether prostitution, by nature, is fundamentally empowering the women who are prostituted or elevate, not diminishing, women’s rights in the society.

John’s rule say otherwise ( sex between two consenting people is not really consenting)

An organization called Voices for Justice informs a person of John’s rule to help his or her understanding of prostitution. The excerpt of an article by Joseph Parker, a clinical director at Lola Green Baldwin Foundation, reveals the truth of johns’ view on a prostituted woman. Further, even in the absence of police brutality and pimp’s control in the context, the article shows that prostitution itself is dehumanizing women. According to the article, a john believes that he takes an ownership over a prostituted woman upon his purchase for sex with her. Therefore, in his mind, his ownership gives him the right to do whatever he wants to do with her regardless of the agreement or limitation that were spoken between the two people. It also gives him the freedom from the responsibilities for the consequences of his behavior. The article also says that a john want to believe that a prostituted woman is enjoying the sex with him and never wants her to show any sign of disgust for john. What’s more, prostituted woman, in john’s mind, is a prop to fulfill his sexual fantasies, regardless it may mean breaking her teeth or bruising her.

A woman’s right to sell her body

Some people argue that a prostituted woman has the right to sell her body in anyway she can. Also, she can exercise her own discretion to pick and choose what johns she can have sex with or not. Perhaps, this is why legalization of prostitution sounds empowering to them. legalization, in their minds, may protect them from police and johns’ brutality against them. However, if prostitution is so empowering and beneficial to a woman, ( including financial reason) that a woman should choose to do it, then why are there so many prostituted women who smoke, drink, and abuse drugs as coping mechanisms even if they work so little? Further, if it is such a good profession, then why do many women stop selling their bodies in their 30s and look for another opportunity? If it is because of the harmful side effect fundamentally attached to prostitution, then the rest of women in the society at least should be informed of what prostitution really is, rather than being told a story like “Pretty Woman.”

What is the solution?

Community should be vigilant to assist and rehabilitate prostituted women. Criminalization of prostitution has only led the prostituted women to isolating themselves from the society. As much as police brutality against these women must be taken seriously, arrests should be followed by the rehabilitation of these women to integrate themselves into the society as a whole person. That prostitution has always existed in history not because it should be recognized as a legitimate profession but because people in the past, just as now, never even bothered to consider the needs of these women, which pushed them to sell their bodies to the lustful johns whose mindset In the past, have only affirmed and cherished by the patriarch society. Therefore, the change should be taken place not in a way that the society looks at the prostitution itself as a legitimate work but the way that the society start paying more attention to the needs of these women as members of itself.