" ... driver Keith Avila picked up two women and a teen and heard them talk about delivering the girl to a "John" and getting money from him."
"Once Avila dropped them off at a hotel, he called police and began streaming live on Facebook."
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Sacramento Uber driver saves teen girl from sex trafficking | WKRC:
Showing posts with label John. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John. Show all posts
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Selling American Girls: The Truth About Domestic Minor Sex-Trafficking - Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/shenegotiates/2012/12/03/selling-american-girls-the-truth-about-domestic-minor-sex-trafficking/
Source: Forbes
12/03/2012
Brooke Axtell, Contributor
Source: Forbes
12/03/2012
Brooke Axtell, Contributor
The sex-trafficking of U.S. children is America’s dirty, little secret.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, human trafficking is the second fastest growing criminal industry — just behind drug trafficking. Approximately half of all victims are children.
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center estimates it’s a $32 billion industry, with about 50% of this revenue coming from industrialized countries. This surpasses the sale of illegal arms.
Sex-trafficking is essentially systemic rape for profit. Force, fraud and coercion are used to control the victim’s behavior, which may secure the appearance of consent to please the buyer (or John).Behind every transaction is violence or the threat of violence.
What happens to trafficked children in the U.S. when they are discovered by the police? Often they are arrested on prostitution charges, thrown into jail and treated like criminals, even though they are minors.
Instead of receiving counseling in a safe, supportive residential facility, many are forced to endure the additional trauma of juvenile detention. One reason for this is the lack of training to help law enforcement recognize and assist victims.
In 2008, New York was the first state to establish a Safe Harbor Law to decriminalize underage victims of sexual exploitation. Since then, 9 states have followed suit, but in the remaining states, children who are bought and sold for sex are still sent to jail.
Legally, they cannot consent to sex with an adult, so the use of the term “child prostitution” in the media is misleading. In any other context, this would be considered statutory rape.
Fewer than 100 shelter beds are available in the U.S.for sex-trafficking victims, and most facilities are not equipped to address their needs.
This is a staggering contrast to the FBI estimate that about 100,000 children are sold for sex in our nation.
How Does it Work?
Pimps often recruit children into sex-trafficking by posing as a boyfriend, caretaker and protector. Many girls are runaways from abusive or dysfunctional homes, some are kidnapped and others are exploited by someone they know. On average, the trafficking begins when the victim is 13.
At this time, the vast majority are sold through classified ads on websites. This has been the source of great controversy over Backpage. The Attorney General’s office documented that underage girls were sold through these ads in at least 22 states.
Related articles
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Trafficking class for men using prostitutes
Trafficking class for men using prostitutes:
By Richard Roth and Patrick Feeeney, CNN - More than 25 men sit in an attorney's office - each was arrested for prostitution-related offences and each is now trying to avoid jail.
But this is not a defense lawyer's office. It's the Brooklyn district attorney's office and the road away from jail is a lesson in the risks of using prostitutes - Johns School.
Assistant District Attorney Grace Brainard tells them: "The crimes you were arrested for would lead to one penalty and one penalty only and that is jail time. And the next time you are arrested for prostitution, jail time will be the only offer on the table."
The men were arrested for attempting to pay for sex from undercover policewomen posing as prostitutes on the streets of New York. Men who solicit prostitutes are so-called 'johns' and this gathering is known as Johns School.
It's a program that teaches the dangers and penalties of prostitution and sex trafficking. It's been going on for the past 10 years under the official name of Project Respect conducted by the Kings County (Brooklyn), NY District Attorney's office.
Because of their clean record of no previous arrests, the men were given the opportunity to take the three-hour plus course – which cost them more than $300 – and avoid time behind bars. They could have had their day in court but risk of jail time was of great concern.
Rhonnie Jaus, the chief of the Sex Crimes Bureau, said the class attempts to sensitize and educate the men on the dangers of prostitution to both the John and the prostitute.
"You think you're having sex with an adult, and it turns out it could be something quite different," Jaus said, "It could be a trafficked child brought from China, brought from South America, so there are many different ramifications of this crime."
Brainard emphasized that most girls enter prostitution between the ages of 11 and 14. "They were children when they entered this life," she said.
The men also listened to a lecture from Rosetta Menifee, a former prostitute who had contracted HIV.
"Obviously the goal is not for them (the johns) to do it again," Menifee said, "but the reality is a lot of them will, so the goal is really to talk about what the risks are so that the have the knowledge of it from different perspectives, and hopefully they'll make better choices."
Different speakers pointed out the different risks inherent with solicitation.
Grace Pabarue, a public health educator at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, highlighted sexually transmitted diseases in a photo slideshow.
Former NYPD Lieutenant Jeff Anderson said a prostitute could be a potential threat to a John. "Some of them are emotionally disturbed, some of them abuse drugs," Anderson said. "Many prostitutes can defend themselves, many prostitutes have defended themselves."
One of the johns who wanted only to be identified as 'Skeeter,' said the course showed him different perspectives about the women forced to work in prostitution.
"Some of them have drug habits, maybe some of them work for pimps," Skeeter said. "I wouldn't feel good knowing that I'm paying that money, and it's going to further keep someone so they're enslaved."
Prosecutor Jaus said that the sessions also help develop sex trafficking cases and can encourage johns to help prostitutes escape their situation.
"We've had a few cases in which the John actually brought the prostitute, who told him about the fact that she was being trafficked, to the police station," Jaus said.
"He didn't go in with the young woman, but he dropped her off because she was crying and told him, "look, I've been trafficked.""
Brainard told the johns they should report any case of sex trafficking they witness, even if they were soliciting at the time.
"Taking that step to get law enforcement involved does not mean you have to report it yourself," Brainard said. "In fact, you don't even have to give your name."
At the end of the session the johns are given an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal. If they avoid arrest over the following six months, the arrest is wiped off their record.
Despite Menifee's fear that many will continue using prostitutes, Jaus said the course, which started in 2002, has seen a success rate of more than 90 percent. "Over the past 10 years, we've had over 3,000 attendees of the John School," Jaus said.
"So we've only had 26 people rearrested in Brooklyn for patronizing, who have gone through the John school."
None of the other boroughs of New York offer such an alternative.
By Richard Roth and Patrick Feeeney, CNN - More than 25 men sit in an attorney's office - each was arrested for prostitution-related offences and each is now trying to avoid jail.
But this is not a defense lawyer's office. It's the Brooklyn district attorney's office and the road away from jail is a lesson in the risks of using prostitutes - Johns School.
Assistant District Attorney Grace Brainard tells them: "The crimes you were arrested for would lead to one penalty and one penalty only and that is jail time. And the next time you are arrested for prostitution, jail time will be the only offer on the table."
The men were arrested for attempting to pay for sex from undercover policewomen posing as prostitutes on the streets of New York. Men who solicit prostitutes are so-called 'johns' and this gathering is known as Johns School.
It's a program that teaches the dangers and penalties of prostitution and sex trafficking. It's been going on for the past 10 years under the official name of Project Respect conducted by the Kings County (Brooklyn), NY District Attorney's office.
Because of their clean record of no previous arrests, the men were given the opportunity to take the three-hour plus course – which cost them more than $300 – and avoid time behind bars. They could have had their day in court but risk of jail time was of great concern.
Rhonnie Jaus, the chief of the Sex Crimes Bureau, said the class attempts to sensitize and educate the men on the dangers of prostitution to both the John and the prostitute.
"You think you're having sex with an adult, and it turns out it could be something quite different," Jaus said, "It could be a trafficked child brought from China, brought from South America, so there are many different ramifications of this crime."
Brainard emphasized that most girls enter prostitution between the ages of 11 and 14. "They were children when they entered this life," she said.
The men also listened to a lecture from Rosetta Menifee, a former prostitute who had contracted HIV.
"Obviously the goal is not for them (the johns) to do it again," Menifee said, "but the reality is a lot of them will, so the goal is really to talk about what the risks are so that the have the knowledge of it from different perspectives, and hopefully they'll make better choices."
Different speakers pointed out the different risks inherent with solicitation.
Grace Pabarue, a public health educator at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, highlighted sexually transmitted diseases in a photo slideshow.
Former NYPD Lieutenant Jeff Anderson said a prostitute could be a potential threat to a John. "Some of them are emotionally disturbed, some of them abuse drugs," Anderson said. "Many prostitutes can defend themselves, many prostitutes have defended themselves."
One of the johns who wanted only to be identified as 'Skeeter,' said the course showed him different perspectives about the women forced to work in prostitution.
"Some of them have drug habits, maybe some of them work for pimps," Skeeter said. "I wouldn't feel good knowing that I'm paying that money, and it's going to further keep someone so they're enslaved."
Prosecutor Jaus said that the sessions also help develop sex trafficking cases and can encourage johns to help prostitutes escape their situation.
"We've had a few cases in which the John actually brought the prostitute, who told him about the fact that she was being trafficked, to the police station," Jaus said.
"He didn't go in with the young woman, but he dropped her off because she was crying and told him, "look, I've been trafficked.""
Brainard told the johns they should report any case of sex trafficking they witness, even if they were soliciting at the time.
"Taking that step to get law enforcement involved does not mean you have to report it yourself," Brainard said. "In fact, you don't even have to give your name."
At the end of the session the johns are given an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal. If they avoid arrest over the following six months, the arrest is wiped off their record.
Despite Menifee's fear that many will continue using prostitutes, Jaus said the course, which started in 2002, has seen a success rate of more than 90 percent. "Over the past 10 years, we've had over 3,000 attendees of the John School," Jaus said.
"So we've only had 26 people rearrested in Brooklyn for patronizing, who have gone through the John school."
None of the other boroughs of New York offer such an alternative.
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