Police help 15-year-old girl who was trafficked in Chicago

Recently in Chicago, local law enforcement discovered a 15-year-old girl who had been lured into prostitution by two adults. The story is terrifying but had a just outcome: After the couple recruited the girl on the street, initiated her and tried to pimp her out, a police officer recognized that the girl was a minor. She was treated as a crime victim worthy of services and even helped identify her traffickers. It was discovered that the offender was already out on bond for involuntary servitude of a minor.

The Illinois Safe Children Act, passed last year, ensures that all minors are immune from prosecution for prostitution in our state. We send kudos to law enforcement for looking beneath the surface to recognize that this young woman needed help and that there were others behind the scenes seeking to profit. The Chicago Police Department’s Human Trafficking Task Force along with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Salvation Army’s STOP-IT program and DCFS all helped with this sting—many thanks to them for their collaborative response to human trafficking in our community.

The End Demand Illinois campaign seeks to hold pimps, traffickers and johns accountable for the harm they cause. The people who profit from the commercial sex trade are creating a demand for young women like the one in this story. Stand up against demand for the sex trade—visit www.enddemandillinois.org and sign up for our action alerts.

Ask the Senate to Support This Resolution

Our allies at the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation are leading an initiative to ask the U.S. Senate to recognize December 2 as the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. The resolution recognizes that the fight to end slavery continues today as we work to end human trafficking.

The resolution is in support of the United Nations General Assembly of the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. It commends the efforts of modern-day abolitionists, including students, following in the tradition of Frederick Douglass.

How you can help: The Frederick Douglass Family Foundation has met with Senator Mark Kirk's office and now needs support from Illinois residents to encourage Kirk to move forward. You can help by reaching out to Senator Kirk using this letter, emailing him here or calling 312-886-3506.

Buying sex makes you a john, not a sugar daddy

We heard about national media coverage (on the Huffington Post and the Today Show) of websites that cater to older men who want to make “arrangements” to pay for sex with younger women. The stories have focused on college students who are turning to prostitution to pay down their loan debt.

What are the real implications of men using their money and power to exploit women? Although they use the euphemism “sugar daddy," let’s be clear. These men are johns. These sugar daddy websites are fueled by men who buy subscriptions and create a system that facilitates the selling of young women’s bodies.

CAASE’s study of 113 johns in Chicago showed that men purchase sex because they face very few barriers or consequences. It’s disturbing to think that some of these “sugar babies” are on the site out of desperation and, instead of proposing that we reach out to help them, the media is treating this as simply another side effect of the bad economy.

It’s unacceptable for our society to ever, ever be ok with a woman being pressured into prostitution. That seems to be the crux of the story—women with tremendous debt who feel they will be of more value to society if they could pay off their loans. As one woman interviewed in the HuffPost article said:

"I just wanted to get it over and done with as quickly as possible," recalls Taylor, forcing out a nervous smile. "I just wanted to get out of that situation as safely as possible, pay off my debt, and move on."

Let’s be clear, prostitution is dangerous. One study showed that the rates of violence were similar for women who were prostituted on the street as those in indoor venues. The average life expectancy for a woman who enters prostitution is seven years from the date she enters the trade.

It’s time to stand up against men who are fueling a system that exploits young women. End the demand for prostitution by asking law enforcement to hold “sugar daddies” accountable and call them what they are: men who are buying other human beings.

Learn more at www.enddemandillinois.org

Sun-Times Tells the Story of Cynthia Barnes

Cynthia Barnes, a prostituted woman who died violently at the hands of a john, is the subject of a series of columns from Mark Brown at the Chicago Sun-Times. All too often, the stories of prostituted people are ignored in the media. We are heartened that Brown is delving into the complexities of this subject.

Barnes's death is deeply disturbing. According to her boyfriend, Barnes wanted to exit the sex trade but faced few options. She was homeless, didn’t have anywhere else to go, and grappled with addiction. On a rainy night, she went on a “date” with a john to get out of the rain. The john apparently pushed her from a third-story window, and she fell to her death.

Prostitution is not a victimless crime. Women and children in Chicago suffer tremendous violence at the hands of pimps, johns and traffickers. Many women in the trade say that they would like to leave, but they fear violence from a pimp or simply don’t know where to turn. Read our "Myths about women in prostitution" fact sheet to learn more.

Our End Demand Illinois campaign seeks to refocus law enforcement’s attention toward those who profit from the sex trade (johns, pimps and traffickers).  We envision a community that offers a network of support for people who want to leave the sex trade. To learn more about the campaign, visit www.enddemandillinois.org

Looking beneath the surface only takes a minute.

We’ve all seen the mug shots lining the margins of online news sites. Women are charged with prostitution. Sometimes they are in the city, but more often than not, they’re in the suburbs. Not on the street, but busted in a sting in a massage parlor or spa. And our gut reaction at CAASE is to wonder “Did anyone look beneath the surface? Did anyone ask that woman if she was there by choice?”

When you see these stories, do a short screening for yourself. Does the reporter ask the police about the potential of trafficking in the case? Were the sting efforts targeting purchasers (johns) and traffickers (pimps) or only the prostituted women? Is there a plan for holding the business accountable, or figuring out who was really profiting? Or might the arrested women soon be replaced with others? Why are there only photos of prostituted women, but no photos of the johns? Were there efforts to arrest johns?

If not, they’re ignoring demand—the people who perpetrate harm and profit from the sex trade.

If you don’t see reporters and law enforcement looking beneath the surface to address demand, it’s up to you to call them out. Leave a comment. Write a letter. Ask your local law enforcement and elected officials to address demand for the sex trade. Join our campaign and tell Illinois that we must end demand. Visit www.enddemandillinois.org

Sample letters and other information can also be found in our media response guide.

Photo by Elea Chang

Odd Future: Reflections from inside the tent.

I was at Pitchfork Music Fest this weekend representing CAASE at a table along with about a dozen other local organizations that are working to end violence against women and LGBTQ people. The effort was led by Between Friends and Rape Victim Advocates, two important orgs that stepped up to offer an anti-violence voice to the discussion about Odd Future playing at the fest. (Not familiar with the controversy? Get caught up here). I wanted to share a few thoughts from inside the tent (which was never a protest).

People at Pitchfork loved the purple heat-fighting fans. Mostly, they loved them because it was mind-melting hot outside, but many people who paused to read the message “Cool it, don’t be a fan of violence” paused to smile, or at least acknowledge that they knew why our groups were there. One young woman grabbed a fan then took the time to return and tell me, “I’m really glad you’re here doing this. Thank you.”

Who knows what triggered her to return and say thanks? Maybe she’s survived violence. Maybe someone in her family has. Or maybe she just believes that there is a real connection between the art we consume and the values we embrace. Who was it who said life imitates art? Even if that’s true just sometimes, we should all be more aware of the messages we’re consuming and tacitly supporting.

While I was at the gate passing out fans to the sweaty people entering the gates, Odd Future stopped over at our booth. They brought cupcakes. As they stood there, they probably also saw the T-shirts that Between Friends’ teen volunteers made with slogans like “I’m not a Ho” and “Love doesn’t hurt.”  Why does it matter that they stopped by? Well, they were among thousands who stopped to view these messages, pick up info about crisis resources and acknowledge that there’s violence against women in our community. I think it means that they did care that we were there. We all have to start somewhere, right?  

-Kristin Claes is communications manager for CAASE. 

Photo from Ashley Koenen at LA Weekly

Our johns study is mentioned on CNN

CAASE is mentioned in a story today on CNN about a girl who survived prostitution after being recruited into the trade at age 11. The research cited in the story is "Deconstructing the Demand for Prostitution", a project generously funded by the Chicago Foundation for Women and the Michael Reese Health Trust.

The CNN story is heartbreaking yet inspiring. We can all do more to raise awareness about the commercial sexual exploitation of children. We also urge you to check out our tool kits here, which offer action steps you can take to end sexual exploitation. Want to get involved with CAASE and our End Demand Illinois campaign? Sign up for our action alerts here.

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