Winter Olympics: Buying Sex is Not a Sport

There are few events in the world that have the ability to bring nations and people together quite like the Olympics. There is something special about supporting the athletes that represent your country as they compete for gold on the world stage. Whether you are favored to win or just happy to be invited to compete, there is often a sense of camaraderie and pride that accompanies any involvement in the Olympics. Over the last two weeks, people from across the world have had their eye on Canada in hopes to cheer for their country onto gold, but many others have had their eye on Canada for a very different reason.

As with many large sporting events, conventions, and festivals, the demand for paid sex increased with the arrival of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. According to an article in the Winnipeg Free Press by Joy Smith, the Citizens Summit Against Sex Slavery issued a press release noting that front-line agencies in Vancouver had witnessed an increase in underage youth being bought and sold for sex on the streets of Vancouver as the 2010 games began. Of course, these spikes in human trafficking activity are difficult to quantify because they often happen outside of law enforcement’s radar by posting adds on Craigslist and Match.com that seem legitimate, but are actually anonymously selling young women for sex.
Many organizations believe that they best way to end the demand for prostitution is to shed light on the beatings, rapes and other human rights violations that take place behind closed doors in the human sex slave industry. The Salvation Army's add campaign The Truth Isn't Sexy features stories and visual portrayals of young women who are trafficked for sex. Along with the Salvation Army, other organizations such as Resist Exploitation, Embrace Dignity's Buying Sex is Not a Sport, have particularly targeted Vancouver to increase awareness and help combat the potential increase in demand for paid sex.

As the Winter Games come to a close, it can be easy to forget the pride we felt as a nation while applauding the success of our men and women who embody the grace and strength of our country. The Olympics offers a great opportunity for the world to stand up against human trafficking in a very public and meaningful way. What better time to take a stance against a human rights violation that impacts hundreds of thousands of men, women and children than when the whole world is watching?

From the Streets to the Stage: CAASE Presents "The Johns" by Brittany Finkeldey

You see them while walking down the street. Or, while riding the train. Maybe you see them when you’re watching your favorite television show. Advertisements are everywhere, telling us what to wear, where to shop, or who should manage our investment portfolio. But, what if instead of informing our insecurities, they informed our conscience? CAASE is currently developing a poster campaign that would do just that— informing Chicago communities about one of the issues least discussed in our culture: sexual exploitation and human trafficking. These human rights injustices often go unnoticed because people are not informed nor are they aware of the significance of this problem. We aim to change that at CAASE by raising awareness through a variety of venues. Along with working on the eventual launch of a poster campaign, we are working on a theater production called “The Johns,” which addresses the issue of sexual exploitation from the demand side. The play is scheduled to begin its run in May of 2010 at The Viaduct Theater. The performance will be educational, informative, and powerful. Many people are working hard to make this performance a success. It is our hope that the production will impact the audience in a profound and inspiring way.

Coming from a small town in Connecticut, I lived 2 miles from the Paul and Lisa Program, which worked to help survivors of sexual exploitation. Even as I drove past the building everyday, I never knew that this was an organization that sought to help victims of human trafficking or that human trafficking was even an issue in my state. My ignorance about the human rights violations taking place in my own home town shocked me. I began volunteering with the Paul and Lisa Program and now feel an obligation to inform our communities about what they too can do to help victims of forced prostitution. I believe that it is a lack of knowledge and information that causes many people to fear this topic. Much like the Paul and Lisa Program, CAASE is passionately dedicated to working to educate communities about the monstrosities of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

I provide this article as an example of one of the many, contributing factors that prevent people from stopping sexual exploitation and human trafficking:

The invisible victims of human trafficking, sexual exploitation
San Diego and Tijuana are facing a growing problem

Did Someone Say Vagina?

Why yes, yes we did. Vagina Monologues, to be exact. Northeastern Illinois University will be hosting the event on March 9th at 7pm. Tickets can be purchased at the door on the day of the event for $10. All proceeds will go to CAASE, so please come in support and bring your colleagues, friends, and family! Fun merchandise will be sold at the event, so don’t miss out!

NEIU Feminist Collective Presents: The Vagina Monologues
Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Time: 7 – 8:30 PM
Location: NEIU Auditorium
5500 N. Saint Louis Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625

Is the Super Bowl Fueling Child Sex Trafficking? by Gigi Garber

As reported by CNN correspondent, Emanuella Grinberg, sex-trafficking—even during the Super Bowl—could not be escaped. Volunteers took to the streets on Super Bowl weekend to help inform women in prostitution of alternatives and ways to escape from their current circumstances. During the weekend of the event, several of Miami’s hotels, restaurants, and other businesses experienced a spike in business, as well as a spike in the trafficking of underage girls forced into the sex trade. "Many social service agencies and law enforcement agencies recognize that there was an increase of victims of trafficking during last year's Super Bowl," said Regina Bernadin, Statewide Human Trafficking Coordinator for the Florida Department of Children and Families. "That correlates with research that whenever there's a convention, a concert or a large event, traffickers will bring girls to the area to serve the influx of visitors," she added. And with them comes an increase in the demand for paid sex.

The majority of the girls being trafficked were underage and from all corners of the country. While the Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events of the year, any large scale social event becomes a playground for pimps and traffickers. In an effort to try and reach out to the victims, state and local law enforcement agencies are teaming up with social service agencies to coordinate nighttime outreaches for girls on the street. Over Super Bowl weekend, small teams of volunteers hit the streets looking for girls from Fort Lauderdale to South Beach, and all the way to Hialeah. Volunteers indicated the hard part isn't locating the girls but finding an opportunity to approach them without drawing the attention of their pimps and traffickers.

The operation was aimed at making contact with girls in prostitution by handing out a card with a hot line number for resources on how to get out of "the life”. Encounters were usually brief in order to keep pimps and traffickers unaware. The response is usually not great, but the few girls that do engage in contact are what motivates volunteers to keep up the effort. The operation is also working with hotels to be aware of sex-trafficking operations that take place on their premises and to report it. Hotels have begun contacting authorities if they suspect that any form of sex-trafficking has occurred on their property. This recent level of cooperation has led to new information on other sex-trafficking rings that otherwise may not have been obtained through police efforts alone.

It is a common misconception that the girls engage in prostitution by choice to make money, and are able to come and go as they please. The epidemic of underage sex trafficking isn't just contained to Super Bowl weekend; victims are still out there come Monday morning. Communities must work together in an effort to become more aware of sex-trafficking, especially around large social events such as Super Bowl weekend. Even if only a few girls are reached every year, it is worth our time and commitment as a community to provide a safety net to those girls suffering in a vicious and exploitative environment, which is a detriment to our youth and society as a whole.

Pepsi Refresh Project: Calling All Ideas!

Corporations these days have taken a prominent role in garnering attention for innovative ideas and practices aimed at doing good. Whether at home or abroad, our global world faces issues that all need attention and significant support to entrust a healthy and productive life for every man, woman, and child.

The Pepsi Refresh Project is doing just that. Businesses, nonprofits, and individuals are being solicited by this beloved beverage company to generate innovative ideas making an impact in our world. Accepting 1,000 ideas every month, change-makers of any background can submit a creative idea proposing ways to improve areas of health, arts and culture, food and shelter, the planet, neighborhoods, and education.

The top 10 ideas will win $25K with the help of YOUR VOTE.

Our goal to launch a high school curriculum to raise awareness about sexual exploitation will further our prevention work in educating young people about the sex industry and empower them to take action in combating gender-based violence and exploitative constructs and practices.

Voting ends February 28th, so please help us win this grant by voting here for CAASE: http://www.refresheverything.com/caase. Don’t forget to link your Facebook, Twitter, and all your other social networks to help us get the word out.

Say Vagina, Stop the Violence! By Amanda Richter

This Sunday marks the twelfth year of the V-Day Movement. The V-Day Movement began in 1998 with college campuses across the United States putting on a production of the Vagina Monologues: A Memory, a Rant, and a Prayer, originally written by Eve Ensler. Since that time, the V-Day Movement has grown to include countries such as China, Brazil, and South Africa. V-Day focuses not only on the incidence of rape and sexual assault, but also female genital mutilation and the emergence of women’s rights in third world countries.

In 2009, a new production was featured entitled, Any One of Us: Words from Prison, which reveals the connection between incarcerated women and the violence that usually brings them there. The play is a collection of stories from incarcerated women around the world. The Monologues now also includes stories by transgender women.

I am proud to say I was part of the V-Day movement when I was an undergrad at the University of North Texas. We would spend months preparing the play, as well as spreading awareness throughout the campus. We had a lot of opposition from right-wing conservatives who stated the play was pornographic in nature (even though none of them had ever actually seen it). We even made pussy pillows and had artwork to sell at the event. In 2002, the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, UNT Chapter, won an award for raising the most money. All of our proceeds were donated to local women’s shelters.

If you have never taken part or seen the Monologues, I highly recommend it. I make it a point to try and see at least one production every year on Valentine’s Day (I even took my boyfriend to see it with me last year). It is a powerful play and reminds all of us that violence against women happens daily and we cannot stop our work in addressing this problem until it ends….

V stands for Valentine, Victory, and VAGINA!!!!!

To find out where the nearest V-Day event is in your hometown, please go to www.events.vday.org.

Incest: The Private and Unspoken Trauma of Children by Amanda Richter

For anyone who has watched Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew or has read Mackenzie Phillips’ book, “High on Arrival,” you would know she has had a very troubled life that has been plagued by years of substance abuse. What many people did not know, until a recent interview on Oprah, is that Ms. Phillips is a survivor of incest. Although she admitted the abuse was consensual, one must consider the effect that drugs had on her perception of the situation.

Mackenzie’s story is not unlike many others who have grown up with a terrible secret. To cope, many of those suffering abuse turn to drugs and alcohol. As a future clinician and someone who plans to work closely with this population, I feel it is only right to bring their stories to the forefront as well as speak to their treatment needs.

On December 12, 2009, an 11-year-old girl gave birth to a baby. About a month later, DNA results revealed the father to be the 11-year-old’s step-father. The girl admitted to authorities that her step-father had been abusing her since the age of six (story published in the Houston Chronicle on January 29, 2010).

I began volunteering at CAASE in October of 2009. Shortly thereafter, I met Ms. X (name changed to protect identity). Ms. X stated she was a survivor of incest and was looking for resources in her home state of Pennsylvania in order to begin a therapeutic group for incest survivors in her area. I began searching and referred her to many national organizations such as RAINN and the Human Rights Council; however, each agency that Ms. X got in contact with told her they could not do much for her due to her lack of formal training or the absence of “letters” behind her name,.

She then began to contact local news outlets to get her story out, but was again met with resistance. Many of the newspapers did not want to cover a story about incest which lead Ms. X to think the issue of incest is America’s dirty little secret.

In 2008, 3% of all rape/sexual assault offenders were relatives of female victims while 18% were the intimate partner of the victim (US Department of Justice, 2009). In 1992, the Bureau of Justice Statistics conducted a study of child rape victims in twelve states (Langan & Harlow, 1994). The results stated that 46% of children under the age of twelve were raped by a family member. 70% of inmates admitted to raping a family member under the age of twelve (Langan & Harlow, 1994).

I guess my most pressing question is, “why have we not updated this study?” I would think law enforcement agencies would want to see whether or not these numbers have gone down in the past eighteen years. It would be very interesting to see how many of the victims who participated in this study grew up to have any type of drug and/or alcohol abuse issues. Several studies conducted through the years show a correlation between substance abuse and incest (e.g. Dembo, Williams, Schneider, Berry, Wothke, Geteru, Wish, and Christiensen, 1992; Jarvis, Copeland, and Walton, 1998).

Now is the time to step up and help victims of incest, whether children or adults. The resistance Ms. X is receiving is not right and we as clinicians must put an end to this injustice.

For further reading:

Dembo, R., Williams, L., Schneider, J., Berry E., Wothke, W., Getreu, A., Wish, E.D., &
Christensen, C. (1992). A structural model examining the relationship between physical child abuse, sexual victimization, and marijuana/hashish use in delinquent youth: A longitudinal study, Violence and Victims, 7, 41-62.

Jarvis, T.J., Copeland, J., & Walton, L. (1998). Exploring the nature of the relationship
between child sexual abuse and substance abuse among women. Addiction, 93, 865-875.

Langan, P.A., & Harlow, C. (1994). Child rape victims, 1992. US Department of
Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics: Washington, DC.


For all Crime Stats, please visit:
bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/