Springfield Police Help Woman Who Was Harmed in the Sex Trade

Most people in prostitution report that they endure violence in the sex trade. In one study, women in prostitution identified johns (customers) as the number one perpetrators of this violence. When police in Springfield encountered a woman in prostitution who had been robbed at gunpoint by a john, they did the right thing. From the State Journal-Register:

“The woman said that after the sex act was completed, the man attempted to pay her $10 instead of $20. She argued with him, and the man displayed a handgun and threatened to kill her.

When officers arrived, the woman realized her purse had been stolen.

Officers checked the area, but were unable to locate the man. The woman said she had recently met him, and she didn’t know where he lived.

The woman did not suffer any injuries. She was not arrested for prostitution because of the circumstances, the police report said.”

Law enforcement in this case considered the woman’s safety as being of the foremost importance, and they did not arrest her for prostitution. We applaud the Springfield police for recognizing that this woman was the victim of a crime and worthy of their help.

Violent johns like the one this woman encountered must be deterred. To learn more about addressing the demand for commercial sex in your community, sign up for our End Demand Illinois action alerts.

Prostitution Sting in Naperville Ignores Johns

Four women and two men were arrested in a prostitution sting last week in the Chicago suburb of Naperville. While it is encouraging to see that law enforcement apparently arrested pimps, there was no mention of arrests of people who buy sex, often referred to as johns, who continue to fuel the demand for the sex trade. According to the story on Fox Chicago: 

"Members of the police Special Operations Group for several years have monitored a number of social networking websites, where suspected prostitutes and their pimps have advertised a variety of 'personal services' for sale. Undercover police officers have then arranged meetings with the suspects..."

For every woman in prostitution, there are customers in the community who are buying sex. However, no customers were mentioned by the reporter in this story.

We must stop ignoring customers. The Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation interviewed 113 johns in our study "Deconstructing the Demand." The majority of johns said that they could be deterred from buying sex if they faced any consequences for their actions—arrest or having their cars towed. Very few had ever faced consequences for their crimes (only 7% in our study had ever been arrested).

Instead, johns who read this story online or in their local papers will learn that law enforcement continues to ignore them and instead arrests prostituted women and girls. We hope that an investigation into potential human trafficking will also be made in this case, in light of the fact that pimps seem to be involved.

We urge reporters to ask about issues of demand and human trafficking. Those living in Naperville and other Chicago suburbs who want to end prostitution should encourage their law enforcement to arrest johns. Without demand, there would be no prostitution.To find out how you can help and to sign up for our action alerts, visit End Demand Illinois.

More on the Secret Service, Prositution, and the Real Issue of Sex Tourism

As the Secret Service prostitution scandal widens, CAASE is watching how media are covering the issue of demand in the sex trade (men who buy sex). In our latest Huffington Post blog, you can read about how agents allegedly became sex tourists, and the harms people perpetuate when they travel abroad to seek out prostituted people. More here.

In this latest coverage from Reuters, the prostituted women are labeled as potential enemies. On senator asks, ""Could they have been members of groups hostile to the United States?" How has this scandal become the prostituted women's fault? Let's examine the real issue here, the one of power. If Secret Service and members of the military did feel entitled to buy sex, what are the consequences? So far, agents have lost security clearance. If we want to see real change, it's time to talk about the real issue--men who buy sex because they face no real consequences. If this ends up being a story only about security, an opportunity has been lost. 

Pimp Convicted of Sex Trafficking

There are continued signs of progress in the fight against demand in the sex trade.

Milwaukee pimp Sean Patrick, 37, was sentenced to 30 years for sex trafficking teenage girls back and forth from Wisconsin and Chicago. This sentence is to run consecutively with a current sentence of 20 years Patrick is serving from his conviction last year of reckless homicide. Sean Patrick will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars for his part in the exploitation of teenage girls and young women. 

Patrick recruited at-risk teenage girls through daily violence and psychological coercion, and forced them into prostitution. In November, Patrick plead guilty to child trafficking conspiracy and to recruiting three 16 year old girls to work as prostitutes. He trafficked these girls across state lines and prostituted them for over five years.

End Demand, Illinois applauds this conviction of a known sex trafficker and urges the continued prosecution of pimps, johns and traffickers, the people who fuel the sex trade. To learn more, visit End Demand, Illinois.

Ignoring Demand Puts Exploitation on Repeat in Chicagoland

There is a pattern of sexual exploitation repeating over and over again in Chicagoland, and it is being ignored. Men are buying sex, and women are the only ones being punished for their crimes.

In the most recent (and particularly glaring) case this weekend, a woman was arrested in the Chicago suburbs for prostitution. The article begins by explaining how law enforcement was tipped off:

“After they observed an inordinate amount of customers, who would frequent a Warrenville spa for very short periods of time, police in the west suburb last month launched an investigation into the Green Spa, 2 S 610 IL Route 59.”

The reporter does not mention whether or not a single john was arrested. There was a veritable parade of johns right in front of law enforcement, and it seems that they may have failed to act. Arresting a dozen johns would have gone a tremendous way to curbing the sex trade in the community. How do we know? Johns say so themselves when they talk to each other in online message boards, as well as in CAASE's research on 113 johns in Chicago. They could be deterred from buying sex if they were arrested and charged. Instead, these men in Warrenville will continue to seek out places to buy sex.

Should businesses that are fronts for prostitution be shut down? Absolutely. But it’s highly unlikely that the one woman who was arrested in this sting was the person running that business, keeping the profits, or marketing the exploitation within the spa to potential customers. If those things were indeed happening, and someone else was in charge, it could potentially be a case of human trafficking. It’s also not clear who else was selling sex within the spa, and if any others were there by choice or against their will. As we saw in a case in Mt. Prospect, massage parlors can be fronts for sex trafficking.

What can you do to take action? Ask your local law enforcement to address demand. When you read stories like this one that are ignoring demand, reach out to the reporter and ask if any johns were arrested. Support legislative initiatives that hold pimps, johns and traffickers accountable while proposing support and services for prostituted people.

Start by signing up for our action alerts at End Demand Illinois and learning more at www.enddemandillinois.org

Photo by Thomas Hawk.

Survivors of Sexual Harm Coming Forward on Twitter

The topic #ididnotreport has been trending on Twitter, with survivors of sexual harm telling very powerful stories in 140 characters. This movement is showing the world just how prevalent sexual assault is and how often women (and men) are disbelieved when they do come forward:

Katharine ‏ @rockon_musegirl

#ididnotreport because the first time I tried telling someone they asked what I was wearing. It was an orange bikini. I was 12.

Becky B ‏ @MrsBeBe_

#ididnotreport systematic sexual abuse over a 2 yr period by boys at my school because teachers didn't believe me so why would anyone else?

cate cate ‏ @birdgehrl

#ididnotreport the man who would not listen to me when I said no, even though I was drunk.

Vicky Kapoor ‏ @hrsyofgrmnghst

#ididnotreport because I have no faith in our justice system where so few rapists are jailed + victims are treated like perpetrators

Most sexual assaults happen between acquaintances, and the vast majority are never reported to police. Survivors fear that they won’t be believed, or worse, that they will be shamed.

What can you do? If you feel comfortable, share your story using the #ididnotreport hashtag. Tweet your support for survivors using #ididnotreport and #webelieveyou.

For everyone:
If someone shares with you that they’ve been assaulted, your response makes all the difference. Learn more about how we can, as individuals and a culture, stand in support of survivors of sexual assault. Download the powerful presentations and posters at www.startbybelieving.org

For survivors:
The Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline is -1-888-293-2080 and nationally the RAINN hotline is 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

In Chicago, CAASE’s legal program offers free representation to survivors of sexual harm. Learn more about our services here.

Local Sex Trafficking Arrests, Training Signs of Progress

We wanted to share some signs of progress in the fight against sex trafficking in Illinois.

First of all, law enforcement is holding more pimps and traffickers accountable and offering services to survivors of the sex trade. Recently, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Chicago man, Henry McLaurin, who was then charged with one count of promoting prostitution and one count of domestic battery. McLaurin had been placing ads for women he prostituted on Backpage.com, where he would arrange "dates" with johns and then pocket the profits from the women he prostituted. The women who law enforcement encountered in this case were not arrested but instead offered supportive services, which recognized that they were in need of help.

We are pleased that Chicago law enforcement has increased awareness and dedication to learning how to identify and help trafficked individuals.

Also in the news recently, the Chicago Police Department hosted a training on prostitution and forced labor at its headquarter, highlighting terms to understand, why demand continually fuels the sex trade, and ways to identify victims of human trafficking. Read more about that training there.

While it may seem discouraging that Chicago is a central hub for trafficking, you can help to change that.
Continue to encourage law enforcement to focus on the perpetrators of the sex trade -- to arrest and prosecute the pimps and johns whose livelihood is the sexual exploitation and violation of women. Support rehabilitation organizations that provide survivors of prostitution with much needed services. To learn more about how you can help, visit End Demand, Illinois.