Anti-Prostitution Pledge, HIV/AIDS, Sex Work and Anti-Trafficking

I was recently asked what the prostitution pledge is, what it has to do with HIV/ADS and trafficking, and where the Supreme Court decision is at. Here is a summary of articles and news that may help answer those questions. 

 YouTube:
This is what the court battle is all about: Taking the Pledge

Articles/Issue Papers:
April, 2013: An analysis of the implementation of PEPFAR’s anti-prostitutionpledge and it’s implications for successful HIV prevention among organizationsworking with sex by Melissa Hope Ditmore, Dan Allman in JIAS

4.02.13: SCOTUS Blog: SCOTUS for law students (sponsored byBloomberg Law): Prostitution and free speech  

 4.19.13: Anti-Prostitution Pledge Heads to SupremeCourt by Melissa Gira-Grant in The Nation

4.20.13: As anti-prostitution pledge heads to Supreme Court,public health leaders file brief against it by Antigone Barton in Science Speaks 

4.22.13: Overturn US anti-prostitution pledge to support sexworkers and combat HIV by Chi Mgbako in the Guardian

4.22.13: SCOTUS Blog: Argument recap: Anxiously seekingsimplicity

4.24.13: Guest bloggers Kat Thomas and Lauren Parnes observed the April 22, 2013 session of the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington D.C. and provided the Best Practices Policy Project with the following post.  So, what can we sayabout the First Amendment and sex worker rights?

 5.01.13: US SupremeCourt to rule on anti-prostitution pledge by Sharmila Devi in The Lancet, Volume 381, Issue 9877, Page 1526

 

Message from UN JVR Prasada Rao:Separating consent from exploitation

From the United Nations Secretary General's Special Envoy on HIV/Aids for the Asia Pacific:
"The anti-trafficking law has the brutal effect of punishing trafficked persons, notably persons engaged in sex work. The model of 'raid, rescue and rehabilitation' results in extreme forms of violence against sex workers and their families, violating their basic human rights." 

Full message can be read here:
JVR Prasada Rao: Separating consent from exploitation 

About the term Sex Worker

"Sex trafficking is a battle of ideas,"  Thompson explained during a pre-conference session on sex trafficking.Lisa Thompson, is the liaison for the abolition of sexual trafficking for the Salvation Army, and was conducting a presentation during the annual two-day Justice Conference. Thompson went on to lump all sex workers into the abused and denied their worth category, and urged the audience not to not to refer to prostitution as "sex work." 

Conflating sex work with trafficking  denies sex workers of their voice, agency and identity, and casts them into eternal victimhood, requiring rescue. Furthermore, the toxic language used by Thompson throughout the presentation fuels harmful stereotypes, increases stigma and dehumanizes sex workers. 

A step towards empowerment, is to understand that trafficking in persons is for the purpose of forced labor and sexual exploitation and must be separated from the issue of consensual adult sex work. Secondly,  view each person as an individual with agency who is capable of making their own life decisions. Third, support civil, worker and human rights to reduce industry abuses, and work to bring sex work under an occupational health and safety framework. Last but not least, use the terms sex work, sex worker and sex industry. Here is an outstanding outline on some of the reasons why - from sex workers:

The sex industry, in varying forms and degrees, has been in existence throughout the centuries. Attitudes about sex work may vary depending upon the political and economic climate, predominant religious beliefs, and law enforcement efforts in a particular culture. There are many ways the industry is practiced today as well as throughout history. The term “sex work” is used to position the activity as a form of labor and not as something immoral that should be punished through social stigma and incarceration. The general definition we use for sex work is the provision of sexual services or performances by one person (prostitute, escort, stripper: Sex Worker) for which a second person (client or observer) provides money or other markers of economic value. Like other forms of work or labor, it is only sex work if there is choice among those involved.

Sex Workers are all genders and sexual orientations, races, ethnicities and economic backgrounds. There are many factors which affect the working conditions and experiences for all Sex Workers including the political and economic climate, poverty and homelessness, stigmatization, violence, as well as the overwhelming intricacies of the legal, public and social systems.

Sex workers may describe their work in any or none of the following ways:

• Street or Survival Sex Work,

• Escort or Personal Companion,

• Massage or Body Work Provider,

• BDSM worker:  Pro-Domms, Sub, or Switch,

• Adult Film Actor; Porn Model/Performer; Nude Model,

• Sexological Bodyworker or Surrogate,

• Exotic Dancer; Stripper; or Peep Show Worker,

• Phone Sex Operator or WebCam Performer,

• And many other kinds of work

Attitudes About Sex Work Need To Change

From                                                                                     To

Sex Workers are dirty	Sex Workers are equal members of society
Sex Workers are victims	Sex Workers are able to make choices
Sex Workers are submissive	Sex Workers are decision makers
Sex Workers are only Sex Workers	Sex Workers are recognized for everything they do
Sex Workers are lazy and stupid	Sex Workers are professionals
Sex work is not work	Sex work is work
Sex Workers give the country a bad image	Sex Workers contribute to the economy and the national culture
“Prostitute”	“Sex Worker”
Sex work is a moral and criminal issue	Sex work is an economic and social issue
Money from sex work  is dirty	Our income is like the income of all workers

(From: Report on International Seminar of Sex Workers in Asia and Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand, Nov 14-19, 2000) Source: St. James Infirmary Occupational Health and Safety Handbook, 3^rd Edition

Caring for trafficked persons: Guidance for health providers

For health-care providers, trafficking in persons is best understood as a serious health risk because as with other forms of violence, it is associated with physical and psychological harm. Health providers may come into contact with victims of trafficking at different stages of the trafficking process and at different stages of their recovery. The informed and attentive health-care provider can play an important role in assisting and treating individuals who may have suffered repeated abuse. For health practitioners, diagnosing and treating trafficked persons can pose a range of new challenges related to care provision. In 2012, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Gender Violence & Health Centre of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) developed a training package based on the handbook Caring for Trafficked Persons: Guidance for Health Providers. Published in 2009, the handbook combines research, field experience and good practice into a tool for those who provide health services to trafficked persons, whether identified victims or populations which may include unidentified victims or other exploited persons. The Caring for Trafficked Persons Facilitator’s Guide and accompanying materials have been developed for individuals who wish to carry out training to help a concerned health provider understand the phenomenon of human trafficking, recognize some of the associated health problems and consider safe and appropriate approaches to providing health care for trafficked persons. 

 

The training guide is designed for all types and levels of health providers, particularly those actively providing services. It aims to provide practical, non-clinical guidance to help health providers understand the phenomenon of human trafficking, recognize some of the associated health problems, and consider safe and appropriate approaches to providing health care for trafficked persons. It provides background information on human trafficking, outlines current knowledge on the health risks and consequences of trafficking, and gives guiding principles in the care of trafficked persons. It also includes a variety of action sheets on tools for patient encounter, approaches to different aspects of medical care, and strategies for referral, security and case file management as well as co-ordination with multiple service providers, legal aid and law enforcement agencies.

Ten Things to End Rape Culture and How End Demand Fuels It

Kudos to activists Eesha Pandit, Jaclyn Friedman, filmmaker Nuala Cabral and The Nation’s Jessica Valenti  for creating a list of "Ten Things" to prevent rape, end violence against women and create an environment that empowers both men and women to change the status quo.

 The list of Ten Things to End Rape Culture:

1. Name the real problems: Violent masculinity and victim-blaming.
2. Re-examine and re-imagine masculinity.
3. Get enthusiastic about enthusiastic consent.
4. Speak up for what you really really want.
5. Get media literate.
6. Globalize your awareness of rape culture.
7. Know your history
8. Take an intersectional approach
9. Practice real politics.
10. Lobby your community.

The authors also added 2 more ideas:

1. Don’t laugh at rape.
2. Tell your story.

The above list of actions prompted me to write a list of ways the current anti-prostitution, End Demand, initiatives fuel rape culture through criminalization and violence.

10 Ways End Demand Fuels Rape Culture:

1. Increases law enforcement's power over sex workers.
2. Increases state's power over sex workers.
3. Increases stigma against sex workers.
4. Increases discrimination against sex workers .
5. Dismisses and silences the concerns, priorities and knowledge of sex workers.
6. Violates the rights of people who make a living in the sex trade/doing sex work.
7. Defines the buyer (client/"john") as a deviant/abuser.
8. Defines the buyer (client/"john") as powerful.
9. Defines the seller/sex worker as the powerless victim in need of rescue.
10. Key populations targeted because of income, race, sexuality, and citizenship and immigration status.

To take action steps, read the full article and references listed below. 

References:
Ten Things to End Rape Culture | The Nation
Moving Beyond 'Supply and Demand' Catchphrases | GAATW

Criminalizing Condoms Puts Sex Workers -- and Everyone Else -- at Risk | Alternet

2012 in Review: UNODC - More about people vulnerable to human trafficking

This UNODC article includes key push factors of human trafficking: war, crisis and weak economies. 

Prevention efforts include safe migration with access to health care, and specifically highlights access to comprehensive, gender-sensitive, HIV prevention and care. The full message is available to read, here.

Human Trafficking in Oregon

What are the top 10 Google search results for "Human Trafficking in Oregon"? Only one of the 10 results provides human trafficking information, education and resources. The balance of the search results pulled up websites and news focused on domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) of girls under the age of 18. There is a website for a faith-based shelter, a faith-based advocacy organization, the Oregon Anti-Crime Alliance, and a few more child sex trafficking related articles.

Over the past 15 years the most common picture of human trafficking in the U.S. has become the white-suburban teenager. Stories and pictures of child sex trafficking are being used to create awareness, educate and prompt action. While abuse and exploitation, particularly of a minor, is horrific, there is little data to support the millions of dollars spent on this one area of trafficking. For example, the FBI Innocence Lost Initiative spends $80 million dollars a year to operate its 47 task forces and yearly stings looking for trafficked minors. 

Using grossly inflated statistics, anti-trafficking NGO's, feminist organizations and the faith-based community have been aggressively advocating for DMST legislation. While no city or state trafficking statistics even exist, that hasn't stopped groups like Shared Hope International from claiming that "at least 100,000 American children are victimized through prostitution in America each year. Other estimates range as high as 300,000." This estimate is from the University of Pennsylvania report from 2001 by Estes and Weiner. These authors concluded  that about 326,000 children were “at risk for commercial sexual exploitation.”, but even the authors state that there is duplication across the 14 "at risk" groups.

In a 2011 article regarding the report and statistics, David Finkelhor, professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire and director of Crimes Against Children Research Center,   said, “As far as I’m concerned, [the University of Pennsylvania study] has no scientific credibility to it…That figure was in a report that was never really subjected to any kind of peer review.  It wasn’t published in any scientific journal…Initially, [Estes and Weiner] claimed that [100,000 to 300,000] was the number of children [engaged in prostitution].  It took quite a bit of pressure to get them to add the qualifier [at risk].”. 

Is it possible to change future "Human Trafficking in Oregon" Google results? While statistics and data are important, it is critical to broaden the scope of human trafficking to include all aspects of trafficking due to overlapping issues. An approach that has an emphasis on health and safety for everyone in the community  includes youth and workers from all industries. By identifying regional push-pull factors for key populations, a path for planning effective community prevention, intervention and reintegration efforts can be established. Only then will an inclusive and balanced approach be reflected in future "Human Trafficking in Oregon" Google results.

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Top 10 Google searches for "Human Trafficking in Oregon":

Oregon Center for Christian Voices occv.org/

We are pleased to announce that Christianity Today has released a video highlighting OCCV's work to end human trafficking in Oregon. 

Human trafficking industry thrives in Portland ... - OregonLive.com

www.oregonlive.com ›

Jan 9, 2010 – Portland has become a center for human trafficking for several reason -- including location, lax laws and legal sex industry, said Keith Bickford, ...

Door To Grace :: Restoring Life To Rescued Children www.doortograce.org/

Our beloved city of Portland, Oregon is a scenic city generously dotted with green ... pornography make our beautiful city an easy choice for sex traffickers.

Human Trafficking in Oregon

www.oregonoath.org/TraffickingOregon.html

A common misconception about human trafficking is that it only happens abroad. In reality, it is happening here, in the United States and in Oregon. According to ...

Oregon | Polaris Project | Combating Human Trafficking and Modern ...

www.polarisproject.org/state-map/oregon

Local Organizations and Referrals states-full-Oregon. In addition to the organizations listed below, please call the hotline 1-888-3737-888 for specialized victim…

Saldana: Human trafficking, prostitution in Oregon | Emerald Media

dailyemerald.com/.../saldana-human-trafficking-isnt-just-a-third-worl...

May 22, 2012 – Last week, I wrote about how, despite the subject matter, I was pleasantly surprised by the Substance Abuse Prevention Program's weekend

Petition | End Child Sex Trafficking in Oregon | Change.org

www.change.org/petitions/end-child-sex-trafficking-in-oregon

Oregon should be a "zero tolerance state" when it comes to child sex trafficking.

Human Trafficking :: The Oregon Human Trafficking Project

www.oaaoregon.com/htp/about/

Keith Bickford, head of the federal human trafficking taskforce in Oregon, reports that in Portland alone, he encounters 3-5 child victims of commercial trafficking ...

Central Oregon OATH - Fighting Human Trafficking in Our Cities

www.cooath.org/

Join us in the fight to end human trafficking and sex slavery in Bend and Central Oregon. Find resources, attend events, participate in stopping modern slavery.

What is Human Trafficking? | Oregon Coalition Against Domestic ...

www.ocadsv.com/i-am-looking-help/human-trafficking

Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons, is modern-day slavery. It is the third largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world.