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Diane McKeel says just a couple of years ago she had no idea that underage human trafficking was a problem. She thought that was a problem in other countries, not here in the U.S. — certainly not here in Oregon. Shortly after hearing a presentation by the head of the state's human trafficking task force, she took office as a Multnomah County Commissioner. She's since made it one of her top priorities. But she says she's not surprised it's taken people a while to learn and accept that there is real problem and that — at least anecdotally — Portland appears to have one of the worst problems in the country.
Earlier this year former CBS newsman Dan Rather produced a documentary focused on Portland. Many states, including Oregon and Washington, have been taking on the problem to various degrees. Senator Ron Wyden and other politicians recently announced partial funding for a new shelter for survivors of sex trafficking.
Are you a survivor of sex trafficking? What led you into — and out of — the industry? What would help others get out of the forced sex trade, particularly minors? Do you work with survivors? What have you seen that's been effective?
GUESTS:
- Elisia Lopez: Advocate for the Sexual Assault Resource Center, former child prostitute
- Linda Smith: President of Shared Hope International in Vancouver, Washington
- Gwynne Skinner: Assistant professor of law at Willamette University, directed recent report [summary pdf] on human trafficking in Oregon
- Doug Justus: Portland Police Bureau Sergeant in charge of the Vice Detail
Tagged as: human trafficking · police · prostitution · protecting kids from sexual offenders
Photo credit: ici et ailleurs / Creative Commons
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The exact numbers of domestic victims of sex trafficking are not known, but between 20,000 to 25,000 unaccompanied youth ages 11 to 21 experience homelessness in Oregon each year (according to a 2007 report to the legislature and Governor on Runaway and Homeless Youth) and this youth population runs a much higher risk of sexual victimization and prostitution. Studies and FBI experts estimate that one-quarter to one-third of all children who run away or end up living on the streets are lured or forced into prostitution within 48 hours. These children should not be considered criminals, but victims.
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why do you think it's impossible for there to be 2000? Have you been on 82nd at 1am on a hot summer evening? I see young faces, different ones, everytime I drive home from work. That's just one street.
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Yes, 2000 is an absolutely preposterous number.
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http://foodpreservatives.spruz.com/ http://foodstuff.webs.com http://kidslong.doomby.com/
http://www.youfreeweb.com/additives/ http://helpgodme.21publish.com/ -
I live near 82nd and I see it almost daily. I learned that young girls are being trafficked in Portland while I was in Mexico City in 2003- my young daughter and I were in a difficult situation and a Good Samaritan helped us out and he proceeded to tell me how girls are sent through Mexico City into cities on the West Coast, especially Portland.
Three months later I was on the MAX downtown and realized the couple next to me were not father -daughter; his hand placement on her upper thigh told me otherwise. I kick myself to this day for not calling the police or doing something. The thing is, when I told my friends about this, almost all of them thought I was either lying or saw it incorrectly.
A month later the young man demonstrating his vacuum cleaner in my living room proudly told me his brother was a pimp in the neighborhood. I casually stepped outside, got his license number, and called the police.
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Elisia's story is heartbreaking but her courage to pull her life together is inspiring.
What is the relationship between sex trafficking, prostitution and internet pornography?
Has prostitution increased or decreased in Portland over the last 20 years?
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Who says there is ANY connection between internet porn and either prostitution and sex trafficking? Seems an odd leap.
Prostitution doesn't seem to the be the problem here, the pimps and "feeders" are the problem. And I don't think pimps get there start in internet porn. The real question is what is the connection between pimps and Portlands socioeconomic divide of the have and have nots?
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I believe this is a problem in Oregon communities, but I think we prefer to think of our state as a pristine place that isn't affected by ugly crimes like this.
In Eugene, I've seen quite a few articles over the years about runaway/homeless teen girls getting into prostitution and the sex trade - often because of drugs.
Here are some links to these articles to illustrate the issue:
http://downtowneugene.kval.com/content/vice-detective-honored-rescuing-girls-prostitution
http://www.kval.com/news/local/83966797.html
http://search.kval.com/default.aspx?ct=r&q=%22Eugene%2C+Ore.%22+and+%22prostitution%22
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/07/wyden_more_needs_to_be_done_to.html
This problem is one of my main concerns when working with a 16-year-old youth through a mentorship program. The youth has experienced sexual abuse in her past and has now left home because she didn't like the rules and attitude/treatment of her step-father. On the streets, she is a prime candidate to be pulled into this type of activity. From her low threshold for understanding the risks/vulnerabilities of sex, to her need for shelter and desire for attention. It frightens me, and I just keep doing what I can to help her find healthy and safe alternatives.
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If there are no numbers of human trafficking victims, then why do we allocate public resources to help this issue?
In fact, most data for the number of victims in specific regions, come from anti-trafficking organizitions who would not be able to exist without overstating these numbers.
I do think human trafficking is a problem in the Portland area, but I think that some research and data analaysis is necessary.
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I became aware of this problems pervasiveness over two years ago as I began volunteering for a organization that focused on it. I truly believe this is an issue that needs to be dealt with, however have a hard time knowing how to go about it most effectively. My impression is that organizations wanting to advocate for this issue or that focus on it are a dime a dozen. This is a good thing because it raises awareness but also very frustrating because it is hard to know where to best place your energy.
Amongst organizations that focus on this issue, why isn't there any coordination? What is being done to create some sort of a central point from which to fight this issue? What can be done to insure that there is a place to go? We have no shelter, no rehabilitation. If these girls have no where to go or no way to rehabilitate and learn new life skills how do we every expect to break this cycle?
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I find the arguments about actual numbers, which cannot be substantiated one way or the other, silly and detracting.
One of the last stories I covered while a journalist in Asia was that of child prostitution in the Philippines. Most of the patrons were Westerners such as the American editor of a widely circulated Hong Kong based magazine who "retired" to Manila for the ready access to young victims. As I remember, he preferred boys in the 8 to 10 year age range.
While Portland is about as far from Manila as a city can be in many ways, there are many common aspects of this sickening business.
It was the worst story I ever covered. The men who used the kids actually looked me in the eye and claimed that the kids "wanted it." And, as I led several different publications to the story, the pedophiles several times threatened my life. In response to the embarrassment caused by the publicity, the Marcos regime rounded up and jailed the children; I do not recall any of the pedophiles being punished.
Just remembering it makes me feel sick.
The social structure leading to child prostitution is different in Asia and the USA, but I believe this is the lowest, most despicable adult human behavior, and liberal that I am, I would embrace special severe punishment for the adults that do this to kids.
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thank you. If we have 5 kids or young adults victims of trafficking....it is too many, and we need to do something. For God's sake, if I find a stray dog - I know EXACTLY what to do, and there are resources! We don't have a shelter or resources to help these folks get out, or laws to truly prosecute the offenders?? As Doug said, we need to get our heads out of the sand.
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We screened the film, PLAYGROUND (about sex trafficking of minors, with a strong focus on what is going on right here in Portland: http://www.playgroundproject.com/film/), in March as part of the Portland Oregon Women's Film Festival (POW Fest). We had over 350 people in attendance to talk about this issue - which as you know is HUGE - not many people want to acknowledge this problem, let alone spend their Friday night engrossed in it. Doug Justus, Diane McKeel and the director, Libby Spears, were our special guests and led the discussion that echos the one you are having now.
We are screening PLAYGROUND again on September 9, 2010 at the Hollywood Theatre as a special shared fundraising event for the new shelter that is hoping to be built and POW Fest. Senator Ron Wyden will be in attendance to introduce the film and again, continue this important discussion.
Thank you for talking about this issue - the more we acknowledge that this is going on in our city, the more hope there is for positive change and having resources allocated to support the young women impacted.
Best,
Andrea Leoncavallo
POW Fest Managing Director
www.powfest.com
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I tried prostitution twice when I was underage. I wasn’t very good at it, well I felt quite shy, not about the sex, but about asking for the money. If Portland has a higher rate of underage prostitution, which I haven’t entirely heard a case for, because it could just be good reporting, I doubt it is to do with some nefarious element of the culture.
As a teenager I was friends with a heroin addict who turned tricks and I felt bad for him, but I also didn’t entirely see him as a victim, in the way many people would like to paint all people who are underage and get involved in prostitution. If you are, say 14, and getting forced into the business, then that is one thing, but if you are willfully engaged in the profession, then I hardly see you as a victim. It doesn’t mean your life hasn’t been horrible, or that you realistically had another choice, or that you could have made another choice, but it also doesn’t mean there is some conspiracy that is victimizing you. Regardless of your age, if you are willfully getting paid for the activity then you are generally not a victim. When you turn eighteen are you suddenly no longer a victim, because you allegedly wised-up overnight? The way we think of the divide between children and adults in this country is appallingly myopic and infantile.
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Why are the men who pimp so brazen that they feel entitled to controlling the young girls? Maybe the consequences for the pimps should be more severe and protection for the girls more available.
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I'm an advocate/mentor at a safehouse in Phoenix. We currently have 4 young women that are in our program. We do a street outreach informing the girls on the street that they do not have to continue this lifestyle and there is a safe place to go. We offer a Christ based approach, while teaching life skills,GED prep classes, offer life coaches & medical treatment. These girls are in such need of love and support...usually they have no one that cares about them, at least not enough to help. Keep The Rescue Project in your prayers. crs/trp/pdc
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I'd like to know how I can help. It doesn't matter if it's one child or 1,000 - the need is still there. We should not deny the situation just because it is out of our comfort zone. There must be something we can do to offer our support.
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Okay, lets fix it. How do we start the secure home that seems necessary? How does the police bureau get the training it needs?
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I have to disagree with the comment just made by the cop. Back when I was in Emergency Medicine a bunch of us would visit strip clubs after work as a way to wind down. And we went to just about EVERY club in Portland, every week we went out and not ONCE did we see any prostitution. And we were more than regulars at several clubs. Not to say there isn't/wasn't that activity going on, but not in EVERY single one as he portrayed.
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That comment surprised me too. I expect that this is an issue of perspective. It seems this is more an issue of context or semantics, if you are in a stripclub you are paying "sex workers" for their service, which is based on the explotation(by choice/situation/force) of their body for money. I see how you could make that arguement coming from that perspective.
If in fact more than just lap dances and pole dancing is going on, why aren't raids/stings being done? Why is there no regulation?
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My guess is that you didn't know what to look for. It makes sense to me that a strip club would be a conduit for prostitution and where there is prostitution there is a short hop to child sex trafficking. Not that it *has* to be a slippery slope - but where there are few laws put in place to deal with child sex trafficking it would be a natural progression.
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Especially since most of the clubs are governed by the OLCC - a throwback organization to Prohibition that somehow wasn't dismantled after the 21st amendment - and the OLCC is almost Nazi in their approach and practices. With this kind of unchecked power and abuse, how can such activities be so rampant under their watch?
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Who cares if there is a general prostitution problem in Oregon? If there is a forced prostitution problem in Oregon, with prostitutes of any age, that is a bad thing. But, prostitution in general is not necessarily a good thing, but nor is it a bad thing. On a personal level I think prostitution is an unproductive waste of time, that relies too much on the physical and not enough on the mental, but so do most athletics and some other things. Along with drugs, prostitution should clearly be made legal.
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Hearing this show, I am just sick to my stomach. I went through a childhood rife with abuse, foster care and etc, but realized like a hammer to the head how lucky I was not to have lived the nightmares I heard about today.
My question is, how can the average person help? Can we raise signatures for ballot measures to change the laws? Can we donate food, clothing and money to establish a shelter where these girls can be helped? Where can we get information on what we can do?
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I just wanted to say what a great, moving show this was. Thank you for the coverage and the array of articulate, thoughtful guests.
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YWCA of Greater Portland has been involved with the coordination efforts of agencies who have been involved with children who are trafficked in the sex industry. Multnomah County through the Department of Community Justice received a three year grant to support these efforts: identification of services, a safe facility developed for these children, coordination of community resources, etc. Their CSEC, Criminally Sexually Exploited Children, program has been directed by Joslyn.R.Baker@multnomah.or.us (503) 988-4755. She also has collected what data there is about rates of children trafficked, locally and nationally. Now that the YWCA of Greater Portland has received direct appropriations through Senator Wyden's office in these efforts, the work to create a facilty and services just for these children will be much enhanced. It will continue to be a community pooling of resources and expertise to get this facilty and services up and running.
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One aspect of this problem which seems to be receiving short shrift is the question of why pimps are doing this. It's easy to call them "monsters", "creeps", "feeders" and lots of other words, but why do they do it?
My question is how many of them have served time in prison already and are trying to make a living on the outside. Do they come out of prison with a criminal record, little or no job history, racial discrimination in the job market, etc.? If so, two options are drug dealing and pimping.
In order to really make inroads into this problem, I think attention needs to be paid to both the women who are being abused and also the abusers themselves. Not being able to find a job is not an excuse to become a pimp, but it makes sense why this happens. Prisoners are essentially slaves and people released from prison are in a position similar to indentured servants. They still "owe" the system money and are "on parole", but they get little help in making it in something legitimate.
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Comments are now closed.
I heard the teaser on the air. I do think there is a huge problem with underage girls being lured into prostitution right now, particulalrly 16 and 17 year olds. Personally, I blame pop culture. These girls think the gangster life is glamorous or something. It seems like half the young urban males in town are working their game trying to build a stable. Why it's suddenly become cool to be a pimp or a ho, I have no idea, but there is no doubt in my mind that there is a subset of young people that truly believe it is.
My other comment is that I don't believe the 300,000number for a second.. There are 300 million people in the US, and 2 million in Portland. Do the math, and that translates to 2,000 undaerage prostitutes in Portland metro. The is no way that number is possible. Probably 20, Maybe 200, but no where near 2,000.