Domestic Abuse and Child Prostitution

The more I learn about human rights issues, the more I see needs to be done. It's truly amazing how many battles you can pick from and then spend a lifetime bringing awareness and change. One that really lights my hair on fire is human trafficking. The more you understand about this pandemic, the more you can also see how issues are connected together.

The other night, while feeling ill with a mild fever and cold symptoms, I watched a couple of documentaries on "Slave Girls in India" and then "Teen Prostitutes or Sex Victims?" back to back by the same filmmaker, Lisa Ling. These are both films about female minors being stolen, manipulated and trapped into slave labor. It's interesting to watch how India and the U.S. handle the issue of the human trafficking of minors in this situation. Human trafficking is a HUGE problem around the world and very little is done about it. If our government can find Saddam Hussein hiding in a hole in the middle of the desert, then why can't we find and stop the traffickers of slave labor? The answer is...we can. The long answer is that there is very little legal or system support in place for these girls once they are involved in these situations. Once again, people have to care and some do.

What really struck me was the unbelievable lack of support for minor girls who are found prostituting in the United States. According to a special police task force in New York (you can learn about them in the film), 90% of the girls come from sexually abusive homes. They run away and end up with a male predator who takes them in, displaying the "love and care" they so desperately want, which inevitably ends up forcing them into prostitution. The average start age is 12-14 and once they are in, they can't get out. The relationship between a prostitute and her pimp is parallel to a domestic abuse situation between spouses or domestic partners. She gets no money for her work, she is beaten and raped, she is emotionally and mentally battered and utterly reliant on her pimp for everything, and then her life is threatened if she tries to leave. Sound familiar?

According to the documentary, once this 8th grader is caught for prostitution, she is treated like a criminal. The difference between how the law treats rape and prostitution is based on the exchange of money. Nice. Additionally, there are virtually no safe homes or therapy programs for girls in this situation and just like domestic abuse victims, many times they have little assistance and end up back in the same hell.

I am struck by the fact that these are children and this is human trafficking, domestic abuse, pedafilia, and wrong wrong wrong on so many levels, yet the issue remains invisible and couched in myth. So what can we do? Bring awareness to start. Check out Lisa Ling's website and read her blog on this issue. Tell others. Explain the parallel with domestic abuse and think about how you can incorporate efforts into this along with what you are doing now.

Lisa Ling's Website
Child Exploitation in the USA: Not Just a Problem for Developing Nations
Police arrest 600 in child prostitution crackdown
childrenofthenight.org (nonprofit working to help children)
National Geographic: 21st Century Slaves
Us Dept of State: 2003 Human Trafficking Report

Preaching to the Chior

One of the biggest issues surrounding domestic violence efforts, and there are many, is the "preaching to the choir" problem. After attending many events over the past several months, I notice the same people over and over. Don't get me wrong, I love to see these wonderful human beings; however, in order to make cultural change, our efforts need to break out of the advocacy circle and into the general populace.

Today, I attended the forum meeting for the Purple Ribbon Study Circle pilot program to see the outcome, and of course bring the Bravery portraits to share. After all the groups around the valley presented their study circle results, we ended up with three main focuses: Education, Awareness, and System Changes. Nothing new here. The pilot stats also showed that most of the participants were also staff/advocates or survivors in the field. Nothing new again. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful beginning with lots of fertile ideas and passion, which is what this movement needs.

As my Monty Python heroes like to say, "And now for something completely different". I will begin some change in the language I use to promote Bravery. In order to be more inclusive of the many issues about domestic violence, I will start calling it domestic abuse. How will this make a difference? Public perception by rebranding the issue.


Here is a nice concise definition of abuse from answers.com:
Abuse is defined as any thing that is harmful, injurious, or offensive. Abuse also includes excessive and wrongful misuse of anything. There are several major types of abuse: physical and sexual abuse of a child or an adult, substance abuse, elderly abuse, and emotional abuse. (let's not forget animals too.)

Now the noun definition of domestic violence from answers.com:
Violence toward or physical abuse of one's spouse or domestic partner.

I noticed that Donna Bartos, the founder of the Purple Ribbon Council and Study Circles, uses this language. She brought up good points about how words are portrayed with cultural beliefs. As advocates, we know that domestic violence isn't just physical abuse among spouses, but most people still see that very definition. Domestic abuse has a broader meaning that encompasses any domestic or familiar situation in it's relation to any form of abuse, which encompasses all types of individuals no matter age, race, history, gender, or leg count (pets). As one small step for human/animal rights, I encourage you to join me in this vernacular.

Purple Ribbon Study Circles

Abuse defined (all on one page)