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“A dream you dream alone is only a dream; a dream you dream together is reality.” — Yoko Ono
Aug
27
On Sex Trafficking and Johns
Filed Under Europe, International, human rights, misogyny, objectification, patriarchy, race and racism, rape and sexual assault, sex work, sexism, sexual exploitation and harassment, violence against women and girls | Posted by Cara |
Last week, I wrote a post about the issue of sex trafficking in Britain, which resulted in some interesting (if unoriginal and obnoxious) discussion about the extent to which exploitation and trafficking actually takes place in the prostitution industry. I have maintained that it is incredibly high.
Sadly, a new story about British police raids of brothels has proven me right. (I’d like to say here that I believe the problem is just as bad, if not worse, in the U.S. and many other western countries, but Britain happens to be where the stories are coming from. In fact, kudos to them for trying to do something about the problem and to the British media for reporting on it). The raids have helped to identify the extent of the horrors to which many women are subjected, as well as the fact that these women are are auctioned off to different gangs in pubs. Hmm, does that ring a historical bell for anyone else?
The scale of the abuse has horrified officers and staff from other agencies working with them, who have found women being forced to work in the sex trade in houses in villages as well as city centres. Some were made to have sex with up to 60 men a day, earning thousands of pounds for the gangs.
. . . Police say women are brought to a pub with a minder. They are then inspected by members of different gangs who are invited to bid for them – often as little as £1000 per woman.
So far, 24 people have been arrested in police Operation Radium, most on suspicion of immigration offences, and all have been bailed. No charges have yet been brought.
Many of the women trafficked into Britain each year come from eastern Europe, Africa and the Far East, tempted by the prospect of a better life and well-paid jobs. But, on arrival, their identity documents are taken and they are often kept captive in appalling conditions.
So far, seven women have been rescued. Others have fled, fearing arrest even though they are innocent. Fullwood, head of Cambridgeshire’s serious and organised crime unit, said: “Many brothels operate under the guise of other businesses. They may be just ordinary-looking homes in quiet neighbourhoods.”
He appealed for men who have used brothels to report places where they think women may be prisoners.
You know, I have sadly accepted the fact that there are some very bad people in this world. There are murderers, and there are rapists, and there are all kinds of gang members and leaders who believe that human life is expendable in the pursuit of money and self-preservation.
But I do like to tell myself that they are the extreme cases and the minority. And so the fact that there are men out there who enslave women, repeatedly rape and beat them and accept money from others who wish to do the same is unsurprising. What constantly astonishes and amazes me is that so many men are still willing to treat these women like normal prostitutes and be accomplices in these atrocities.
In my last post on the subject, I had some harsh words for Johns. I stand by them; they are a group of which I think extremely lowly. But still, even I would like to think that they are better than this.
I don’t buy the argument that these men “don’t know.” Yes, some gangs probably put up a really good front and keep their brothels and victims clean.
But surely, any idiot would become suspicious around so many locked doors and windows. Is it so outrageous to think that a man who frequents prostitutes should be able to tell the difference between a woman who autonomously negotiates her own pay and conditions (sex acts she is willing to perform, protection, etc.), and one who has all of that done for her, is kept in a locked room and has a vacant stare? Or sure, maybe threatened violence turns these women into good actors. Maybe they pretend like they’re “into” it. What about the bruises? What about the fact that most probably speak very limited or no English?
Or the fact that they are forced to service (read: are raped by) so many customers a day? At the risk of being crass, this has to be pointed out. Any women who engages in penetrative sex knows the toll that it can take on the genitals if done too frequently, even a couple of times a day on a regular basis. It becomes painful. Now imagine having it forced on you 60 times a day, or even as one victim claimed, 25. Very few autonomous prostitutes would take on that many clients a day, for clear health reasons. It would leave obvious physical marks on the genitals, able to be perceived by the naked eye, and quite possibly even noticeable on touch alone. We’re talking bleeding and open wounds.
Quite simply, I believe without a doubt that almost all of these men, these “customers,” know exactly what they are purchasing, and it’s the right to rape a woman who is being held prisoner. I wish that I didn’t believe that. I wish that I had a way not to. I’d love to think that they are oblivious. But running through the argument I have just laid out, I find it all but impossible.
So yes, like the police department, I hope that some of these men come forward with information about where women are being held. And for the sake of finding them and setting them free, I am even willing to give the Johns immunity for their roles. But it doesn’t make them genuinely concerned, better or decent. And they still make me incredibly sick.
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“Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.” — Susan B. Anthony
She was refused a testing kit when she thought she might be pregnant, and threatened by security guards with a samurai sword and a baseball bat.
OH.MY.GODS
i can’t even begin to contemplate this. samurai swords and a baseball bat?!? nightmares abound…
I hope that some of these men come forward with information about where women are being held.
one can only hope. i just wish i could be more optimistic about the chances of it happening. guilt inspires the coward in so many.
If anything, its even worse in other western European countries than it is in Britain. In Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria Interpol not only has to investigate and push for prosecutions of these cases, but they often find themselves fighting to convince the local authorities that its even a crime; and they’ve pretty much given up on Turkey. PBS and (believe it or not) the History Channel have had some pretty good reporting on this subject.
For supporters of legalized prostitution, this is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed. The majority of the arguments for legalization revolve around how it will reduce or remove the social costs associated with prostitution as an underground activity, but in many of the western nations that have taken such steps, or a general laissez faire view towards it, this has become quite prevalent.
On the other hand, I’ve never heard of it being an issue in Las Vegas brothels(though that may be my own lack of knowledge on the subject). Is there something about the way these brothels differ from the European model that discourages working with the slave-traders?
Excellent question, Julian! I’d definitely be interested if someone had the answer.
I researched American prostitution law last year, so I can shed some light on that aspect, but I don’t know much about international prostitution laws.
Brothels impose rules and restrictions on prostitutes’ activities. Prostitutes work as independent contractors and are subject to the conditions they negotiate in their contracts and the house rules of the brothel. These specify working hours, mobility, room and board charges and requirements, grievance procedures, and the income splits (between the prostitute and the brothel). They can also specify meal hours and dress requirements.
Most brothels require three weeks’ work with one week off, although in the smaller brothels women can negotiate work hours. Most brothels require workers to live on the premises, and most prostitutes are not locals. The larger houses are in general more bureaucratic and inflexible; most have specific days when workers can shop, run errands, and conduct other personal business. Workers usually split their take 50/50 with the house. On top of this they pay room and board and in the larger brothels must tip the bartenders, cleaning staff, and food servers. Because workers are independent contractors they receive no health insurance, benefits, sick leave, or retirement benefits from their employer. They are responsible for paying their own taxes and are exempt from many labor laws.
Pre-1984, most brothels severely restricted the mobility and freedom of prostitutes. The workers were only allowed outside the brothels between the hours of 10 AM and 5 or 6 PM, and were even more restricted in certain cities. Activity during those hours was confined to visiting certain establishments or sections of the town, and to particular interactions. Places which could be visited included: doctors’ and dentists’ offices, beauty parlors, shopping areas, and, perhaps, a movie theatre. The prostitutes were expressly prohibited from going to bars, gaming houses, and residential areas, and were not allowed to rent rooms in town. They were not allowed to be accompanied by a male escort in town, and in some places the restrictions went even farther, decreeing that prostitutes were not allowed to have friends within the town, they could not talk to anyone when out of the brothel (at most, they were allowed to exchange salutations), or that prostitutes who were fired or had quit had to be on the next available transportation out of town. As a result of a lawsuit in 1984, these regulations had to be abandoned, but as a result of collaboration between sheriffs and brothel owners, they remain in effect unofficially.
Cara, you talk about the image of the johns in society, which is very interesting, but another thing that’s interesting regarding Nevada society is the dichotomy between the way the public views the prostitutes and the way they view the “madams.” In general, the madams are considered respected entrepreneurs and members of society. They strive to uphold this good image by donating scholarships to local high schools, buying jackets for fire departments, donating uniforms to sports teams, generating funds for local families in need, participating in various local parades, carnivals, and holiday festivities, and organizing town events. By doing these things, the brothel owners have become respectable members of society. By contrast, the communities support the prostitutes’ right to work but do not integrate them into the community.
Sorry it’s so long, it’s something I researched for a long time, so I have a lot of resources. So … anyone know anything about international prostitution law, for a comparison?
Thanks for all of the interesting info! I agree that Madames are more highly respected than the prostitutes . . . and interestingly, more respected by higher society than Pimps. I think that it’s because pimps have such a (rightful) reputation of abusing prostitutes, where as for some reason, people assume that since a Madame is a woman, she will treat them better. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily add up.
Sounds like working in a brothel still really sucks. I have a couple of more questions, if you have the answers: are rates of violence and sexual assault lower in brothels than in “street” prostitution? What about security? Is drug use banned, encouraged or ignored? If a “customer” is violent, do they tend to report it or look the other way? You say that the women aren’t usually “locals”– do they tend to come from other parts of America, come willingly from foreign countries, or come as trafficked women from foreign countries? And as for Julian’s question, are there issues with underground prostitution in areas where brothels are legal?
as for trafficking within the united states, i do remember reading an article or two awhile back about international trafficking. and, i also remember a series of articles (google tells me that this got a lot of press back in 2003) about teenagers from rural minnesota, who would be lured to run away from home by visitors in town, in effect, kidnapped and taken to las vegas to work in sex trade. i’m not sure how legitimate these stories of a ’scary trend’ were, but the idea of bored high school kids in a rural town agreeing to leave home for a few weeks with some one who had befriended them while ‘just passing through’ seemed plausible to me.
I’ve definitely heard stories about international trafficking in the U.S. and have briefly posted on it. I haven’t heard much about trafficking within the U.S., though, or with any trafficked women necessarily ending up in Vegas as opposed to anywhere else.
I’ll do my best with these…
Are rates of violence and sexual assault lower in brothels than in “street” prostitution? I don’t know the exact rates, but brothels would generally be a safer environment than the streets – more than one woman is working in the house at a time, along with the other service staff (housekeepers, etc.) and the madam. Some brothels even hire extra security force. In street prostitution, it’s basically every woman for herself, and even when these women are assaulted, sexually or otherwise, they tend not to report it to the police because they’re afraid of being punished for prostitution.
Is drug use banned, encouraged or ignored? I actually have no idea about this.
If a “customer” is violent, do they tend to report it or look the other way? Generally, it is reported and the customer is forced to leave. As I said above, there is more security in a brothel than in street prostitution.
You say that the women aren’t usually “locals”– do they tend to come from other parts of America, come willingly from foreign countries, or come as trafficked women from foreign countries? Generally, they come from other parts of America, at least in the “official” brothels. They have to be able to legally work in the U.S., after all, or the brothel would lose its license. That is not to say, however, that there are not underground brothels where sex traffickers run the show. My project was strictly on the legal aspect of brothels, so I didn’t look too much into underground prostitution. I guess that answers the last question, too.
It’s probably also worth mentioning that several police departments are starting to change their policy on dealing with prostitution. In Pittsburgh, for example, the johns are required to attend a “johns” school, where they hear former prostitutes talk about the damage prostitution did to them, and they pay court fees, a portion of which goes to support programs designed to help former prostitutes. You can read about them here.
Cool, thanks for all of the info. My guesses were mostly confirmed.
Of course, even if brothels weren’t any “safer” than illegal prostitution, I would still support decriminalization. It would just reduce my reasons to only one: the way to help prostitutes is not to subject them to police harassment and imprisonment.
You’re welcome. =-) It was a really interesting project I worked on for a little over a month last year, so it’s good to go back and look over my notes from that time.
I think decriminalization is also the way to go – it definitely helps the agency and protection of women who chose to go into this line of work.
Cara, if you’d like to learn more about Nevada’s most infamous legal brothel, I’d recommend the book “Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women” by Alexa Albert. It started out as a study in condom use and ends up looking at the prostitutes, society, and stigma as well. Her writing style is nice mix of academic and conversational writing, and so very easy to get through while taking in a good amount of information.
Thanks! I’ll add it to my insanely long wish list :)
I blame the Johns as well. No Johns = No trafficking.
I don’t see how they couldn’t know about this slavery, either. They know, they just don’t give a damn. Or maybe that’s part of the thrill for them.
Cretins.
Sex trafficking in the States is on the rise, although it’s not yet as bad as in some European countries, where legalized prostitution creates a happy facade behind which, organized gangs hide trafficked women and girls.
The dire poverty, unemployment and displacement created by globalization, war, and the flagrant oppression of girls and women (primarily) fuels trafficking. People, who under normal circumstances, would never leave their home towns, never mind their home countries, are answering blind ads promising respectable, if not exactly fulfilling, work in desperate hope of a better future. This is how so many enter the system.
This isn’t just fueling sex trafficking, either; it’s fueling domestic servitude and sweats shops, too.
Trafficking is modern day slavery.
Cara, I urge you to read Brothel, by Alexa Robert. While I understand that this book is about American Prostitutes in Nevada that are legal, what the author discovered was that many of the women still sent their money to pimps.
People seem to think that because a woman succumbs to this life and makes the best of it, that she is somehow a willing participant. Not at all.
Where will she go? What kind of job will she seek after this? One has to ask, because you are talking about a kind of institutionalized mentality in which these women are humiliated in every way by their pimps and handlers, and JOHNS, and then rejected out of hand by *proper society, members who feel morally superior to these ladies because they tell themselves it could never happen to them.
To live in such niave certainty, is there any substitute for that? LOL.
These women do what they have to, to survive. And they should not be forced to make any apologies for making difficult choices to survive a life that is as brutal and short as a fighting dog in illegal gaming.
60 clients a day. Most people associate sex with pleasure, but women know {or should remember} that more than a couple times a day leads to physical pain and could lead to permanent damage. The women in Brothel solved this problem by putting tampons soaked in Mentholadum {sp?} in their vagina’s {a home remedy that mimicks muscle rubs but without the copious chemical burn}.
I want readers to imagine that. Being so sore on the one part of your body that was meant for pleasure and/or child birth hurting so bad, that you would shove an object coated in menthol up there to make the hurting stop.
I doubt the prostitutes being forced into this profession by sex traffickers are even offered that much.
If in a perfect world women and men could sell sex for money and make a decent and respectable living I would be all for it. But as it remains, it is exclusively the domain of organized crime.
Until that is directly addressed and these women and men are gifted with human rights like any other person {without regard to their trade} then I just dont see how it can work.
Making it legal under these circumstances only offers the gangs the opportunity to put up a legal front to hide the crime.
So what do you suggest? Clearly, the current system of arresting sex workers and forcing them to hide “underground” is not working or protecting them, either. I delve more into what I think actual decriminalization of prostitution should entail in this post. At this point, I am unaware of a better plan. But I’m open to hearing more if anyone has them.
I wish I had a good answer but I dont.
As long as society rejects what they do overtly, as something dirty, then it will be difficult to protect these people from predators.
Society treats these people as non-humans, and that makes them expendable, inanimate objects. If they object to this treatment they are seen as niave and unreasonable, not as a person trying to assert their human rights.
Making laws to regulate prostitution might help. There is no way to completely rid any profession of illegal activity, so the hope is to minimize it.
But that is coming from a non Expert on the outside of this profession.