Young 1

Darcee Young

Professor Broadbent

Writing 39C

June 1 2018

Targeting the Real Criminals Behind Sex Trafficking

People are being bought and sold as sex slaves right before our eyes and criminals are

being let off with minimal punishment. Upon his arrival at a hotel in response to a fake sex ad,

former high school chemistry teacher Jerry Marfe was arrested for attempted sex with a young

teenage girl. Although Marfe was attempting to commit the illegal crime of buying sex with a

minor, he only was given the sentence of 15 days in jail and 10 years on probation where he is

only supervised, ​USA Today​ (Cassidy). This is only one of the many instances where criminals

of sex trafficking do not receive adequate punishment. Many believe that sex trafficking is

something that happens in other countries. In reality, however, it is insidious and rampant,

occuring underneath our noses on home soil.

What is Sex Trafficking?

Sex trafficking strips young men and women of their freedom as they are forced to sell

their body for sexual actions. Although sex trafficking violates the individual’s basic human

rights, it is a growing crime that makes billions of dollars. Because those that buy sex are willing

to purchase it for large amounts of money, the sex trafficking industry flourishes. Sex traffickers

primarily prey on vulnerable young girls under the age of 18 through false promise, fake

modeling contracts, being kidnapped, through a “boyfriend” who is often an older man, the

Internet, or a family member, says Kimberly Kotrla and Beth Wommack, “Sex Trafficking of
 Young 2

Minors in the U.S.: Implications for Policy, Prevention and Research” (Kotrla and Wommack).

By falling into these traps, both women and young girls are indebted and are forced provide

sexual “services to repay debt to traffickers who often impose high interest rates, withhold

payment, and charge for housing, food, transportation, and other basic supplies” (“The

Economic”). In addition to robbing young women and children from their freedom, sex

trafficking imposes negative and severe psychological and physical effects such as broken bones

from abuse, anxiety, depression, and

PTSD (“The Economic”). Sex

trafficking victims are constantly abused

and in a study conducted by Jody

Raphael and colleagues, “Pimp Control

and Violence: Domestic Sex Trafficking

of Chicago Women and Girls,” “a total

of 76 percent of the women experienced slapping, 52 percent experienced forced sex, and 51

percent experienced punching” (Raphael et. al). It also poses a threat to everyone in the

community because increasing the spread of STDs says Janice Raymond and colleagues, “Sex

Trafficking of Women in the United States” (Raymond et. al).

Root Causes of Sex Trafficking

Sex Trafficking is a result of a demand from consumers who want to buy sex or sexual

actions as well as the instability of an individual’s life which makes them very vulnerable to sex

traffickers. It is true that sex sells. The demand for sexual acts is crucial to stimulating the sex

trafficking industry, says Donna Hughes, “The Demand: The Driving Force of Sex Trafficking”
 Young 3

(Hughes). It is not only the sex traffickers who conduct the rings but it is also those that buy the

sexual acts that are behind this

business. Because these

consumers are most often men

who are willing to purchase

sex for large amounts of money, the sex trafficking industry flourishes. Furthermore, sex

trafficking victims are most commonly recruited because they are offered some type of false

incentives that implies that they would have a “better life.” However, the reason that many of

these victims fall prey to the tricks of sex traffickers is because they are often in poverty or have

experienced abuse and are desperate to make money or find some source of fulfillment in their

life, April Riegler, “Missing the Mark: Why the Trafficking Victims Protection Act Fails to

Protect Sex Trafficking Victims in the United States” (Riegler).

Obstacles of Solving Sex Trafficking

The selling and buying of young women for sexual acts is a serious and prominent

problem in the United States that is not easy to solve due to numerous obstacles. One

complication is the fact that sex trafficking itself is difficult to define. Many see sex trafficking

as another form of prostitution because they both involve a woman's body being sold and bought

for sexual acts says Galma Jahic and James Finckenauer, “Representations and

Misrepresentations of Human Trafficking” (Jahic and Finckenauer). On the other hand, those

that advocate for a distinction between human sex trafficking and prostitution argue that sex

trafficking victims should not be identified under the same terms as prostitutes. Supporters of

this argument hold a unifying idea that not only are sex trafficking victims being forced into
 Young 4

performing sexual acts whereas sex workers enter the sex industry voluntarily, but also that sex

trafficking victims and sex workers under

prostitution have different needs. For

example, Jahic and Finckenauer explain that

“victims of trafficking may require

immediate and intensive medical and

psychological treatment, while sex workers

may be more in need of education about

STDs and personal safety” (Jahic and Finckenauer). This indistinction between prostitutes and

trafficking victims poses an obstacle because many individuals that are forced into the sex

trafficking industry are identified as criminals instead of victims. As a result, police officials do

not give priority to helping victims that they incorrectly view as prostitutes because they see

prostitutes as an aide to the crime of running the sex business (Riegler).

Existing Solutions

Sex trafficking still exists today regardless of the numerous attempts that have been made

to combat it such as creating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act 2000 (TVPA), educating sex

buyers about the consequences of sex trafficking, and raising awareness about sex trafficking to

the community. In response to sex trafficking, the United States created the TVPA with the goal

to criminalize human trafficking while providing “social services and legal benefits, including

visas, to some trafficking victims… ” as well as funds for relief programs for victims (Riegler).

However flaws in this law, such as only providing a very limited number of victims with visas,

cause it to be a subpar attempt to combat sex trafficking. Despite the fact that thousands of
 Young 5

helpless young women are being forced into sex slavery, not all of them receive help from the

TVPA because they do not “qualify” as a victim who has experienced “severe trafficking,”

defined as either the sex trafficking of minors 18 years old and younger or the holding of

individuals against their will for the use of services (Riegler). Although it may seem like all sex

trafficking victims fit under the

spectrum of “severe

trafficking,” barriers exist such

as only being seen as an illegal

immigrant or prostitute and

therefore do not shelter, food,

and legal aid (Riegler). Another

solution to sex trafficking is to

educate sex buyers about the

harmful psychological effects purchasing sexual acts have on its victims as well of society

explains Iris Yen “​Of Vice and Men: A New Approach to Eradicating Sex Trafficking by

Reducing Male Demand through Educational Programs and Abolitionist Legislation​” (Yen).

However, the problem with this solution is that solely education will not cause the majority of

men simply refrain from buying sex. It is difficult to change their behaviors and attitudes if they

do not experience a consequence. An unsuccessful solution that currently exists is suggested by

the U.S. Department of State, “15 Ways You Can Help Fight Human Trafficking,” which is to

raise awareness through events and watching films about sex trafficking (“15 Ways”). However,

simply just bringing awareness will not keep helpless victims from being trafficked and it is clear
 Young 6

that sex trafficking still exists. Sex trafficking needs to be tackled at its core by addressing the

demand for these victims to perform sexual acts from sex buyers.

Currently, the most feasible approach that exists to solve the problem of sex trafficking is

to target and arrest sex buyers. This is done through sex stings which are often hotels that are

used to catch sex buyers. First, police officers post false sex ads to bait anyone that wants to buy

sex from young girls which will lead them to a hotel where police will be waiting for them in an

adjacent room, explains Nicholas Kristof, “Targeting the Johns in Sex Trade” (Kristof).

However, after these sex buyers are arrested, they are given very little jail time for being the

driving force behind the sex trafficking

problem. This solution does not completely

reduce the amount of sex buyers because

after they are arrested, these criminals are

not sentenced with harsh charges. They are

only given a few years in prison and when

they are let out of jail, they are able to

purchase sex all over again.

My Solution

Coverage

It is beyond the scope of this paper to address each root cause of sex trafficking. My

Advocacy Project is going to target the demand of sex trafficking which is the core cause of sex

trafficking. By focusing on the demand, I will be targeting sex buyers, the stimulators behind this
 Young 7

heinous industry. By directly targeting those that purchase sexual acts, less victims will be

needed and recruited for the sex trafficking business.

Although the current solution of targeting and arresting sex purchasers is a step in the

right direction to combating sex trafficking, the government additionally needs to instill a

mandatory and more severe punishment of at least 20 years of jail time.

Comparison

Although the current approach of catching sex buyers and arresting them on the spot may

seem like the solution to sex trafficking because it is directly targeting the demand of sex

trafficking, the extent of this solution should not just end there. The current average sentence for

sex purchasers ranges from 229 days to 5 years (Cassidy). This relatively short sentence is

clearly ineffective in deterring sex purchasers. With a longer sentence of 20 years, they will be

less likely to contribute to and perpetuate the sex trafficking industry. This is similar to the

punishment of 15-20 years that sex traffickers are given according to the United States

Sentencing Committee (“Overview of Mandatory”). This implementation will deter sex buyers

from fueling the sex trafficking

industry in a more effective way

these criminals are given the

punishment that they deserve and

will deter them from buying sex.

This ensures that sex purchasers

are kept behind bars and are

unable to do any further damage by continuing to buy sex from young women whereas releasing
 Young 8

these criminals with minimal punishment will only result in a cycle of them buying sex, being

arrested, and put in prison for only up to a few years.

Feasibility

Some may argue against the idea of implementing a mandatory and more severe jail time

is not feasible because this would make the already crowded prison cells even more crowded.

Nonetheless, prisons are filled with people that are convicted of minor crimes such as marijuana

possession which results in 5 years of prison for just the first offense, Christopher Reinhart,

“CRIMES WITH MANDATORY MINIMUM PRISON SENTENCES — UPDATED AND

REVISED” (Reinhart). However, this paper does not address this problem of overcrowding in

prisons. Sex traffickers and buyers deserve to be in prison more because they are actually

committing violent and inhuman crimes. Simply the argument that prisons are overcrowded and

therefore cannot hold the many sex

buyers that are caught does not suffice.

Saying that no effort will be made to put

those who commit inhumane crimes such

as sex trafficking in jail is ridiculous.

Society must stand on the side of justice

and make these longer sentences a possibility. With the mandatory and more severe jail

sentencing, sex trafficking, which dehumanizes its victims, is will not be as prominent over time.

Costs and Benefits

It is essential that this penalty is strictly applied and used. In many cases of punishing sex

traffickers themselves, although there is a penalty of serving 15-20 years in jail, many of them
 Young 9

are let off with only having to serve a few years in prison. However, by creating a mandatory

sentencing that forces sex buyers to serve a deserved amount of at least 20 years in prison,

current sex buyers are not only being adequately punished, but this approach also proactively

deters other individuals from buying sex in the future given these severe and strict prison

sentences. Although it may cost more money to require that an additional amount sex buyers are

imprisoned since housing, food, and security services must be paid for, money from taxpayers

could be allocated in a more responsible way so that a portion of the money can be used help pay

for these funds. It is worth the cost in the long run because the horrific crime of sex trafficking

will become less prominent over time as these criminals are given the punishment they deserve

and are further deterred from stimulating the sex industry.

Although my solution does not completely solve the core of this problem which is the

demand of sexual acts from young girls, it works together with the existing solution of arresting

individuals that buy sex and strengthens it by requiring a minimum sentence of 20 years to these

sex buyers which will deter more individuals from buying sex. With my proposed idea of

implementing a more severe prison sentence, this will lessen the harm that sex trafficking causes

by decreasing the amount of individuals that are driving the sex trafficking industry by

demanding sexual acts.

Conclusion

Overall, individuals that are fueling the sex trafficking industry by buying sexual acts

from victims are in fact criminals that are only given a negligible punishment. The whole

business of sex trafficking revolves around the basic economics of supply and demand, where

sex traffickers recruit vulnerable victims in order to provide the sexual acts as a result of the
 Young 10

market of customers who are looking to pay for those sexual acts. Requiring that sex buyers pay

the time that they deserve with a minimum of 20 years will not only being some sort of justice to

the billion dollar crime that they are behind, but it will also deter individuals in the future from

buying sex. Without the individuals that are looking for and buying sex, the sex trafficking

industry business fails because it makes no money. It is time to change the way that these

criminals are punished because the fact that a dehumanizing act such as sex trafficking is still

present and occurring in today’s society is despicable.

 Young 11

Works Cited

Cassidy, Megan. “Study: Soliciting Sex from Minor Nets Little Prison Time.” ​USA Today​,

Gannett Satellite Information Network, 26 Aug. 2014, www.usatoday.com/story/

news/nation/2014/08/25/sex-from-minor-nets-little-prison-time/14595893/.

Hughes, Donna M. "The Demand: The Driving Force of Sex Trafficking." ​The Human Rights

Challenges of Globalisation: The Trafficking in Persons. Honolulu: University of Hawaii

(2000).

Jahic, Galma, and James O. Finckenauer. "Representations and misrepresentations of human

trafficking." ​Trends in Organized Crime​ 8.3 (2005): 24-40.

Kotrla, Kimberly, and Beth Ann Wommack. "Sex trafficking of minors in the US: Implications

for policy, prevention and research." ​Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing

Policy for Children at Risk​ 2.1 (2011): 5.

Kristof, Nicholas. “Targeting the Johns in Sex Trade.” ​The New York Times​, The New York

Times, 27 Feb. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/opinion/kristof-targeting-the-

johns-in-sex-trade.html.

“Overview of Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System.” ​United

States Sentencing Commission​.

Raphael, Jody, Jessica Ashley Reichert, and Mark Powers. "Pimp control and violence:

Domestic sex trafficking of Chicago women and girls." ​Women & Criminal Justice

20.1-2 (2010): 89-104.

 Young 12

Raymond, Janice G., Donna M. Hughes, and Carol J. Gomez. "Sex trafficking of women in the

United States." ​International sex trafficking of women & children: Understanding the

global epidemic​ (2001): 3-14.

Reinhart, Christopher. “CRIMES WITH MANDATORY MINIMUM PRISON

SENTENCES-UPDATED AND REVISED.” Chapter 170 - Boards of Education,

www.cga.ct.gov/2008/rpt/2008-R-0619.htm.

Riegler, April. "Missing the mark: Why the trafficking victims protection act fails to protect sex

trafficking victims in the United States." ​Harv. JL & Gender​ 30 (2007): 231.

“The Economic Drivers and Consequences of Sex Trafficking in the United States.” ​Institute for

Women's Policy Research​.

Yen, Iris. "Of Vice and Men: A New Approach to Eradicating Sex Trafficking by Reducing

Male Demand through Educational Programs and Abolitionist Legislation," ​Journal of

Criminal Law and Criminology​ vol. 98, no. 2 (Winter 2008): p. 653-686.

“15 Ways You Can Help Fight Human Trafficking.” ​U.S. Department of State​, U.S. Department

of State, www.state.gov/j/tip/id/help/.