Prostitution and Trafficking

The recognition, adoption of and implementation of best practice models for all victims of trafficking and prostitution is currently needed to effect a critical change in the problem of domestic human trafficking and prostitution. A decade of public awareness and dialog along with public and private coalition building has definitely increased the numbers of traffickers being prosecuted and the number of victims being “rescued”. What remains unclear is the number of minors and adults who are actually being defined as having been “trafficked,” by what means victims are actually being “restored,” and the efficacy of their “restorations.”

The vision of Thistle Farms is partially to clarify several of the ambiguities. First of all, the secrecy, power and consequences of child sexual abuse must be consistently acknowledged at a national level. Secondly, the definition of a trafficking victim should be expanded to include women who have moved beyond the covert nature of the sex trafficking industry, and who are simply on the street trafficking themselves. Thirdly, the needs of the criminal justice system for witnesses and testimony against traffickers and johns should not impact the provision of health and help services to survivors, as many victims refuse to testify and are denied services because of their refusal. Finally, funding and support for the “prevention, prosecution and protection” of sex trafficking and its victims should be evenly distributed across each area of response, as opposed to being primarily weighted toward public awareness campaigns and law enforcement of existing statutes.

Magdalene and Thistle Farms would like to see the national conversation around sex trafficking shift, so that attention toward and funding for direct, best practice services for victims will equal those funds currently directed at public education, the needs of law enforcement, and coalition meetings. As a part of this process, child abuse and sexual assault service providers should be recognized for their well-researched and documented knowledge of what survivors of child abuse need in order to decrease their risk of being trafficked. In short, the discussion and funding for human trafficking should be less focused on how to become a modern day “abolitionist’ and more focused on the creation and implementation of services for survivors.

The definition of a victim of sexual trafficking should be broadened to include women who prostitute themselves, as they are a result of a destructive culture. They are not hard to find, living and working in very well known neighborhoods in many towns and cities. But rather than being rescued and restored, they cycle between the street and jail. They tend to be well known to law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and public health workers. At the hands of family members or pimps, most could meet the federal definition of having been sex trafficked at some point in their lives, but their current circumstances place them outside of the definition of a trafficking victim.

Moreover, as is currently the case with minors and immigrant populations, provisions of support and services should not hinge on the victim’s willingness to cooperate with law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of traffickers. There should be broad acceptance of the long-held perspective that child and adult survivors of sexual abuse need not testify in criminal justice proceedings in order to receive healing. Also, shortened criminal sentences for women convicted of drug possession or prostitution crimes, along with changes in how they are viewed by the public, can lead to the growth in the number of community based, long-term programs for survivors.

In order to be viewed as effective, programs for victims of sex trafficking should meet the basic and universal human needs for safe housing and sustainable employment. Magdalene and Thistle Farms contribute to the broadening of the definition of trafficking “victims” and what their needs are in terms of healing and re-integration into healthy communities. We strongly desire to see more groups and communities actually doing “the work” with survivors and not just meeting to discuss how it might be done. Creating partnerships with already existing community service providers, obtaining a residence for housing needs, and engaging in on-street outreach to invite women into the program is fairly straightforward—in our experience these methods can result in rapid, positive outcomes for individual women.

Street prostitution often occurs in the aftermath of a childhood marked by incest, sexual abuse by non-family members, physical abuse by caregivers and/or traumatic loss. Because of early drug and alcohol use for deadening of emotional pain, beginning on average at 12 years of age, many individuals are very vulnerable to addiction. A combination of trauma, poor self-esteem, and social isolation fuels unsafe, commercial sexual activity and supports addiction. On average, victims spend 10 years on the street prostituting to support addictions, and most have lengthy records of arrest or incarceration. Physical and sexual assault on the street, with 100% of trafficked victims reporting rape, is often aggravated by violence or use of a weapon. At any point in time 75-85% of victims meet diagnostic criteria for co-occurring mental illnesses, and as many as 60% do not have a high school diploma.

Thistle Farms and Magdalene have a strong vision and are on a mission to combat not only the present trafficking circumstances, but also to alter an entire culture—a culture that allows circumstances such as these to exist.

If you'd like to learn more about the program from the comfort of your home, we'd encourage you to read Find Your Way Home. Written collaboratively by the community, it includes 24 principles of healing that are the foundation of the organization. Order here.