While recent efforts to acknowledge that children trafficked for sex are victims are commendable, they beg the question: what about grown women who are also sold for sex? While there may be some sympathy for a 13-year-old girl who is pimped on the streets by her 24-year-old “boyfriend,” we scoff at a woman who is barely 18 and women much older who are in the same predicament. Why are we so much more willing to view minors who are trafficked as victims, but not the minors who are trafficked for months and then years until they know no other life and feel they have no other option?
The answer lies in part on our conception of “choice.” A minor is particularly susceptible to manipulation. He or she is reliant on adults physically and psychologically for a myriad of reasons, has yet to fully develop his or her personality, and does not have the experience or understanding to make important life decisions. We assume that an adult has the maturity and capacity to step out of prostitution and start a new life with relative ease—or at least awareness. But if a girl who becomes entrapped in the sex industry—which usually happens when she is 12 to 14 years old—is constantly raped, beaten, and mutilated in the process, what is it about her turning 18 that allows her to gain the perspective, stability, advice, and protection to enable her to walk away? Chances are she has not been in school, does not relate to people her age, and only knows a life of abuse, shattered dreams, police arrest, and loneliness. It is a tall order to expect someone in the midst of such circumstances to know how to seek a life free of sexual exploitation. It is equally unfair to blame victims who do not look for alternatives.
Female prostitutes between the ages of 30 and 50 are often robbed of their youth, and at the same time become stuck in it. Sid Ford, former Chair of Victim Services and Public Awareness of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, has worked with many such victims. One woman, who I will call Gayle to protect her identity, was technically middle aged, but she acted like the child she had been when she was first forced into the sex trade. Years of indescribable torture had stilted her personal development and left her in a child-like state. Although she dressed provocatively and could flirt with ease, the way she spoke in deep conversation, her understanding of the world, and her mannerisms were comparable to those of a ten-year-old girl. Sadly, this is the case for too many prostitutes that are deprived of the ability to develop their full potential, confidence, and any healthy relationships from which they could learn and grow.
It is true, as Nikolas Kristof and others have pointed out, that child trafficking in Cambodia is not always so different from child trafficking in the United States. We rightfully work against this tragedy, and adjust our view of these traumatized youth accordingly. The next step is to realize that trafficked children often become adult victims in as much need of help as when they were not yet 18—the year they are labeled as voluntary participants in a life they never chose.
An internationally recognized human trafficking expert, Mary David, J.D. served as United Nations Advisor on Women and Children for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, was Deputy Chair of Public Awareness for the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, and regularly speaks out on human trafficking for news outlets and conferences. She was listed as one of the Top 99 Foreign Policy Leaders under 33 by the Diplomatic Courier and works to end slavery through writing, speaking, and the arts. You can follow her on Twitter @MissMaryDavid.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's March/April 2014 print edition.
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The Victim Left Behind
March 27, 2014
While recent efforts to acknowledge that children trafficked for sex are victims are commendable, they beg the question: what about grown women who are also sold for sex? While there may be some sympathy for a 13-year-old girl who is pimped on the streets by her 24-year-old “boyfriend,” we scoff at a woman who is barely 18 and women much older who are in the same predicament. Why are we so much more willing to view minors who are trafficked as victims, but not the minors who are trafficked for months and then years until they know no other life and feel they have no other option?
The answer lies in part on our conception of “choice.” A minor is particularly susceptible to manipulation. He or she is reliant on adults physically and psychologically for a myriad of reasons, has yet to fully develop his or her personality, and does not have the experience or understanding to make important life decisions. We assume that an adult has the maturity and capacity to step out of prostitution and start a new life with relative ease—or at least awareness. But if a girl who becomes entrapped in the sex industry—which usually happens when she is 12 to 14 years old—is constantly raped, beaten, and mutilated in the process, what is it about her turning 18 that allows her to gain the perspective, stability, advice, and protection to enable her to walk away? Chances are she has not been in school, does not relate to people her age, and only knows a life of abuse, shattered dreams, police arrest, and loneliness. It is a tall order to expect someone in the midst of such circumstances to know how to seek a life free of sexual exploitation. It is equally unfair to blame victims who do not look for alternatives.
Female prostitutes between the ages of 30 and 50 are often robbed of their youth, and at the same time become stuck in it. Sid Ford, former Chair of Victim Services and Public Awareness of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, has worked with many such victims. One woman, who I will call Gayle to protect her identity, was technically middle aged, but she acted like the child she had been when she was first forced into the sex trade. Years of indescribable torture had stilted her personal development and left her in a child-like state. Although she dressed provocatively and could flirt with ease, the way she spoke in deep conversation, her understanding of the world, and her mannerisms were comparable to those of a ten-year-old girl. Sadly, this is the case for too many prostitutes that are deprived of the ability to develop their full potential, confidence, and any healthy relationships from which they could learn and grow.
It is true, as Nikolas Kristof and others have pointed out, that child trafficking in Cambodia is not always so different from child trafficking in the United States. We rightfully work against this tragedy, and adjust our view of these traumatized youth accordingly. The next step is to realize that trafficked children often become adult victims in as much need of help as when they were not yet 18—the year they are labeled as voluntary participants in a life they never chose.
An internationally recognized human trafficking expert, Mary David, J.D. served as United Nations Advisor on Women and Children for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, was Deputy Chair of Public Awareness for the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, and regularly speaks out on human trafficking for news outlets and conferences. She was listed as one of the Top 99 Foreign Policy Leaders under 33 by the Diplomatic Courier and works to end slavery through writing, speaking, and the arts. You can follow her on Twitter @MissMaryDavid.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's March/April 2014 print edition.
