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DePaul University College of Law
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DePaul University Family Law Center Releases Results
of Study on Sex Trafficking of Women and Girls in Chicago |
|
CHICAGO,
May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law
Center at the DePaul University College of Law will release the results of a
major study on the sex trafficking of women and girls in the Chicago
metropolitan area at 9:30 a.m. May 7 at the DePaul University Club, 1 E. Jackson
Blvd., 11th floor. The project studied 100 young women under the age of 25
who are active in the Chicago area sex trade, all of whom had a pimp. The study, titled
"Domestic Sex Trafficking of Chicago Women and Girls," was
conducted in conjunction with the Illinois Criminal Justice Information
Authority and funded by a grant from the Chicago Foundation for Women. It
examined the strategies used to recruit young women; the levels of coercion
involved in their recruitment; and the control and violence used to keep
women in the trade. The research also examined the geographical areas in
which women are forced to work, including the distances they are transported
and whether state lines are crossed in the process. One of the goals of the
investigation was to explore parallels between young women in the local sex
trade and those internationally trafficked to Chicago. "This new
information raises serious issues that Chicago communities must confront
about the exploitation of needy girls within their midst to meet the sexual
needs of male customers," said Jody Raphael, an attorney and senior
research fellow at the Family Law Center who led the investigation.
"Like the responses provided to victims of international trafficking,
alternatives to charging, sentencing and incarceration need to be implemented
in a way that offers needed social service programming and housing, all
supported with adequate resources." Among the study's
findings are: -- The average age of
entry into regular involvement in the sex trade in the sample was 16.4 years
of age. -- 33 percent of the
sample began in the sex trade between the ages of 12 and 15, and 56 percent
were 16 or younger. -- The tactics used to
recruit women mirror, in many instances, methods used by international
traffickers, including violence (20 percent), coercion (35 percent) and false
promises (57 percent). -- Once recruited, acts
of violence toward the women increased over time, as did the number of
customers women were expected to sell to each day and the number of
geographical areas in which they were expected to sell themselves. -- Like international
trafficking situations, the women were regularly transported to other venues
by their pimps. The results indicated that 67 percent were transported from
Chicago to the suburbs and vice versa. Additionally, 28 women in the sample
were transported to other states including Nevada, California, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana and New York, among others. "The data mandates
young women controlled by pimps in the Chicago metropolitan sex trade be
considered domestic violence victims in need of assistance to safely exit the
trade," said Raphael. "In the past, it has been difficult to gain
access to young girls controlled by pimps and traffickers." The complete study will
be available at the May 7 media availability where it will be publicly
released. At the same event, the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation
also will present its preliminary findings on the responses and attitudes of
113 male customers who purchased sex in the metropolitan Chicago area. For additional
information about the event or the study results, contact Jody Raphael at
312/362-5205. |
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