WUNRN
Police Chief Magazine - July 2014
SEXUAL TRAFFICKING - ADDRESSING
VICTIMS WITH HUMANITY - ROLE OF PEER COUNSELORS
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By Tom Dart, Sheriff, Cook County (Chicago), Illinois, Sheriff’s Office Yet when the sheriff’s office in Cook County, Illinois, decided the time had come to approach the sex trade differently, some in the community and the field viewed the new approach as insanity. Hiring ex-convicts? To work in law enforcement? Law enforcement tends to lack an understanding of the needs of women—or people of any gender—who have been victims of sexual trafficking. Efforts by victims’ advocates and improved training are slowly but surely dispelling the notion that these women willingly exploit themselves and are complicit in a victimless crime. The vast majority of these victims entered “the life” as juveniles. Many were runaways or abandoned; others compelled to prostitute themselves because of violence or threats of violence by trusted family members or even boyfriends and husbands. But finding a prostitute who is on the streets by choice—and who feels empowered by that choice—is akin to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Many are victims of crimes of violence, who have been through unspeakable horrors and betrayals. These include, but are not limited to rape, assault, battery, and theft, at the hands of both the johns that demand their services and the pimps who provide these victims. As the sheriff of the second most populous county in the United States, and as a former prosecutor, Tom Dart has encountered scores of exploited women and has read countless academic studies and books on the history of sexual trafficking. His experience led him to realize that an innovative approach was needed to reach trafficking victims, one that included a level of direct understanding of the dynamics of sexual trafficking and victimization that even veteran cops cannot always provide. That’s where Marian, Brenda, and Lisa come in. These amazing women lived on the streets for decades, enduring nearly every imaginable type of victimization in the process. It is these women who can relate to victims of trafficking in ways that others in law enforcement simply cannot. They can look victims in the eye and honestly say “I know what you’re going through, I’ve been in your shoes. I’ve already experienced what’s to come for you, and I’m here to help.” Their experiences and their firsthand knowledge is what led the sheriff’s office to see it was worthwhile and necessary to empower these trafficking survivors to serve as peer counselors and play a vital role in the office’s Human Trafficking Response Team. Fully addressing the issues of trafficking and prostitution requires a comprehensive law enforcement strategy, and the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Vice Unit spends seven days a week on the streets focused on sexual trafficking. The strategy starts by By Tom Dart, Sheriff, Cook County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office targeting the johns, who, upon arrest, find themselves on the wrong side of a four-figure fine for their “hobby.” The officers simultaneously work to identify the trafficking victims and focus on providing them with the resources they need to leave life on the street and emerge as productive members of society. The support of peer counselors like Marian, Brenda, and Lisa who are credible, understanding, and nonjudgmental turn what once seemed like a dream—breaking away from the pimps that enable and exploit their destructive behavior—into a reality. They not only have been where the victims have been, but they have broken away and built lives free of exploitation. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office also oversees the largest single-site jail in the United States. Although the police force approaches trafficked women on the street with the goal of rehabilitation, not incarceration, the office also encounters trafficking victims who come into custody at the jail for other reasons, typically low-level crimes. Those who are there due to trafficking are often victims of a destructive cycle—nearly all of the inmates at Cook County Jail who were arrested on charges of prostitution suffered from sexual abuse as children and developed substance abuse issues along the way. As peer counselors, Marian, Brenda, and Lisa complement their street interventions with ongoing counseling for these incarcerated women, building up their confidence and providing them with the tools they need to succeed upon discharge. The team knows these individuals are not leaving the jail and heading off to a new, luxurious life—they’re likely going back to the same neighborhood they came from, with the same forces that exploited them. However, the examples of women who have survived similar experiences give sex trafficking victims the strength to turn their lives around and escape from an ongoing cycle. Unfortunately, even with the best intentions and resources, not all victims will succeed. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office estimates that only one-third of the recovering trafficking victims it works with will make it on their first try. But even if it takes two, three, or more attempts to reach some victims for good, the effort is worth it. The team approaches the challenge with the principle that every life is worth something, no matter how much damage has already been inflicted by the time they get involved. Law enforcement agencies should fulfill their responsibilities to return that sense of self-worth to those victimized by the sex trade. It may not be possible to help all individuals caught in the web of sexual exploitation, but adding peer counselors with personal experience in trafficking is a step toward healing its victims—and every step in that direction is one worth taking. |