A problem few know about
Wednesday, May 3, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Southern…
Illinois ranks eighth in the nation in the number of cases of human trafficking, which includes many child victims. Yet, an overwhelming majority of Illinois citizens are uninformed about this important human rights issue, according to the results of the latest poll from Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
The poll provided voters the definition of human trafficking from the Trafficking Victims Protection Act as the act of recruiting, harboring, moving or obtaining a person, by force, fraud or coercion, for the purposes of involuntary servitude, debt bondage or sexual exploitation. This definition was provided to inform voters on the issue and remove potential bias.
The poll was taken March 4 to March 11. The sample included 1,000 randomly selected registered voters and the margin for error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Sixty percent of the interviews were with respondents on cell phones.
More than half, 51 percent, of voters surveyed disagree or strongly disagree that sex trafficking affects their area, with 28 percent reporting that it does. One in five voters, 21 percent, did not know or refused to answer.
The full poll, along with some crosstabs can be read by clicking here.
- thechampaignlife - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 11:40 am:
Anyone know if this is any less of an issue in places where prostitution is legal? Similar to legalized pot, I wonder if we are fighting this problem from the wrong angle.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 11:42 am:
Human trafficking is the unintended consequence of a relaxing attitude within our culture towards prostitution. Coupled with a significant percentage of unmarried men, this situation is out of control.
Traditionally, we had means allowing for young men to be sexually active - young men married and became fathers to daughters. This changes a man. Fathering a daughter forces men to see girls differently.
We’ve deliberately turned away from this cultural model.
In cultures where prostitution is legal, the human trafficking is worse. Few women volunteer to become sex toys. But with a demand for it, there are men willing to reduce girls into sex property they own and control.
We don’t discuss this because it is vile and horrific. So, we have in effect, chosen not to take responsibility for our own utopian ideologies. So boys, girls and women suffer in a hell we pretend not to notice.
- WSJ Paywall - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 11:47 am:
Something I only learned recently: St. Louis is one of the (if not the) largest child trafficking hubs in the country.
- Driveby - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 11:49 am:
Thanks for posting this. It’s indeed a far bigger problem than people know.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 11:53 am:
Geez, VMan, prostitution ain’t exactly a new thing, anywhere, in any culture, at any time, legal or illegal. I’m pretty sure married dudes are in on it, too.
It’s not just prostitution. Last year or so, a Chinese buffet on Roosevelt in Forest Park got raided by the federales. Chinese laborers there were being held in indentured servitude under threat of violence to themselves and folks back home.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 11:56 am:
Poverty is often not a dominant factor. Amsterdam is not poverty-riddled, but it is a human trafficking center. Prostitutes there are often young girls brought into the country from former dutch colonies. Dutch prostitues are usually not blonde Dutch natives, but young girls from Indonesia, Surinam and Asia. They are forced to pay back their passage to Europe via life-long sexual servitude. Their johns occupy the flats across the dens, ensuring that business is successful.
Seeing this reality in the Netherlands and in other countries forced me to do a 180 regarding legalized prostitution and drugs.
- Liberty - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 11:56 am:
Sounds like hype: 257 calls over 2 years?? according to Illinois Issues…
The U.S. Department of Education has noted that cases of human trafficking have been reported in all 50 states, and in Illinois, the state Department of Human Services reported that from December 2007 to June 2009, 257 calls were made from Illinois to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, making Illinois the fifth-highest state for calls, after Texas, California, New York and Florida.
- illinifan - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 12:02 pm:
human trafficking includes more than the sex trade we have seen cases in rural Illinois where it involves workers in restaurants or on farms. It also includes nanny’s, maids, and other labor. Once you start digging into this issue you really see how prevalent it is. The sex-trade gets the largest press.
- Liberty - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 12:08 pm:
From fall 2010 to spring 2015, The Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force has collaboratively prosecuted and tried 107 human trafficking cases, achieved 72 convictions, trained 9,100 potential first responders (police, social service providers,
health providers, et
https://socialwork.uic.edu/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/FINAL_-_Human_TraffickinginIllinoisFactSheet-November2015_2_121.pdf
- Langhorne - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 12:14 pm:
involuntary servitude, debt bondage or sexual exploitation.
The first two can include a lot of restaurant workers—abusive hours, conditions, wages. Jammed into squalid housing. Pervasive, but not necessarily obvious.
- titan - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 12:18 pm:
Trafficking is, of course, horrible. It should be a high priority for law enforcement.
Illinois is 6th in population among the states, and is a major transportation hub. So ranking 8th in cases of any kind of thing does not indicate that Illinois is significantly worse or better than anywhere else.
- lake county democrat - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 12:42 pm:
IIRC Tom Dart made a well-meaning but controversial move on this issue a couple years by trying to get credit card companies to stop processing payments to a website known for running thinly veiled prostitution ads (then got sued and lost in court). I don’t know what you can do about this other than ramp up enforcement and protection - stiff penalties for the pimps, outreach to and maybe refugee status for the victims.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 12:47 pm:
I recall reading an article within the last year that talked about how decriminalizing prostitution both increased human trafficking and hurt the livelihoods of the older, more experienced prostitutes in the area. This is because in making it both safer and legal to be a sex worker, the price of sexual services was driven down as the market became flooded with younger women (potentially trafficked, but not always) who are no longer afraid to work the streets or who are employed legally in brothels.
I don’t often agree with Vman, but he makes a solid point on this. The sex workers in places where prostitution is legalized and regulated aren’t exactly making great money, and they tend to be about 14 years old.
- Texas Red - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 2:05 pm:
…Yet, an overwhelming majority of Illinois citizens are uninformed about this important human rights issue…
sounds like we need a state run commission to get those numbers up ! Or on the other hand we can just assume that there will always be heart wrenching issues that the average joe/jane should pay attention to but don’t.
- drew - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 4:14 pm:
“Illinois ranks eighth in the nation in the number of cases of human trafficking, which includes many child victims”
Are any sources offered to support either of these claims?