TRAFFICK CIRCLE PART II: JOHNS
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| The Traffick Circle |
The law of supply and demand are at the heart of any
business's success or failure. That law also holds true in the global criminal industry
of human trafficking. Without demand for human labor or sex, there would be no
need to establish supply.
The focus of this blog is on the consumer at the heart of the
illegal sex trade, those who drive the demand for commercial sex. Those
consumers are commonly referred to as "johns".
So, where does someone go to buy sex? In addition to
street prostitution, there is often a front
business johns go through to purchase illegal commercial sex.
Such businesses can include escort and massage services, private dancing,
drinking and photographic clubs, major sporting and recreational events
(including the Super Bowl), major cultural events, conventions, and tourist
destinations. Johns can also make appointments online to hook-up with
prostitutes via sites such as Craig's List or Backpage.com.
So, who are johns?
Believe it or not, many of them share some common
characteristics:
- The age of
their first purchased sex experience ranges anywhere from a very
young 11 to a mature 49. On average, though, johns first buy
sex when they are 21 years old.
- Peer pressure
was cited as a primary reason johns first buy sex.
- A
significantly higher number of johns (94%) have visited a strip
club as compared to non-sex buyers (54%).
- Frequent johns are
more likely to be married or older in age.
Many johns don't view the people from whom they are buying sex
as being victims of sex trafficking. In a study on prostitution, 67% of the
johns indicated they believed there are
no or only slightly
negative effects to purchasing sex. Shockingly,
54% of johns surveyed believe that prostitution actually decreases rape, while
a quarter consider the notion of raping a prostitute to be ridiculous,
believing prostitutes are "unrapable" and are all are
in that line of work by choice. The idea of prostitutes being trafficking
victims isn't a remote consideration for most people who buy sex.
Some johns exhibit negative behaviors and attitudes toward women
and sex. Nearly 40% of them
have admitted to "tricking" non-prostituting women into having sex,
while 16% claim they would rape a woman if they knew they wouldn't get caught.
Additional research shows that anywhere from 62%+ of violent
acts against women engaged in street-level prostitution were perpetrated by
johns. According to another study, 68% of women in prostitution said they had
been raped while working as prostitutes.
Health Consequences
It is estimated there are 19 million people with sexually
transmitted infections or diseases (STDs) in the U.S. Consumers who
participate in sex trafficking or prostitution are at high risk for contracting
and transmitting STDs to others -- sadly,
this also impacts unknowing spouses or intimate partners (again,
many johns who frequently purchase sex are married). Such STDs and other
subsequent serious, even life threatening illnesses can include:
- Human
Papillomavirus (HPV): by the way, transmission of HPV
is NOT prevented by condom use
- Gonorrhea: there are over
700,000 new infections per year in the U.S. alone; females are usually
asymptomatic carriers, meaning they rarely display any visible symptoms of
the disease.
- Chlamydia: this is the most
common STD; highest degree of incidence is seen in 15 to 19 year
olds. Known as a "silent" disease, most people who have
chlamydia don't know they have it.
- Liver cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Antibiotic
resistance
- Infertility
Legal Consequences
In my home state of Indiana, patronizing a prostitute (again,
many prostitutes are sex trafficking victims) is a Class A
misdemeanor; the offense jumps to a Class D felony if the person has
two prior convictions. To see other penalties around the country and world,
visit the U.S. Department of State website.
Thank you!
My deepest appreciation goes to the Indiana Attorney General's
Office under the direction of Attorney General Greg Zoeller for
providing much of this information, research and data. Special thanks goes to
Attorney and Human Trafficking Prevention Project Manager Nicole Baldonado and
Intern Kelly Dobkins
for their tremendous assistance, guidance and support. These dedicated
professionals, along with other state, local and federal officials, are
working diligently to protect the victims of human trafficking. Thank you for the
incredible work you do!
This post was written by Ginger Kadlec and we at Safety First for Girls would like to thank her for allowing us to share this very information on our website.
About Ginger
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| Ginger Kadlec and Chance |
Working to improve the world one child at a time, Ginger has made it her
life mission to raise awareness of the world-wide epidemic of child abuse.
An
impassioned child advocate, trainer, speaker and child forensic interviewer,
Ginger can be contacted via her website “Ginger Kadlec: 4UrKids™” at gingerkadlec.com or find her on Facebook facebook.com/gingergkadlec.
You can also connect with Ginger via other social media at:
· Twitter: twitter.com/GingerKadlec
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