We’ve talked about rape and sexual assault for Sexual Assault Awareness month — which is great — but we have ignored human trafficking. Perhaps this is because it’s not really an issue in Idaho, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored.
Oregon, and the I-5 corridor — running from the north-most point of Washington to the south-most point of California — is one of the largest regions for human trafficking related sexual assault. Portland, a mere 350 miles away, is rated No. 2 in the nation for sex trafficking of minors. Starting around age 12, about 200,000 minors are abducted into the industry and sold for prostitution, according to Share Hope International.
In the U.S. we boast about how much better we are than other countries, but these claims are unfounded. There aren’t many things that are worse than being abducted and sold for the sole purpose of being used as a prostitute. Being raped is a horrendous act and deserves a month of awareness, but this is an issue that deserves even more because it is essentially repeated rape from an early age until they escape, die from a drug overdose or are of no more use.
Those who do escape have nowhere to go and often end up back in the industry. Portland has introduced legislation to create safe houses for these girls, but this is not the only issue at hand. The criminal penalties johns and pimps face are merely a slap on the wrist. The fines for johns charged with soliciting sex with a minor was recently increased to $10,000, but can be reduced if a judge believes they cannot afford the penalty and includes no jail time. This new law is a step in the right direction, but doesn’t necessarily discourage sex trafficking — especially considering pimps do not currently face similar penalties. It is under consideration, but the fee amount is being called too large of a sum.
Consider the following scenario: If a pimp requires each girl to make $500 a night and $1,000 on weekends, that amounts to $240,000 per year, per girl. These fines may make johns and pimps think about what they are doing for a second, but more than likely they focus on how to avoid being caught.
Oregon’s efforts to combat sex trafficking have been evident in the last year, but they are not the only state that needs to make an effort for change. People need to take notice and realize slavery is still an issue in the U.S. and we can do more to combat it than impose a fine.
Katy Sword can be reached at [email protected]