The Prostitution Myth Exposed
Prostitution is an issue that has been greatly misunderstood over the years by most people. This is why I refer to the “prostitution myth.”
The classical conventional wisdom is that prostitutes sell their bodies for sex because (1) they can make good money doing so, and (2) they are “that kind of girl”—–in other words, they enjoy doing what they do. Popular books like “The Happy Hooker,” written in the early 70’s and re-published in 2002, give the impression that sex for money is fun—and good business, and just another example of “life, liberty and the the pursuit of happiness.” Thankfully, this is a MYTH that has begun to fade in recent years.
The fact is, only a very small percentage of prostitutes are voluntary, and most of those were initially forced into the sex trade either by abduction, bait and switch, or some other ploy used by traffickers. Justice For Youth is focused on human trafficking in Moldova and Ukraine, where young people are being sold wholesale, by force, into the sex trade. Lured with promises of a good job, they are systematically screened, abducted, drugged and sold on the black market.
Some statistics: Every year, 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders–and the majority of those victims come from Eastern Europe. If that number doesn’t grab you, 27 million people are enslaved across the world in this vicious enterprise. Human trafficking rakes in 32 billion dollars a year in revenue, placing it in a virtual tie with arms dealing as the second most profitable criminal enterprise in the world.
GREAT! It’s a competition between those who hope for more wars to break out and those who see our schools as money farms!
It has become very clear, as we launch into the new millennium, that though the sexual revolution of the 60’s is over, and many mature baby boomers laugh as they look back, years removed, on their escapades, sexual exploitation is alive and well and has reached epidemic proportions. Like a raging fire on an open dry field with the wind blowing, the trafficking of people for the purpose of sex is spreading out of control.
It is encouraging to see so many news organizations and NGO’s raising the red flag on human trafficking in general and sex trafficking in particular. Yet the unspoken question is:
Why now? Why, after all these years of ignoring it and even feeding the fire, is sex trafficking a red flag issue? After three decades of slowly transforming prime time television from a G-rated to an R-rated enterprise, we find many in Hollywood becoming active in human trafficking awareness programs. It is like the baby alligator in the pond in the backyard that grew up—and now it is time to do something about it.
What can we do? We can either invest our efforts in rescuing those who are already trapped or we can focus our energies on preventative measures. BOTH are crucial. We need more people on the ground and more strategies in place in both arena’s to stop the bleeding—and prevent further expansion of this wildfire.
Justice For Youth is engaged in reaching the schools of Moldova and Ukraine because these two countries are hot-beds for human trafficking in Eastern Europe, which is a leader in global sex trafficking. Our strategy is to place 3 posters in each school and conduct seminars designed to educate and inform students of the dangers of modern day slavery and the human trafficking industry. You can be involved in this effort through our Adopt A School initiative. Why not kick off the New Year by kicking in $19 to reaching a whole school of “at risk” young people with the vital education and tools they need to avoid being trafficked? Find our more about JFY ADOPT A SCHOOL
