EXPERTS GATHER IN CHICAGO OCTOBER 16-17 TO CONFRONT
THE DEMAND ELEMENT IN THE U.S. SEX TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN
Conference to Explore and Create Strategies for Eradicating Demand
Sex trafficking has
proliferated into a multi-billion dollar criminal activity, as
profitable for criminal syndicates as the global narcotics trade. Once
considered a third-world problem, sex trafficking now profits from a
major customer base in the United States. The State Department and
non-governmental organizations estimate that 50,000 women and children
from around the world are trafficked annually into the United States
to satisfy the demand of hundreds of thousands of men who pay to
consume them as sexual entertainment. Although these men have
propelled sex trafficking into a multi-billion dollar enterprise, this
“demand” side of trafficking still receives little public or media
attention.
Captive Daughters, California's oldest anti-sex trafficking
organization and DePaul University's International Human Rights Law
Institute of Chicago have assembled some of the nation's leading
authorities on human trafficking, prostitution, and human rights for
"Demand Dynamics: The Forces of Demand in Global Sex Trafficking".
This two-day conference, held at Chicago's prestigious Newberry
Library on October 16 and 17, will increase understanding of those who
purchase women and children for sexual entertainment and develop
strategies to counteract them.
Demand Dynamics will feature nearly 60
experts in fields relating to trafficking. Speakers will address
topics including how consumers of sex trafficking find their “supply”;
how demand is manipulated and maintained; what governmental policies
or practices enable the actions of consumers; and what concrete
measures can be taken to interfere with and ultimately eliminate
demand.
The keynote speaker for the conference is
Dorchen A. Leidholdt, Co-Executive Director of the Coalition
Against Trafficking in Women and Director of the Center for Battered
Women's Legal Services at Sanctuary for Families in New York City.
Among the experts who will be addressing the
conference are: Dr. Laura Lederer, Senior Advisor on
Trafficking, Office of Global Affairs, U.S. Department of State;
Jackson Katz, a leading anti-sexist male activist widely
recognized for his ground-breaking work in the field of gender
violence prevention education; Norma Hotaling, a former
homeless prostitute and founder of The Sage Project, Inc. in San
Francisco, who established the First Offender Prostitution Program
where “johns” learn about the negative consequences of prostitution;
Kristen Houser, Director of Programming, Nebraska Domestic
Violence Sexual Assault Coalition; and Dr. Mary Anne Layden,
specialist on the effects of pornography and Director of Education for
the Center for Cognitive Therapy, Department of Psychiatry, University
of Pennsylvania.
“Sex trafficking is one of the most challenging
and complex human rights crises of our time, yet it receives little
public attention,” says DePaul University Professor Morrison Torrey, a
nationally recognized authority on violence against women and member
of the advisory board of the International Human Rights Law Institute.
Sandra Hunnicutt, founder of Captive Daughters, noted that “while
there are many groups and governments diligently working on victim
assistance, unless we focus more energy and resources on the market
dynamics of demand, we will not be able to develop the strategies and
commitment necessary to bring trafficking to an end. This conference
is an important step forward in the effort to elevate public awareness
of some of the best expert thinking on the subject currently
available.”
As a testament to the emerging
importance of this issue, President Bush recently warned the U.N.
General Assembly of the growing dangers of the international sex
trade. “The victims of sex trade see little of life before they see
the very worst of life,” he said. “Those who create these victims and
profit from their suffering must be severely punished. Those who
patronize this industry debase themselves and deepen the misery of
others. And governments that tolerate this trade are tolerating a form
of slavery."
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