Sex Trafficking Research Paper
Combating Sex Trafficking:
Advancing Freedom for Women and Girls
Donna M. Hughes
Professor and Carlson Endowed Chair
Women's Studies Program, University of Rhode Island
Keynote Address
Northeast Women's Studies Association Annual Conference
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
March 5, 2005
Activist Scholarship
I have always considered Women's Studies to be the academic arm of the Women's Liberation Movement. I have pursued my research and scholarship with the goal of advancing women's freedom and equality.
I have done work on women and science, but my most activist scholarship has been on the trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls. My goals have been to document the violence against women that is inherent …show more content…
at the federal level has defined forced prostitution and sex trafficking to be forms of slavery. Sex trafficking is referred to as a form of modern-day slavery. This view is partially codified into law and policy and new legislation is being drafted right now to further this position.
In 2000, Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), which takes aim at the traffickers of foreign nationals and provides relief and services to people that have been trafficked into the U.S. for sex or labor. It is abolitionist in that all minors those under 18 are considered victims, and any woman who is in prostitution as a result of force, fraud, or coercion is considered to be a victim of trafficking and will not be charged with any violations of the law, such as prostitution.
The U.S. is also focusing more on what is called the demand side of sex trafficking, meaning there is increased effort to reduce the demand for sex acts by focusing on the men who buy sex acts and the pimps who control women and girls and promote prostitution. Last year, I did a research report for the U.S. State Department on the demand side of sex trafficking that focused on men's motivation and behavior related to buying sex acts, and described programs that focused on prosecuting or reeducating men. I'm working on a second report right …show more content…
Pictures of Melissa
These photographs are a graphic illustration of the impact of prostitution and drugs on a young woman. The photographs were taken by Pinellas County Police Dept. The first photograph is of Melissa when she was first arrested for prostitution at age 18. The second photograph of Melissa was taken at age 21 when she was arrested for prostitution and drugs. In between those times, she was arrested 17 times for prostitution. Her longest time in jail was 10 months. Because of the number of times she'd been arrested, she faced felony charges and 10 years in prison.
Melissa Age 18 Melissa Age 21
Escaping Prostitution
89% of women want out of
Advancing Freedom for Women and Girls
Donna M. Hughes
Professor and Carlson Endowed Chair
Women's Studies Program, University of Rhode Island
Keynote Address
Northeast Women's Studies Association Annual Conference
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
March 5, 2005
Activist Scholarship
I have always considered Women's Studies to be the academic arm of the Women's Liberation Movement. I have pursued my research and scholarship with the goal of advancing women's freedom and equality.
I have done work on women and science, but my most activist scholarship has been on the trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls. My goals have been to document the violence against women that is inherent …show more content…
at the federal level has defined forced prostitution and sex trafficking to be forms of slavery. Sex trafficking is referred to as a form of modern-day slavery. This view is partially codified into law and policy and new legislation is being drafted right now to further this position.
In 2000, Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), which takes aim at the traffickers of foreign nationals and provides relief and services to people that have been trafficked into the U.S. for sex or labor. It is abolitionist in that all minors those under 18 are considered victims, and any woman who is in prostitution as a result of force, fraud, or coercion is considered to be a victim of trafficking and will not be charged with any violations of the law, such as prostitution.
The U.S. is also focusing more on what is called the demand side of sex trafficking, meaning there is increased effort to reduce the demand for sex acts by focusing on the men who buy sex acts and the pimps who control women and girls and promote prostitution. Last year, I did a research report for the U.S. State Department on the demand side of sex trafficking that focused on men's motivation and behavior related to buying sex acts, and described programs that focused on prosecuting or reeducating men. I'm working on a second report right …show more content…
Pictures of Melissa
These photographs are a graphic illustration of the impact of prostitution and drugs on a young woman. The photographs were taken by Pinellas County Police Dept. The first photograph is of Melissa when she was first arrested for prostitution at age 18. The second photograph of Melissa was taken at age 21 when she was arrested for prostitution and drugs. In between those times, she was arrested 17 times for prostitution. Her longest time in jail was 10 months. Because of the number of times she'd been arrested, she faced felony charges and 10 years in prison.
Melissa Age 18 Melissa Age 21
Escaping Prostitution
89% of women want out of