As reported by local media

My apartment building has a lot of college students so there is a stack of Daily Texan newspapers in the lobby. When I came back with my customary breakfast danish and coffee about Noon today I noticed the following story touted above the masthead.



‘Sex-trafficking survivor sheds light on suffering”

So, to set the cat among the pigeons, here it is for your discomfort. I cut and pasted to leave out the picture of the author/victim so as delay the knee-jerk reaction based on her appearance from the “gentlemen” who have trouble (or disdain to try) concealing their hooves and snouts.

Campaign goes nationwide to raise student awareness, urge victims to break silence

By Jennifer Ifebi, Daily Texan Staff
Published: Monday, August 30, 2010

"When Theresa Flores relocated with her family to Detroit, Mich. at the age of 15, it was just another move to follow her father’s business career. She could not have predicted she would become trapped in a child sex-trafficking ring six months after the move.
After being date raped by a boy she was interested in, Flores was forced into a sex-trafficking ring, facing daily sexual abuse and torture at the hands of him and his family. Raised a Catholic with strong family values, Flores was ashamed to tell her parents and three brothers, suffering in silence for seven years after the first rape and fearing that the secret would bring shame on the family.
“He spent a lot of time grooming me, complimenting me,” she said of her rapist, telling herself, “Theresa, you’re being stupid. You know him, it’ll be fine.”
Flores told her story Saturday morning at an event hosted by Stop Child Trafficking Now, a nationwide campaign targeting child-sex predators.
Flores, who was promoting her new book “The Slave Across The Street,” told the crowd about one night when she was raped by two dozen men, adding “terrified was not even a word I could describe of how I felt.”
“Here, gentleman, is your reward for your hard work,” the head of the sex ring told his associates, as Flores succumbed with her hands tied.
She was eventually rescued by a waitress working at restaurant where the men in sex ring often took their rape victims. They used inconspicuous places such as eateries, hotels and massage parlors as cover-ups to thwart police.
“People saw that they could make money out of me and enhance their business,” she said.
Deek Moore, a detective with the Austin Police Department, said law enforcement usually arrests the women involved, who are forced into prostitution, instead of the men who head the slave sex rings. Some police departments are increasingly allowing the women to confess if they are involved in prostitution on their own, or victims of a sex ring.
“[The women] trust that our hearts are in the right place and that we’re not just trying to throw them in jail,” he said.
Students are shocked to find out about this modern-day slavery, said Noël Busch-Armendariz, director of the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at the UT School of Social Work.
“Most [students] are concerned about the issue and are amazed to believe that modern day slavery still exists,” she said.
Government junior, Leyla Olano said seeing a person firsthand who was a victim of human trafficking put the problem into perspective.
“An actual survivor brings so much to a person and awareness to their reality,” she said. “It opens people’s eyes to a reality they don’t want to see because it’s ugly.”
Olano, who has been involved in the organization since last year, said she’s tweaked some minor things in her daily routine, like not running late at night.
Laurie Heffron, program coordinator at the Center for Social Work Research, said the women involved in sex trafficking might not show any outward signs of abuse or torture if they are rescued.
“Victims of human trafficking are among us, working in fields and restaurants, in people’s home, in brothels and on the streets,” she said. “They may be too afraid to speak out or too emotionally coerced to recognize themselves as being victims and having rights or being eligible for assistance.”

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/cont...ight-suffering

A few thoughts: There is no doubt that there are vulnerable people out there and numerous people, nearly all of them men, eager to exploit them and this has been the case for a very long time. Between the turn of the Twentieth Century and the the First World War there were lots of books, still to be found in antique shops, decrying “white slavery” which was what human trafficking was called then, of women displaced by the technological and economic changes that forced millions off the farm and into the cities unprepared for what awaited the poor and uneducated.

Is this relevant to The Hobby? I had an absolutely wonderful three hour session Saturday with a well-known local lady whom I would consider an educated and sophisticated self-employed business woman using her beauty and skills to simultaneously satisfy the need to make a living and an, unusual for a woman, ability to enjoy sex outside of a relationship. I just booked a meeting with another such lady. I’m intensely grateful for women like them. Yet there are is no doubt that many ladies in the business are here stickily for the money and because they cannot earn a “decent” living elsewhere. These are the ones struggling not to grit their teeth while they “let” disagreeable things be done to them. That’s not a comfortable consumer experience even if there is no criminal conspiracy involved. Unless, of course, you have managed to turn your empathy off entirely.

There is a moderately funny youtube video of a young Swede saying, “Welcome to Sweden where it is not illegal to sell sex but it is against the law to buy it”. That is the coming thing - laws directed against customer guys and not sex workers. Sweden is usually about a half a century ahead of the US so I expect to be long past caring by the time that idea catches on here. Perhaps the police will have to start paying a bonus for female officers with good looks for sting duty, as they do now for other than English language abilities.

I think a site like this, the way it is structured and operated, can be reasonably expected to contribute far more to the safety and independence of women inclined to offer their services than it lends itself to be used to benefit exploiters fronted by women under duress.

There will be cases of both even here, but the bad guys are highly motivated to try to tightly control the flow of information.

Thank you so much for posting this story. It is frustrating to no end that the puritan beliefs that drive most our politics are actually holding us back. I don't understand how society can be so ignorant not to see the benefits of legalizing prostitution. Sure trafficking would still exist, but if sex workers felt they wouldn't be punished I can't even imagine how many of these sick rings would be stopped. The real focus could be put on these serious crimes instead of consenting adults. Regarding the topic you brought up about the girls who enjoy the hobby and aren't just here because of their lack of money or education. I understand where you are coming from, but its a very tricky thing. I think even if most of the girl's main motivation is money they are still thankful for the hobby therfore perform so well you wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway. Everyone dislikes their job at times. I want to post more about this in just a bit.

Thank you so much for posting this story. ........Everyone dislikes their job at times. I want to post more about this in just a bit. Originally Posted by BritneyBangs

Wait for it... wait for it............... she loves to tease......

I got a little off topic. I guess the main thing is I wish our laws were different. I really think it would put some of these monsters out of business and protect the innocent victims. As providers we see and hear many things. Its part of our job to keep secrets.Often its things we don't want to know about, but can see clearly just from our experience. For example, we may be contacted by one of these monsters that lead sex rings like this. What can we can do? Take it to le....of course not. Here is another example, you are checking out the competion on bp or what have you and notice the tale tale signs of a pimp. Not the usual pimp, much worse. You do some digging and find out something that le would probably over look. Then there are times where we hear stories thru the grapevine. Its just a damn shame we can not do anything, in most cases, without being persecuted.

This is part of the reason I look down on sw participation. How does the client know that the girl he is seeing isn't someones run away/kidnapped daughter being tortured day and night. They don't know, for the most part. Granted, some girls want to be out on the street. Granted, some girls are probably better off in the street than at home where they might have been badly abused. Still, I really can not comprehend how some one could participate in sexual services with a girl they don't know for sure isn't being held against her will. Not just physically but mentally or emotionally. That seems so predatory and cold hearted. The same goes for some of the amp's imo.

In the OP's news story the author states

"Flores was forced into a sex-trafficking ring, facing daily sexual abuse and torture at the hands of him and his family. Raised a Catholic with strong family values, Flores was ashamed to tell her parents and three brothers, suffering in silence for seven years after the first rape and fearing that the secret would bring shame on the family"

So she was in contact with her family while this was going on. Britney, If that level of control is possible to permit continued victimization, how can anyone be sure that any provider isn't a slave. No need to single out SW's. It's not hard to imagine a pimp starting a website, setting online appointments, participating in a review board, being in a room next door during a session. All while she is purportedly an independent to the community. How does the "independent provider" have anymore opportunity to get away from her oppressor than the SW who gets in the car with her John and drives several blocks away?

‘Sex-trafficking survivor sheds light on suffering”

So, to set the cat among the pigeons, here it is for your discomfort. I cut and pasted to leave out the picture of the author/victim so as delay the knee-jerk reaction based on her appearance from the “gentlemen” who have trouble (or disdain to try) concealing their hooves and snouts. Originally Posted by greymouse

Um, no. The photo is either of victim Theresa Flores or an attendee at a Stop Child Trafficking Now tea party*, not author Jennifer Ifebi; different women, mouse.


*Caption's ambiguous: "Theresa Flores talks to an attendee after telling her story about surviving human trafficking in Detroit, Mich. at the Stop Child Trafficking Now tea party Saturday morning."

I parse that as a picture of two people talking, don't you? But there's only one in the picture.

Um, no. The photo is either of victim Theresa Flores or an attendee at a Stop Child Trafficking Now tea party*, not author Jennifer
; different women, mouse.


*Caption's ambiguous: "Theresa Flores talks to an attendee after telling her story about surviving human trafficking in Detroit, Mich. at the Stop Child Trafficking Now tea party Saturday morning."

I parse that as a picture of two people talking, don't you? But there's only one in the picture. Originally Posted by 78704

78704: Did you read the article? Ms Flores is the author of the book The Slave Across The Street. She is promoting the book in a series of speaking appearances, as authors typically do. The newspaper story covers the public appearance. The accompanying picture in the University daily paper shows the featured speaker in act of answering a question from a person not included in the frame. It is a Very common type of picture caption in news media. None of which has anything to to do with anything even slightly substantial but I must admit the QED condescending way you put it grated a little bit. Perhaps things look more different down in '04 than I had imagined could be possible.

Discretionaryincome: Yes, no one can be completely sure of anything. A reasonable amount of discretion in deciding where and how to spend one's income is the best we can do in avoiding Cardinal sins, bad experiences and buyer's remorse. Some people, outside The Hobby, would say since you can't be sure that any given sex worker is actually independent and acting out of free will then it is immoral, in addition to the given illegal, to spend money on any of them. However, even if every member of this website should have a Damascus moment and pack it in, t all at once the commercial sex business would not go away. And it is possible that some of the practitioners would be worse off for the sudden outbreak of abstention.

Thank you, Greymouse, for your thoughtful post on the matter. It is very disheartening to think that in any way, one could contribute to such exploitation of others.

...Different but related... Last year, I had concerns that the nail salon I was going to, might be using trafficked people they and helping them to pass the cosmetology exam for a manicurist license.

I went there for about a year, and in normal conversations with them, I was able to see a pattern of techs not allowed to speak to clients, more than a word or two. The front desk lady would stop them midsentence and finish for them. But, they admitted to living in group housing and having no family to eat a meal with, etc. It was weird. I quit going there.

Now, I see they have completely changed names and people, but I still don't go to a nail salon. I don't want a 'virtual slave' servicing me! Ick.

Peace and love,

I always wondered about the AMPs. I see comments about poor English, new girls every month, and wonder what's really going on. I've never been to one.

In countries like Sweden where buying is illegal but selling is not, I think they presume that the sex worker is a victim. And that may be the case more often than here since they get a lot of girls from Eastern Europe, Nigeria, etc. I don't know how prevalent it is since I have no experience hobbying outside the US. I've seen SWs when I've traveled to various European countries, but don't know anything about the higher end escort scene in any of those countries.

Yeah, I too have wondered about the AMPs...I've been to a few across the country when I traveled for work. I've since stopped because I think the chance that they are victims is just too great. I've also studied up on it some and have seen some investigative shows on TV. I was going to pose a question to this board to get peoples thoughts on the matter but this came along.

I now choose to visit independent FBSM providers instead. Much easier to determine the situation that they are in. IMO that is...

How many would agree that it's most likely that AMP are probably being trafficked?

I've lurked around here for a long time and I've found a lot of value on many levels. I've been inspired to anger, to laughter, to lust and disgust by this rich and diverse community. This thread is a perfect example.

There are not many places left in the world that reinforce and inspire the true meaning of these disappearing ideas:
Chivalry
Honor
Integrity
respect
sacrifice
dignity

These ideas are fading away in the real world. Soon, I'm afraid, they'll be gone entirely. I think it's worth taking a moment to acknowledge that this is a community where people still value these concepts. It's made up of people who try to hold THEMSELVES to a higher standard.

Start this conversation in the real world, sit back and watch, and it quickly turns into a blame game where the loudest participants demand that OTHERS are responsible.

Bravo, people. You are comporting yourselves with honor, with respect for opposing viewpoint, and with thoughtfulness and consideration for differing sensibilities. I could not let it go unrecognized.