WKOK radio hosts Mark Lawrence and Joe McGranaghan hosted CSE Institute Director Shea Rhodes, and Susan Mathias, CEO of Transitions Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, August 20 to discuss the status of the commercial sex industry in Pennsylvania and in the United States.
Rhodes and Mathias addressed Amnesty International’s highly debated stance advocating for the decriminalization of prostitution – which includes decriminalizing the pimps/traffickers and the johns – those who purchase sex. Both Rhodes and Mathias adamantly oppose decriminalizing traffickers and the demand, with Rhodes calling this movement “atrocious.” “Amnesty International turned their back on the women and children who are being sexually exploited,” Rhodes says.
Rhodes defined terms in the Pennsylvania crimes code related to prostitution as a framework to advocate for the Swedish or Nordic Model to be adopted in Pennsylvania. Patronizing Prostitution applies to those that purchase sex – or the “johns.” Promoting Prostitution applies to those who are engaged in pimping or trafficking. Prostitution applies to those that sell sex – the prostituted or sexually exploited person.
The position of the CSE Institute, according to Rhodes, is that “the best way to combat sexual exploitation is to in effect decriminalize those who sell sex, the prostituted person, and go after those who are purchasing sex and profiting from sex trade [johns and pimps].” Mathias echoed Rhodes’ position.
Rhodes cited Sweden’s practice of decriminalizing the individuals in prostitution and an example of what the CSE Institute is advocating in their policy education. Since 1999, it has been illegal in Sweden to purchase sex, but not to sell it. This practice is also followed in Canada, Northern Ireland, Norway, and Iceland. Rhodes called the American practice of prosecuting prostitutes, but not those who patronize or promote sex, “gender-based inequality.” Rhodes advocates for decriminalization of the individuals who sex and offering them abundant social services.
Nationally, cities are beginning to police the demand. Demand Abolition and the CEASE Network are organizations working to abolish the demand by working with cities such as Seattle, Washington – which launched a “Buyer Beware” campaign last year. Seattle has put the johns on notice that purchasing sex is illegal and they will be arrested and prosecuted if they are caught. Mathias echoed Rhodes’ stance for policing the traffickers and johns and advocated for social services to be made available for the victims of sex trafficking.
When asked what should men do to combat human trafficking? Rhodes responded, “Every man should stop buying sex and stop saying among peers boys will be boys. It should no longer be a sanctioned activity.” Rhodes advocates for a paradigm shift in the way society views prostituted persons. Any vulnerable individual is at risk for being trafficked or sexually exploited, Rhodes states, and she calls men to not participate in, or condone, taking advantage of the vulnerable members of society.
Pimps make money, according to Rhodes, because it is a demand-driven industry. If there is no demand, then pimps go out of business. Rhodes intends to continue to bring awareness to the human rights violations associated with human trafficking. “Don’t participate in it,” she says. “Don’t condone it among peers. This is not ‘Pretty Woman.’ Hollywood has glamourized the sex industry.”
“Treat the victims of commercial sexual exploitation as victims,” she says.
The phone number of the National Human Trafficking Resource Center is 1-888-373-7888. Find CSE at http://cseinstitute.org/.