Boston organizations have joined advocates from 10 other cities this week in launching a campaign to reduce demand for commercial sex by 20 percent in two years, according to a Feb. 4 press release.
Demand Abolition, a Cambridge-based group, is spearheading the Cities Empowered Against Sexual Exploitation Network to bring together 11 cities that are independently developing strategies to reduce sex trafficking. The program’s goal is to start an effort across the country to target sex buyers as a means of ending commercial sex trafficking.
Ziba Cranmer, executive director of Demand Abolition, said this starts with decreasing demand for the service.
“The ultimate goal is to reduce harm to exploited individuals within the sex trade. That’s the end goal. Reducing demand is really a strategy that we feel is critical to getting to that outcome,” Cranmer said. “The idea is that if you don’t have people buying sex, you don’t have the demand for this business. It will be less lucrative and therefore traffickers will not recruit in search for individuals to exploit into this trade.”
Network members plan on collecting and analyzing data on the illegal sex market and monitoring trafficking using online channels, the release stated. CEASE Network members will share findings, successes and challenges with other cities for rapid learning across the country.
Many of the 11 pilot teams have already begun executing strategies for reducing demand. Locally, Demand Abolition is using data from online trafficking sites like Backpage.com to analyze how prominent sex trades are in the online community.
“Getting the data is extremely challenging,” Cranmer said. “We’ve decided to focus on the sex trade that is facilitated through the online environment. Since the Internet has entered this industry, we estimate that 60 to 80 percent of sex trades now are facilitated through online channels.”
While the Internet facilitates online sex trades, it also helps initiatives like Demand Abolition track data and plan steps toward ending sex trafficking. Right now, Cranmer said Demand Abolition cities are committed to using this data to reduce demand for solicited sex.
“Luckily, that gives us a lot of opportunity to measure data. We’re trying to track what the process is,” Cranmer said. “The most important thing is making sure culturally this doesn’t become any more normal, that this is not a good thing.”
Demand Abolition also seeks the help of law enforcement in ending the stigma that prostitution often brings, she said.
“In addition to trying to stop the sex buying, another goal is to try to get law enforcement and society generally to see the vast majority of prostituted persons as victims, not as people who would choose this life if they had another choice,” Cranmer said. “It’s about getting law enforcement to look at this differently so they stop arresting women and really focus on the real perpetrators, which are the buyers.”
In seeking the help of law enforcement, Demand Abolition has also reached out to the City of Boston. Melina Schuler, spokeswoman for Boston Mayor Martin Walsh , said Boston’s approach to ending sex trafficking does not end with the Demand Abolition model.
“The City of Boston takes a multi-pronged approach to ending the exploitation and prostitution of women on Boston’s streets, addressing the needs of victims as well as prosecuting cases,” Schuler said in an email. “The Demand Abolition model, targeting Johns, and seeking to reduce the buying of sex by 20 percent over the next two years, is just one piece of the city’s approach.”
The Boston Police Department also has a Human Trafficking Unit, which works with non-profits like Demand Abolition. Schuler said BPD works to refer victims to these services for harm reduction and mediation.
“Prostitution is illegal in the City of Boston, and BPD arrests and prosecutes individuals for the solicitation of sex for a fee as well as those who provide it,” Schuler said. “Each strategy that is employed offers a different approach to reducing the harm delivered through the participation in human trafficking on any level. The City of Boston will make strides in defeating the exploitation and prostitution of women through this multi-faceted approach.”
Schuler said Boston plans to work with the other cities of the Demand Abolition model — Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Oakland, California, Phoenix, Portland, Oregon, San Diego and Seattle — to end sex trafficking.
“Public health officials, survivors harmed by the illegal sex trade, the community, business members and a multitude of other stakeholder groups, will work together to coordinate demand-based interventions that can be implemented to end the exploitation and prostitution of women,” Schuler said.
Several residents said stopping sex trafficking and providing safety for women involved in prostitution are essential.
Patricia Bruce, 23, of Back Bay, said anything done to combat commercial sex is significant.
“It’s important to stop sex trafficking,” she said. “I feel like anything toward stopping sex trafficking is a positive move.”
Harlen Eddy, 32, of Dorchester, said the focus should be concentrated on identifying and eradicating the cause of sex trafficking.
“It’s very important to know where these things are coming from and know exactly where to stop it,” she said.
Beverley Nguyen, 21, of Allston, said ensuring victims are secure should be the prime objective.
“I heard that those who are prostituted are scared of getting caught,” she said. “If they manage to find a safe haven for these girls and guys, they could come in and talk to them without the chance of being caught and sending them back out. It would make them more willing to talk.”
Editor-in-Chief. Bostonian by way of Indiana. Excessive Instagrammer. Seltzer addict. Journalism junkie, storytelling fiend.
