......... A Woman. A Prostitute. A Slave. OPINION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The streets of NYC
A Woman. A Prostitute. A Slave.
OPINION
by Nicholas D. Kristof
New York Times
November 28, 2010
Americans tend to associate “modern slavery” with illiterate girls in India or Cambodia. Yet there I was the other day, interviewing a college graduate who says she spent three years terrorized by pimps in a brothel in Midtown Manhattan.
Those who think that commercial sex in this country is invariably voluntary — and especially men who pay for sex — should listen to her story. The men buying her services all mistakenly assumed that she was working of her own volition, she says.
Yumi Li (a nickname) grew up in a Korean area of northeastern China. After university, she became an accountant, but, restless and ambitious, she yearned to go abroad.
So she accepted an offer from a female jobs agent to be smuggled to New York and take up a job using her accounting skills and paying $5,000 a month. Yumi's relatives had to sign documents pledging their homes as collateral if she did not pay back the $50,000 smugglers' fee from her earnings.
Yumi set off for America with a fake South Korean passport. On arrival in New York, however, Yumi was ordered to work in a brothel.
“When they first mentioned prostitution, I thought I would go crazy,” Yumi told me. “I was thinking, ‘how can this happen to someone like me who is college-educated?' ” Her voice trailed off, and she added: “I wanted to die.”
She says that the four men who ran the smuggling operation — all Chinese or South Koreans — took her into their office on 36th Street in Midtown Manhattan. They beat her with their fists (but did not hit her in the face, for that might damage her commercial value), gang-raped her and videotaped her naked in humiliating poses. For extra intimidation, they held a gun to her head.
If she continued to resist working as a prostitute, she says they told her, the video would be sent to her relatives and acquaintances back home. Relatives would be told that Yumi was a prostitute, and several of them would lose their homes as well.
Yumi caved. For the next three years, she says, she was one of about 20 Asian prostitutes working out of the office on 36th Street. Some of them worked voluntarily, she says, but others were forced and received no share in the money.
Yumi played her role robotically. On one occasion, Yumi was arrested for prostitution, and she says the police asked her if she had been trafficked.
“I said no,” she recalled. “I was really afraid that if I hinted that I was a victim, the gang would send the video to my family.”
Then one day Yumi's closest friend in the brothel was handcuffed by a customer, abused and strangled almost to death. Yumi rescued her and took her to the hospital. She said that in her rage, she then confronted the pimps and threatened to go public.
At that point, the gang hurriedly moved offices and changed phone numbers. The pimps never mailed the video or claimed the homes in China; those may have been bluffs all along. As for Yumi and her friend, they found help with Restore NYC (see article / info below), a nonprofit that helps human trafficking victims in the city.
I can't be sure of elements of Yumi's story, but it mostly rings true to me and to the social workers who have worked with her. There's no doubt that while some women come to the United States voluntarily to seek their fortunes in the sex trade, many others are coerced — and still others start out forced but eventually continue voluntarily. And it's not just foreign women. The worst cases of forced prostitution, especially of children, often involve home-grown teenage runaways.
No one has a clear idea of the scale of the problem, and estimates vary hugely. Some think the problem is getting worse; others believe that Internet services reduce the role of pimps and lead to commercial sex that is more consensual. What is clear is that forced prostitution should be a national scandal. Just this month, authorities indicted 29 people, mostly people of Somali origin from the Minneapolis area, on charges of running a human trafficking ring that allegedly sold many girls into prostitution — one at the age of 12.
There are no silver bullets, but the critical step is for the police and prosecutors to focus more on customers (to reduce demand) and, above all, on pimps. Prostitutes tend to be arrested because they are easy to catch, while pimping is a far harder crime to prosecute. That's one reason thugs become pimps: It's hugely profitable and carries less risk than selling drugs or stealing cars. But that can change as state and federal authorities target traffickers rather than their victims.
Nearly 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, it's time to wipe out the remnants of slavery in this country.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's information on the non profit organization mentioned in the OPINION piece above .. "Restore NYC":
Slavery Today There are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today. Most slaves are
trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation, and most (80%) are female. In 2006, 76% of trafficked women were physically assaulted by their trafficker,
90% were physically forced to engage in sexual acts. 91% were threatened
with death, beatings, harm to their families and re-trafficking. Taffickers
stand
to earn about 32 billion of that total. This makes humantrafficking
the third
largest, and fastest growing, criminal industry in the world.
Restore implements a comprehensive model of service delivery for our clients as a way to fight the epidemic of modern-day slavery in NYC. Our program provides tailored services that are victim-centered and implements an empowerment model that focuses on restoring a client's freedom and identity through validation, community and a celebration of strengths. Our goal is to support and walk alongside our clients as they move forward in their healing journey.
Currently, Restore offers specialized services for the Korean and Chinese immigrant population. As our organization continues to expand, we will seek to provide services for other international women who are victims of sex trafficking. Restore's program is designed to holistically address the long-term effects of sex trafficking on this unique population.
Our direct services include:
Individual Counseling
Restore offers culturally and linguistically sensitive counseling services for each client as a way to address the complex trauma-related issues. Using a strengths-perspective model, counselors help to empower clients in discovering and implementing strengths and resources they possess as a way to achieve their life goals.
Case Management
Recovering victims require customized and intensive case management services in order to reach a level of stability, including entitlements, immigration issues, linkages to other services and translation assistance.
Medical Advocacy
Restore provides linkages to medical services that are accessible to the unique health needs of recovering clients, as well as, financial assistance to help subsidize clients' medical costs. Case managers also accompany clients to receive treatments, such as STD/HIV testing, OB/GYN check-ups and provide translation, if needed.
Court Advocacy
Typically, internationally trafficked victims have no real knowledge of the United States legal and court systems. Restore assists in translation and provides education on these complex and often overwhelming matters. Currently, Restore provides support and guidance for Asian women with cases in New York City's Criminal Courts. We currently maintain a presence in the Prostitution Diversion part in the Queens Criminal Court. We also have a partnership with the Midtown Community Court and are currently developing a presence at the Brooklyn Criminal Court.
Liasion with Legal Services
For clients who are eligible for immigration relief, Restore makes legal referrals to immigration attorneys and provides emotional support and translation services for clients.
Mentoring Program
Restore offers opportunities for trained volunteers within the New York City community to offer their skills and talents to assist recovering victims. The mentoring program supports volunteers to assist clients by providing one-on-one ESL lessons or offering guidance in developing life skills for healthy daily living. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please contact restorevolunteer@gmail.com
Movement Therapy
Our yoga program began in 2009, aiding clients in their healing process through movement therapy. Through a partnership with the YWCA of Queens, victims of trafficking are able to receive free trauma-sensitive yoga classes. Yoga instructors are trained in helping victims of sexual abuse and exploitation and they provide a safe space for survivors to engage in a healing activity.
Sewing Project
Restore has partnered with a social enterprise, called Hello Rewind, which creates job opportunities for our clients to transform old, beloved t-shirts into handmade, custom laptop sleeves. This pilot program offers Restore clients an opportunity to:
Learn business and sewing skills and make a good wage
Work in a safe and friendly environment
Learn English and gain confidence by working in a professional environment
Community Outreach and Education
In addition to providing these direct services, Restore also offers community outreach and education to raise awareness and understanding of modern-day slavery. We participate in panel discussions and offer presentations at churches, schools, courts, and community organizations. If you are interested in having Restore provide a presentation on sex trafficking in NYC, please contact info@restorenyc.org.
Long-Term Safehouse
Restore plans to launch a residential pilot safe house during the Fall/Winter of 2010 for women survivors of international sex trafficking. Providing a home for women escaping sex trafficking is the primary goal of our program. When a woman escapes trafficking, she is immediately in need of safe housing.
Restore's residential program is designed to holistically address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of this population. The program (once fully established) will include:
A safe and nurturing living environment where participants live together to enhance their recovery.
Basic services, including nourishing food, clothing, access to medical care and referrals to legal services.
A day program that will offer instruction in the English language, GED preparation, computer training, as well as, social and interpersonal skills.
Optional spiritual discipleship.
Job training skills and on-the-job experience through business cooperatives.
By providing the combination of a stable, nurturing and long-term living environment and necessary social services, Restore seeks to empower sex trafficked survivors to heal and achieve reintegration into society as a free and whole person.
