EXPLOITED IN SEX TRADE
Survivors struggle to face pimps face-to-face in court
Five years ago, after a long-fought battle, Massachusetts enacted a tough law that could put pimps behind bars for a very long time, even for life.
But for the victims of the sex trade, facing and testifying against their traffickers in court is far from easy.
They fear for their lives. They fear for family members’ lives. They don’t want to relive their horrific pasts. And ironically, some are loyal to their traffickers. They have children with them.
In short, it’s complicated and difficult for victims, advocates and survivors told me yesterday, following a Herald report that found sex traffickers are often allowed to plead down to less jail time and reduced charges, serving an average of four to 5 1⁄ years in 2 prison.
“Testifying against your exploiter is really challenging for the young people that we serve. There’s often a very intense bond there that feels as close to love as they’ve ever had,” said Lisa Goldblatt Grace, director of My Life My Choice, a survivor-led Boston organization fighting sex trafficking.
“This has been the person that in their mind, despite the degradation and the violence and the pain, who is also sometimes their most consistent person, and the one who said that he or she would take care of them,” Goldblatt Grace said.
Jasmine Grace Marino, who was sold for sex for five years by her abusive pimp, said testifying against a trafficker in open court and “telling people about the shameful, embarrassing, horrific thing that happened to you isn’t simple.”
“She could be in legit fear of her life,” added Marino, who said women who get sold for sex have a “sense of loyalty” to their traffickers. “She’s been trained to be loyal, not to be a snitch.”
Marino, whose pimp used the “boyfriend role” to gain her trust and love, had the courage to go to court and get a restraining order against him after he broke a glass door at her apartment.
“I was able to say I was in an abusive relationship, but I didn’t take it a step further and say he was my pimp,” Marino said. “I was afraid. I didn’t want to admit it.”
Cherie Jimenez, a sextrade survivor and founder of The Eva Center, said it can be very stressful for victims to retell their stories. “It might be a year later and you’ve moved on. It’s re-traumatizing,” Jimenez said. “I don’t think people realize how complicated it is for the women doing this.”
The Eva Center works with law enforcement, Jimenez said, to make sure victims are safe and feel supported.
“We will support whatever decision they make here, but we certainly want to see people held accountable,” said Jimenez. “The ones that can get out of the area, and are more able to restart their life, have an easier time than women who have a lot of barriers in getting out or feel more connected to the community.”
Some women, Jimenez said, even feel a sense of relief when their trafficker pleads out.
But when a survivor is able to give a victim impact statement after sentencing, Goldblatt Grace said, “it can be a profoundly healing experience.”