Campaign to ‘end demand’ for sex workers

Official: Without buyers, sex-for-pay industry won’t thrive

HARTFORD >> The state’s Trafficking in Persons Council announced its new “End Demand” campaign Wednesday, the latest effort in its fight against sex trafficking in the state.

“Conversations about sex trafficking almost exclusively disregard the role of the individual buying sex — the ‘john,’” TIPC Chairwoman Jillian Gilchrest said in a press release Wednesday, which is national Human Trafficking Awareness Day. “The sex trafficking of Connecticut’s women, men, and children is driven by demand for the commercial sex acts they perform.”

Sex trafficking is defined by the state as when a person compels or induces another person to engage in sexual contact by means of force, threat of force, fraud or coercion.

“Put simply, without ‘buyers’ to purchase sex, there would be no sex-for-pay industry,” Gilchrest added. “So, we are embarking on an ‘End Demand’ campaign to bring much needed attention to those buying sex who create the demand that fuels sex trafficking.”

The TIPC, directed by the Connecticut Commission on Women, Children and Seniors, has long been arguing that the demand side of sex trafficking too often is ignored by law enforcement. In a study released last year, the TIPC reported that sex workers were seven times more likely than ‘johns’ to be convicted of a crime. The report found there were

1,841 prostitution convictions versus 269 convictions for buying sex from a prostitute between 2005 and 2014, according to data obtained from the Connecticut judicial branch.

“Demand keeps sexual exploitation and trafficking profitable,” said Beth Hamilton, associate director of the state’s Alliance to End Sexual Violence.

“We’ve started seeing the criminal justice system hold traffickers responsible, but we do not often see the people who purchase sex being held accountable for their role in keeping the industry thriving. If we want to end commercial sexual exploitation, we need to focus on ending demand and creating survivor-centered services.”

The TIPC’s “End Demand” campaign encourages men to “Be the kind of man you can be proud of: Don’t buy sex,” according to the website for the campaign.

The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness about sex trafficking in the state, encourage anti-demand efforts and laws at the legislative level, and change public policy regarding demand for sex in the state.

According to the state Department of Children and Families, there are at least 2,000 buyers in the state, based on reports the agency has heard from child victims — some claiming they served between 10 and 15 customers a night.

Tammy Sneed, co-chairwoman of DCF’s Human Anti-Trafficking Response Team, said there were just fewer than 200 reported cases of suspected domestic minor sex trafficking in 2016. Sneed said those numbers increase every year.

In addition to announcing the “End Demand” campaign, the TIPC released its annual report Wednesday, which included policy recommendations for the ongoing legislative session.

The recommendations include increasing the penalties for those convicted of patronizing a sex worker under the age of 18 in the state.

Currently, a convicted sex trafficker in the state may face up to 20 years in prison. The federal consequence for the crime is a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.

In addition, the TIPC wants those convicted of patronizing a sex worker under the age of 18 to be placed on the sex offender registry. Last year, the TIPC celebrated passage of new state laws that will require hotel and motel staffs in the state be trained to recognize signs of human trafficking and how to report suspected cases. New laws also do not allow the state to prosecute sex workers under 18 for prostitution crimes and there is a mandatory minimum fine of $2,000 for any convicted buyer of sex.