High demand triggers rise in sex trafficking cases in Micronesia

6 May 2008 in Australasia, North America, Prostitution, Trafficking

The continuous demand for sex services is the main reason why cases of sex trafficking are rising in almost any part of the world.

This is why Shared Hope International is focusing on an anti-demand campaign, according to its director of programs, Samantha Vardaman.

Shared Hope International was founded by then-Congresswoman Linda Smith, R-Wash., in 1998, that aims to rescue and restore women and children in crisis.

“Demand is the number one public enemy of the rising figures in sex trafficking because if people are not demanding sexual services, there won’t be a supply of commercial sex traffickers or pimps, and no business going on,” Vardaman said during the Rotary Club’s regular meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan in CNMI.

“The demand for sex services comes from the consumers, buyers or whatever you may call the individuals who are paying for commercial sex activities, and as long as they are there, the problem of sex trafficking will always be there,” Vardaman said.

She added that sex trafficking is not limited to the physical aspect but it includes meeting the demand for commercial sexual entertainment at the strip clubs, gentlemen’s clubs, pornography and other forms.

Vardaman noted that in the CNMI, only very few cases of human trafficking in minors occur due to the close community ties the people share.

“The CNMI has been included in the 10 locations that we are conducting an assessment for human and sex trafficking cases, but this does not mean the commonwealth made it to the top ranks,” she said.

“The close ties serve as a safety net for minors in the CNMI and the islands are spared from the tragic things that are happening in bigger cities,” Vardaman said.

However, she said this is not an assurance that the community can relax as she urged everybody to keep their eyes open and watch for anything that’s out of the ordinary.

“If you see a minor girl walking out in Garapan at midnight dressed in questionable clothes, this is something odd and you should call the Department of Public Safety, the Crime Stoppers or other agencies to prevent anything before it gets complicated,” she said.

She added that the U.S. Department of Justice funded 10 new areas for human trafficking task force in addition to the existing 32 locations operating throughout America.

“Anyone under 18 who has been exploited sexually are a victims of human trafficking. There’s no need to prove any kind of coercion even if the girl has actively participated, she is a child and she is a victim,” she said.

The other nine areas are Clearwater Florida, Baton Rouge Los Angeles, Independence Missouri. Las Vegas, Nevada, Buffalo, N.Y, Salt Lake City, Utah, Fort Worth San Antonio and Dallas Metropolitan Police Department in Texas.

Of the 10 locations, Vardaman said the numbers of juveniles arrested for prostitution in Las Vegas reached a hundred a month, the highest so far.

She said they are working with agencies in the CNMI that touch on issues involving minors like juvenile detention, police, the Public Defender’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, social workers, and others to identify problems and come up with recommendations.

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