The U.S. breathed a sigh of relief when journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling were reunited with their families on a California runway after 5 months of imprisonment in North Korea. The women were arrested while pursing a story on human trafficking; but you do not have to travel halfway around the world to find young women being forced into slavery as prostitutes. Federal authorities estimate that 15,000 to 18,000 girls and women in America are victims of human trafficking every year.
Targeted at shopping malls, schools, college campuses and on the internet, girls are often lured into a life of forced prostitution with promises of modeling or acting careers. Poverty or a history of abuse can make women more vulnerable, but often it's the trusting nature of youth that places girls in jeopardy. Lured to Florida with promises of a modeling career, an attractive suburban high school graduate was forced to prostitute herself by a pimp she believed was a modeling agency photographer. The man beat her and threatened to kill her and harm her family to force her to have sex with men in the backseat of his car -- as many as 20 times a night. Some pimps use drugs to control their victims, addicting girls against their will.
Increasingly, law enforcement officers are recognizing that prostitutes may be victims of human trafficking. "We need to figure out who the bad guy is, just like in any other crime," Lt. Matt Warren told a class of Ohio state troopers at the Highway Patrol Academy. "You're going to have to look beyond the crime and see these people as they are -- victims."
If you are arrested for prostitution, break the cycle of victimization. Contact the experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys at Rodriguez, Lewis & Kahn. Fluent Spanish spoken.
