ECPAT USA is part of a global network of organizations and individuals working together for the elimination of child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes. It seeks to encourage the world community to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights free and secure from all forms of commercial sexual exploitation."Words Aren't Enough”
In responding to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and, this past weekend, Rayshard Brooks, words fail us. Tragic. Heartbreaking. Both utterly avoidable and yet inevitable. Our nation’s legacy of slavery continues to perpetrate violence against Black and Brown people. It is this same legacy that perpetuates the sale of Black and Brown children for sex and children in need of our protection and support, but who are, too often, dismissed as “child prostitutes.”
ECPAT-USA is outraged and grief-stricken, but words alone are not enough, and we are recommitted to confronting systemic racism while protecting children from sex trafficking and exploitation. Over these past several weeks, the ECPAT-USA team has been reflecting on our own work and engagement with Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). We are asking: Which student receives access to education and information, and which student is punished for “delinquent” behavior? After being recruited into the sex trade, which young person receives supportive services while another is arrested and incarcerated? How can ECPAT-USA confront these racially-driven inequities, engage in dialogue and advocate for policies that advance social justice?
While any child can fall prey to exploitation and abuse, we cannot ignore that the majority of identified victims are people of color. And yet, a scan of social media images for “child sex trafficking” reveals a world in which Black and Brown children are almost entirely erased.
Our questioning extends beyond the scope of our work and outreach: it also guides our ongoing efforts to improve on racial diversity and inclusion for all levels of staffing, including leadership positions and Board recruitment, as well as anti-bias training. It is not enough to say that we are trying to do better: we must be better.
The connection between systemic racism and sex trafficking is real and raw. Since words fail us, ECPAT-USA has turned to our Survivors' Council, a diverse group that partners with us to further a shared mission that no child is sexually exploited. In the coming weeks, ECPAT-USA will amplify their voices on how the color of their skin has impacted their experiences as trafficking survivors.
The conversation and action do not end here — in our organization or in our work.
Lori Cohen
EXPAT-USA Executive Director
“Brown Sugar” is the street name that our Survivors’ Council member used while she was trafficked, and the name that she has asked to include for identification in her interview so that other survivors will recognize her and seek support. (Responses have been condensed for space.)
How have you been feeling since the death of George Floyd?
I’m scared, I’m nervous. We have been going through this for a long time. This has been happening to Black people for a long time. I’m aggravated, frustrated, nothing is going to change. Every time they say there will be a change, there is no change. I pray to God that there will be a change. It’s hard for us, especially for people who have been incarcerated. When you are incarcerated, when you try to get ahead, there is always something that is going to stop us.
How did you experience the connection between race and sex trafficking?
They go hand in hand. The White girls are treated way better than us. A john will say that one of us [Black girls] robbed them, the police will believe him more than if he said a White girl robbed him. Most of the johns that [I] dealt with were White. They were rude and disrespectful.
Have you had interactions with law enforcement?
When I was a trafficking victim, the police would lock me up instead of the john. The johns were White, the police always let them go. I got locked up for what we both got caught doing...They treated us differently from the White girls. The White girls were not getting locked up, we were. They locked us up more than the White girls...[Now,] when I go to a clothing store, I’m so tired of people following me around. Why are they always following us, always watching us?
What would you want law enforcement to know about victims of sex trafficking?
Not one time when I was arrested, did a cop ask if I needed help. They did not care to ask. We come from a struggle life. We need help. Some of us are addicted to drugs. That’s why we end up the way we end up. I haven’t met one girl in the street who had a good life. The majority of us had a home that we did not want to go home to. Not one day that I thought, “I want to be a prostitute.” I had a dream. I was a cheerleader. I wanted to do things with my life.
How are you doing now?
The government needs to find [trafficking survivors] something to do - they need to help them find jobs, don’t just look at the rap sheet. Stop judging us. We are human beings. A majority of people have a past. The question is, where do you go from there?...A lot of us have passion, have drive. I would open my open business, a cleaning business. [There] needs to be jobs for women coming off the street.
I appreciate this, I’ve got a lot on my mind.
For more information on this and other ECPAT USA efforts, please email us at info@ecpatusa.org
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