Broken Dreams and Shattered Promises: The Sex Trade in Metropolitan Atlanta

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[Who buys sex?]

The definition of sex trafficking was coined by the United Nations in the 2000s when the United States adopted its first anti-trust against sex and human trafficking. “The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery”(Lane, Batchelor, 2015). In order to look at prostitution more closely we must look at prostitution as the business it is. If we want to slow down or even stop the sex trafficking industry we must look at the supply and demand of the industry. Lets look at the ages of the men who buy sex. In a recent study done by the Schapiro group; they interviewed 218 men who would buy sex from young girls in Georgia all being from the metropolitan area of Atlanta. “Almost half these men are the age 30-39, with the next largest group being men under age 30. The mean age is 33 and the median 31. The youngest survey participant was 18, and the oldest was 67”(Schapiro Group, 2010). It seems that men from all ages would participate in soliciting sex from a young prostitute. Like previously stated before all of these men surveyed come from the metropolitan area of Atlanta Georgia, but not all come from the urban core of the city. “In metro Atlanta, a handy way to denote the area’s urban core is inside the perimeter (ITP). “The perimeter” refers to I-285, a freeway that encapsulates the metro area’s dense urban development, including the City of Atlanta. On the other hand, outside the perimeter (OTP) refers to suburban areas in metro Atlanta surrounding the urban core.” (Schapiro Group, 2010) Out of these 218 men who were interviewed 23% were from the south OTP, 26% from the ITP, 42% from the North OTP, and 9% from the airport district. From this data it seems that the highest amount of clientele for sex tracking comes from the upper-middle class area of Atlanta since more of the Northern part is where most of the middle-upper class people have moved. It also seems that the airport district seems to have a fairly high rate of people participating in buying of sex, it may only be 9% but that is high considering this is an area where people don’t live, just a place where people transfer flights or stay the night. We have looked at the “demand” side of this business in Atlanta Georgia. Now lets take a look at for lack of better terms the “supply” side of the business. During studies conducted in five metropolitan cities in Ohio “ Out of 328 respondents, 115 of those who were surveyed were trafficked before the age of eighteen. From the total sample size, 12% were trafficked between the age of twelve and thirteen; 30% were trafficked between the ages of fourteen and fifteen; 34% were trafficked between the ages of fifteen and seventeen; and the average age was thirteen.” (Schapiro Group, 2010) This data shows that majority of females who get involved in the sex trade are very young girls, debunking the myth that females get involved in this industry because they need to take care of children or their families. Many of these girls are trafficked so young because they are naïve and want to feel loved. Many of the men in Georgia who buy sex from prostitutes prefer “younger girls” so the demand for younger girls is higher. “12,400 men buy sex with young females in a given month in Georgia; over 27,000 men buy sex with young females in Georgia multiple times per year.” (Schapiro Group, 2010) From the data stated previously in the paragraph it seems that there is no specific age group for the men who buy sex, but absolutely looks like there is a specific age group for the victims of sex trafficking.

[Effects and what we can do]

The effects of the sex trade on the city can almost never be positive. For one the city becomes more soiled and less wholesome. People will view the prostitutes as less than people As a result; the pimp and the prostitute become hated and isolated islands. In the readings we had in class it talks about how there were certain places in the city where people would not like to go because they would be associated with prostitutes or “johns”. “Women’s awareness of being objects of the male gaze on the street reflected in these interviews. They emphasize that being dressed up is not permissible in the area.”(Tani, 2005) this further reinforces the “spatial- entrapment theory” if there are certain places in the city where people do not want to go because they feel like they will be look at as prostitutes or “johns” then these parts of the city could be lost forever. Also if people are less likely to go into an area then that area is less likely to be reformed. One of the biggest effects of prostitution and the sex trade is the people in the city and the most valuable resource a city has is its people. The people involved in the sex trade are most likely young innocent girls who are very vulnerable. Young girls who get trafficked are almost always put through extreme mental abuse and physical harm. “The physical, mental, and emotional abuse of his fists shaped a childhood of broken dreams.” (Lane, Batchelor, 2015) Being that these young girls are treated so poorly it has long lasting effects that affect the society as a whole. Since these kids are never given a chance to succeed, they have a diminished chance of contributing to society. There are also many health risks involved in the underground sex trade. Venereal diseases are common amongst prostitutes and with the amounts of unprotected sex a prostitute has it is more common that the spread of venereal diseases are more prevalent in the city, and could harm your city in the long run. “The man who approaches a prostitute may be contaminated with venereal diseases. If married he may communicate the disease to his wife and children.”(Prakash, 2013) if people in the city are contracting sexual transmitted diseases it lowers the life expectancy for the city as a whole and lowers the chances for success in city and sets people up for a life of poverty. Women face the brunt of the health effects of prostitution. In a journal entitled “general health study problems of inner-city sex workers” “Respiratory problems included allergies, sinus infections, colds, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. Also mentioned was the need to be tested for tuberculosis.”(Case, Denna, 2003)

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