User:SheaDrue/sandbox

Prostitution is the act of engaging in sexual relations in exchange for money. Girls can be vulnerable to prostitution for multiple reasons including: unemployment, sexual/physical abuse during childhood, and a limited education. While this applies to all races and backgrounds, women of color, specifically black women and girls, are more susceptible to prostitution and sex trafficking. Additionally, the trafficking of black women continues to be outshined in the media by that of white women. Though prostitution is generally thought of as a voluntary profession, that is not always the case. Victims of sex trafficking engage in prostitution involuntarily.

Sex Trafficking
Sex trafficking occurs when a person is coerced or forced into engaging in sex work/prostitution. Victims are first taken from their homes or schools and then sold to sex trafficking rings. From there, the girls are sold to the highest bidder. According to figures, 200,000 to 300,000 youth are victims of sex trafficking each year.

State sanctioned violence
State-sanctioned violence is the act of terrorism sponsored by a government involving attacks on civilians. Even if government officials themselves are not kidnapping women, there are laws in place that prevent the girls from being found and helped.

Laws

 * 1) The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2013 states that all minors are victims regardless of the circumstances, only the traffickers or exploiters are charged with a crime. Federal law is ineffective because most arrests occur at the state and local level. Law enforcement officials decide whether or not a minor has been coerced or engaged in sex work on their own free will. Due to some officers bias against young black minors, they think that they deserved to be punished.
 * 2) Thirteen states have passed Safe Harbor laws which grants immunity to any minor who has been discovered to be prostitute.
 * 3) Advocates argue that federal, state, and local anti-trafficking laws to not address the reasons why young black girls are vulnerable. Activists say that the laws in place do not address poverty, homelessness, broken foster care system, unemployment, and limited educational opportunities.

Inequality in Juvenile Justice System
According to FBI statistics, black minors made up 62 percent of juvenile prostitution arrests. Black women are arrested at a disproportionate rate than white women because law enforcement officials view black girls as promiscuous and less innocent. While white girls who are given the benefit of the doubt, many black girls are sentenced to juvenile detention centers, where they are susceptible to sexual physical abuse.

Tami
The case of “Tami,” highlights inequalities in the justice system. A young black girl named Tami was kidnapped and enslaved for many months. Her captors  forced her to have sex with multiple men every day. She eventually escaped and and told a police officer what had happened to her. The police officer arrested her for prostitution.