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Prostitution Workshop Minnesota Community Corrections Association Brown College June 13, 2008

Prostitution Workshop Minnesota Community Corrections Association Brown College June 13, 2008. Bill Nelson – Director, Correctional Services Volunteers of America, 2825 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55406 (612) 721-6327. Workshop Overview. Background Professional Biases Prostitution Myths

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Prostitution Workshop Minnesota Community Corrections Association Brown College June 13, 2008

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  1. Prostitution WorkshopMinnesota Community Corrections AssociationBrown CollegeJune 13, 2008 Bill Nelson – Director, Correctional Services Volunteers of America, 2825 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55406 (612) 721-6327

  2. Workshop Overview • Background • Professional Biases • Prostitution Myths • Cultural Influences – Women’s Movement • Criminology – Victims – Victimology • Views of Former Prostituted Women and “System” Representatives • Treatment Approaches • Community Response • Trafficking • Special Guest

  3. Prostitution Myths • World’s oldest profession • Average age of entry: 13 • Prostitution is empowering • Prostituted women enjoy their work

  4. Age of Entry Into Prostitution: Average Age: 22.3 424 Total

  5. Cultural Influences • Society has been greatly influenced by the women’s movement and its variations of feminism First Movement Seneca Falls Convention = 19th Constitutional Amendment 1920 Second Movement 60s-70s: Equal Pay Act 1963; Title VII-Civil Rights Act of 1964 • Promoting protections for battered women, victims of sexual assault • Recognition of prostituted women as victims not always consistent Decriminalization issues Prostitution as a legally protected profession Groups/organizations promoting safe environments for prostitution activities e.g. Coyote, SWOP Models in Sweden, Amsterdam, Nevada, etc.

  6. Victimology • Victimization is an asymmetrical interpersonal relationship that is abusive, painful, destructive, parasitical, and unfair. • Victimology is the scientific study of the physical, emotional, and financial harm people suffer because of illegal activities. • Rediscovery of crime victims Battered women, young women who have suffered date rapes, kidnapped children, targets of bigots/hate crime, targets of road rage, victims of drunken driving, prisoners sexually assaulted by fellow inmates, and detainees killed in government custody • 3 Stages of Victim Discovery Stage 1: Identifying an overlooked problem – moral entrepreneurs Stage 2: Winning victories, implementing reforms – MADD Example Stage 3: Emergence of opposition and development of resistance for further changes • Minimalist versus maximalist views • Prostituted women as victims? Documentary: Prostitution: Beyond the Myths

  7. Treatment Approaches • A “Relational Approach”: Women heal differently than men • Recognition of age and ethnicity differences • Recognition of unique needs of prostituted women and women in general in achieving a recovery through healing of a variety of inter-related issues • Diversity of approaches depending on level and intensity of involvement, mental health state, and level of usage of chemicals • One size does not fit all, therefore a need for planful use of the right resource based on level of need

  8. Community Response • Street level/court/jail interventions; statutory PRIDE, Breaking Free, Volunteers of America Women’s Recovery Center Other interventions: John School, stings, etc. • Whole neighborhood/community coordinated response Oklahoma City, Alton, Illinois, Boston • Key questions – whole community intervention strategies What is the problem? What do we do about it? Who will do it?

  9. Trafficking • Trafficking is widely considered a “modern-day form of slavery”, trafficking occurs when the powerless “are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor”* • Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000; reauthorized in 2003 and 2005 • Federal government has identified approximately 1,500 victims that have been trafficked into the US since 2000 • Civil Society – an agency involved locally in providing services to victims of trafficking • Out of 616 women at the VOA Women’s Recovery Center, 116 report having being trafficked. • 89 report trafficking to other cities • 96 report trafficking to other states • 10 report trafficking to other countries * HHS: Human Trafficking, January 24, 2008

  10. Special Guest • Jane McCormick, author “Breaking My Silence”

  11. References and Contact Information • Prostitution: A Community Solutions Alternative – Corrections Today, October 2004 – www.aca.org/publications • Freedom and Justice Center for Prostitution Resources A variety of topics including community level prostitution abatement; position paper; bibliography; various press releases; prostitution – health consequences study Google Freedom and Justice Center • William (Bill) Nelson, Volunteers of America – Minnesota, 2825 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55406, (612) 721-6327 bnelson@voamn.org

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