Domestic Sex Trafficking of Chicago Women and Girls

• NCJ Number: 225211
• Author(s): Jody Raphael; Jessica Ashley
• Date Published: May 2008
• Length: 58 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Chicago Foundation for Women; Nathan Cummings Foundation
• Corporate Author: DePaul University; Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
• Sale Source: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Based on interviews with 100 young women currently involved in Chicago's sex trade (July-December 2007), this study focused on the process by which young girls are recruited into the sex trade industry in the Chicago metropolitan area, with attention to the strategies used and the levels of coercion, control, and violence used to retain the girls in prostitution.

Abstract

The average age of entry into regular participation in the sex trade was 16.4 years. Seventy percent said they were recruited into the sex trade. The other 30 percent entered the sex trade under their own initiative, but at the time of the interview, they were managed by pimps. Information is provided on circumstances during recruitment, early prostitution involvement, and violence and coercion during recruitment. Information and data on current involvement in the sex trade addresses the girls' interactions with their pimps, the number of customers, transportation to various locations to provide sexual services, and pimp violence and coercion against the girls. The data contradicted several common beliefs about prostitutes. The girls in the sample simultaneously participated in many sex-trade venues, challenging the popular belief that many prostitutes specialize in high-end prostitution activities free from pimp control and violence. Also, as the women progressed through the prostitution lifestyle, they were required by their pimps to have sex with more customers, and travel to more locations. In addition, they were subjected to more violence and coercion from their pimps. Although 65 percent of the sample reported wanting to leave the sex trade at some point, many feared violence from their pimps, and others were anxious about being able to survive financially outside of the commercial sex field. Recommendations pertain to assisting young women in Chicago's sex trade, holding pimps and recruiters accountable, and preventive interventions. 5 figures, 22 tables, and appended supplementary data and information on methodology