Las Vegas Cracks Down on Child Prostitution

categories: Domestic Human Trafficking, Government & Legal Efforts on Human Trafficking, Human Trafficking in the US, Money and Economy, Trafficking in Children

Published June 27, 2009 @ 09:00AM PT

Everyone's favorite "hotbed of moral turpitude" city is back in the news again, though this time not because of discussions around legalizing prostitution in the city. On the contrary, this time Sin City is cracking down on child prostitution. According to U.S. law, any person under 18 involved in any form of commercial sex (prostitution, stripping, pornography, etc.) is a victim of human trafficking; anyone who sells that child (i.e., a pimp) is a trafficker. And Vegas's new law, will be one of the toughest in the country against child traffickers.

The law specifically goes after pimps' and traffickers' money, which is the one thing most of them actually care about, the one thing that it would hurt them to lose. If you're a pimp selling a child under 14, Las Vegas can take up to $500,000 from you; if you sell kids 14-17, they can take up to $100,000. This legislative change comes after a 2007 study from Shared Hope International found 400 child trafficking victims being exploited in Las Vegas in a single month. Do the math- Las Vegas is looking at almost 5000 prostituted children a year, which could net the city millions if their pimps are nabbed. Looks like for those pimps, what happens in Vegas will stay in the local government's bank account.

On a related-but-different-note, I've been disappointed by a lot of the media coverage of this law, specifically because the language they use includes phrases like "child prostitutes" and "children working in prostitution". Unlike adult women, children cannot legally choose to "work" in prostituion because they cannot legally consent to sex. Therefore, to refer to a child as a "child prostitute" or the exploitation that is happening to these children as "work" is a misnomer and does not identify the child as a legal victim. Whenever possible, I try and use phrases such as "children in prostitution" or "child trafficking/exploitation victims", which are more accurate.

Despite the issue of imprecise language, I hope this law makes it a lot harder out there to be a pimp who exploits young kids.

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Comments (8)

RIGHT ON! How about calling them rape victims, because that's what they are, it's disgusting.

It would be great if some of the money from the pimps were put into a fund to directly benefit their victims. The money SHOULDN'T stay in the local government's bank account, other than what's needed to run the program. Nevertheless, it's great to see these bastards being held accountable, and hopefully other cities will follow Las Vegas's lead.

Posted by Romy Carver on 06/27/2009 @ 05:31PM PT
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it would be great if ALL the money confiscated from the pimps was used to help victims and prevent further spread of this particularly nasty criminal activity.

john stack 1st July 2009 johnstack@svetna.com

http:/www.svetna.com

Posted by john stack on 07/01/2009 @ 09:27AM PT
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Romy,

check out this report in the LV review journal

http://www.lvrj.com/news/36431989.html

it'll make you happy John

Posted by john stack on 07/01/2009 @ 11:58AM PT
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The fact that slavery - in the form of human trafficking - still exists in the 21st century shames us all. What is missing is a reliable global overview. The starting point in the fight against human trafficking is the implementation of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, which supplements the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

As one part of that commitment, all countries are urged to work on producing greater information on trafficking in persons. This is needed, worldwide, to enable all actors combating human trafficking to design and implement more effective responses. More extensive and accurate data can also help to measure progress in national and international efforts to combat trafficking.

Posted by Brian Muse on 06/27/2009 @ 11:47PM PT
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2 comments. Just because SHI identified 400 teens in a month, it does not follow there are nearly 5,000 per year. The following month, you might have 300 of those 400 still working, and a "churn" of 100. It's still wrong, of course.

2. Nail the johns. If you have evidence that a john requested or sought an underage girl, file statutory rape or assaulting a minor or something. A good district attorney could make life hell for a few guys, which would scare off thousands more.

Posted by Slim Chance on 06/29/2009 @ 05:53AM PT
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This bill, AB380, was authored by freshman Assemblyman John Hambrick. It is literally the first bill he submitted to the Nevada Legislature, and it passed with no dissention. This just shows how much change can be made when we have the right people in office.

This video explains the situation well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KHYMKlkJ68.

Posted by Melissa Rothermel on 06/30/2009 @ 04:01PM PT
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You can read more about John Hambrick and the issues involved here......

http://www.hambrick4assembly.com/index-3.html

john stack 1st July 2009 johnstack@svetna.com

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Posted by john stack on 07/01/2009 @ 11:36AM PT
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you can also do something about it yourself by following this link -

http://humantrafficking.change.org/actions/view/save_a_child_from_torture

and making the pledge... and the phone calls

john stack 1st July 2009 johnstack@svetna.com

http://www.svetna.com

Posted by john stack on 07/01/2009 @ 11:38AM PT
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Author

Amanda has been a full-time abolitionist for six years. During that time, she has created reports, documentaries and training materials on human trafficking in the United States and around the world.