Comments

1
This is one of the things that Tim and I totally agree on.

Check it out on Thursday!
2
Arrest the parents!
3
Wonderful. While you are at it, please legalize adult prostitution in Seattle.
4
When adult prostitution is legalized, the child trafficking issue goes away.
5
@4, hah hah hah! Oh, man, you're killin' me. Where do you come up with this stuff?

In other words, no it most certainly does not. Men do not use child prostitutes because no adult prostitutes are available. They use them because they are PREDATORS, and because there are no consequences.
6
Invite Chris Hansen of Dateline NBC to come to Seattle and shame johns and pimps through his hilarious undercover stings. It makes for entertaining television.
7
@5

Uh, I think the idea is that when adult prostitution is legalized, the police force can then turn their resources to the real criminals. I wouldn't say that child prostitution would magically disappear, but it would be easier to prosecute when a) vice cops aren't trolling strip joints for lap dances & b) it becomes harder to hide among all the legal prostitutes.

8
So if I'm reading this post correctly, prior to 2009, when the Seattle police would find children forced into prostitution by pimps and gangs, those children would be arrested and charged as prostitutes, then released back to their pimps? Further, since Dickerson's bill only applies to Washington, I have to assume this practice is still commonplace throughout the rest of the country? I'm not sure which is worse, the child sex trade or the criminal justice system.
9
I sorta agree with @4. Part of the problem is that ALL prostitution is illegal. Like the false drug wars, that sets up an entire underground criminal economy, filled with violence and abuse. If you legalized and regulated adult prostitution, you get rid of most of that illegal network, much like drug legalization would.

No, it wouldn't eliminate child prostitution entirely, but it would make it much more marginalized and easier to deal with.
10
@fnarf Let's be clear that these 'child prostitutes' are teenagers. They aren't 5 and 6 year olds walking up and down Aurora forced to turn tricks. While there are many who would rather not in this field of work there are also many where it is the best option they have.

@Brandon Yes and that's the general case country wide. Not to mention that as soon as they turn 18 they change from innocent trafficking victims to criminals who somehow deserve to be trapped in the repeated cycle of arrest and jail. Because everyone knows how easy it is to find a job after a few dozen arrests for prostitution.

Did Slog forget so quickly Operation Cross Country? 884 arrested, the vast majority consensual adult prostitutes trying to make a living. And lets remember that all those teenager were arrested too not saved as the hysteria would try and lead you to believe.

I'll be at the Town Hall meeting but am not hopeful that it will do anything at all.
11
There's a terrific book everyone should share with their friends and age-appropriate children: "Sold", a harrowing first-person account of trafficking, rape, and being freed. It's by Patricia McCormick and it's the only book of its kind I've seen. Highly recommended for those who want to learn more about these issues. Proceeds from the book supports Anuradha Koirala's anti-trafficking organization, Maiti Nepal.
12
Legalizing prostitution will eliminiate child trafficing? are you kidding?

predators that target children do it because they like children. a man who rapes a young child typically doesn't rape adults for the soul reason, HE LIKES CHILDREN. Your an idiot. Its very much like when they said making abortion legal would make abortion rates drop, it did the very opposite. dont be so ignorant!
@ 2 - how would you feel to have your 10 year old daughter taken from outside your home, put into a sex trafficing ring, put on all kinds of drugs, beaten and then (hopefully) found only to have YOU the parent arrested. Once again don't be so ingnorant!

its people like you that we have these kinds of problems and can't find any solution because your head is too far up your ass to even know whats going on! the average age of a person forced into sex trafficing is 11 years old. what we need to be doing is educating children and people like yourself who are ill informed or not informed at all.

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