Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Decriminalized Prostitution In Rhode Island: Impunity For Violence And Exploitation, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Melanie Shapiro Esq

Donna M. Hughes

For 29 years (1980 to 2009) prostitution was decriminalized in Rhode Island. Lack of laws or regulations created a permissive legal, economic and cultural environment for the growth of sex businesses. During this time, sexual exploitation and violence against women and girls were integrated into the economic development of urban areas. The number of sex businesses grew rapidly during this period. Organized crime groups operated brothels and extorted money from adult entertainment businesses. Rhode Island became a destination for pimps, traffickers, and other violent criminals. The lack of laws impeded police from investigating serious crimes.

Best Practices To Address The Demand Side Of Sex Trafficking, Donna M. Hughes Dr.

Donna M. Hughes

Each year, hundreds of thousands of women and children around the world become victims of the global sex trade. They are recruited into prostitution, often using tactics involving force, fraud, or coercion. Criminals working in organized networks treat the victims like commodities, buying and selling them for profit. This modern-day form of slavery is called sex trafficking.

This report will describe efforts to address the demand side of sex trafficking. It will define the demand and describe its different components. It will describe laws, policies, and programs aimed at reducing the demand for prostitution in communities and entire countries. It …

The Demand: Where Sex Trafficking Begins, Donna M. Hughes Dr.

Donna M. Hughes

In light of shared moral responsibility to help the millions of people who are bought, sold, transported and held against their will in slave-like condition, a conference entitled “A Call to Action: Joining the Fight Against Trafficking in Persons” was held at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome on June 17, 2004. The event was part of the 20th anniversary celebration of full diplomatic relations between the United States and the Holy See, and their shared work to promote human dignity, liberty, justice, and peace.

Hiding In Plain Sight: A Practical Guide To Identifying Victims Of Trafficking In The U.S., Donna M. Hughes Dr.

Donna M. Hughes

This practical guide focuses on identifying victims of sexual trafficking, meaning they have been trafficked for commercial sex acts, such as prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, such as stripping, lap dancing, or production of pornography. Although there are commonalities between victims of sexual and labor trafficking, there are sufficient differences to require separate focus. Therefore, this guide does not describe ways to identify victims who have been trafficked for forced labor, such as domestic servants and sweat shop or migrant farm workers.

Trafficking In Women From Ukraine, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Tatyana Denisova

Donna M. Hughes

Report on research carried out as part of the U.S. Ukraine Research Partnership, the International Center of the U.S. National Institute of Justice and the Ukrainian Academy of Legal Sciences

The Impact Of The Use Of New Communications And Information Technologies On Trafficking In Human Beings For Sexual Exploitation: A Study Of The Users, Donna M. Hughes Dr.

Donna M. Hughes

The trafficking in women and children for sexual exploitation is a global human rights crisis being

perpetrated by individual criminals and organized crime groups, and facilitated by increased tolerance

for the sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of women and children.

New communications and information technologies have created a global revolution in

communications, access to information, and media delivery. There are a lot of positive aspects to the

global revolution, but there are also some very negative ones. This report describes the most negative

ones—how communications and information technologies are used to facilitate the trafficking of

women and children for sexual …