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For Their Own Good? Exploring Legislative Responses To The Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children And The Illinois Safe Children Act, Angela L. Bergman

Vanderbilt Law Review

Illinois has long struggled to contain what is the perfect storm for exploitation-a large city with consistent conventions, attractions with many tourists, significant amounts of population movement and immigration, access to major airports and interstates, and "entrenched gangs with an entrepreneurial bent." These factors make Chicago in particular an appealing destination for runaways and throwaways across the Midwest. In 2001, a study conservatively estimated that 16,000 to 25,000 women and girls are victims of commercial sexual exploitation in Chicago each year. By 2004, the New York Times had named Chicago a "hub" for sex trafficking. When Illinois was at the …