The Gender Of Trafficking, Kerwin A. Kaye
Dec 2018
The Gender Of Trafficking, Kerwin A. Kaye
Kerwin Kaye
The exclusion of male victims from discussions of sex trafficking is pervasive. Here I detail the discursive dichotomisation of this framework, examining not only why men and boys have historically been excluded as victims of sexual trafficking, but also how this discourse acts as a gendered and gendering formation more generally. Following this I critically examine the recent turn toward the inclusion of boys as victims of DMST ("Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking"), arguing that the ‘sex trafficking’ frame is less useful – and more harmful – than it may appear.
New Hampshire Juvenile Sex Trafficking Survivor Urges Representatives To Vote Against Decriminalized Prostitution, Darlene Pawlik, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Feb 2017
New Hampshire Juvenile Sex Trafficking Survivor Urges Representatives To Vote Against Decriminalized Prostitution, Darlene Pawlik, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
I am a juvenile sex trafficking survivor. I was sold here in New Hampshire and other states as well. This is happening now too. Even with a law against prostitution, the more egregious elements are prevalent. Trafficking is not separate from prostitution, it is just the darker side of the very same coin.
Sex Industry Advocates Aim To Decriminalize Prostitution In New Hampshire, Kelly Roy-Williams, Lisa Thompson, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Feb 2017
Sex Industry Advocates Aim To Decriminalize Prostitution In New Hampshire, Kelly Roy-Williams, Lisa Thompson, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
There is an organized effort in New Hampshire to fully decriminalize prostitution. What that means is that all laws controlling the buying and selling of sex will be removed from the law books, making prostitution legal. Law enforcement and public officials will then have no control over if, when, and where prostitution occurs, whether it’s in massage parlors (often called spas), hotels, apartments, residences, or strip clubs. Because commercial sex will be legal, pimps and “sex workers” will be able to freely advertise prostitution services. Pimps will be able to openly recruit women and girls into prostitution, without fear of …
Dignity, Table Of Contents, Special Issue, Freedom From Sexploitation, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Dec 2016
Dignity, Table Of Contents, Special Issue, Freedom From Sexploitation, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
No abstract provided.
Decriminalized Prostitution: Impunity For Violence And Exploitation, Melanie Shapiro Esq, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Dec 2016
Decriminalized Prostitution: Impunity For Violence And Exploitation, Melanie Shapiro Esq, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
This paper is a case study of decriminalized prostitution. 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 time 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 …
University Of Rhode Island Presentations At Interdisciplinary Conference On Human Trafficking, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Oct 2016
University Of Rhode Island Presentations At Interdisciplinary Conference On Human Trafficking, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
No abstract provided.
Criminal Backgrounds Of Sex Traffickers - Abstract, Alexis Piccirillo, Amelia Davis, Emily Markey, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Sep 2016
Criminal Backgrounds Of Sex Traffickers - Abstract, Alexis Piccirillo, Amelia Davis, Emily Markey, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
Less is known about perpetrators of sex trafficking compared to the victims. The aim of
this study is to learn more about sex traffickers by analyzing the criminal backgrounds of
offenders arrested for sex trafficking crimes. Between 2009 and 2015, there were 22
cases of sex trafficking involving 38 traffickers in Rhode Island. Criminal background
records are publicly available in Rhode Island, so the records for each sex trafficker were
retrieved from the Rhode Island Judiciary Criminal Information online database. In
addition, information on previous convictions was extracted from sentencing memoranda
and other court documents available from Rhode Island Superior …
Sex Trafficking Of Women Around U.S. Military Bases In South Korea: Impact Of New U.S. Laws And Policies Since 2000, Amy Levesque, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Sep 2016
Sex Trafficking Of Women Around U.S. Military Bases In South Korea: Impact Of New U.S. Laws And Policies Since 2000, Amy Levesque, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
Since the Korean War and permanent stationing of U.S. troops in the Republic of Korea (ROK), U.S. servicemen stationed in the ROK have purchased sex from women trafficked domestically and across international borders to work in bars and clubs surrounding U.S. military bases. For decades, the Department of Defense (DoD) and United States Forces Korea (USFK) denied that U.S. servicemen purchased sex and did not enforce the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Article 138-34 Pandering and Prostitution, which states that buying sex is illegal and punishable by military law. The DoD and USFK did not connect women working in bars …
Identification Of Victims In Cases Of Sex Trafficking - Abstract, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Sep 2016
Identification Of Victims In Cases Of Sex Trafficking - Abstract, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
Identifying victims of sex trafficking can be challenging for law enforcement. To determine how victims were identified in cases of sex trafficking that resulted in criminal charges, this study analyzed the records from prosecuted cases of sex trafficking to determine how the victims were identified. The analysis used primary documents, including police narratives, witness statements, indictments, plea bargains, and sentencing memoranda retrieved from the Superior Court and the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island. Between 2009 and 2015, there were 22 cases of sex trafficking involving 38 traffickers. In these cases, at least 30 victims were identified. The public court …
Ri Should Target Sex Buyers, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
May 2016
Ri Should Target Sex Buyers, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
Men who buy sex----and they are only a small minority of men---are responsible for the crime of sex trafficking continuing to thrive. When sex traffickers find victims and coerce them into prostitution, they are serving the sex buyers, who pay them well for finding and marketing the victims to them.
For years, analysts have studied sex trafficking to determine the best way to combat this modern form of slavery. Today, a consensus is forming among advocates and law enforcement that to combat sex trafficking, the focus has to be on men who buy sex as much as on the pimps …
Analysis Of Cases Of Human Trafficking In Rhode Island, 2009-2013, Faith Skodmin, Rachel Dunham, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Mar 2016
Analysis Of Cases Of Human Trafficking In Rhode Island, 2009-2013, Faith Skodmin, Rachel Dunham, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
This article is an analysis of law enforcement identified cases of human trafficking in Rhode Island from 2009 to 2013. Information was collected from police and court records, prosecutors’ press releases, and reports in the media. During this period, there was one case of forced labor of a domestic worker and six cases of domestic sex trafficking. Many of the characteristics of the Rhode Island cases were consistent with other human trafficking cases in the United States. Discussions of key findings include (a) outcomes of a criminal case using a new human trafficking statute on fraud in foreign contracting and …
The Persistence Of Slavery In Rhode Island: Human Trafficking In The Ocean State (Abtract, Peer-Reviewed), Donna M. Hughes Dr., Rachel Dunham, Lucy Tillman, Faith Skodmin, Jessica Wainfor
Oct 2014
The Persistence Of Slavery In Rhode Island: Human Trafficking In The Ocean State (Abtract, Peer-Reviewed), Donna M. Hughes Dr., Rachel Dunham, Lucy Tillman, Faith Skodmin, Jessica Wainfor
Donna M. Hughes
This panel will discuss the persistence of slavery in the form of human trafficking in Rhode Island. To address modern-day slavery-like practices, the U.S. passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000 and Rhode Island passed the Trafficking of Persons and Involuntary Servitude Act in 2009. Both state and federal anti-human trafficking laws identify two types of human trafficking: forced labor and sex trafficking.
This panel will present the findings of original research done by the five authors during the Spring 2014 on human trafficking cases in Rhode Island from 2009-2013. Sources for analysis of these cases include: police reports, …
Presentation, The Persistence Of Slavery In Rhode Island: Human Trafficking In The Ocean State, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Rachel Dunham, Lucy Tillman
Oct 2014
Presentation, The Persistence Of Slavery In Rhode Island: Human Trafficking In The Ocean State, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Rachel Dunham, Lucy Tillman
Donna M. Hughes
No abstract provided.
Analysis Of Human Trafficking Cases In Rhode Island, 2009-2013 (Abstract, Peer Reviewed), Donna M. Hughes Dr., Rachel Dunham, Faith Skodmin, Lucy Tillman, Jessica Wainfor
Oct 2014
Analysis Of Human Trafficking Cases In Rhode Island, 2009-2013 (Abstract, Peer Reviewed), Donna M. Hughes Dr., Rachel Dunham, Faith Skodmin, Lucy Tillman, Jessica Wainfor
Donna M. Hughes
Present an analysis of seven state and federal cases of human trafficking, including forced labor and sex trafficking, in Rhode Island from 2009 until 2013. In 2009, Rhode Island passed a comprehensive human trafficking law. Since then there have been six cases of sex trafficking and one case of forced labor. Sources for information on the human trafficking cases were police reports, witness statements, court documents and media reports. This presentation will briefly summarize the cases and discuss the similarities and difference among the cases and discuss of some key findings from these cases, which include:
1) Victims were trafficked …
Presentation, Analysis Of Human Trafficking Cases In Rhode Island, 2009-2013 (Powerpoint), Donna M. Hughes Dr., Faith Skodmin, Rachel Dunham
Oct 2014
Presentation, Analysis Of Human Trafficking Cases In Rhode Island, 2009-2013 (Powerpoint), Donna M. Hughes Dr., Faith Skodmin, Rachel Dunham
Donna M. Hughes
No abstract provided.
Holding Rhode Island Strip Club Owners Accountable, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Mar 2014
Holding Rhode Island Strip Club Owners Accountable, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
For almost 30 years (1980-2009) there were no laws against indoor prostitution in Rhode Island. During that time, being an owner of a strip club where prostitution occurred in the private booths or being a landlord for a massage parlor that was really a brothel were shady, but legal, ways to make money. During the same time, there was no comprehensive law against human trafficking and there was no law banning underage girls from stripping in the clubs.
Combating Sex Trafficking: A History, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Oct 2013
Combating Sex Trafficking: A History, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
No abstract provided.
Sex Trafficking & The Internet, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Sep 2011
Sex Trafficking & The Internet, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
No abstract provided.
Sex Trafficking Of Women For The Production Of Pornography, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Jun 2010
Sex Trafficking Of Women For The Production Of Pornography, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
Women used in the production of commercial pornography in the U.S. are often subjected to violence and coercion during filming. Often they protest and try to stop the filming or back-out before filming begins. Their protests are ignored or they are pressured by their agent or the director to continue. Their experiences of coercion and trickery often meet the criteria for sex trafficking.
Watching Justice Come Alive, Daniel Weiss, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Apr 2010
Watching Justice Come Alive, Daniel Weiss, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
With the nation watching, a college student, a professor and a legislator team up to top indoor prostitution in Rhode Island
The Citizens Were Heard, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Oct 2009
The Citizens Were Heard, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
Congratulations to the citizens of Rhode Island and national anti-trafficking advocates for the legislative victory in Rhode Island. This past week, the Rhode Island Assembly passed an unprecedented pieces of legislation that will protect victims from sex industry predators and give law enforcement the tools they need to arrest pimps, traffickers, and “johns.”
Victory In Rhode Island, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Michael Horowitz
Oct 2009
Victory In Rhode Island, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Michael Horowitz
Donna M. Hughes
In stunning culmination of a David-Goliath struggle that, at least until lately, few believed the David side had the slightest chance of winning, the Rhode Island legislature enacted three major anti-trafficking bills last night that the Governor will soon sign into law.
Testimony For Trafficking Bill, Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee, Oct 2009, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Oct 2009
Testimony For Trafficking Bill, Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee, Oct 2009, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
I am here to support a trafficking bill that will do two things:
1) Criminalize forced labor as a form of human trafficking.
2) Make it easier to prosecute sex trafficking of minors by removing the requirement to prove force, fraud, or coercion.
Behavior And Attitudes Of Johns, Melanie Shapiro Esq, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Sep 2009
Behavior And Attitudes Of Johns, Melanie Shapiro Esq, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
No abstract provided.
Top Us Official On Trafficking Says Lack Of Prostitution Law Creates A "Zone Of Impunity" For Traffickers, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Aug 2009
Top Us Official On Trafficking Says Lack Of Prostitution Law Creates A "Zone Of Impunity" For Traffickers, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
The lack of a law against indoor prostitution can create a “zone of impunity in which police can’t go, and where traffickers can exploit their prey,” according to Luis CdeBaca, Ambassador at Large to Combat Human Trafficking and Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons in the U.S. State Department.
Tattoos Of Girls Under Pimp Control & Pimp Rules For The Control Of Victims, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Aug 2009
Tattoos Of Girls Under Pimp Control & Pimp Rules For The Control Of Victims, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
I have been collecting evidence of pimps’ practice of tattooing victims for several years. Tattooing, and sometimes branding or scarification, are marks of ownership. It is one of the ways that pimps maintain physical and psychological control over emotionally vulnerable girls. The girls and young women are frequently tattooed with the initials or street names of pimps. Marks also include gang symbols and $ signs or other symbols for the money the girls earn for the pimp.
Rhode Island Left Out Of Fbi Initiative, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Aug 2009
Rhode Island Left Out Of Fbi Initiative, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
Rhode Island has been excluded from federal law enforcement investigations of sex trafficking of children because there is no law against prostitution.
Asian Woman Fled Middletown Brothel Last Year, Melanie Shapiro Esq, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Jul 2009
Asian Woman Fled Middletown Brothel Last Year, Melanie Shapiro Esq, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
A business owner has told Citizens Against Trafficking that late last year, an Asian women fled a spa-brothel nearby and came to their shop to ask for assistance.
Action Alert For Senate: Comments On Human Trafficking Bills, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Jun 2009
Action Alert For Senate: Comments On Human Trafficking Bills, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
Rhode Island Senate President Paiva-Weed has said that she is “confident that we will address the issue of prostitution and human trafficking” this session (, Sunday, June 21, 2009, p A6). The votes in the Senate are crucial to Rhode Island getting a prostitution law and improving our trafficking law! There are competing bills, so it can get confusing. Remember, there are two versions of the prostitution bill (a House and Senate version) and two versions of the trafficking bill (a House and Senate version).
Testimony On Human Trafficking Bill, Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Jun 2009
Testimony On Human Trafficking Bill, Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee, Donna M. Hughes Dr.
Donna M. Hughes
In 2007, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed an anti-human trafficking law. To date, there have been no prosecutions. There are three serious problems with the present Rhode Island law that need to be remedied in order to effectively combat human trafficking.