User talk:Gallagherk104/sandbox

Gang-Related Sex Trafficking

Gang controlled sex trafficking and Pimp-controlled sex trafficking run their operations in very similar ways. The largest difference between the two is that gang-controlled trafficking is run by a large group of people whereas pimp-controlled trafficking is run by only one person. In general, gang members are expected or forced to participate in tasks that involve illegal and violent activity. Some of these criminal behaviors may include: distributing drugs, robbery, trafficking drugs, extortion, and murder. One money making source that many people don’t necessarily associate with gangs is human sex trafficking. Gangs are now turning to sex trafficking as it is seen as safer and more lucrative than drug trafficking.

The gangs can make larger amounts of money quicker by selling other people’s bodies, and are less likely to get caught. In certain circumstances, gangs may team up with other gangs in the area, and work together as a sex ring. There are a number of different reasons that gangs make this decision. One reason is that it enables them to increase profits by trading different girls, women, boys or men. This gives their client, also known as a john, a greater variety of options to choose from. Clients are often willing to pay a larger price for a sexual experience with someone new. Another reason that gangs will share females is because this makes it more difficult for law enforcement to keep track of the victims, ultimately preventing them from making a positive identification.

When people think or talk about sex trafficking a very common question people will ask is, “where do they find people to traffic?” In many cases, gang members will scope girls out at malls, skip parties, online and through social media. In addition, they often will seek out female runaways from their neighborhood. Many of the girls they look for have been physically or sexually abused, have low self-esteem, struggle with drug and alcohol dependency, or are seeking a home/family environment.

In order for the gang to sex traffic an individual, the first thing they need to do is gain that persons trust. They shower the victim with praise and attention, making her feel important and desired. This is referred to as the Romeo Method. It consists of different manipulation techniques. A member will take her to a fancy restaurant, flounder her with lavish gifts, and take her to parties where they are provided with endless supplies of drugs and alcohol. They also learn their weaknesses at the same time, find his or her vulnerabilities and once they find that soft spot they can use it against them.

Gang members often wear certain types of clothing or colors to prove their commitment or loyalty to the gang. It is also very common to represent your gang by branding your body with tattoos. Unfortunately, you see many victims of sex trafficking being branded as well. By forcing a tattoo onto their victims they are essentially marking their territory and officially displaying ownership of that person. In the short film, Unbranded: Sex Trafficking Tattoo Removal, Vice Media drives deep into the recovery stages of a young girl who was trafficked for 3 years. During her time of being exploited, she was forced to receive a tattoo by her trafficker. Now a California-based laser and plastic surgery center is giving victims an opportunity to remove that constant reminder of their past life and start a new one.

Gallagherk104 (talk) 17:59, 7 May 2017 (UTC)Gallagherk104