The State Of Sex Trafficking In King County
King County and Seattle are looked to as leaders in the effort to prevent sex trafficking. But according to Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg the county has over 100 websites facilitating the sale of sex.
A recent Seattle research survey conducted over a 24-hour period counted 8,700 online postings and responses concerning men seeking commercial sex.
Of women who are prostituted, says King County deputy prosecutor Val Richey, “We’ve come to realize that the vast majority, 80 to 90 percent, were sexually abused as children. Most youth were first engaged in this between the ages of 11 and 14.”
Who are the women, and children, being prostituted? Who are the men driven to purchase sex? And what is being done to help abuse victims and change the culture?
In this episode of Speakers Forum we present a recent panel discussion on the state of sex trafficking in our region today. It is the third annual such meeting organized by Stolen Youth.
In the past, the group gathered leaders, experts and activists to engage and educate the local community about the trafficking of children specifically, but this year they broadened their focus. This event challenged individuals and the community to find ways to prevent sex trafficking from happening in the first place, especially by addressing demand.
This recording starts with an audio excerpt from a video directed and narrated by Sue Corcoran. You’ll find a link to the video and more information about the organization on their website. Stolen Youth presented this panel discussion at Town Hall Seattle on January 26th, 2015. Panelists and presenters included:
- Zan Brookshire, Stolen Youth
- Noel Gomez, Organization for Prostitution Survivors
- Dan Satterberg, King County Prosecuting Attorney
- Pete Holmes, Seattle City Attorney
- Mar Brettman, Business Ending Slavery and Trafficking
- Peter Qualliotine, Organization for Prostitution Survivors
- Robert Beiser, Seattle Against Slavery
- Valiant Richey, King County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney
- David Arkless, CDI Corporation and ArkLight Consulting
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John O'Brien
Producer
John O’Brien is a KUOW newsroom producer. He works with the Morning Edition and All Things Considered teams to schedule, record, and edit interviews and stories on a variety of topics, from politics and public health to arts and culture. He learned to make radio in 2006 as an intern on KUOW’s The Conversation and is a former host of KUOW's Speakers Forum.
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