NPR Series on Sex Trafficking

Seattle’s local NPR station, KUOW, has been focusing on sex trafficking and child prostitution in the area over the past few years. This is in response to the revelation that Seattle is part of a major trafficking ring and is a hub for sex trafficking. I think the programs produced by Weekday are particularly valuable. Below are descriptions and links to some of the many programs on this topic.

• Sex Trafficking: Inside and Outside the Life of Pimps (Weekday, 2/17/11) "Weekday's" series on sex trafficking in the Puget Sound region continues today with a look at the pimps. Who are they? What is their background? What conditions exist that encourage young people to start pimping other young people? What can be done to stop new pimps from coming up? Once you are a pimp, can you change your life? How? Today, we hear the firsthand stories of two former pimps, and talk to the people who encounter them on the streets. http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=22642
• Sex Trafficking Children: What Happens On and Off the Streets (Weekday, 1/19/11)The sex trafficking of young girls continues to be a prolific local and national problem. Every night underage girls walk Seattle streets without much hope of freedom or even a good meal. What can be done? In Seattle, a new transitional housing program recently opened, providing shelter and support to underage children involved in prostitution. Is the project succeeding? What does it take to rehabilitate these young women? http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=22372
• Health Layoffs, PAC Crackdown, Teen Prostitution, and Environmental Priorities (The Conversation, 1/14/11) Many consider Portland, Oregon, one of the nation's hubs for child sex trafficking. But Carol Smith from InvestigateWest reports child prostitution appears to be on the rise in Seattle as well. She joins us.http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=22362
• Being an Underage Prostitute (Weekday, 8/4/10)Have you heard of a "choosey Suzie" or a "wife in law?" Do you know what being "in pocket" is? Thousands of underage kids trapped in prostitution know all too well. What is the day–to–day reality for an underage prostitute? How do they get forced into "the life?" How can they successfully leave the industry? Today, stories of underage sex trafficking from girls who've been there. We'll also learn what intervention helps.http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=20961
• Can Prostitution Of Underage Kids In Puget Sound Be Stopped? (Weekday, 2/8/10) Seattle will launch a two–year pilot program this spring that will provide housing and support to underage children involved in prostitution. Meanwhile, tougher laws are going after pimp rings. There are hundreds of underage kids involved in the sex trade in Seattle. Can it be stopped? How, and at what expense? Can the public's perception of prostitutes change the fight?http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=19362
• Alleged Pimp Found Guilty in First State Human Trafficking Charge (KUOW News, 11/25/09) A dramatic and historic trial came to an end at the King County courthouse yesterday. KUOW's Sara Lerner has the story. And just a warning, the details of this case may be disturbing to some listeners. This is a transcript of the verdict in the trial. http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=18878
• Siddharth Kara on Sex Trafficking (Weekday, 1/29/09) Sex trafficking is an epidemic. Millions of women and children are forced or sold into prostitution each year where they live a life of hopelessness and brutality. What can be done? If trafficking remains profitable, how can it be stopped? Former investment banker Siddharth Kara has a proposal. Today he presents a business analysis of the industry and suggests sectors that could affected by outside interventions.http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=16812
• Child Prostitution in Seattle (KUOW News, 8/6/08) A recent report addresses the reality of child prostitution in Seattle. The study says the average age of entry into prostitution is 14. It estimates upwards of 500 Seattle children are victims of sexual trafficking. KUOW's John O'Brien has more.http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=15522
• Child Prostitution in Seattle, National Night Out and Self Defense (KUOW Presents, 8/5/08)1. Teenage prostitution in Seattle: A look at the problem of child prostitution in Seattle, how kids get there, and what can be done about it. 2. National Night Out: A discussion of what makes a good neighborhood and what makes a bad neighborhood, on the occasion of tonight's National Night Out, where streets around the country are closed off for a chance for neighbors to meet one another. 3. Defending Oneself: A Seattle–based novelist tells of the personal experiences that led her to adopt the philosophy of self–defense, both for herself and for her fictional characters. http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=15511
• Child Prostitution in Seattle (Weekday, 8/5/08)A report assessing child prostitution in Seattle will be presented to the City Council's Public Safety, Human Services and Education committee later today. The report found that approximately 300–500 kids under 18 are currently involved in prostitution. And that is a conservative estimate. They are also starting younger; at 12–13 years old. The hotbed of activity is Aurora Avenue, where many prostitutes are barely 18 years old. How do kids fall into prostitution? What can be done about it? http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=15499