Global Sex Trafficking - Cal State LA

global
sex trafficking
Global
Sex Trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
The Perplexing Case of South Korea
Timothy C. Lim, Ph.D
Department of Political Science
California State University, Los Angeles
tclim@calstatela.edu
Karam Yoo
Research Associate
California State University, Los Angeles
Background image is of You Mi Kim, a sex trafficking victim profiled in a series of articles in the San Francisco Chronicle
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
Introduction and background
Human trafficking and smuggling for sexual exploitation (what is
often referred to as “sex trafficking”*) is a global issue
* The use of the term “sex trafficking” is problematic, but it is useful as a shorthand for representing a variety of
inter-related processes, in particular, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, human smuggling for sexual
exploitation, and forced prostitution
there are no reliable numbers, but it is fairly clear that sex
trafficking takes place within and across every major
region in the world—often in complex, crisscrossing patterns—and involves millions,
perhaps tens of millions, of people
on a cumulative basis
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
Introduction and background
In general, sexually exploited women and children come from the
poorest countries, while the most affluent countries, including
the United States, serve almost exclusively as
destinations of trafficking.
At the same time, it is important
to recognize that sex trafficking is
less a movement than a condition
on this point, consider the
following definition of sex trafficking
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
a definition of sex trafficking
a commercial sex act induced by force,
fraud or coercion in this definition, movement across borders is not even an element of trafficking; in
addition, even when trafficking does involve transborder movement, the actual
situation of trafficking may not take place until after a person crosses a border
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
Introduction and background
Still, it is clear that global sex trafficking is particularly virulent, since it not
only prays on the most desperate and vulnerable of people, but also by
its very design, puts them into even more precarious and
difficult situations
This is partly because it takes people, primarily women and children, from
a familiar environment and places them into a foreign one—one in
which the simplest tasks can become extraordinarily difficult,
including just communicating with a stranger
Still more, cross border smuggling and trafficking is
expressly meant to disempower its “victims” by
stripping away their rights as citizens global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
Key Issues
given the virulence and seriousness of global sex trafficking, much
attention has been focused on identifying the underlying and
proximate causes
most attention, in this regard, has been
focused on issues of poverty and gender
inequality: both factors clearly
play a central role in explaining the
persistence and growth of global
sex trafficking
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
but …
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
… it is a dangerous oversimplification to assume that reducing
poverty and gender inequality will automatically diminish or
eliminate global sex trafficking
one reason is clear: not all people trafficked in the global sex
trade are from impoverished or economically unstable countries
where women are marginalized
one notable exception—and the focus of the remainder
of my talk—is South Korea global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
The South Korean Case: Facts & Figures
based on reported cases, South Korea is one of the major
sources of sex trafficking and smuggling to the United States
according to the Attorney General’s Office (2006), among all source
countries, the highest populations of trafficking victims originated in
Korea (23.5%), followed by Thailand (11.7%), Peru (10.0%), and
Mexico (9.6%) there are, however, no reliable
estimates of the total number of
South Korean women involved in
the U.S. commercial sex industry,
either as trafficked individuals or as
“voluntary sex workers”
Trafficking Victims by Country
Korea
24%
Others
44%
Thailand
12%
Mexico
10%
Peru
10%
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
The South Korean Case: Facts & Figures
a conservative estimate (based on a variety of overlapping
sources*) would put the number of Korean women involved in the
US commercial sex trade at a minimum of 10,000, although the
actual number is likely much, much higher
* these sources include indirect estimates through:
aggregate immigration statistics, number of Koreanowned commercial sex establishments, arrest records,
“insider” information, and internet sites example of internet site listing “massage parlors” throughout the US. There
are also several sites for Korean men only, with restricted access
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
map indicating the location of Korean-owned prostitution enterprises in the United States
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
The South Korean Case: Facts & Figures
an important note. the vast majority of Korean women involved
in the American commercial sex industry would likely not be
classified as victims or survivors of trafficking
It is equally likely, however, that many,
if not nearly all, have experienced
situations of human trafficking, the most
common of which is debt bondage global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
The South Korean Case: Facts & Figures
debt bondage. almost all Korean women who are smuggled or
trafficked to the US incur a large debt: they must pay for the travel
costs, “broker fees,” and a host of other expenses
once in the US, there debt will often increase
due to additional (mandatory) costs for
food, rent, utilities, medication, condoms,
and so on
consider the cases of “TY” and “AY” global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
The Broader Significance of Korea
Sex trafficking and smuggling from Korea is perplexing: among
source major source countries, Korea is by far the richest …
Korea’s per capita GDP is about the same as Italy and Greece
$24,804
Korea ranks high on the UN scale for gender empowerment:
26th highest score in the world
Korea is also a significant destination for sexually exploited
women from other countries
$11,396
$9.193
$6,865
$5,600
Per capita GDP for selected countries
IMF, World Economic Outlook Database, October 2007, for the year 2006
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
The Broader Significance of Korea
The Korean case suggests that increasing levels of economic
wealth—and all the macro-social factors associated with rising
prosperity, such as higher educational levels and stronger social
programs and protections—is not sufficient to eliminate or even
curb human trafficking and smuggling for sexual exploitation
At the same time, the Korean case puts more focus on a range
of other less obvious factors
so, what are these other factors?
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
Why sex trafficking between the US and South
Korea is so high
the flow of Korean women to the US sex industry underscores the
importance of both push and pull factors
the primary push factor is a combination of economic, legalinstitutional, and social forces within South Korea
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
Push and Pull Factors
for many Korean women, key reasons for turning to sex work is
“paying off debt” or “earning money”
in Korea, there are few protections for those with personal debt
and debt collectors commonly use threats and violence to collect
unpaid debts
paying off an accumulated debt for women is particularly difficult
because opportunities for earning high wages are limited: gender
discrimination remains high in Korea
sex work is one of the few “viable” alternatives for
earning high wages
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
Push and Pull Factors
overseas sex work is particularly enticing, despite the risks and
increased vulnerability: in our research, women were generally
able to pay off their debts (both pre-existing and new) and
sometimes earn extraordinarily large incomes
this is a major pull factor for the women themselves
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
Push and Pull Factors
another key—and obvious—pull factor is demand for easily
exploited and “exotic” women by American men
but, it is also important to recognize that demand from an
increasingly affluent Korean and Korean-American community
is increasingly significant: Koreans have essentially reproduced in
the US the same sexually exploitative networks of room salons,
night clubs, karaoke rooms, and outcall services that
exist in South Korea
global sex trafficking
the perplexing case of south korea
Push and Pull Factors
key point
from the very beginning, Koreans have played a central role in
shaping and creating the “market” for easily exploited Korean sex
workers in the United States
the process began in the 1970s—often through the mechanism of
sham marriages between Korean women and American soldiers—
and continues today through a variety of other mechanisms
Koreans, however, still are the principle agents of sexual
exploitation: they are the traffickers, the smugglers, the brokers,
the owners of prostitution-based enterprises, and the enablers