Peabody Award-Winning Investigation: Trafficked

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Peabody Award-Winning Investigation: Trafficked

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(download mp3) Part I, Trafficked: An investigation into the shocking world of underage sex trafficking. Youth Radio gets the inside story from two young women who’ve recently escaped from The Game.

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(download mp3) Part II, Trafficked: Youth Radio goes inside a police sting to investigate what the Oakland police and FBI are doing to combat sex trafficking.

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Trafficked, a Peabody Award winning investigation, was produced

with NPR’s All Things Considered, and was originally broadcast on

December 6th and 7th, 2010.

The Youth Radio investigation draws on interviews, eyewitness reporting, and city records to piece together what life is like for girls when they become trapped by pimps -- and how law enforcement continues to criminalize girls the state legally defines as sexually exploited victims.

In addition to the broadcast stories, Youth Radio has published interviews with high school students currently working in the sex trade in California and a handwritten pimp "business plan" provided by prosecutors, and delved into the controversy of whether some Bay Area hip hop music glorifies sex trafficking.

Investigative Reports:

• Part I, Trafficked: An investigation into the shocking world of underage sex trafficking. Youth Radio gets the inside story from two young women who’ve recently escaped from The Game.

• Part II, Trafficked (Airs Tuesday, December 7): Youth Radio goes inside a police sting to investigate what the Oakland police and FBI are doing to combat sex trafficking.

Web Exclusives:

• Interview: Underage & Working the Streets Darlene, a former trafficked teen, interviews three underage girls currently working the streets.

• Pimp Business Plan An exclusive copy of a pimp's to-do list, obtained from the Alameda County District Attorney.

• Interview: Online Escort An eye-opening interview with an Oakland escort.

• Is Rap Music to Blame? An interview with Hip Hop historian Davey D.

• Storefront Photo Studios Sell Teens Our reporter exposes an online marketer.

Resources:

• What Can You Do? Find out what you can do to prevent sex trafficking in your neighborhood and beyond.

• Watch Video Short films about trafficking from 3 Generations.

• Testimonials Hear from activists working to fight sex trafficking.

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Comments

TO ALL THE FEMALES!!!

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 12/13/2010 - 13:34.

I REALLY THINK YOU GUYS ARE SO BRAVE FOR ACTUALLY GOING THREW ALL THIS. IT'S REALLY NICE TO HEAR THAT YOU GUYS ARE STILL ALIVE. I'M REALLY GRATEFUL THAT YOU GUYS GOT TO SHARE YOUR GUYS STORY. IT MUST OF BEEN HARD, YOU GUYS ARE STRONGER THEN YOU THINK YOU ARE BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN THAT SITUATION AND I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I WOULD'VE OF PROBABLY JUST KILLED MY SELF. YOU GUYS ARE STRONG FEMALES!!!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO, YOU GUYS WERE SO YOUNG, BUT YOU GUYS ACTED OLDER THEN YOU WERE WENT IT ALL STARTED. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH YOU GUYS REALLY OPENED MY MIND AND NOTICED THAT NO MATTER WHAT CHOICES I MAKE IN LIFE I LEARN NEW THINGS NO MATTER WHAT SITUATION I'M IN.

Trafficked

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 12/13/2010 - 13:16.

I think this is horrible and Oakland law enforcement should be doing more to get these pimps off the street. I do agree the girls should be getting arrested however I don't think they should be put in jail, I think they should be put in homes where they cant prostitute.

Motivated to act

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 15:32.

Thank you for this invaluable reporting. It's the best thing I've heard on NPR in a very long time and is effective in motivating me to seek out organizations locally who are working to combat human trafficking. Amazing.

Inspired to Action

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 12/10/2010 - 06:35.

Your report on sex trafficking has moved me to get my head out of the sand! I am getting involved via Polaris Project, and am sending out an e-mail to my network to raise their awareness and hopefully move them to action. Thank you very much! Well done and know your work will have a wide ripple effect.

Thank you

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 12/08/2010 - 20:20.

Thank you for addressing this subject.

Great Journalism

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 12/08/2010 - 11:23.

So refreshing to see some solid journalism doing good in the world. Thank you.

applause for comment above: "Prostituted Women"

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 12/08/2010 - 11:05.

The comment above by V (Prostituted Women) makes many excellent points that need to be included in any story like this one.

Tremendous Reporting

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 19:34.

Amazing, chilling reporting. I was deeply moved. I live in Albany, CA, just up the road from Oakland, and had no idea that sex trafficking was so widespread in that city. It's heartbreaking on all kinds of levels. So much of this is about race and class. The sorts of dangers and horrors African American and Latina girls (especially) face in low-income areas of Oakland are totally unthinkable in a place like Albany (wealthy enclave, mostly white and Asian families). The world and the country are deeply unequal, of course, but inequality is dramatic and compressed here in the Bay area. Your piece helped me see that more clearly. THANK YOU.

Work

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 17:12.

We used to employ youths in a lot of businesses that have always been considered low wage. They were entry level jobs that did not require training or education. These jobs provided some minimal income to young students who were still living with their parents, and taught them work ethics. The things they would need to learn, to enter the work force as a adults. Things such as dependability and the discipline to work hard, and work through a full 8 hour shift.

Businesses though, would prefer adults, who presumably already have a work ethic. People who have to show up for work everyday because that is how they pay they eat and pay their bills. The only reasons that these businesses hired youths was because adults would not work in these businesses for the low wages that they paid. Hence the need to hire students.

Now, we have a very high unemployment rate, and have for quite some time been allowing large numbers of immigrants both legal and illegal into this country who are adults. Who already have a work ethic. Who need the money to support themselves and their families. These immigrants are now taking the jobs that used to go to youths. Why would you hire a young person to work for you, that has not learned any work ethics, when you can hire an adult? This problem will continue until our GOOBERnment puts limits on immigration AND enforces those limits. Our unemployment numbers must drop significantly and stay low, in order for these businesses to again start hiring youths.

wait it out

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 12:22.

this makes me feel all sorts of things; confusion, frustration, sadness... its a trip how some of the women feel ok about what theyre doing. its disturbing to see a whole culture that also makes it ok, from music, to consumerism and capitalism. Poverty definitely is an incubation of sorts. I wish there were more opportunities for teenagers to get real job skills, or that they can picture themselves having a better future if they just wait out their teen years and make it to college.

Prostituted Women

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/07/2010 - 06:57.

I do take issue with your reference to these exploited young girls as “sex workers.” The reality of nearly all women who have been prostituted has nothing to do with them actually choosing prostitution as work. Most are struggling under the weight of poverty, drug abuse, prior incarceration and sexual assaults that all too often occurred in their own family. We choose our work, but their lives represents anything but choice. Being prostituted is a painful example of what happens when the opportunity to truly have choices in ones life is steadily diminished until nothing but the day-to-day struggle to survive remains. Most of us can walk away from our “work” tomorrow if we choose, but for the majority of prostituted women there is a pimp lurking in the background waiting to show them who really makes the decisions in their life. This is not exactly the experience that we would attribute to an independent worker. The fact that they are prostituted women only describes what too many men have done to their lives. They will become “workers” when our society insists on gender equality so that they may really choose what kind of life they want and when there are meaningful ways for them to achieve it. Sincerely, V