Sexual Slavery Right Here in D.C.?
by James Na ~ July 6th, 2006. Filed under: Fiskings, Human Rights, Korean Culture, WTF?, Washington Views.[Update] The “spa” has been raided and shut down.
[Original Entry]
Previously I wrote about human trafficking issues, particularly in conjunction with the Trafficking in Persons (TIPs) report published by the State Department.
I noted that South Korea is:
a source, transit, and destination country for women who are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation… Korean women are trafficked to Japan and to the United States, sometimes via Canada or Mexico, for forced prostitution.
Recently, while I was waiting at a Korean restaurant, I was flipping through a Korean weekly and found the following ad.
It says “Sauna, body shampoo, table shower, body scrape, massage, private room” on top, followed by “New Management, “Spa 14K: We have really different choices,” “We take credit card.”
This “spa,” by the way, is only one block away from my office, amidst all the lobbying firms and such. The ad, along with several others like it, was found in “Korea Entertainment Weekly” published by none other than The Washington Times! So much for family values (to be fair, The Washington Post also runs ads for “escort service” and such, apparently).
The image of a demure, vulnerable Asian young woman clutching her knees has all the markings of a brothel ad.
Katherine Chon of Polaris Project, a pioneering non-proft that combats trafficking in persons, told me that such a place is usually run by ethnic Koreans in D.C. On the question of whether the “spa employees” are voluntary prostitutes or victims of trafficking, she told me that the answer is difficult to ascertain due to scarcity of information (”the women are rotated often”) and because the boundary is blurred to the extent that some women/victims have trouble telling it apart due to “conditioning.”
Coercion, whether actively physical abuse or threats/psychological intimidation (or of deportation), is widely suspected to be used, but again, without the ability to interview the women, it is difficult to tell.
[Cross-posted in Guns and Butter Blog]
July 6th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
NOW watch our hit count….
July 6th, 2006 at 12:58 pm
I blocked out the telephone number and the exact address for a reason.
July 6th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Duke:
I temporarily moderated your post due to questionable language.
July 6th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
Sexual Slavery Right Here in D.C.?
Sexual Slavery Right Here in D.C.?
Sexual Slavery Right Here in D.C.?
[…] Last month I broke a story on the possibility of trafficked North Koreans women right inside Washington DC. Now, TKL secured a copy of an advertisement in a Korean Weekly for what appears to be a Korean Massage Parlor. Call me crazy, but when I think of massage parlors, it’s a pretty good sign there might be brothel. So I googled the partial address and it turns out it’s likely three blocks behind the Whitehouse! So is there anyone in DC up to the task of looking into this? Filed under: North Korea @ 6:51 pm […]
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Won Joon Choe
James,
I think “slavery” is a grossly misleading term to describe the phenomenon covered here. It excuses the women involved in the relevant illicit activity as–to use your parlance–”victims” when they are equally culpable.
To be succinct, prostitution in Korea, or among Koreans living in the U.S., is fundamentally different in nature from prostitution found in–say–Thailand. While I do not doubt that the criminals who run these brothels take advantage of their employees, these women are also almost always fully cognizant of what they are getting into. These women are rarely minors who are coered. Nor is South Korea a poverty-ridden Third World country that offers no other viable gainful employment for women.
Instead, quite similar to a parallel phenomenon in Japan, these women have made an economic choice where they calculated that prostitution is the most profitable form of employment among the varying alternatives for the least amount of toil. In fact, I know of many anecdotal cases where the sex worker was relatively well-off. I think one of the in-depth Korean newspaper expose that Marmot recently linked has a sex worker literally laughing at the reporter’s query as to whether she was coerced. She added something like: “This doesn’t happen any more in Korea.”
So I am a little befuddled and even offended when the term “slave” is used to describe these women. To do so ignobly ennobles that which is base.
July 6th, 2006 at 6:29 pm
Sexual Slavery Right Here in D.C.?
[…] Our friends over at The Korea Liberator have uncovered prostitution and the possible probable human trafficking involved right here in DC. […]
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Pelagius
Had a bit of fun with this article, but all that aside, I doubt that the women shuttled through this ’spa’ and others like it are exactly happy hookers. Looks like TKL’s mistake might have been in using the term ’sexual slavery’, which as you should know, only applies to victims of the Japanese, and not to mere victims of Korean organized crime
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Duke
Won Joon is correct. The girls were not forced into coming to US to work as office worker or other legit profession. Donga Weekly (which I cut and pasted the article and link few weeks ago on TKL) clearly stated that these women CHOSE to become prostitutes or whores or whatever you want to refer them but NOT slave. It’s all for sake of making USD and begs the question as to why other nationalities are not doing this in such massive scale thruout USA.
Reason? NO and his cronies outlawing “legal” prosititution in Korea. Result is national shame of #1 prostitute/whore exported in the world.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Pelagius
Sorry - the theory that these women are a pack of happy hookers does not entirely match reality. Korean organized crime has a huge hand in this, and some women are essentially in sexual slavery, regardless of how Korean nationalists would like to reserve this term for the victims of Japan’s early 20th century imperialism.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: James J. Na
How do you derive that conclusion?
There may indeed be some, even many, Korean women who choose prostitution willingly. However, there are still those who are mislead into prostitution. Then there are those who may have chosen prostitution at first, but wish to leave, yet are unable to do so due to violence or intimidation.
In both cases, slavery is an appropriate term.
I am not exactly shy of criticizing Korea and its culture, but let’s be fair. Export of prostitution is not uniquely Korean. There is an enormous output of sexual workers, trafficked, forced or otherwise, from Eastern Europe and former Soviet states, not to mention women from SE Asia.
I suggest both of you read the TIPs report to get a more accurate picture of trafficked women and sexual exploitation today.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Duke
James,
With due respect, you should read the Donga Weekly article. It was non-biased reporting about rather shameful export of prostitution all over the world. The women who are caught claim that they were misled to think they were going to work at restaurants - heck what do you expect them to say after been caught by vice squad? And they will LIE about slavery BS in hopes of delaying deportation. Donga also said most girls make TONS of money.
A friend of mine (well to do doctor in Koreatown) said these girls split $200 with the pimp who provides rides to and from for 1 hr service. They make between $400 to $800 per day CASH! Just go to Kyocharo in any major US cities and you’ll see literally hundreds of listing. And many of these prostitutes are spreading to non-Korean communities thruout US.
So not so much of slavery but GREED and lack of shame. In 1 word WHORES tainting Korean image many us 1.5 gen earned some respect.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Duke
Article from Weekly Donga:
해외 원정 성매매, 달콤한 유혹의 덫
국정원 실태보고서 입수 … 세계 곳곳에 진출, 브로커 꾐에 빠져 착취·폭행·범죄 가담 다반사
송홍근 기자 carrot@donga.com
대만의 대만대학에서 석사 과정을 밟고 있는 박한준(27) 씨는 지난해 여름 뉴스전문 방송사 TVBS가 방영한 ‘매춘시장에도 새로운 한류 바람 등장’이라는 제목의 프로그램에 등장한 한국인 매춘부의 모습을 보면서 분노를 느꼈다.
“외국에서 나라 망신시키는 모습을 보니 나도 모르게 화가 나더라고요. 한류 열풍을 타고 최근엔 한국 여성이 고급 콜걸로 대접받고 있다고 합니다.”
한국 여성들의 해외 원정 성매매가 빠르게 늘고 있다. 과거엔 윤락여성들이 미국과 일본 위주로 원정을 떠났으나 최근엔 대만, 홍콩을 비롯해 동남아시아 등지까지 외연이 확장됐다. 특히‘대장금 신드롬’이후 중화권 국가에선 한국 윤락여성의 주가가 크게 높아졌다고 한다.
‘주간동아’는 최근 국가정보원이 검경 등 관련기관용으로 작성한 ‘한국 여성들의 해외 원정 성매매 실태’ 보고서를 입수했다. 국정원 IO(Information Officer)들이 쓴 이 보고서의 내용은 충격적이다.
이 보고서는 “무비자 협정이 체결돼 있는 나라가 80개 국에 달하는 데다 한류(韓流)의 영향으로 해외 성매매 시장에서 한국 윤락여성의 수요가 높아졌으며, 성매매 방지법 여파로 윤락여성들이 해외로 눈을 돌리고 있다”면서 세계 각국에서의 한국인 성매매 실태를 전하고 있다.
해외에 베이스캠프를 차린 한국인 브로커들은 인터넷 구인광고 사이트에 글을 올리거나 오프라인 모집책을 통해 ‘아가씨’를 구하고 있다. 사이버 세상엔 ‘나가요 미국’ ‘대만 마사지걸’ 등의 낯 뜨거운 간판을 걸어놓고 해외 원정 성매매를 알선하는 커뮤니티가 즐비하다(표1, 표3 참조).
사이버 세상엔 성매매 알선 커뮤니티 즐비
한국 여성에 대한 수요가 늘어나자 국제 인신매매 조직들도 성매매특별법 시행 이후 일자리가 줄어든 유흥업소 종업원과 외국 생활을 동경하는 여성을 타깃으로 마수를 뻗치고 있다는 게 국정원의 분석이다. 이들은 “월수입 1000만원을 책임지겠다” “숙식까지 제공하겠다”는 등의 달콤한 말로 나락으로의 여행을 부추기고 있다.
그렇다면 인신매매 조직의 마수에 걸리거나, 사이버 거간을 통해 ‘매춘 여행’을 떠난 이들의 외국 생활은 어떤 모습일까?
알선료 300만원을 내고 지난해 7월 대만에 도착한 미술학원 교사 C 씨. 그는 월수입 600만원을 보장하고, 어학연수까지 알선해준다는 꼬임에 넘어갔다. 전화를 받고 호텔로 출장 성매매를 다닌 C 씨는 대만에서 마약에까지 손을 대야 했다. 마약을 복용하고 현지 남성들과 성관계를 맺은 것. C 씨는 국내로 마약을 밀반입해 복용하고 판매하다가 수사당국에 적발됐다.
2005~2006년 한국 여성의 해외 성매매 적발 사례 자료 : 국가정보원 - 2006년 1월 : 경찰, 일본·홍콩 등지로 원정 가 윤락행위를 한 M(24) 씨 등 19명을 성매매 및 마약복용 혐의로 적발
- 2005년 12월 : 호주 이민부, 2004년 7월∼2005년 6월 간 아국인 윤락여성 56명 적발 발표
*2002년 7월 이후 183명 적발
- 2005년 12월 : 대만 경찰, 성매매 혐의로 C(33) 씨 등 한국 여성 13명 적발 발표
- 2005년 7월 : 홍콩 경찰, 인터넷을 통한 성매매 혐의로 J(27) 씨 적발
- 2005년 6월 : 연방검찰 등 합동수사반, LA·샌프란시스코 지역에서 한국인 성매매 알선 2개 조직 47명 및 윤락여성 143명 적발
성매매 브로커들은 큰돈을 벌 수 있다면서 ‘일본 1000만원’ ‘사이판 1200만원’ 하는 식의 선불금을 받고 해외 취업을 알선하고 있다. 그러나 상당수 여성들이 고수익은커녕 빚만 안고 추방되거나, 현지 수사당국에 적발돼 처벌받고 있다는 게 국정원의 설명이다.
국정원 보고서에 따르면 이들 범죄 조직은 한국인 윤락여성들에게 성매매뿐 아니라 마약 밀거래, 밀입국 알선, 환치기 등 국제범죄도 강요한다고 한다. 국제범죄에 연루된 여성들을 기다리는 건 차가운 교도소 바닥이다. 미술학원 교사에서 범죄자로 전락한 C 씨처럼 삶이 송두리째 바뀌는 경우가 적지 않다는 것이다. 다음은 국정원이 공개한, 캐나다에서 성매매를 하다 적발된 I 씨가 밝힌 노비 문서에 가까운 계약서의 일부다.
-출근시간 지각(단 1분이라도) : 벌금 5만원
-업소 무단결근 : 벌금 400만원
-손님과 외박(2차) 거부하면 술값은 본인 부담 : 벌금 10만원
-이유 없는 반항 : 벌금 50만원
-휴식은 한 달에 한 번 비번인 경우를 제외하고 불허
미납된 선불금과 각종 벌금은 윤락여성을 옭아매는 족쇄가 된다. 1년만 일하면 빚 7000만원을 갚을 수 있다는 꼬드김에 넘어가 호주행 비행기에 오른 H 씨. 하루에 4~5명의 손님을 맞았으나 주머니에 들어온 돈은 월 20만원가량에 불과했다. 돈을 번 뒤 내기로 한 선불금의 이자가 연 60%에 달했기 때문이다.
물론 고소득을 올리는 경우도 없지는 않다. 대만에 거주하는 J 씨의 소개로 2004년 12월 60일짜리 관광비자로 대만으로 건너간 P 씨. 그는 화대로 남성 1인당 4000뉴타이완달러(약 13만원)를 받았다. P 씨와 J 씨는 6대 4의 비율로 화대를 나눠가졌다고 한다. 그러나 쏠쏠한 돈벌이는 오래가지 못했다. 대만 수사당국에 불법 성매매 혐의로 적발된 것이다.
P 씨처럼 외국에서 성매매를 하다가 현지 수사당국에 적발되는 사례도 빠르게 늘고 있다(표2 참조). “성매매에 나서는 한국 여성이 증가하고 이들이 마약 밀매 등 다른 범죄에 개입하는 사례가 늘어남에 따라 각국이 한국 윤락여성과 연계된 인신매매 및 마약밀매 조직에 대한 단속 활동을 강화하고 있다”는 게 국정원의 설명이다.
호주에서는 다양한 국가 출신의 여성들이 성매매업에 종사하고 있으며, 이 중 절대 다수가 동남아 출신이었는데 최근 한국 윤락여성들이 늘고 있다고 한다. 2004년 7월~2005년 6월에 한국 여성 56명이 불법 성매매 혐의로 단속돼 추방됐는데, 이들은 대부분 워킹홀리데이비자 혹은 관광비자로 입국해 성매매에 종사하다가 적발됐다.
미국은 지난해 캘리포니아주를 무대로 해 한국 윤락여성의 미국 밀입국을 주선하고 윤락을 알선해온 2개 인신매매 조직과 윤락여성 143명을 적발한[미 연방수사국(FBI)은 연방검찰, LA경찰국(LAPD), 연방이민세관단속국 등과 공조해 LA와 샌프란시스코에서 ‘황금새장’이라는 이름의 검거 작전을 펼쳤다] 이후 한국 매춘부와 이들과 관련된 인신매매 조직에 대한 단속 활동을 강화하고 있다.
미국에서의 한국인 성매매는 곪을 대로 곪은 상황이다. 국정원 보고서는 “LA 당국은 LA 한인타운에서 불법 성매매에 종사하는 여성이 약 200~300명에 달하는 것으로 보고 있으며 파트타임 여성까지 포함할 경우 그보다 훨씬 많은 규모(1000명 이상)로 추산하고 있다”고 밝히고 있다. LA에서 체포되는 윤락여성의 90% 이상이 한국 여성이라는 게 LAPD의 설명이다.
LA 한인타운서 1000명 이상 활동 추정
LA 한인타운의 경우 룸살롱, 마사지실, 척추교정실(카이로프랙틸실)을 중심으로 은밀하게 성매매가 이뤄진다고 한다. 또한 길거리 광고 전단과 전화를 통해 윤락을 알선하는 일종의 콜서비스(에스코트서비스)도 운영된다는 게 국정원의 설명이다. 콜서비스는 OUT-CALL(성매매 여성을 숙소로 부르는 것), IN-CALL(성매매 여성의 숙소로 찾아가는 것)로 나뉘어 이뤄진다고 한다.
보고서에 따르면 룸살롱에서 일하는 여성들은 단기 관광비자로 들어온 경우가 많고 마사지실, 척추교정실, 콜서비스 등에 종사하는 여성들은 대분분 밀입국한 것으로 확인되고 있다. 캐나다, 멕시코 국경에서 이뤄지는 밀입국에는 인신매매 조직이 관여하고 있다고 한다.
국정원이 소개한 E 씨의 사례다. E 씨는 브로커에게 5000달러를 주고 미국으로 밀입국하다가 죽을 고비를 넘겼다. 캐나다-미국 국경을 몰래 넘다 차량이 나무를 들이받는 사고가 난 것. E 씨는 미국 국경수비대에 체포돼
3개월간 발에 족쇄를 차고 생활해야 했는데, 이후 인신매매 조직은 “LA의 유흥업소에서 일하면서 변호사 비용 2만3000달러를 갚으라”며 윽박질렀다고 한다. 한국 여성들을 룸살롱, 마사지실, 콜서비스 업소 등에 넘기는 이들 인신매매 조직은 감금 폭행은 물론이고 마약 공급, 환치기 등 각종 범죄의 온상이라고 한다.
미국 서부지역에 대한 대대적인 인신매매 단속활동이 전개되자 인신매매 조직들은 한국인 윤락여성들을 콜로라도 등 중부지역으로 옮기고 있는 것으로 알려졌다. 뉴욕 맨해튼의 기업형 출장 성매매 서비스에 종사하는 윤락여성들도 점증하고 있다는 게 국정원의 분석이다. 미국의 인권단체 폴라리스프로젝트는 “미국 도시와 농촌에 한국인이 관련된 성매매 업소가 똬리를 틀고 있으며, 워싱턴의 경우 성매매를 하는 마사지 업소 중 90% 이상이 한국인이 운영하는 곳”이라고 주장한다.
일본에서는 성매매를 불법으로 규정하고 있으나 소푸란도(증기탕), 에스테(안마 및 성감 체험), 데이트카페, 집창촌 등 다양한 형태로 성매매가 이뤄지고 있다. 한국 윤락여성들은 이 같은 업소에 취업하거나 한국인이 운영하는 클럽에 근무하면서 몸을 판다. 도쿄 우그이스다니 지역에만 1000명이 넘는 한국인 윤락여성이 일하고 있다고 한다.
일본 사창가에서 호객행위를 하는 이들은 대부분 동남아시아나 남미 출신의 외국인 여성들이다. 일본에선 “어떤 국적의 여성을 사느냐에 따라 경제력을 판단할 수 있다”는 말이 남성들 사이에 회자될 만큼 외국인 성매매가 만연돼 있는데, 특히 한국인 여성만 있는‘구라브(club)’에 오는 남성은 돈 많은 사람으로 간주된다.
대만의 외국인(중국인 포함) 윤락여성은 과거에는 화대가 저렴한 중국 출신 여성이 대부분을 차지하다가 러시아와 동유럽 여성들이 몰려와 인기를 얻었고, 최근에는 한국 드라마의 인기에 편승해 한국 윤락여성들의 수가 늘고 있다. 불법 성매매로 적발된 외국인 가운데 한국 여성은 베트남·캄보디아·태국·인도네시아·러시아인보다 적으나 적발 인원이 갈수록 증가하고 있다고 한다.
한국 드라마 인기 타고 성매매도 한류?
보고서에 따르면 대만에서 활동하는 한국 윤락여성들의 배후엔 화교로 구성된 윤락 알선 조직이 있는데, 이들은 한국 여성을 한 번에 5~7명씩 모집해 대만으로 입국시키고 있다고 한다. 특히 1개월 무비자 입국이 가능하다는 점을 악용하고 있으며, 윤락여성 중 일부는 비자 면제기간 1개월이 만료될 무렵 일시 귀국했다가 재입국하는 방법을 이용하는 것으로 알려졌다.
해외 원정 성매매는 현지에서 적발될 경우 처벌을 받는 범죄일 뿐더러 한국과 한국인의 이미지를 손상시키는 행위다. 또한 한류 확산 및 미국과의 사증면제 협정 추진에도 부정적인 영향을 끼칠 것으로 보인다. 윤락여성들의 ‘매춘 여행’이 지금 같은 추세로 증가한다면 머지 않아 한국은 ‘성매매 수출국’이라는 오명을 뒤집어쓸 수도 있다.
美 국무부 국제인신매매보고서로 본 한국과 북한
“한국은 성매매 정거장, 북한은 성매매 원천”
미국 국무부는 2000년 제정된 인신매매피해자보호법(TVPA, Trafficking Victims Protection Act)에 근거해 2001년부터 전 세계 150개 국의 인신매매 현황을 분석, 국제인신매매보고서(TIP, Trafficking in Persons)를 발표하고 있다. 2005년판 TIP는 한국을 ‘성매매 정거장’으로 지목하고 있으며, 북한을 ‘성매매 원천’이라고 묘사하고 있다.
한국 : 인신매매 근절과 피해자 보호조치를 기준으로 할 때 한국은 영국, 독일 등과 함께 가장 양호한 1군에 포함됐다. 또한 성매매 금지법 시행을 지목하면서 실질적 조치를 취한 모범국으로 꼽혔다. 그러나 현실적인 상황은 여전히 심각한 것으로 지적됐다. 보고서에서는 한국을 성매매를 위한 인신매매의 목적지이자 발생지, 경유지로 지목했다. 중국, 러시아, 태국, 필리핀, 기타 동남아시아 국가에서 성매매 여성이 한국으로 들어오고 있으며, 반대로 한국 여성들은 매춘을 목적으로 일본과 미국 등으로 매매되고 있다는 것이다.
북한 : 남성과 여성이 강제노동과 성착취를 위해 매매되는 인신매매 원천이라고 평가됐다. 수천 명의 북한 남성과 여성, 어린이가 노예 상태로 강제노동을 하거나 스러져가고 있다는 것. 보고서는 외국에 거주하는 북한인들은 불법적인 신분 때문에 인신매매와 성 및 노동력 착취에 매우 취약하다면서 북한 여성의 인신매매는 성착취나 중국 남성과의 강제결혼을 위해 이뤄지며, 남성들은 강제노동을 위해 매매된다고 밝혔다. 특히 중국 등으로 이주한 북한인들이 성매매나 강제노동에 시달리고 있다고 꼬집었다.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Duke
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200606/200606080030.html
Korean Prostitutes Threaten Visa Waiver
The U.S. Consul General to Seoul says Korean prostitutes who stay illegally in the U.S. are a major psychological barrier to a visa waiver for Korean visitors there.
Michael Kirby told reporters Thursday it does not help Korea’s efforts for a visa waiver if Korean women are uncovered every time there is a prostitution bust in the U.S. Kirby said apart from decreasing the percentage of visa refusals, Korea must also cooperate in a system of joint law enforcement and ensure that Americans have a good impression of Koreans.
It was the first time a U.S. Embassy official has tied Korean prostitutes to the visa waiver. This suggests Korea must deal with the problem even if it does manage to bring down its visa rejection rate to the required level of 3 percent.
Kirby said on one occasion last year 100 Korean women were arrested on prostitution charges in a single day in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Korean women were also held in Connecticut, New York and Huston this year, he said, with Korean women forming a bigger part of the prostitution problem in the U.S, than those of any other nationality during the last one to two years.
The consul said many of the women are smuggled into the U.S. via Canada or Mexico, and some of them enter the country on forged visas. Korean women pay between US$15,000 and 20,000 to traffickers and often see no option except prostitution to pay them off, he added.
Korea and the U.S. discussed the issue when the Foreign Ministry’s Director of Consular Affairs Bureau Lee Joon-gyu was in the U.S. recently.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: James J. Na
That’s what I am talking about.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Dan tdaxp
This is not an issue with H1-B holders, as well? Or should we all join the minuteman project?
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: James J. Na
Dan tdaxp:
I can’t determine whether that’s an attempted knock on H1-B sponsors or the Minuteman Project.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mi-Hwa
The prostitution industry is rampant in SK and in Koreatowns in the US, Canada, and elsewhere. I’m glad that the SK government is restricting prostitution at least in Seoul, and the US government is cracking down on human trafficking.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Dan tdaxp
James,
Knock or not, the question remains…
If prostitutes are coerced to work by the fact they may be forced to leave the country if they do not please their employer, are not H1-B/L1-B/TN-1/E-3 holders coerced to work by the fact they may be force to leave the country if they do not please their employer?
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: James J. Na
First, let’s start with the fact that the above is not the only method of coercion (e.g. “that their families would be harmed if they fled before paying off their outstanding smuggling fee“).
Second, I do not think H1 visa sponsors confiscate the passports of those workers they sponsor in order to control them and their movements.
Now, even if we are to accept the notion that many or most of these women knew that they were to provide sexual services, that does not justify coercion and exploitation of these women… just as it does not make rape of prostitutes or holding illegal alien migrant workers in bondage less wrong.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Dan tdaxp
James,
Granted on the types of coercion. Still, you set a low bar for “coercion,” and it seems low enough to grant both foreign high-tech workers and foreign prostitutes.
Second, true, however… Passports are not required for internal movement within the United States. The foreign movement of some aliens are constricted in similar ways. For instance, a foreign student on an education visa may only re-enter the country from his home State. So a Korean student who can only afford a prescription medicine by buying it from Canada, or wishes to visit family members in Toronto, would have to fly to Seoul to get back to college.
(A far harder and more expensive task than walking the thirteen blocks from one’s workplace in DC to the ROK embassy and reporting a lost passport, perhaps…)
Your last paragraph conflates two concepts — one of “coercion” (for which you have a low bar) and “exploitation” (surplus value theory of labor????) with “rape” and “bondage” — in other words, one with an disliked economic relationship with violent constraint.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: James J. Na
I am not a lawyer, so caveat emptor, obviously.
The point of departure for the two for me is, do they enjoy the same level of ability to seek redress by legal third parties in case of dispute?
From my experience, the answer is clearly no.
I don’t recall this being the case when I was a foreign student. But that was a while back, and my memory as a non-American is a bit fuzzy (as I try my best to forget those days of having to deal with the then INS).
If one is unable to get driver’s license or other forms of ID, it would be mighty difficult to board an airplane even for domestic travel nowadays without a passport.
As I put before, confiscation of passports is often a practical means of coercion as well as a psychological one — not just for prostitutes in the U.S. but for a whole variety of “bonded” laborers in many parts of the world.
Actually, even though I am not a lawyer, I believe keeping a “bonded laborer” is illegal in the U.S. and “violent constraint” is not a necessary condition.
Taking away passports, charging 60% interest on the transit “loan” and then threatening family members are surely some strong evidences of “bondage” that does not involve actual physical “violent constraint” but is nonetheless illegal.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Innocent Brotha
Now I am sure that some of these girls get into bad financial arrangements to get to the US, but many of them are already in bad finance before they get involved. I have known personally several Korean girls through different spas, and none of them were slaves. One woman, I dated for over a year after she freely left the spa. She was an American citizen, naturalized when she was married to her ex-husband that she met while he was stationed in S. Korea. With the money she made at the spa, she supported her family: a parent, a child, her siblings’ family, even cousins in Korea.
Another girl I dated after she left the spa, had a child born out of wedlock in S. Korea. The child stayed there with her parents, while the spa arranged for the girl’s entrance to the U.S. I co-signed an apartment with her, so she could get life established in the U.S. While I knew her, she freely left and returned to the spa. I was friendly with the mamasan, and we actually dined together several times.
I knew several other girls personally, and none of them ever talked about slavery. Although others did, infrequently were they at liberty to come and leave the spa. Generally, they would have planned vacations like you would at normal jobs.
Now, I will not generalize and say none of these girls were enslaved. On the other hand, most of these girls have cell phones, and if they were enslaved they could easily call 911. In addition, I heard several stories where some girls who were unstable would raise hell, start fights and eventually would get kicked out of the spa. Certainly that could be an exit strategy for some. If there was a bust of the spa, and you were employed there, the easy position to take would be enslavery – a get out of jail free card. If they were slaves they wouldn’t carry a wad of $20s several inches thick that I have seen with different girls on many occasions.
At the beginning of the Clinton administration, prostitutes were littered all over downtown DC at night. As much as these spas may be disgraceful, the image of the street was disgusting and in plain sight for all. Furthermore, it was much more dangerous. All the free-lance prostitutes with pimps could try to stiff their customers. They could carry weapons. The AIDS problem was peaking, and there was no one controlling for disease. By the end of the Clinton administration, whether by design or not, the streets were cleaned up significantly, and prostitution activity was pushed more to the spas, where it was a more discreet and somewhat safer environment. It is in management’s best interest to have returning customers.
There is no reason to think that the “world’s oldest profession” will go away. With the recent FBI busts, either the current administration’s fundamentalists feel that they can stop prostitution (even though Jesus dated a prostitute), or they want to push it back to the street, so the dangers are increased and they can incarcerate more individuals. Just like Iraq, they are using smoke and mirrors to hide their cause, using an emotional term like “slavery” to enforce their religious beliefs on others.
Let me say that I do not necessarily condone prostitution, but I feel that our unalienable right to the pursuit of happiness as stated in the Declaration of Independance supercedes prostitution law. If two consenting adults want to have sex and one party is happy to receive money and the other party is happy to receive gratification, then third party religious beliefs should not interfere.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mi-Hwa
“…then third party religious beliefs should not interfere.”
However, laws against human trafficking will interfere.
Human trafficking is considered a serious violation by the State Dept., the Justice Dept., Homeland Security, and the INS.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Innocent Brotha
“laws against human trafficking will interfere.”
Hopefully, everyone who is involved in this will be prosecuted, evenhandedly. S. Korea is a small player in the trafficking biz. Many of the girls are here in the US legally. This was a prostitution bust. Without these spas, prostitution in DC will be back on the streets as it was in the 80s and 90s.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Dan tdaxp
Obviously, because of prostitution laws. Criminalize accountancy, and suddenly accounts lose the same level of ability to seek redress by legal third parties. Create a black market, and witness a black justice system.
I never knew the Republic of Korea’s lost passport office was so draconian.
Sure. Then focus on that, not prostitution.
The easiest way to bring a market under the law is to decriminalize it. If one wishes to oppose a market for moral reasons, fine, but an increase in illegitimate violence and coercion is a natural consequence.
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: James J. Na
Actually, it’s not so obvious. Much of it, in my view, has to do with the fact that transnational criminal organizations are behind human trafficking.
I suspect that even if we legalize prostitution throughout the whole country, not just Nevada, there will still be human trafficking and trafficked sex workers, for the same reason that there are illegal migrant workers and trafficked “bonded” laborers — they cost less — precisely because there are strong elements of threats, intimidation and actual violence (in fact, there is still underground, unregulated prostitution in Nevada despite “legalization”).
That is, indeed, the mantra of the libertarian. I am actually generally friendly to that principle.
Nonetheless, there are instances where that principle fails. One reason is ethos. Once a peculiar set of socio-economic conditions lead to formation of illicit networks (organized criminal trafficking), taking away a part of the motivation does not make the overall structure of the black market go away.
Remember that *my* focus has always been about human trafficking and exploitation (sexual or otherwise) of the thusly trafficked people, NOT prostitution per se.
You are the one who keeps turning the matter into one of prostitution.
I should note that the government’s Trafficking in Person’s Office, led by Amb. John Miller, has been trying to shift the focus from the women to the traffickers.