The Washington Post: A paper pimp? (part one)

Last year, I spoke with Nomi Levenkron, an attorney with the Israel-based Hotline for Migrant Workers that produced a policy report on “Paper Pimps.”  The report, supported by the European Union, presents research on the scope of sex trafficking in Israel and its enabling support structure, namely the advertisers of commercial sex operations, referred to as “paper pimps” for facilitating the exploitation of victims of sex trafficking.  It asserts the importance of freedom of expression, but the need to balance it with values for protecting other fundamental human rights.

During our conversation, I realized that I have come to know many American “paper pimps” quite well in the last seven years of work in the U.S. anti-trafficking movement.  My first introduction was to one I read every day:  The Washington Post.

According to the men who post their literal sexual exploits online, The Washington Post has been a primary source for them to visit Asian massage parlors, commonly known as commercially-fronted brothels in the DC area.  Most recently, on March 16, one man wrote “Washington Post is posting ads again” in response to another’s inquiry on where he can go to engage in commercial sex during his upcoming trip to DC.

The advertisements may seem above suspicion to the average reader, but they illustrate how the modern-day trade in humans is not as underground of a criminal enterprise as many would suspect.

During my time at Polaris Project, a non-governmental organization combating modern-day slavery, we have worked with dozens of women from their 20’s to 50’s who have been victims of human trafficking within brothels disguised as massage parlors.  Almost all of the Asian women we have worked with in the DC area have been victimized in brothels that have been advertised in The Washington Post’s Sports section.

The women are often offered legitimate jobs, but then forced into prostitution.  Many are unable to leave the location and moved between brothels by transporters within the trafficking network.  There have several who were threatened with gang violence, harm to family members at home, and abduction of children if they tried to leave. Some women were in debt bondage. Most had experienced some type of sexual violence or coercion from customers frequenting the brothels. All desired to escape their circumstances if they had adequate opportunities.

In February 2006, I visited two members of The Washington Post’s Advertisement Department to inform them of what was happening within these massage parlors.  I asked them to reconsider advertising for these commercially-fronted brothels that were involved in regional and national sex trafficking networks.

Did these two men consider The Washington Post a “paper pimp?”  Find out in Part 2 of this post next week.