From Victims to Victimizers: Interviews with 25 Ex-Pimps in Chicago

By Jody Raphael and Brenda Myers-Powell (September 2010)

Ran HuICJ 810 Human TraffickingSummer 2013

1.1 How was the research initiated?

Follow-up to: Domestic Sex Trafficking of Chicago Women and Girls (2008). Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center

Who Chicago pimps are? How are the Chicago sex trade organized?

Pilot project: Interview with Five Ex-Pimp in Chicago (2009).

Small sample size

Expanded to 25

1.2 What are the Research Questions?

How pimps became involved in the industry?

How did they organize their business? How did they interact with law enforcement? Why did they leave prostitution?

1.3 How was the data collected?

Convenience sampling – Snowball

91-question survey instrument

Interviewer – previous prostitution survivor

Sep 2009 – May 2010 in Chicago metropolitan area

Public spaces; 1-2 hours

2.1 Demographics – 1

Black 64%, White 20%, Hispanic 4%, Biracial 8%

64% without high school degree

22.48 – Average Age at Onset of pimping

Sold sex prior to pimping: 68% (Men 56%, Women 100%)

Average age of onset of selling sex: 15.4 (Men 16, Women 14.4)

2.2 Demographics – 2

Average # of years pimping: 15.6 (Range: 4 – 28)

20% addicted to Alcohol, 16% addicted to Drugs while Pimping

Yearly Earnings: $150,000 – $500,000

# of women pimped: 4,135 (Range of 20-800 lifetime)

# of women at any given time: 2 – 30

2.3 Household Characteristics

3.1 Stages of Pimping Business

Unsafe Family Environment (abuse, violence)

Exposed to /Involved in prostitution as a child

Ran away from home

One Thing Led to Another

Survival Strategy

Coerced into Pimping

A Sense of Power/Control/Respect

Business Organization

Recruiting Strategies

Customers

Financial Arrangements

Supports/Facilitators

Health issues

Risks

3.2 From Trafficking Victims to Traffickers

CustomersCorrupted Law

EnforcementTaxi DriversLocal

GangsHotel Clerks

……

3.3 Attitudes Toward Pimping

32% expressed regrets

Others believe…

sex trade industry is a safe activity/lifestyle;

sex trade industry is accepted by society;

sex trade industry has high demand;

We all contribute to it one way or the other.

4.1 Discussion

How can we use the information/data to combat pimping and trafficking?

4.2 Discussion

• Abuse-free home; Quality foster care family; less exposure to prostitution; Runaway prevention, etc. • More employment opportunities; skills trainings

• Educating business “facilitators”; Raising customers’ risk (arresting customers) • Raising trafficking’s legal risks and financial costs; Combating law enforcement corruption

5.1 Strengths of the Study

Data from the community (pimps) which is hard to reach ; getting their viewpoints

Focusing on childhood experience at home

Helping understand domestic sex trafficking

Helping develop strategies against pimping and trafficking

Continuous follow-up

5.2 Weaknesses of the Study

Small sample size

Limitations of the sampling method

Does not discuss other childhood risk factors

Does not differentiate between trafficking victims and prostitution survivors

Does not differentiate between female pimps and male pimps