We had a chance to talk with Claudine O’Leary of Rethink Resources about her work with youth in the sex trade here in Milwaukee.

TEA: What are some of the current challenges Wisconsin faces in addressing the problem of youth in the sex trade?

Claudine O’Leary: Wisconsin faces some of the same challenges as communities across the U.S. in addressing the realities of youth involved in the sex trade. We have an undefined but substantial number of youth who are involved in trading sex for money, gifts, drugs and survival needs. It happens in relationships, on the streets, in the commercial sex industry, being pimped out by family members and pimp networks, among many ways. This reality is obvious to many youth and to some youth workers in places like foster care group homes or runaway and homeless youth services. But it’s still hidden and misunderstood to many adults.

Here in Wisconsin and many parts of the Midwest, adults have made it difficult for youth to tell us if they are being targeted by a pimp or exchanging sex for money or survival because they are likely to be blamed for the abuse, labeled with names and disorders no one would want in their case file, called liars, gossiped about by staff and other youth and, in some cases, criminally charged for something that would otherwise be considered sexual assault, if money had not changed hands.

However, we do have some small programs across the state and youth workers who are dedicated to helping youth in the sex trade. More adults in Wisconsin are becoming aware and want more options and resources, as well as better support for youth who’ve had to use sexual ways to get by. Now we just have get more organized in how we effectively support youth who are at risk, are currently involved or used to be involved in the sex trade. The key will be listening to those of us who work with youth and youth in the sex trade themselves.

TEA: It seems that we still have a lot of work to do in becoming victim-centered in our approach to this problem.  What are current programs doing to ensure the voices of youth are being heard?

Claudine O’Leary: The dilemma for many programs that are consciously working with youth in the sex trade in Wisconsin is that ensuring the voices of youth are heard isn’t really a big enough priority. I miss it when youth aren’t around to speak their mind, but many adults don’t wish youth were at the table or don’t believe youth are ready. Many youth workers aren’t at the decision-making tables either. We’re busy on the front lines. Doing the work. Sometimes you can get so caught up providing that day to day support that making time to change policies or systems seems too difficult or not your role.

However, what I see happening in Wisconsin is the voice of youth spilling out in other ways. For example, at a recent forum in Milwaukee on rising HIV rates with young men who have sex with men, one of the key factors discussed was survival sex and teen boys hooking up with older grown men (sometimes 10 years older or more) and getting gifts or money in exchange for sex. And really brave young men spoke out about this reality. But the forum wasn’t about trafficking or sexual exploitation itself. It was about HIV. So we have to look more places to hear from youth.

In Wisconsin, many adults who work with youth in the sex trade still have a lot of shame and judgment to work through. So many adults, even skilled youth workers, are afraid to talk openly about the sex trade. Those adults treat it as something to be quiet about or focus on getting youths’ immediate needs met but don’t really know how to move youth with life experience in the sex trade forward as their own best advocates. Having authentic, substantial youth leadership at the decision-making table is a really big process that takes time, energy and focus. So it’s no wonder to me that our systems are out of step with youth and not youth-centered.

TEA: Can you speak about the work you
are doing in Wisconsin and how it provides agency to these
marginalized and exploited populations?

Claudine O’Leary: I’m committed to educating adults on how to effectively support youth who have been or are currently being pimped out, trading sex for money, gifts or survival needs or involved in the sex trade somehow. I call my consulting Rethink Resources because I’m asking people to *rethink* their ideas about youth in the sex trade. If you think teens in the sex trade are helpless victims who can’t or aren’t speaking for themselves, I’m asking you to rethink that. If you think they are making a free choice to have sex for money, I’m asking you to rethink that. The reality is a whole lot more complex than people make it out to be. Through writing and leading workshops, my hope is that adults will walk away with concrete ways to support youth that are helpful and nonjudgmental.

Additionally, I talk with youth one-to-one and lead group discussions and educational presentations for youth in the Milwaukee area on teens and the sex trade. Often youth will speak about their own experiences trading sex for money or family members being involved and we’ll talk as a group about reducing the harm while in the sex trade, avoiding pimps, dealing with what happens and what makes it possible to stop being involved in the sex trade. I’m also one of the leaders of a new ongoing group for youth who ‘use sexual ways to make ends meet’ at the new Milwaukee Youth Drop-in Center. One of the ways we can make sure youth voices are a part of the community dialogue is to make spaces where youth share their ideas with each other and with caring, ethical adults. It’s one pathway for Wisconsin to recognize youth in the sex trade as knowledgeable, capable, community changing agents.

Recently, I started up the Milwaukee Bad Date Sheet. A bad date sheet is a way for people who are currently involved in the sex trade to share experiences of violent incidents and warn others of those who disrespect, threaten and abuse people in the sex trade. Those reports are then collected and distributed in a monthly sheet. This is another collaborative effort involving programs working with men, women and trans folks of all ages who are involved in trading sex for money and survival and individual supporters across the city. I’m excited about the potential of a bad date sheet for Milwaukee as a community-based solution outside law enforcement-related approaches.

I have a few other plans in the works. But mostly I look to support projects that put the voices of those of us with life experience in the sex trade at the center of the discussion. I travel sometimes to share my knowledge and skills and learn from other efforts by and for youth in the sex trade across the country. I always bring that back here to Wisconsin so we can do more too.

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Claudine O’Leary is originally from Chicago and tries not to speed on the highway, cross the street despite oncoming traffic or otherwise make it completely obvious that she’s from that state below Wisconsin. She’s been an activist and community educator on issues of the sex trade for almost 20 years. She also works part time as a dating violence prevention educator with teens in inner city Milwaukee. Find out more at www.rethinkresources.net.

E. Benjamin Skinner will be coming to Madison and Milwaukee, this week and next, to speak about Modern Day Slavery.  See more below:

Stay-tuned for opportunities to join TEA in its fight to end human trafficking!

VOLUNTEER WITH TEA

Are you interested interested in serving your community?  Do you want to invest your time in helping to raise awareness about human trafficking in Wisconsin?

TEA is looking for dedicated volunteers to consistently give of their time, no matter how little, to help in engaging the community about human trafficking and modern day slavery.  Whether being trained to do awareness presentations, helping to plan events, or working on our other projects; we want to provide you with the opportunity to take action!

To find out more send an email to takeaction@traffickingendswithaction.org

INTERN WITH TEA

Do you want to take action to end human trafficking?  Are you interested in working on issues of human trafficking and modern day slavery at the international and domestic levels?  By becoming an intern for TEA, you will learn how to spread awareness, shape policy, foster community collaboration, and much more!

**At the moment, our internship needs have been filled for the summer, but we are now accepting applications for Fall 2010.  We will close the application process on July 31, 2010.

Click on the image below to download the internship application and follow the directions.