It’s nighttime in the bustling metropolis of Portland, Oregon. As cars zip past on 82 Ave, they pass multiple blurs of flashing signs advertising ‘Live Nude Shows,’ and ‘Adult Toys.’ It’s no secret that Portland has an open legal sex industry, but in a country where it’s estimated that 300,000 youth are trafficked for sexual exploitation (Hannah-Jones), many are not aware of Portland’s involvement in illegal sex trafficking at places such as 82nd Ave, with its abundance of commercial sex industry establishments. Sex trafficking has been happening for thousands of years, and several movements and events have reshaped approaches to solving the issues. Locally, the Portland prosecutors, police, and human rights organizations have refocused their perspective to raise visibility and provide victim resources.

In order to understand the history of sex trafficking, it’s important to remember that it has happened for thousands of years, and that people have been working against the issue for hundreds of years. One of the earlier anti-sexual exploitation movements was formed in England by Josephine Butler, who lived from 1828 to 1906. Her aim was to dissolve the Contagious Diseases Acts. This act demanded that sex-workers register and be periodically checked for sexually-transmitted diseases. If the woman had a disease, then she could be detained until the doctor decided she was “clean” again, which was determined by the women not showing outward symptoms of the disease. Most of these activists had families that were abolitionists, therefore the movement formed the International Abolitionist Federation in 1875. In 1883, the Contagious Diseases Acts were repealed. Another large anti-sex trafficking movement came from second wave feminists in the mid-1960s. Their focus was to reaffirm the definition of sex trafficking as “all commercial use of women and girls in prostitution and the production of pornography” (Hughes). In the 1980s, a group that called themselves “sex workers” arrived to the anti-sex trafficking movement. Their goal was to distinguish between forced sexual exploitation and voluntary prostitution. At an United Nations convention, there was a legal difference established between “free” and forced prostitution. In 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was passed in the United States. This changed protocol to “Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children” (Hughes). Sex trafficking is defined in the TVPA by “a criminal act when a minor is used for a commercial sex act or force, while fraud and coercion is used to compel an adult (over 18) to perform a commercial sex act” (Hughes). Throughout history, many anti-sex trafficking movements have formed, all of which have a role in what now is defined as sex trafficking and what can be done to combat the issue presently. This is important in regards to Portland’s issue with sex trafficking because it can inspire, spark movements, and provide information which leads to change.

Portland is a hub for illegal sex trafficking in part due to the thriving sex industry, gang involvement, the route it provides traffickers, and the amount of homeless and runaway children in Portland. The Washington Times states that “Portland’s legal commercial sex industry is the biggest per capita in the country, according to a report by researchers at Willamette Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic“ (qtd. by Elseth). Police say where there is an abundance of strip clubs, there is an abundance of trafficking. Sgt. Charles Lovell of the Portland Police Bureau says that “Generally speaking, you have guys there, with money, already looking for sex. If you are a pimp or a sex trafficker, it's a good place to peddle your services" (qtd. by Campbell). Another reason why Portland is so troubled with sex trafficking is local gang involvement. Child sex trafficking is being conducted by gangs more frequently because of the unreliability of drug trafficking. Sex trafficking allows gangs to work together to avoid police. These gangs are also leaving easily traced methods of trafficking such as the internet behind as they go offline and traffick victims by word, phone, print publications dealt on the street, and sex parties (van der Voo). These gangs are able to intimidate witnesses, which makes prosecution difficult. Sgt. Lovell states "If you’re in a gang and you’re selling drugs to make money, if you get caught with those, you’re in trouble right off the bat -- just possessing them is illegal. For sex trafficking, if you have a girl working and they’re loyal and not willing to cooperate with the police or tell on you, it’s very difficult to get them in any trouble. The risk is much lower" (qtd. by Elseth). Sgt. Mike Geiger plainly says, “My evidence runs away” (qtd. by Elseth). In a study that considered 361 cases of child sex trafficking from 2009-2013, 49.1% of the victims had a gang connection (Carey). Portland’s major Interstate 5 corridor access is a common trafficking route that runs from Washington to California. This brings traffickers to the victims of Portland’s sex-trafficking system: runaways and homeless children (Elseth). The Washington Times state that “one-fourth to one-third of whom [homeless/runaway children]  are solicited by pimps within 48 hours of being on the street” (Elseth). All of these factors are contributing to Portland’s sex trafficking epidemic, and show that there is a problem. In order to face this issue head on, it is necessary to acknowledge why the problem is occurring to find effective solutions.
While there is a serious issue plaguing Portland, there are approaches that local police, The Oregon Human Trafficking Task Force (OHTTF), and prosecutors are taking to better understand and halt the problem. The goal of the OHTTF is to “Promote public awareness, provide training and education to Oregon citizens,  coordinate victim resources, investigate trafficking cases and assist with aggressive prosecution, and provide statistical research to the Department of Justice” (“Portland’s Human Trafficking Task Force”). US Attorney Amanda Marshall is active in speaking out about the problem of sex trafficking in Portland. She supports the efforts made to create safe shelters to protect victims. She says that the state doesn’t have the resources needed to build a shelter she wants. Marshall stated, "There needs to be a way we can bring public and private stakeholders together in order to create a funding stream that can solve this problem in the long term" (qtd. by Nochlin). Sgt. Geiger and City Commissioner Dan Saltzman are developing plans for a shelter too, the main goal being keeping victims safe from re-entering the sexual exploitation system. Prosecutors, police, and human rights organizations in Portland agree that there is a deficit of secure shelters for trafficking victims—not just in Portland, but across the nation (Elseth). Because these members of the community have similar opinions, they are able to buckle down to the heart of the problem and focus resources and energy into combating sex trafficking in Portland. This can be shown in the efforts made by Marshall, OHTTF, and Sgt. Geiger and Saltzman.

Portland has a serious sex trafficking system due to its sex industry, gang involvement, easy access to a trafficking route, and the amount of homeless and runaway children living in Portland. By critically reviewing anti-sex trafficking efforts in the past, important Portland community members such as police, prosecutors, and human rights organizations can understand their options and try and solve this unacceptable problem. If you are interested in spreading awareness on the issue, you could support local organizations that exist to help destroy the problem to ultimately stop sex trafficking in Portland. Next time you drive past a strip club on 82 AVE, think of the victims affected by Portland’s sex trafficking.