Portland Events Shed Light on Human Trafficking
Bobby Allyn
Arkasha Stevenson/The Oregonian
He spoke at the event organized by Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, who brought together more than two dozen faith-based organizations from around the country to put a public spotlight on human trafficking.
"This issue is not partisan," Wyden said. "Regardless of your philosophy or political persuasion, we come together to fight human trafficking."
Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman and Multnomah County Commissioners Diane McKeel and Barbara Willer also addressed the crowd, along with Jessica Richardson, who shared her harrowing story as a child victim of sexual trafficking in Portland.
"Slavery is alive and thriving in Portland right now," Dwight Holton, U.S. attorney for Oregon, told the crowd. "Anyone who thinks prostitution is a victimless crime needs to come to the neighborhoods where these pimps plot their trade. We need to support these victims."
The U.S. Department of Justice has identified Portland as one of 12 cities that serve as hubs for child trafficking. Seven underage prostitutes and six adult pimps were uncovered in Portland last year during a 29-city national raid -- numbers outpaced only by Seattle.
County officials have cited the city's proximity to Interstates 5 and 84, lax sexual trafficking enforcement laws and a large population of homeless youths as explanations for the state's swelling ranks of human trafficking cases.
Wyden and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced a bill last month that would crack down on traffickers and fund victim shelters in six states. Last fall, the state gave Multnomah County a $500,000 grant that created the three-year Multnomah County Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children project, which better coordinates victim response by law enforcement and social service agencies.
The state keeps no data on victims of sexual trafficking. But advocates estimate that thousands of Oregon children are at high risk of sexual and labor trafficking.
Hundreds of thousands of American youths are trafficked for sexual exploitation every year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Saturday's rally was the first in a series of events scheduled this month after the Portland City Council and the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners voted to proclaim July as Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
-- Bobby Allyn
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden vows to continue fight against human trafficking
Arkasha Stevenson/The OregonianJessica Richardson, of Portland, shared her story as a survivor of human trafficking Saturday in Shemanski Park in downtown Portland. "I have been a slave, but today I am free," she told the crowd.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., urged community activists and state policymakers at a rally Saturday in downtown Portland to fight child trafficking. He spoke at the event organized by Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, who brought together more than two dozen faith-based organizations from around the country to put a public spotlight on human trafficking.
"This issue is not partisan," Wyden said. "Regardless of your philosophy or political persuasion, we come together to fight human trafficking."
More
Events
July 12: Bill Hillar, a retired colonel in the U.S. Army Special Forces whose daughter was forced into the sex trade in Southeast Asia and later died, will discuss the subject at 6 p.m. at Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub, 112 S.W. Second Ave.
July 21: Briefing on the issue before the Portland City Council, 2 p.m. in City Hall council chambers, 1221 S.W. Fourth Ave.
July 27: An episode of “Dan Rather Reports” called “Pornland, Oregon: Child Prostitution in Portland” will be screened at noon in the Multnomah County boardroom, 501 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.
Fighting back
Join or form a chapter of Oregonians Against Trafficking Humans, oregonoath.org or 503-251-2479. Or call OATH about hosting training at your school, workplace or place of worship.
Report suspected cases to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, 1-888-373-7888, nhtrc.polarisproject.org
Donate online to the Beaverton-based Sexual Assault Resource Center. Donations can be earmarked for commercially and sexually exploited youths.
"Slavery is alive and thriving in Portland right now," Dwight Holton, U.S. attorney for Oregon, told the crowd. "Anyone who thinks prostitution is a victimless crime needs to come to the neighborhoods where these pimps plot their trade. We need to support these victims."
The U.S. Department of Justice has identified Portland as one of 12 cities that serve as hubs for child trafficking. Seven underage prostitutes and six adult pimps were uncovered in Portland last year during a 29-city national raid -- numbers outpaced only by Seattle.
County officials have cited the city's proximity to Interstates 5 and 84, lax sexual trafficking enforcement laws and a large population of homeless youths as explanations for the state's swelling ranks of human trafficking cases.
Wyden and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced a bill last month that would crack down on traffickers and fund victim shelters in six states. Last fall, the state gave Multnomah County a $500,000 grant that created the three-year Multnomah County Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children project, which better coordinates victim response by law enforcement and social service agencies.
The state keeps no data on victims of sexual trafficking. But advocates estimate that thousands of Oregon children are at high risk of sexual and labor trafficking.
Hundreds of thousands of American youths are trafficked for sexual exploitation every year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Saturday's rally was the first in a series of events scheduled this month after the Portland City Council and the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners voted to proclaim July as Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
-- Bobby Allyn
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