Oregon Winning Fight Against Sex Trafficking of Minors

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Joanna Evoniuk, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Oregon has made significant progress in combating child sex trafficking over the last two years, according to a national ranking by the nonprofit Shared Hope International.

Ever year 300,000 children are at risk of sexual exploitation in the U.S., the U.S. Department of Justice reports.

As recently as 2010, Portland was called a national hub for child sex trafficking by police and victim advocates, ABC News reported. In the Portland Metro Area 469 children were sexually exploited through pornography or prostitution between 2009 and 2013, according to research by Portland State University.

“[Child sex trafficking] is devastating,” Special Agent Denise Biehn, Coordinator of the Portland FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, said. “It can strip down your self esteem, boundaries, what relationships mean and what it means to be cared for.”

Biehn said Portland’s task force has been making great progress against child sex trafficking, with support from Multnomah County and the Federal Attorney’s Office and their aggressive approach to investigations.

In 2014 Oregon received a “B” grade, from the Protected Innocence Challenge ranking system produced by Shared Hope, up two grades from the “D” it received in 2012.

The study looked at laws for prosecuting and punishing child sex trafficking offenders, how the child victims were dealt with, and what tools were available to law enforcement and prosecutors. Oregon received above average scores in all areas.

Oregon’s 2012 sex trafficking law did not include child trafficking and the purchasing of sex from a minor was only a misdemeanor.

Those who were convicted of trafficking minors for sex were not required to register as sex offenders.

Law enforcement was also not required to take training in dealing with the trafficking of minors.

By 2013, new legislation in Oregon had greatly improved laws around sex trafficking of minors.

The new laws allowed the state to persecute child sex traffickers using Oregon’s racketeering laws.
Trafficking is a Class A felony in Oregon, with a maximum 20 year sentence and $375,000 fine.
Purchasing sex with a minor moved from a Class A Misdemeanor to a Class C felony, punishable by five-year prison and up to $125,000 in fines.
First time offenders can also be registered as sex offenders.

Shared Hope also gave the state points for new training in domestic minor sex trafficking, now required for law enforcement.

The Shared Hope recommended that the state make a handful of changes to improve its record.

Currently the state requires proof of force, fraud, or coercion in sex trafficking of a minor under 18 before charges can be filed. Shared Hope recommended the state drop those requirements.

The report recommends the state get rid of the “mistake of age defense” statute, where a buyer can claim he is innocent because he did not know the victim was a minor. Currently, it is only allowed in cases where the victim is 16 years or older.

Shared hope also suggested Oregon require services and housing for victims of child sex trafficking, an alternative solution for juvenile delinquency programs.

Biehn said must Oregon must continue on its path of educating the public about child sex trafficking, as well as involve social services with law and government efforts.

“You can’t do this alone," Biehn said. "You have to work together, which is exactly what we do in Portland.”