Jes’ response was that forced rehabilitation does not work. Jes feels that sex workers need to be empowered instead of being forced to receive help they may not want. To them, this is forced rehabilitation and most will only complete it to avoid jail time and return to sex work after their release. Jes says what these sex workers really need is someone to hear them out, to listen to them, and to empower them, particularly if they are teens. If a sex worker is arrested under the age of eighteen, they are viewed as children and treated as such. The majority of sex workers have been working since they were in their early to mid-teens and have been dealing with adult situations most adults have never had to deal with. Jes says that by being forced into a group home or rehabilitation, it is a natural human response to rebel. And, most every person reading who remembers their teen years will know exactly what it feels like to have the urge to rebel.
Jes commented that some rehabilitation programs send sex workers under the age of eighteen to group homes. Sex trafficking dynamics make some group homes more toxic because these girls are trained to manipulate, take advantage, and exploit. In this environment, not only will girls learn tricks from one another and become more skillful at manipulation and exploitation, but will feed off of one another’s knowledge. In some group homes for sex workers, one girl normally comes out on top as the alpha and is known as the “bottom” or favorite of her pimp. She will recruit other girls from within the group home to send out to her pimp, pulling them right back into the sex trade and introducing new girls to the trade. Jes does qualify to say that not all diversion programs and group home models are ineffective and toxic. The Girls Education and Mentoring Services, or GEMS, a group home located in New York, is a solid and effective program. It works because of the leadership of the program staff and the community they create.
According to Jes, empowering these sex workers is the key to reaching them with vitally needed services. By listening to their stories in a supportive environment and letting them make the decision if and when they want to exit the sex industry, empowerment occurs. In the words of Jes, it’s “not about convincing people to leave the sex industry but about providing resources regardless of their lifestyle. Quality tangible resources are needed for individuals within the sex industry and for those who choose to exit.”
If you are interested in learning more about Jes Richardson and her story, please visit www.jesrichardson.com. She offers online training and is available for consulting; if you are interested in participating in her online training please visit http://sexsellstraining.com and if you are interested hiring Jes Richardson as a consultant please visit www.jesrichardson.com/consulting. Watch for another blog post about Jes Richardson soon.
By Analisa Toma
