Prostitution is the world’s oldest profession and apparently one of Seattle’s biggest businesses. According to Washington’s Most Wanted, which aired a special on child prostitution in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle is first in the nation in child prostitution. Women forced into prostitution have traditionally been treated as criminals and thrown in jail after their arrest. This system is doomed for failure from the start, for as soon as they are released from jail, prostitutes will go straight back to the streets because they have nowhere else to turn. Instead of imprisonment, social programs should be started that are unique to helping these young women get off the streets and begin new lives.

Seattle detective Sgt. Ryan Long went before Congress in July to argue for legislation that would change the way law enforcement deals with cases of prostitution. Two bills submitted to the Senate and House are still awaiting passage. At the moment, the only two options for police officers are to either jail the women or place them in mental institutions. There are no social programs intended to help them. “Historically, law enforcement hasn’t exactly been part of the solution when it comes to the minors,” Long said in his address to Congress. “It’s our responsibility to recognize that they are a victim and try to bring services to bear. So we’re going to be part of the solution this time around.”

Another disgusting aspect of all of this is how desensitized prostitution is in today’s society. Humantrafficking.org states that the word pimp in today’s culture refers to someone who is cool, rich and successful with women. The reality is that a pimp is a slave owner who takes advantage of the vulnerable. It is a grotesque term and to apply it to something like success should be disgusting. As a culture, we must change this perception if anything is to be done about how these women are treated.

Prostitution is the manipulation of young women who may have been emotionally and physically abused into selling their bodies. In most cases, they are not criminals and should not be perceived as such. These girls are usually taken from foster homes or from households where they were already abused. Then a grooming process is started where the pimps seduce the trapped young girls to fall in love with them. For girls from broken homes or those who never had one, it is easy to forgive a few bad traits just to have someone care. Then the abuse begins. It starts with emotional trauma, being told that they are worthless. It escalates to physical violence where they can be beaten within an inch of their life. The point is to bring a message across, that they are property and if they try to run away their owners will find them and hurt them.

Human sex trafficking is the second biggest business in the world, particularly in countries like America. Many of us like to believe that something as malevolent as prostitution could not occur so close to home. The shocking reality of Seattle’s affiliation with prostitution serves as a call to action. As a culture, we must change our perception of these manipulated victims if there is any chance of getting social programs to help them integrate into society. These women are not prostitutes or criminals, they are somebody’s daughter, and they deserve the opportunity for a regular life and normal childhood just like the rest of us.