Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Illinois Law would fine johns to aid prostituted women

The Chicago Tribune on the police state update in Illinois:
When Renea Walker realized she had to make a change, she was in a hotel room looking into a mirror.

"I had a real bad beating. Both my eyes were black, my lip was busted and my tooth was missing. That will do something to you when you look in the mirror and you see that. And you think, 'God, what happened?'"

What happened was five years in prostitution, much of it under the control of a pimp. On that day, Walker had run away to the hotel to hide, but her pimp found her.


Though it was a critical moment for the then-teenager, it would take years for Walker to truly be free, she says, because of a lack of services available to address the unique struggles of survivors of prostitution and trafficking. Under state legislation signed last week, however, there is now a mechanism to pay for such specialized services — portions of fines collected from pimps, johns and traffickers will go into a dedicated fund to pay for services. Other proceeds from johns, including vehicle impoundment, also are subject.
Illinois' new war on people who have a sexual preference for prostitutes.