Young Woman Details Life in the Sex Trade

"No one sees what pimps do to us," she said.

With a group of lawmakers standing with her, a young woman spoke about the dangers of the sex trade in Connecticut.

"I'm a victim of human trafficking, who was sold through escort advertisements here in Connecticut," the unidentified woman said.

Legislators have proposed a bill that could make publishers of such ads, both in print and online, criminally liable if the ads are really about the exploitation of minors.

"No one sees what our pimps do to us. How they give us drugs to say awake for days, feed us just enough to keep us skinny and looking young, telling us that making money for them by having sex with men is why we were put on this Earth, and hitting us for no reason," the woman said through tears Monday.

Raymond Bechard, who wrote the book "The Berlin Turnpike: A True Story of Human Trafficking in America", laid blame on the advertisements Monday and said the laws need to be changed.

The bill requires publishers to get verification of the age of the person featured in the ad before running it.

Violators could face a Class C felony, punishable by one to 10 years in prison, and up to $10,000 in fines.

Christopher VanDerHoef, executive director of the Connecticut Daily Newspaper Association, said the group entirely supports lawmakers' attempts to stop the sexual exploitation of minors, but has concerns about how the bill is currently drafted and said "the legal exposure of this is not something that's manageable."

He said the association is willing to help find a compromise.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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