The unjust treatment of sex workers is constantly depicted throughout Somebody’s Daughter, specifically during Felicia, a fourteen year old’s battle to put Stephen Buggs, her abusive pimp behind bars. The lack of empathy individuals have towards Felicia is evident while she provides her graphic testimony describing the methods her pimp used to torture her. Detective Cathy De La Paz describes the reactions of the audience when she says, “Several of them had not paid much attention to the girl, instead looking around distractedly during her testimony” (Sher 205). The jury’s lack of concern towards a teenage girl sharing the gruesome details of her abuse is visible as they refuse to listen to her testimony. The indifference towards Felicia’s
…show more content…
The audience expresses their empathy towards the child, but not Felicia, which showcases their ignorance towards the subject of sex trafficking and who the real victim is. Her occupation as a prostitute and their prejudices concerning sex workers overpowers the jury’s empathy towards her. Thus, they do not see Felicia as a victim of sex trafficking and do not treat her as one. However, the jury’s mistreatment of sex trafficking victims is not particular to only Felicia’s case as it reflects society’s opinions on prostitutes as well. Kristen Davis who ran for governor of New York in 2010 explains society’s attitudes towards sex workers when she says, “Because of the way we view their chosen profession, we don’t see prostitutes as human beings whose welfare is important. Because they work in an illegal profession, we deem their lives to be of little value” (Davis, Kristen). She explains that due to prostitution being illegal, individuals consider their lives to be insignificant. Although many women are forced into prostitution by pimps, society does not acknowledge that and instead, place the blame on the …show more content…
In the novel, the vice squad in Woburn, Massachusetts made a local sweep of hotels and arrested several prostitutes, but let their customers go. A police detective tries explaining the reasoning behind letting the clients go when he says, “It’s embarrassing enough for them. We’re just trying to stop the problem, not create them” (Sher 261). The quote explains that the public and even law enforcement, regards johns with sympathy rather than berating them for having sex with prostitutes, many of which are underage. Furthermore, the belief that the problem can be solved without convicting the men who help create the problem is incorrect. The unjust arrest of the sex workers in Massachusetts rather than their clients as well as pitying them is not only seen in the novel, but is prevalent on a larger scale, specifically in North America. For instance, in 2010 the United States law enforcement made 63 000 arrests for prostitution and commercialized vice and 69% of those convicted were prostitutes (“Social Problems: Continuity and Change”). By choosing to arrest the prostitutes rather than their clients, the public continues to villainize sex workers. The people who create a demand for the sex industry are a prostitute’s clients, yet they are rarely
The audience expresses their empathy towards the child, but not Felicia, which showcases their ignorance towards the subject of sex trafficking and who the real victim is. Her occupation as a prostitute and their prejudices concerning sex workers overpowers the jury’s empathy towards her. Thus, they do not see Felicia as a victim of sex trafficking and do not treat her as one. However, the jury’s mistreatment of sex trafficking victims is not particular to only Felicia’s case as it reflects society’s opinions on prostitutes as well. Kristen Davis who ran for governor of New York in 2010 explains society’s attitudes towards sex workers when she says, “Because of the way we view their chosen profession, we don’t see prostitutes as human beings whose welfare is important. Because they work in an illegal profession, we deem their lives to be of little value” (Davis, Kristen). She explains that due to prostitution being illegal, individuals consider their lives to be insignificant. Although many women are forced into prostitution by pimps, society does not acknowledge that and instead, place the blame on the …show more content…
In the novel, the vice squad in Woburn, Massachusetts made a local sweep of hotels and arrested several prostitutes, but let their customers go. A police detective tries explaining the reasoning behind letting the clients go when he says, “It’s embarrassing enough for them. We’re just trying to stop the problem, not create them” (Sher 261). The quote explains that the public and even law enforcement, regards johns with sympathy rather than berating them for having sex with prostitutes, many of which are underage. Furthermore, the belief that the problem can be solved without convicting the men who help create the problem is incorrect. The unjust arrest of the sex workers in Massachusetts rather than their clients as well as pitying them is not only seen in the novel, but is prevalent on a larger scale, specifically in North America. For instance, in 2010 the United States law enforcement made 63 000 arrests for prostitution and commercialized vice and 69% of those convicted were prostitutes (“Social Problems: Continuity and Change”). By choosing to arrest the prostitutes rather than their clients, the public continues to villainize sex workers. The people who create a demand for the sex industry are a prostitute’s clients, yet they are rarely