Brothel Discoveries Shed Light on US End of Latin American Sex Trade Mimi Yagoub - InSight Crime
go to original June 3, 2014

America’s Daughters: A survivor of sex trafficking bravely reveals the exploitation faced by so many people in the U.S. (Polaris Project)

Authorities in Providence, Rhode Island have dismantled four residential brothels this year, shedding light on the receiving end of Latin America's lucrative sex trade, which receives comparatively little attention.

Police in the small northeastern US city say Mexican and Guatemalan women are trafficked from New York City on a weekly basis to residential brothels, where they are prostituted for around $30 per sex act, reported Providence Journal.

These sex trafficking rings operate by giving customers fake business cards directing them to clandestine brothels run out of apartments, where victims see an average of 20 to 25 clients a day. Due to their small size, residential location, and closed networks, these types of brothels can be difficult for authorities to track, according to Leah Meyer, a specialist at the non-profit anti-human trafficking organization the Polaris Project.

The victims are often paying off a debt to the traffickers and face constant threats of violence and abuse. Many are also undocumented migrants who fear being reported to authorities, said Meyer.

Read the rest at InSight Crime

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