1. FromVictims toVictimizers:
Interviews with 25 Ex-Pimps in Chicago
By Jody Raphael and Brenda Myers-Powell (September 2010)
Ran Hu
ICJ 810 Human Trafficking
Summer 2013

2. 1.1 How was the research initiated?
 Follow-up to: Domestic SexTrafficking of Chicago
Women and Girls (2008). Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law
Center
 Who Chicago pimps are? How are the Chicago sex trade organized?
 Pilot project: Interview with Five Ex-Pimp in Chicago
(2009).
 Small sample size
 Expanded to 25

3. 1.2 What are the Research Questions?
 How pimps became involved in the industry?
 How did they organize their business?
 How did they interact with law enforcement?
 Why did they leave prostitution?

4. 1.3 How was the data collected?
 Convenience sampling – Snowball
 91-question survey instrument
 Interviewer – previous prostitution survivor
 Sep 2009 – May 2010 in Chicago metropolitan area
 Public spaces; 1-2 hours

5. 2.1 Demographics – 1
 Black 64%, White 20%, Hispanic 4%, Biracial 8%
 64% without high school degree
 22.48 – Average Age at Onset of pimping
 Sold sex prior to pimping: 68% (Men 56%, Women 100%)
 Average age of onset of selling sex: 15.4 (Men 16, Women
14.4)

6. 2.2 Demographics – 2
 Average # of years pimping: 15.6 (Range: 4 – 28)
 20% addicted to Alcohol, 16% addicted to Drugs while Pimping
 Yearly Earnings: $150,000 – $500,000
 # of women pimped: 4,135 (Range of 20-800 lifetime)
 # of women at any given time: 2 – 30

7. 2.3 Household Characteristics

8. 3.1 Stages of Pimping Business
Unsafe Family
Environment
(abuse, violence)
Exposed to
/Involved in
prostitution as a
child
Ran away from
home
One Thing Led to
Another
Survival Strategy
Coerced into
Pimping
A Sense of
Power/Control/Res
pect
Business
Organization
Recruiting
Strategies
Customers
Financial
Arrangements
Supports/Facilitat
ors
Health issues
Risks

9. 3.2 FromTraffickingVictims toTraffickers
Customers
Corrupted Law Enforcement
Taxi Drivers Local Gangs
Hotel Clerks ……

10. 3.3 AttitudesToward Pimping
 32% expressed regrets
 Others believe…
sex trade industry is a safe activity/lifestyle;
sex trade industry is accepted by society;
sex trade industry has high demand;
We all contribute to it one way or the other.

11. 4.1 Discussion
How can we use the
information/data to
combat pimping
and trafficking?

12. 4.2 Discussion
• Abuse-free home; Quality foster care family; less
exposure to prostitution; Runaway prevention, etc.
• More employment opportunities; skills trainings
• Educating business “facilitators”; Raising
customers’ risk (arresting customers)
• Raising trafficking’s legal risks and financial costs;
Combating law enforcement corruption

13. 5.1 Strengths of the Study
 Data from the community (pimps) which is
hard to reach ; getting their viewpoints
 Focusing on childhood experience at home
 Helping understand domestic sex trafficking
 Helping develop strategies against pimping
and trafficking
 Continuous follow-up

14. 5.2 Weaknesses of the Study
 Small sample size
 Limitations of the sampling method
 Does not discuss other childhood risk factors
 Does not differentiate between trafficking
victims and prostitution survivors
 Does not differentiate between female pimps
and male pimps