http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/pimps09.html
March 9, 2005
BY CHRISTOPHER WILLS ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPRINGFIELD -- Olivia Howard says her 19 years as a prostitute were a blur of violence. She had a gun pointed at her head, was thrown out of cars and endured beatings and rapes.
Now she and other advocates want a law that would let prostitutes sue the pimps and brothels that profit from their suffering. They say it would hold people accountable for coercing women-- and often girls-- into prostitution.
An Illinois House committee approved the idea unanimously Wednesday, sending it to the House floor.
The legislation would give prostitutes up to 10 years to seek damages from those who profited from their prostitution or maintained them in the business. That means the women could be compensated for any physical or mental abuse they suffered.
Supporters say Florida, Hawaii and Minnesota have similar laws, although few lawsuits have been filed.
Howard, now a drug abuse counselor in Aurora, told the committee that most prostitutes suffer abuse and have little hope of escaping the pimps who control them.
"If I called the police because I was raped, either by a trick or a pimp, I was told it comes with the territory," Howard said. "People say prostitution is the oldest profession. I think it's the most misunderstood. The violence and exploitation of women and girls has to stop."
It might be possible for prostitutes to sue right now, say the legislation's supporters. But without legal precedents or a specific law to support the suit, they would have little chance of succeeding.
Lyn Schollett, counsel to the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, says it's unlikely that active prostitutes would take advantage of the ability to sue but former prostitutes trying to rebuild their lives might.
Noting that pimps are rarely prosecuted, Schollett said lawsuits would be another way to hold them accountable for their role in prostitution, which is illegal in Illinois.
Nearly 5,200 people were arrested for prostitution or pandering in Chicago in 2003, but there were only 31 pimping or pandering arrests, according to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, one of the groups supporting the lawsuit legislation.
March 9, 2005
BY CHRISTOPHER WILLS ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPRINGFIELD -- Olivia Howard says her 19 years as a prostitute were a blur of violence. She had a gun pointed at her head, was thrown out of cars and endured beatings and rapes.
Now she and other advocates want a law that would let prostitutes sue the pimps and brothels that profit from their suffering. They say it would hold people accountable for coercing women-- and often girls-- into prostitution.
An Illinois House committee approved the idea unanimously Wednesday, sending it to the House floor.
The legislation would give prostitutes up to 10 years to seek damages from those who profited from their prostitution or maintained them in the business. That means the women could be compensated for any physical or mental abuse they suffered.
Supporters say Florida, Hawaii and Minnesota have similar laws, although few lawsuits have been filed.
Howard, now a drug abuse counselor in Aurora, told the committee that most prostitutes suffer abuse and have little hope of escaping the pimps who control them.
"If I called the police because I was raped, either by a trick or a pimp, I was told it comes with the territory," Howard said. "People say prostitution is the oldest profession. I think it's the most misunderstood. The violence and exploitation of women and girls has to stop."
It might be possible for prostitutes to sue right now, say the legislation's supporters. But without legal precedents or a specific law to support the suit, they would have little chance of succeeding.
Lyn Schollett, counsel to the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, says it's unlikely that active prostitutes would take advantage of the ability to sue but former prostitutes trying to rebuild their lives might.
Noting that pimps are rarely prosecuted, Schollett said lawsuits would be another way to hold them accountable for their role in prostitution, which is illegal in Illinois.
Nearly 5,200 people were arrested for prostitution or pandering in Chicago in 2003, but there were only 31 pimping or pandering arrests, according to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, one of the groups supporting the lawsuit legislation.
