The STOPLight

"Phase" program helps survivors of prostitution

In 1983-84 a men's civic club in Portland, Oregon, published a report stating that prostitution will always be with us so the best thing to do about it is to zone a section of the city and legalize it. At the same time, Portland police were finding that three quarters of a million dollars were spent annually arresting women while trying to make a dent in prostitution in the city. It was a very expensive revolving door of repeated arrests and failed court appearances. The city gained nothing. Also, city hall was inundated by citizens who were wild in their protests and opposition to the civic club recommendation.

Out of these three forces, the city and county decided to form a committee to talk about what could realistically be done. The Council for Prostitution Alternatives (CPA) was born. Members were diverse, including neighbors, police, probation officers, feminists, and social service providers. The Council concluded that prostitution is inevitable. It is something women want to do. The best that could be done immediately was to offer them a way out. They told the county and the city they would have to spend money if they wanted to see change. The city council voted a one year budget and hired Susan Hunter in October, 1984 to write a program to empower women to escape prostitution.

Hunter had researched rape and homicide in Portland and published a report supporting the need for a rape victim advocate. She had experience as a government researcher and a reputation as a community organizer who knew how to work with a diverse population. Although she is not a survivor of prostitution, she survived childhood battery, incest and multiple rapes as a young woman.

With her skills and experience, Hunter was able to develop a very accurate profile of prostitution. This became the foundation on which CPA services were built. These services include training of service providers, weekly drop-in support groups, emergency referral to the services of other agencies and the long-term CPA Phase Program.

The four part Phase Program involves intensive one-on-one counseling, advocacy, recovery group participation, and direct material aid such as paying for rent, medical and dental care, bus passes, job training and child care. Most survivors of prostitution have ripped off and abused the welfare system and are no longer eligible to receive benefits. It's the same with the food stamp program. After reapplying for benefits, they need assistance while waiting to become eligible again.

There are few rules women in the program are asked to follow. One is that she avoid relationships that will harm or stunt her growth. "We believe that prostitution is violence against women and that men who use and profit from a woman's involvement in prostitution do indeed harm and stunt her growth. In this way, we do ask them to stop prostituting. We believe you cannot experience personal growth while using drugs or alcohol, so we ask them to become clean and sober."

Phase one is for stabilization and lasts approximately three months.

Phase two involves re-orientation, a six month process.

Phase three is called re-building and can last up to nine months or more.

Mentoring, phase four can last in-definitely.

Women tend to stay a long time in the Phase Program because of their need for help on so many levels. Because of this, the waiting list is long. "If we had more capacity for long-term care, we would be full in a minute."

CPA also works with schools, medical clinics, battered women's shelters, rape crisis workers, hospital emergency rooms, AIDS outreach and police and probation officers to train them on appropriate ways to work with prostitutes. This includes viewing the woman as a victim. "She is a person who has survived an atrocity called prostitution. She is also full of hope. She needs people around her to motivate her to leave -- not to force or coerce or shame her. She needs to believe herself that it is possible to live a life outside of prostitution." The training focuses on prostitution as violence against women. Service providers are encouraged to be cheerleaders; to understand that prostitution is a violent lifestyle, not a job. "Most women really want to get out but they don't perceive that they have a choice in the matter."

CPA recently achieved stable funding for three quarters of it's budget over the next 3 to 4 years. Time and energy previously focused on funding issues is now being directed toward future planning. Hunter lists some of the areas being considered:

• making more services available to more women by increasing capacity in the current Phase Program
• clone the concept of CPA and replicate it in other cities
• continue to provide weekly drop-in support groups for women who have not yet left prostitution (providing consciousness-raising and emergency social services)
• continue emphasis on educating the community to a level of intolerance; that prostitution is not a tolerable activity
• continue to work closely with the battered women's shelter network in this country together with WHISPER. ("We have worked with WHISPER since 1985 in their efforts to get the shelters to open up to survivors of prostitution.")
• cooperate with the national organizations on sexual assault in trying to abolish laws that arrest women while at the same time keeping the penalties in place -- or enhancing them -- for men who continue to traffic in women

"We haven't really been able to make a dent in the total population of prostitutes in this city because for every one we pull out there is another one being recruited. Our society, I believe, makes women vulnerable to being recruited into prostitution by the prevalent sexist attitude that prostitution is something to joke and titilate about; that it is funny. The neutralizing definition given to prostitution -- that it is just a job -- makes the harm done to women invisible."

CPA works only with adult women over 18 years. The average age of people in the program is 27-28. They have been involved in prostitution an average of 10 years. "What we see, unfortunately, is that the longer a woman has been in prostitution, the more committed she is to leaving. I say 'unfortunately' because the newer women in prostitution still believe that if they are not having a good time (like the pimp says they should be) there is something wrong with them. Over years, it becomes perfectly clear that things will never get better.

"There is no one right way to recover or heal from prostitution. Whatever works, do it. There are some boundaries though; I don't think coercion works well. I don't think women escaping from prostitution should be forced to change. They need to be shown how it's possible. They need to meet women who have made it. It gives them hope and faith that they can do it, too. Having a role model gives them the ability to actually do it."

Sociological profile of participants In the CPA Program

based on data from 72 participants

72 in Phase l

67 in Phase II (93% retention)

58 in Phase III (81% retention)

11 in Phase IV (considered successful completion)

• 18 who received direct services dropped out prior to successfull completion (3 are on the waiting list to re-enter the program)
• 2 disappeared
• 60% participated in the program nine or more months
• 278 inquiries came from prostitutes seeking services who were helped with information and referra!s but were unable to access the CPA Phase Program

Age of entry late prostitution

11-14 - 35%

15-18 - 41%

19-21 - 12%

22-28 - 7%

over 29 - 0%

Victimization -- child,..

• 65% intrafamily sexual abuse
• 69% intrafamily physical abuse
• 85% intrafamily emotional abuse
• 70% sexual abuse by others
• 70% physical abuse by others
• 79% emotional abuse by others

Other data

• 82% of participants had children but less than half (41%) of families remain intact
• 61% were raised in a single parent household
• 26% were placed in foster care
• 58% of survivors had received prior mental health treatment
• 71% had thoughts of suicide
• 55% had attempted suicide
• 58% were used in pornography
• 67% of those used in pornography were under 17 years
• 76% of participants dropped out of high school

For the year July 89 -June '90. Source: Council for Prostitution Alternatives, Inc. annual report