Chicago sex trafficking survivor pushes for sentencing guidelines across the country
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois is ahead of the curve in sentencing guidelines for young sex trafficking victims.
Last month, the state joined three other states in giving judges broader discretion.
CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey sat down with a human trafficking survivor from Chicago's West Side, who said she would keep pushing until every U.S. court treats survivors the same way.
Brenda Myers Powell was just 14 the first time she was arrested for prostitution, and she guesses she's probably been arrested 20-30 times for things her abuser often made her do.
She said these new guidelines should be the gold standard.
"He told me here, put this gun in hiding. That wasn't my gun. That was his gun," Powell said.
Brenda Myers Powell was just 15 when she was arrested for gun possession. She picked up one of the dozens of charges, including solicitation, during her time as a sex trafficking victim on the city's West Side.
"I was under his control."
She said despite her long history of trauma, sexual abuse, and exposure to violence, she never got special treatment in court.
"I've been shot five times, and I've stabbed over 13 times," Powell said.
It's one of the reasons she started a South Austin drop-in center for victims called Ernestine's Daughter. She showed clothes and personal care packages that had been donated.
"They put in a little thing to say to the girl, 'We're thinking about you. Take care of yourself.' For me, if I had gotten that out there, it would have touched me," Powell said.
It's also one of the reasons she's still celebrating the Prevent Unfair Sentencing Of Youth Act signed by Gov. JB Priztker last month.
"Now, thank god, there's a law that all of that can be considered. Age, the trauma, the things that this girl has been through that traffickers have put her through instead of just sentencing her and saying you a bad person because that's not who she is," said
Yasmin Vafa."This is a new approach. But one that is really starting to take hold."
Yasmin Vafa, co-founder and executive director of Rights4Girls, explained that Illinois is one of four states, Virginia, New York, and Oklahoma, with these types of protections on the books.
"Nobody hears that they were sexually abused by that individual for years. That they were sex trafficked by that individual for years, or that they were bought by that individual when they were a child. And so this legislation is very crucial because it not only recognizes that children are different than adults," Vafta said.
But the fight for Vafa and Myers Powell doesn't end here. Both believe this type of discretion should be standard across the country, which is why they're supporting the federal Child Sex Crimes Victim Protection Act, which was introduced this month and already has bipartisan support.
"I will join the fight because this is something that needs to be done," Powell said.
The Illinois law signed by Pritzker last month goes into effect on January 1.
For more information on Ernestine's Daughter, the Austin drop-in center, call 708-674-2829.