Sex Slavery Thalia

My topic is sex slavery. I focused in sex slavery on a national level. I intervied a former sex slave and prostitute, a world war 2 soldier, and a former homeless youth social worker. I interviewed each of them on there different knowledge and experience with sex slavery.





Masako Perkins: Ex sex slave/ prostitute
Masako Perkins is my cousin. She used to be addicted to drugs and worked as a prostitute against her will until it became part of her life. She is in her fifties has one daughter named Tamiko and is taking care of her five grandchildren Jaden who is 20 moths, Anthony who is 6, Jamichael who is 7, Demario who is 14, and Sade who is 16.

I used to be a sex slave. I didn’t start off like that. I am personally responsible for what happened to me. I started off as an exotic dancer to make money so I could live you know because times were hard back then. My father died when I was young and all I haad was my mom your aunt Fumi and she was a foreigner. Dancers in those day weren’t like now we didn’t show all the goods we only went topless it’s still nasty anyway you look at it though. Sort of like the women on those girls gone wild things that they advertise every two minutes late at night. When I got into dancing I got into drugs too. That’s when I really felt the need to get money not only to support me and my mom but my crack habit as well. I got on drugs because what I was doing was fucked up shit even though I wasn’t fuckin on nobody I might as well have. You got men looking at you like you’re a piece of meat wantin to touch you. One of the men became obsessed with me and followed me home. He was harmless though. Even though I didn’t care what people thought of me the life still gets under your skin so you need something to help you out. Pimps often came into the clubs to find tricks so did their bottom bitches. Those are the girls who bring in new girls for the pimps.

One convinced me to work for him and me being a dope fiend I agreed. I didn’t really know what was going on. Om top of that I was still young too. Listening to me it probably does not seem like I was forced but I’m getting there. After a little while of working for him I tried to stop because even thought I was a crackhead I had some sense of what I was doing was wrong. He didn’t allow me to stop. There was nothing I could do he knew were I lived even were I bought dope from. If I didn’t bring him enough money some days he would beat me or threaten my family. A pimp beating a hoe to keep her in line and working was normal we were all regulars at the emergency room no one asked questions after a while either. I think they were just waiting for us to be killed by some stranger we went to a motel with or get beat to death by our pimp. Eventually I ended up having my pimps baby too, your cousin Tamiko. He rapped me all the time but it was nothing what’s one more person to the thirty customers I had every night. Since I couldn’t get out or trick, my drug habit continued to get worse, James fed it purposely too. I was arrested a lot and the police just looked at me as a crack head hoe. I eventually got used to doin what I was doin and about after two year it was no longer a force thing but a choice thing. It became my life sadly. I didn’t know wat else to do for money and drugs. Not only did I have to support my mom and drugs but my daughter as well. Looking back at it now I’m surprised they did not take her away from me when she was born. I truly think they didn’t care. No I know they didn’t care because some would have said something




Like I said being prostitute is how I ended up having Tamiko. Me becoming a sex slave is the only way she got here but also its also what messed her up so bad. Because of her I can’t really wish to take back what happened to me because I wouldn’t have her. She’s my only child. I know how you be seein her run all over the place. Having child ater child and leavin them with me I’m too old to be doin this. They are my grandchildren so I cant turn them away but also I am partly responsible for how she turned out I guess I sobered
up a little too late. She does drugs and steels from me she stole her daughters own birthday shoes. She acts like a little kid Sade (my sixteen year old cousin) has more since than that trifling mother fucker. I just don’t know what to do but yell. She’s thirty three what can I really do. I also hurt my mother she knew what I was doing. It hurt her on the inside but she denied everything. Your grandma chinsook even warned her about letting me become a gogo dancer.

To get were I am today I needed a wake up call. That was when Tamiko was almost taken away from me. I got my life together I left the game and went into rehab. It was a little late to make an impact in my family members life especially Tamiko because she was getting up there in age. I know there was no other way to get clean and away from the things I was doing. No one could help me but myself and no one wanted to help me but myself. The authorities sure wouldn’t do anything on the numerous occasions we were together it was obvious I didn’t like them and they didn’t like me. But looking back even if they did like me and all that other stuff what could they really do for me…nothing.

I know I’m not the only person who’s gone through this. I’m not the only person in the world, or the only person in the country, state, or city that has gone through this. I’m not the first and I sure as hell won’t be the last. When you first started learning about sex slavery did you think what I told you counted? Many people have their mindset that what happened to me and others like me are something we choose but in reality we didn’t. who would. Your teacher might read this and think it irrelevant with your topic.











Henry Hughes: WWII soldier


Henry Hughes is my grandfather. He was born in Alabama during racist times and a lot of it has made him who he is today and effeted how he sees people of different races. He is a world war two veteran who toured the globe and saw many things that a lot of people don’t even hear about, He has four kids, 10 grandkids and two great grandchildren.



What do you know about sex slavery?

I know what it is of course and I’ve seen it. It’s when some one is forced to have sex with other people or do sexual things. Being a soldier I’ve seen those girls first hand. It’s probably happened to boys too but I never saw it during my travel.

What do you mean during travel?

I encountered sex slavery in the states of course. Your cousin Kim was a sexual slave to her father and Machan (Masako) was pimped out. When I was drafted I was lucky enough to have been stuck doing paper work. I was still considered a soldier but I never fought on a battle field like some of my friends did. I was able to travel the world though. I saw prostitutes and went to brothels there were young girls in them and I’m willing to bet my life that a majority of them were forced to be there. You could just tell by he look in there eyes some of them were younger than your mother. I didn’t participate in the activities that went down in the whore houses but I did accompany my buddies on occasions. It was normal to leave the base to go to brothels and strip clubs I would even say we were encouraged.

How has sex slavery affected you?

I’m probably like most Americans except for the fact that maybe I’ve seen and know a little more on the topic. But effect wise I’m just like everyone else. I feel sympathy for the victims out there but what happens to them sadly has nothing to do with me. It did not affect me and does not effect me. That’s probably how it is for a lot of people. I feel we aren’t even told about it when we should be, It happens all around us and has been for a long time. Now that I’m old I watch and read the news a majority of the day. I rarely hear anything about this all I hear is about terrorism and war. Sex slavery is a big product of war. With the whole Japanese scandal people didn’t here about it until after it happened. I feel like when it was reported the horror wasn’t really shared. Korean women like your grandma were taken away from there homes beaten, tortured and raped by Japanese soldiers. I’m glad I never saw it.



Patra Hughes: Former homeless youth social worker

Patra Hughes is my mother. She is the mother of four girls and one boy. Se grew up in Seattle. She moved to Nashville when she was older and worked at places like Oasis and the Ujima house were she helped at risk youth on the street, Doing this job she met many kids with different situations like girls who were sexual slaves. Her experience with these girls effects how she parents all her kids today.


Dealing with Homeless youth I met and had to work with a couple people who went through sexual slavery. Every time I dealt with them I was determined to help them. The most memorable case I had is when my friend who’s a nurse called me and told me a girl came to the emergency room with nothing but a g-string on. I picked her up and brought her clothes. We talked about her situation at the house when we all helped take out her braids. I found out she was from Texas and a man had brought her to Nashville to prostitute. I guess she got away and thought the safest place was the ER. She did the right thing. The next day we sent her home to her family on the bus. I rarely hear from people I help and I do wonder what happened to her. With my job I couldn’t get attached to the people I helped because there were so many and the fact that they don’t always make it would probably drive me into a state of depression or insanity.

Youth are big targets for sexual slavery it’s easy to exploit them especially ones on the street or that experience problems at home. I bet that’s how it is all over the world. I’ve worked with girls who have been rapped on the daily. Isn’t that a form of sexual slavery? I’ve also dealt with girls who were pimped out; sex trafficked and forced to do pornography. It’s a sick world. Working with these kids have made me a better mother. Maybe it has made me more of an overprotective one. I know the dangers out there a little better now. How men take advantage of little girls like you. How predators use the internet to find girls that’s why I get worried when you’re on the computer for hours. Do you really know who’s on the other side of the keyboard?

There are not enough of organizations like Oasis and the Ujima house for people who need help like those girls not enough people are walking the streets looking for them and trying to help them. I think a big reason not much is being done about this is because it is a billion dollar operation. Also because people feel like its not that big of an issue like Global Warming is. But in reality it is if this problem is fixed so will a lot of others like crime and poverty. More people need to imagine there sons and daughters as sex workers and then maybe people will actually start doing something about it. People may see a young girl on the street wearing barely any clothes and a lot of make up and will think what a shame but do they really think about why she’s there doing what she doing does she want to be there. I am glad that I had the opportunity to work at those places because it gave me a different outlook on life. I am definitely glad that I have a new line of work though because doing what I did takes a toll on you. I was out on the streets at all hours of the nigh which is dangerous, peoples life became a part of mine including all the bad that has happened to them. After a while I started bringing this all home when I actually was home. Being a single mother it was hard caring for my children plus the children others wouldn’t. I hope one day I will get the chance to do something like that again. It was a rewarding job.