Prostitution is the Oldest Oppression in the History of the World EP 7 with Judge Paul Herbert
Warning: This episode touches on the topics of prostitution, drug addiction, and human trafficking \u2013 subjects that aren\u2019t suitable for young people.\xa0
Laura first became aware of Judge Herbert when she attended the Global Leadership Summit in 2018; there was a short video during the Summit with Judge Herbert talking about his work in CATCH Court in Columbus, Ohio. She was intrigued by a story he shared about a conversation with his daughters about finding one\u2019s Purpose in life\u2026 and then elaborated on the work he\u2019s doing.\xa0
Judge Herbert explains that he\u2019d gone through the book The Purpose Driven Life several times and had been frustrated, as he\u2019d not felt as if he\u2019d found his purpose. Then he was teaching his daughters and taking them through the book a chapter a week on Sunday evenings. This was frustrating, as well, as one of his daughters seemed determined to undermine the process. When he asked her why, she said it wasn\u2019t a good study and she put him on the spot, asking what his purpose was.\xa0
Judge Herbert recounts stumbling through his response about his work on the bench, as a Judge\u2026 and hoping it was good enough. Later that night, as he prepared for bed, he prayed for guidance, asking \u201cGod, how can I serve you better? What\u2019s my purpose?\u201d He says after that, \u201cthings started happening.\u201d
As a Municipal Court Judge, Judge Herbert oversaw domestic violence cases in his courtroom. He tells the story of one day in court, there were 36 cases brought before him and all of them women who looked broken and lost. The stories of their existence told through the bruises, cuts, burns, and handprints on their faces and bodies; and the men associated with their cases professing their innocence and explaining how it was all \u201ctheir\u201d (the woman\u2019s) fault\u2026\xa0
Then one woman came before him who had been arrested for prostitution and he looked closely at her and wondered why she looked like the other women \u2013 the victims of domestic violence? This drove him to do some research into the backgrounds of women arrested for prostitution and he began to see them differently and to ask different questions.\xa0
Laura reminds him of a previous conversation they\u2019d had, where he explained shifting from thinking: \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d \u2013 what did they do to get arrested and land in his courtroom, to thinking: \u201cWhat happened to you?\u201d \u2013 what happened in your life that brought you here today?
He says it was a big shift in his brain to change his thinking and begin to recognize the trauma these women and girls have experienced. He learned to understand that in their lives, no one, no place, nothing is safe. He began to really recognize their fear and how, because of it, they will completely shut down, which means they aren\u2019t open to help.\xa0
This new understanding sparked recognition that there was opportunity to treat them differently and create a different kind of court system for them, similar to approaches taken with persons who have mental health disorders, drug addiction, and even military veterans. Courts had been experiencing better outcomes in those arenas, so he believed he could change the way human trafficking victims are handled in the legal system.\xa0
In alignment with a bible verse, CATCH Court was born:
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\u201c22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off\xa0your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;\xa023\xa0to be made new in the attitude of your minds;\xa024\xa0and to put on\xa0the new self,\xa0created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.\u201d (Ephesians 4:22-24 -- NIV)\xa0
CATCH stands for \u201cChanging Actions to Change Habits,\u201d and the women who go through this 2-year probation process have the opportunity, support, and resources to release the habits of whom they used to be and to become a healthy, new version of themselves. They have a safe place to live, surrounded by safe and supportive people. They have access to drug and alcohol addiction treatment, group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Trauma Treatments.\xa0
Laura notes that the work the Judge is doing is similar to how she defines leadership, in terms of influence. She says every single person has the opportunity to influence at least four people each day, and that number is likely much higher than only four! Influence may be as simple as where two people go for lunch on any given day, to bigger things like problem solving, beginning a new project, and changing people\u2019s lives. CATCH Court is changing so many peoples\u2019 lives and the implications and ripple effect is much deeper and farther reaching than likely any of them imagine. Lives are literally being saved, families reunited, and significant change is in motion.\xa0
Judge Herbert explains that many of these women and girls become drug addicts to numb themselves from the screaming they hear in their heads, which comes from the early sexual traumas they\u2019ve been subjected to by people they should have been able to trust. Not one of them comes into the life of drug addiction, prostitution, or being trafficked by choice. He also stresses that regardless of where you live, human trafficking is happening, likely even within a mile or two of your home!
\xa0He dispels the thinking that human trafficking and prostitution are different, with the latter being less horrific, citing a statistic that 92% of the women in the sex trade are trafficked. They\u2019ve been sold into it \u2013 often by family members, or by people (men mostly) taking advantage of a drug addiction or helping to create a drug addiction to keep them enslaved in the business. These women and girls are literally transported and flown to cities around the nation, especially when there are big sporting events, large conventions, and conferences\u2026 and you could find them in every hotel, airport, and conference center you see.
\xa0He now articulates his purpose as being here \u201cto see and change the dialogue about how women are and have been treated since the beginning of time.\u201d He clarifies that prostitution is not the oldest \u201cprofession\u201d in the world, rather it is the oldest \u201coppression\u201d in the history of the world. He feels driven to really look at people and truly \u201csee\u201d who they are and what they\u2019ve been through, rather than taking the easier and more common path of judging and condemning.\xa0
To learn more about the work Judge Herbert is doing in CATCH Court, check out these links:\xa0
\xa0Channel 10 Presents CATCH Court
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