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Mobilizing Faith for Womenstrategies to crack down on demand through moresevere criminal penalties for pimps and customers.The example she presented was that in 2000, thecriminal penalty for selling a 12-year-old childwas only a $50 fine and a misdemeanor. Throughcollaboration with religious communities, the Georgialaw was changed in 2011 to increase the penalty topotential fines up to $100,000 and up to life in prisonfor anyone who would traffic a child.Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite asked, “What are themost compelling passages and principles on whichreligious leaders can preach, because the buyers arein our pews and our congregations on the weekends.”She said that the inclination to blame and shame isnot, in her experience, an effective strategy. “Buyersdo not wake up and think they want to go out andbuy children. They start with something else, perhapspornography or their own abuse as children,” Palmerresponded, indicating that this is a broader struggleagainst abusive expressions of masculinity.“It is a duty of all of us asChristian leaders to suffer theconsequences, to step intouncomfortable situations. AsSister Simone Campbell said,‘Some people and some thingsare worth dying for. If you haveto step into danger becauseyou have a call from God and aduty to love others, so be it.’”— Pastor Paul PalmerUncontrolled lust was identified as a struggle forwhich our society and religious leaders have failedto prepare men. Panelists cited examples of waysthe objectification of women has become culturallyacceptable. In workshops preceding the open forum,delegates explored in depth the question of masculinityand the oppressive masculine customs that oursociety has accepted as inevitable. Molly Melchingsaid that though everyone would say they are againstsex trafficking, it is accepted on some level andexcused, using the fallacy that men are “just like this.”Citing this as a failure of religious leaders, Palmerasserted, “We have not taught men that we need tohonor women as our sisters. We have failed in religiousleadership because we have assumed that this isjust what young men are going to go through. Take astand and say ‘No more.’”“We have not taught men thatwe need to honor women asour sisters. We have failed inreligious leadership becausewe have assumed that thisis just what young men aregoing to go through. Take astand and say ‘No more.‘”— Pastor Paul PalmerImam Magid highlighted that Islam is strong onthis issue, with verses of the Qur’an designated againstany abuse or exchange of money in sexual relations.The Islamic prohibition on sexual relations outsideof marriage and focus on controlling one’s sexualimpulses can be seen as strategies for confronting theproblem of uncontrollable lust. However, the focus onstrict control of sexuality has been frequently targetedas a driver of sexual harassment and misconduct byyouth. This position reveals the societal assumptionthat men do not have self-control and cannot controltheir lust. As a society, we need to resurrect awarenessthat lust is not the same thing as love.The Carter Center 35