Blog 13 INDONESIA: Missing Children Raise Tafficking Concerns

Concerns about human trafficking have come about in Indonesia due to the number of the number of cases of missing children recently. The chairman for The National Commission on Child Protection has stated that  approximately 182 children were reported missing in 2011 which is up from 111 in 2010. It is believed many more are missing. These figures are just of the ones reported missing. It is suspected that a human trafficking network is taking the children and using them for illegal adoptions, sexual exploitation, as well as, domestic and international child labor.There are provinces which border Malaysia and Batam, near Singapore. It is believed that children in this area are extremely vulnerable to human traffickers. Difficulty in gathering evidence along with a lack of funding, puts investigating cases of child trafficking low on the priority list of the police. Less than 1 percent of cases are ever brought to court. It is reported that most of the victims are girls under the age of 18 who come from poor families in villages. Like so many instances of human trafficking around the world, these girls are lured by the prospect of jobs or scholarships for school in the city. It has been estimated that as much as 30 percent of the girls involved in prostitution in Indonesia are under the age of 18.

Again, we see here another case of human traffickers taking advantage of those individuals who are poor and unable to fight back. In some of my other blogs, I have mentioned how human traffickers lure many of those living in poverty with the prospect of work or educational opportunities. These men , women, and children who fall victim to this deception, end up in forced labor or sexual exploitation. This is also an article that again mentions a lack of funding and resources to combat the problem of human trafficking. Through these 13 blogs concerning human trafficking around the world it has become apparent that the high profits of this atrocity make it a very difficult problem to combat. Corruption at the some of the highest levels in governments and law enforcement agencies around the world, is just a one of the many driving forces which fuels the continued growth of  human trafficking. Backing down in the face of adversity is not an option concerning this problem. More than ever, people need to come together to fight human trafficking. We can't stand by hoping someone else will do something. We all have a voice and we need to use our voices to advocate for those who have been silenced by the monsters who do not care about the rights and dignity of other human beings.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95250/INDONESIA-Missing-children-raise-trafficking-concerns

Blog #12 nternational Justice Mission to Open Third Philippine Field Office to Combat Human Trafficking

The International Justice Mission is a human right agency that works to rescue victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppression. They are planning to open their third field office in Pampanga, the Philippines in June. This will make 15 field offices worldwide. They hope to reduce the availability of children for sex in this region by 40 percent by 2015. Pampanga is believed to be a haven for human traffickers and child pornography. IJM is using a collaborative casework model which involves providing support to local authorities to help in the rescue of victims and support in perpetrator accountability. This model being used by IJM also involves partnering with local government and non-government agencies to provide aftercare for victims and ensuring that the police, courts, and social services effectively protect vulnerable individuals. In the metro Cebu, the Philippines, IJM's efforts to fight human trafficking resulted in a 79 percent decrease in the availability of children in the commercial sex industry. IJM helped 2,473 men, women, and children in 2011, and they also conducted their largest rescue in Chennai, India where they partnered with the government to rescue 514 bonded worker from a brick kiln. More than 11,000 victims of forced labor slavery and sex trafficking have been helped by IJM since 2005.

This goes to show that when people come together and are determined to make a difference, a difference can be made. Eleven thousand people may not seem like a very large number when you look at the total number of people who are victims of human trafficking, but saving just one life is something to celebrate. Getting more people involved and willing to fight human trafficking can help to save so many more individuals from exploitation or death. The collaborative model being used by IJM has seen great success and other human rights agencies around the world could benefit from using this type of model and save many more people around the world. I believe Albert Einstein was correct in his statement, "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing".

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/international-justice-mission-to-open-third-philippine-field-office-to-combat-human-trafficking-2012-04-12

Blog 11 Confronting Argentina's People-Traffickers

This article tells about the efforts of Susana Trimarco and her attempts to combat human trafficking and in trying to find he daughter who was kidnapped by human traffickers ten years ago. Mrs. Trimarco has gone so far as to infiltrate human trafficking gangs pretending to be interested in buying girls. In doing so, she has collected a lot of information which has helped the police to conduct raids which have resulted in the rescue of dozens of women who were being sexually exploited. Mrs. Trimarco has endured murder attempts on her life, as well as many death threats. She did all of this while trying to find her own daughter. She later launched the Fundacion Maria de los Angeles which has helped to rescue hundred of victims of sexually exploitation and human trafficking. Mrs. Trimarco claims that it has been difficult to find her daughter because authorities , as well as former memers of the police and the judiciary, have been in collusion with the traffickers. Thirteen former police officers are among those accused of being involved in the kidnapping of Mrs. Trimarco's daughter. Eight hundred cases of alleged sexual exploitation are now in the Argentine courts thanks to the foundation set up by Mrs. Timarco and this has resulted in the rescue of about 400 victims. For her efforts in fighting human trafficking, Mrs Trimarco was given the US Secretary of State International Women of Courage award in 2007 by Condoleezza Rice.

Although Susana Trimarco was initially just trying to find her own daughter who had been kidnapped by human traffickers, she continued to put herself in situations where she could have been killed or forced into trafficking herself in order to help save so many other who were being sexually exploited. From the many articles I have read over the past several weeks, it does not surprise me to see in this article that the police and others in positions of authority, are involved in human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls. With human trafficking being a 32 billion dollar  a year business, it is easy to see how money can corrupt even the police and other government officials. As I have stated in other blogs, this makes it very difficult to catch and prosecute many who are involved in the human trafficking business. With that kind of money, it is easy to operate under the radar in in the shadows.Tougher penalties are much needed on the supply and demand end of human trafficking.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17560518

Blog #10 Human Trafficking in India tackled by Christians

Approximately 2.8 million people in India are victims of slavery. 70,000 people going missing every year in India. They are mostly women and children. It is believed that the majority of these victims live on less than a dollar a day which makes them highly vulnerable to exploitation. Bright Hope International, a Christian organization, is working to develop a network of churches to help raise awareness of the problem of human trafficking and exploitation and to combat the problem. BHI is working with a couple of local churches now teaching them how to help get the women and girls out of the situations they are trapped in , how to rehabilitate them and provide counseling for them, and also to provide some sort of job training so that they don't end up back in the same kind of situation. An approach of awareness, rescue, and rehabilitation was launched in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh this month. Pressure is being put on local law authorities to remove under-age girls from brothels. BHI is also working to provide safe houses to those women and girls that are rescued. It is believed that once the women and girls are rescued, receive counseling and are provided with  opportunities to earn a decent living, that they will not return to the streets.

The number of people in India living on less than a dollar a day is extremely high. Many parents are selling their children into slavery out of desperation and many others are being forced into slavery due to the great amount of impovershment they are living in. Local authorities must be doing little to enforce the laws in regards to this type of inhumane activity if they are having to be pressured to do so. This seems to be a common pattern in so many countries with a high prevalence of human trafficking. Lax law enforcement and desperation brought on by terrible economic conditions is causing many innocent men, women , and children to become victims of human traffickers. Huge profits are being made in the human trafficking business and far too any people in positions of authority are succumbing to the traffickers due to the money and probably somewhat due to coercion in some cases. Supply, demand, and huge profits make the battle against human trafficking an almost impossible battle to win. With today's technology, human trafficking and exploitation has become even easier while the battle has become harder to fight.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Missions/Default.aspx?id=1566478

Blog #9 Baby's Death Shines Spotlight on Human Trafficking

A battered two year old girl was taken to a hospital in New Delhi by a 14 year old girl who claimed to be the mother of the child. Despite two months of medical treatment, the child died. The entire country was tuned in to this case. Upon investigation, the police discovered that the 14 year old was not the mother of the child. The teenager had been sold into a brothel and she began living with a man she met at the brothel. The man she met had sold his wife to another man. This woman was the real mother of the child. After being sold by her husband to another man, she was forced to leave the child along with her two other children with the 14 year old girl. This was declared to be a case of human trafficking. It also turned out to be one of the biggest sex rackets involving minor, child prostitution, and the sale of women for marriage. India is already listed by the U.S. State Department as a Tier 2 country. This means India is not doing nearly enough to combat the problem of human trafficking. Those from the lowest social economic strata are the ones targeted the most by traffickers. Ninety percent of the the human trafficking occurring in India is internal. The laws against trafficking in India are not being effectively enforced according to some critics.

This story is heartbreaking but it sheds a light on how human trafficking affects more than just the person who is trafficked. This innocent child, though not trafficked herself, became a victim of this senseless crime. How many other children are there that are suffering due to the positions their mothers have been put in by traffickers and pimps? How many unwanted pregnancies and abortions are occurring due to forced prostitution and sexual exploitation? How many of these children born due to rape and forced prostitution end up sexually abused and forced into the prostitution themselves? I dare say that the numbers are staggering regarding these questions. It is bad enough that the one being trafficked is a victim, but how often due we consider all of the other victims who are most times just unwanted products of this hideous crime of human trafficking?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-17/baby-death-shines-spotlight-on-trafficking/3894290/?site=newcastle

Blog #8 Thailand Human Trafficking Problems Continue to Draw Scrutiny

Thailand, which is classified as a Tier Two country on the U.S. State Department's Trafficking in Persons list, is in danger of dropping to the Tier three level which is at the very bottom. Countries not showing any improvement in their effort to combat human trafficking for two years at the Tier Two level, automatically drop to the Tier Three level. At this point, no-humanitarian sanctions are possible. Human trafficking in Thailand is actually increasing. There are laws in place to help fight the human trafficking problem in Thailand, but there is reluctance to help the victims. The police have been accused of being predatory and involved in the human trafficking problem. Thailand is being criticized for having a weak legal system in regards to human trafficking, corruption within the law enforcement community, and poor victim identification. Girls as young as 11 are being sent directly to the homes of clients which makes it difficult to detect the true enormity of the problem. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Thailand's Ministry for Foreign Affairs Deputy Director General for International Organizations, is trying to defend Thailand's anti-trafficking efforts, but it may be too little too late.

I have made mention in past blogs concerning human trafficking that corruption within law enforcement and government agencies can make it nearly impossible to curtail human trafficking in many countries. Thailand is in great danger of moving to the Tier Three level along with North Korea, Cuba, and Burma. These countries are the worst at defending human trafficking victims and fighting this terrible problem. Until the problem of deep rooted corruption within its law enforcement agencies is removed, Thailand stands to remain at the level that it is at now. The government officials in Thailand can talk the talk, but the increase in human trafficking in that countries tells the world that they are not walking the walk. Fancy talk, promises,and rhetoric can't hide the truth of what is really going on in Thailand.

http://www.voanews.com/khmer-english/news/Thailand-Human-Trafficking-Problems-Continue-to-Draw-Scrutiny-142618736.html

Blog #7 Human Rights Victims Seek Remedy At High Court

Two cases of alleged violations of human rights is reported in this article. The two cases have been brought before the United States Supreme Court by foreign nationals. One case has been brought against Royal Dutch Shell Oil by twelve Nigerian citizens accusing the company of of aiding and abetting the Nigerian government of committing atrocities back in the1990s. Shell Oil was conducting oil exploration in Nigeria and oil spills were ruining a lot of the farmlands. Peaceful; protesters were being tortured and many of them killed. Charles Wiwa, one of the survivors, fled to the United States for safety.Wiwa and other Ogoni refugees have brought the case against Shell Oil. The lawsuit is based on the Alien Tort Statue which was enacted in 1789 by the first U.S. Congress. According to this statue, "U.S. trial courts can hear civil damage suits brought by foreign nationals for wrongs committed in violation of the law of nations or a treaty of the United States". Shell Oil contends that "corporations cannot be sued in the U.S. under the Alien Tort Statue because international law dosen't recognize corporate liability for human rights crimes. The other case has been brought up by the family of Azzam Rahim who was born on the West Bank but had become a U.S. citizen in 1970. While visiting his home village in 1993, he was picked up by individuals posing as cops. His body was brought back to the family two days later covered with cigarette burns and broken ribs. The family was told that he died of a heart attack. The Palestinian Authority and the PLO have been sued by the family under the Torture Victim Protection Act. The Palestinian Authority contends that the statue speaks in terms of suits against individuals, not a group.

Large corporations and governments need to be held accountable for any violations of human rights that they may be directly or indirectly be responsible for. As to whether a U.S. court should be deciding such cases, I am not sure if that is the proper channel. I am not an expert on international law. I actually know nothing of international law, but I do know that all human beings have the right to be free from torture and other nameless atrocities that are being committed against so many. Proper investigations by the United Nations would seem to be in order here.

http://www.npr.org/2012/02/28/147507940/human-rights-victims-seek-remedy-at-high-court

Blog #6 Trafficking of Ugandan Women to Asia on the Rise

The International Organization of Migration (IOM), reports that victims of trafficking who have been helped by the IMO are saying that they have suffered rape, torture, and sexual slavery. About 600 Ugandan women who have been trafficked, are reported to be Malaysia with another 10 to 20 arriving there every week. Zarfarullah Hassim, the Trafficking-in-People communication specialist at the IOM in Uganda, believes that the reason Malaysia is the preferred destination for traffickers is because of the many job and study opportunities available there. Women are being lured there believing that they are going to work or school. It is reported that "respectable Ugandans" are the ones responsible for the trafficking. The Uganda Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act was enacted in 2009, but little has been done to implement it. Due to concerns raised by the IOM about the trafficking problem of Ugandan women, the issue of human trafficking has been requested to be reintroduced into the Ugandan parliament.

I continue to see the same guise being used by traffickers here in Uganda that I see in so many other countries. Women and girls in particular are being lured to other countries for the purpose of sexual exploitation through the guise of a promised job, good money, and educational opportunities. Human trafficking is a huge business. The amount of money involved is probably close to astronomical. That being the case, many traffickers have learned all the tricks to gaining access to their potential victims and avoiding the law. Unfortunately, due to the amount of money involved in trafficking, many of those working in law enforcement around the world, turn a blind eye to the trafficking because they are on the payroll of the traffickers. As long as there is a demand, there will be victims. Can that demand be curbed? Tougher penalties are needed for those responsible, but more importantly, tougher penalties are needed for those who are supplying the demand. These "johns" need more than just a slap on the wrist in order to slow down the demand for trafficking victims.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Trafficking-of-Ugandan-Women-to-Asia-on-the-Rise-139527723.html

Blog #5 Human Trafficking On The Rise

In this article it mentions that The United States Defense Department is working to help members of the military to be more aware of human trafficking and is also providing training to assist members of the military in recognizing and reporting incidences of human trafficking. According to the article, victims of human trafficking are a lot of times, working in the clubs outside the military bases around the world.It is reported that girls brought in to Korea from other countries under the guise of receiving legitimate work, had their passports taken and were forced to live in a small apartment with a lot of other girls and then forced to work in these clubs outside the military bases. Service members are being told that if they are frequenting bars and clubs where girls are being trafficked, then they are in a sense supporting it even though they are only going there for drinks. The issue of human trafficking and the military came to light in 2004 when military personnel became involved with girls who had been brought into the United States from Russia and the Philippines. Clubs, bars, spas, nail salons, and even dry cleaning  are businesses which are now common to human trafficking.

Clubs and bars outside military bases around the world should have a greater focus on them by law enforcement agencies. Many service members overseas are on unaccompanied deployment. This, along with the fact that they have money to spend makes them easy targets for those who are involved in trafficking young girls and women. I applaud the Defense Department for taking the initiative to provide awareness and training for service members in regards to human trafficking. Hopefully, we will have large numbers of service members who will be on the look out for victims of human trafficking and will not be afraid to report it. This is just one of many steps needed to help combat the serious problem of human trafficking around the world. Harsher sentences for those who are the clients needs to be implemented worldwide. Slowing down the demand is vital.

http://fortbragg.patch.com/articles/human-trafficking-on-the-rise

Blog# 4 U.S. Expands Human Trafficking Blacklist

According to this article, there are close to two dozen countries around the world who are not doing enough to fight human trafficking. In the "Trafficking in Persons Report" put out by the U.S. State Department, it is reported that the number of countries facing U.S. sanctions for not doing enough to tackle the problem of human trafficking  has nearly doubled. The conditions in 184 countries, including the United States, were analyzed. There were 23 U.S. states which failed to meet minimum international standards for combating human trafficking. This number is up from 13 in 2010. The article reports that as many as 27 million men, women, and children are victims of human trafficking. Some of the countries placed on the blacklist include Cuba, North Korea, Saudi Arabia,  Kuwait, Zimbabwe, and Sudan. The country of Turkmenistan was added to the list this year. Men and women in this country are reported  being subjected to forced labor and forced prostitution. Iran was also said to be a "source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor." Iranian women and Afghan children in Iran are being trafficked internally for commercial exploitation and sometimes for forced marriages. In southern Iran, there are male brothels where young men and Afghan boys are forced into prostitution. Iranian women and children are also victims of sex trafficking in places such as Pakistan, Turkey, Kuwait, Iraq, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, etc. The Iranian government was also faulted in the U.S. report for doing so little to protect trafficking victims. Iran prefers to deport foreign victims of trafficking rather than protect them.

The report from the U.S. State Department said that these countries that are not doing enough to fight human trafficking "may" face U.S. sanctions. It seems to me that there should be no "may" about it. Don't make a threat of sanctions and then fail to follow through. These countries don't seemed to be very interested in fighting the problem of human trafficking as it is. Foreign governments and law enforcement as well as our own government and law enforcement agencies here in the United States need to be made to understand the atrocities of human trafficking. I understand it is a huge global problem which is hard to combat because of the money involved and the reluctance of many to become involved in fighting it, but to blatantly ignore it or back down from imposing punishment on known perpetrators or those supporting it, is committing a great injustice to all the victims.


http://www.rferl.org/content/estonia_belarus_russia_on_us_human_trafficking_watch_list/24248408.html

Blog #3 Sex Trafficking in Scotland: Country Has Failed to Deal With 'Dirty Secret', Says Damning New Report

This article reports on the large human trafficking problem in Scotland  and how The Scottish government and police have done little to combat the problem. Baroness Helena Kennedy, a leading human rights lawyer, submitted a report to the Equality and Human Rights Commission criticizing the Scottish government and police for their lack of effort in doing something about the increasing human trafficking problem in Scotland. The main focus of the report was on "commercial sexual exploitation". The police are criticized for having a large intelligence gap about the problem. It is reported that organized criminals are mostly responsible for the human trafficking problem. Besides sexual exploitation, trafficking victims are being forced to commit criminal acts such as benefits fraud and cannabis cultivation. They are also being exploited on fruit picking farms and in the hospitality industry. According to the report, people are being shipped to Scotland from all over the world and forced into cheap labor. Prostitutes are being sent to Scotland from countries such as Nigeria, Bolivia, and Brazil. Kennedy is pushing for the development more effective strategies, legislation, and multi-agency cooperation  to help combat the problem of human trafficking. Kaliani Lyle, the Equality and Human Rights Scotland Commissioner, commented on how human trafficking operates below the radar and how through fear and deception, it is kept there. Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has said that the inquiry and work undertaken by Baroness Kennedey to expose unacceptable practices which is allowing the problem of human trafficking to continue as it is in Scotland, is welcome by the Scottish government.

I would have never guessed that human trafficking and sexual exploitation would be as serious a problem as it is in Scotland. It just goes to show how naive we all can be concerning this atrocious problem. I find it hard to believe that the police claim to know so little about the problem there. According to the article, those involved in serious organized crime were the ones responsible for most of the problem. Are the police being paid to look the other way? I certainly hope not. This is a serious problem all over the world and cooperation between agencies and countries is vital in combating human/sex trafficking. I was dumbfounded to read in the article that prostitutes from other countries were being sent to Scotland to work. At least the government admits there is a serious problem with trafficking and welcomed the inquiry and suggestions from Baroness Kennedy. It looks like human rights agencies really need to really step up the fight for stronger laws, legislation, and stiffer punishments for those involved in human/sex trafficking. If police and/or government officials are turning a blind eye to the problem, it is going to take more effort and fight from those of us here at the grassroots level.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2011/11/28/sex-trafficking-in-scotland-country-has-failed-to-deal-with-dirty-secret-says-damning-new-report-86908-23593872/

Blog 2: Pedophiles and pimps score at large sporting events like Super Bowl XLVI

In this article it is reported that the largest sex trafficking event in the United States and maybe even the world is the annual Super Bowl. Human trafficking for the purpose of sex has become a major problem around large sporting events such as the Super Bowl. The Coalition for Corporate Responsibility began working with law enforcement and The Department of Health and Human Services last year in preparing for Super Bowl XLVI. The CCR also worked hard in fighting against sex trafficking at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The United States Department of Justice reported that between January 2008 and June 2010, child prostitution and sexual exploitation of children comprised forty percent of human trafficking incidents. UNICEF reports that two million children are involved in the global sex trade and that this number is increasing. Sex trafficking worldwide is an industry netting billions of dollars each year.The Palermo Protocol was signed by one hundred and seventy seven countries back in 2000 at the United Nations. The purpose of the Palermo Protocol was to set a global standard on human trafficking. A lack of introspection by some countries is thought to be a major road block in the fight against human trafficking. In many countries, the number of their own citizens involved in sex trafficking outnumbers the foreigners who are involved. It is also mentioned that the internet has become a major source for marketing and recruiting by those involved in sex trafficking.

Although there are many organizations, law enforcement agencies and global initiatives to fight human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children, the industry continues to increase in size and number of incidents despite all the tireless efforts of many to end the vicious problem. Huge profits are driving this industry and making the fight against it an uphill battle. The tremendous number of pedophiles who drive up the demand, is yet another obstacle in the fight against sex trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children. I find the estimated number of children be sexually exploited heartbreaking.A serious global effort to get rid of the demand can be a huge step in the right direction. I applaud the efforts of the CCR, the FBI, the DOJ, the United Nations and others in their fight against the atrocities of human and sex trafficking. This is a global social problem that we can only begin to put a serious dent in through a major global effort to reduce the demand for human/sex trafficking victims.

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/heart-without-compromise-children-and-children-wit/2012/jan/17/pedophiles-and-pimps-score-large-sporting-events-s/

Blog #1: Human trafficking on the rise in border region

This article was about the increase of human trafficking along the border of the United States and Mexico. Legal and government officials from the U.S. and Mexico met at the Bi-National Forum To Address Human Trafficking in Chula Vista to discuss the problem of human trafficking, sexual exploitation of children and new laws regarding these issues. According to the California Against Slavery campaign, San Diego, California is one of the top ten cities in the United States for child prostitution and California has three of the top child sex trafficking areas in the country. The CAS also reports that 100,000 minors from America are being sold for sex annually and more than 17,000 foreign born slaves are brought into the United States each year. It was also stated in the article that organized crime groups have increased trafficking activities which include women and children. Mexican Congresswoman Rosi Orozo emphasized that a bi-national effort is needed to help combat the problem of human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women and children occurring in Mexico and the United States.

I agree that there is a huge human trafficking problem between the United States and Mexico. It was encouraging to read in this article that officials from both the United States and Mexico were coming together to address the issue. Mexican Congresswoman Rosi Orozo suggests that one thing that must be done to help decrease this type of activity is to punish not only those who are forcing women and children into sexual slavery, but to punish the “Johns” also. Maybe drastically increasing the punishment for all who are involved could help to deter this type of activity. The so-called Johns should be punished severely. New laws increasing the punishment need to be enacted. Decreasing the demand I believe, is a step in the right direction. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jan/12/human-trafficking-on-the-rise-in-border-region/