Most Popular Human Trafficking Posts
Sex Trafficking High Around U.S. Military Bases Abroad
Published February 09, 2010 @ 02:00PM PT
Serving in the United States military is about honor, dignity, and strength. So it makes sense that the U.S. military would make visiting brothels and having sex with women and kids forced into a prostitution a big no-no for American soldiers, right? On paper, establishments that sell sex are off-limits for men (and women) in uniform. But in practice, sex trafficking flourishes near U.S. military bases. Should U.S. soldiers be abusing people in another country while protecting people in this one?
Of all the countries where an American military presence attracts prostitution, both voluntary and forced, South Korea may feel the effects most acutely. U.S. troops have been stationed in South Korea since 1945, and the brothels around the U.S. military bases have been there just as long. In 2004, the Pentagon drafted a policy to reduce the sex trafficking growing wherever American soldiers, sailors, and airmen were stationed, with specific attention to South Korea. Under that policy, military personnel caught visiting a brothel or "massage parlour" could be subject to court martial. However, there is very little information available about how often that sanction is enforced.
There is evidence, however, that the policy has not worked in reducing demand for prostitution, evidenced by the continuing high levels of prostitution and human trafficking near U.S. military bases. The U.S. military has finally begun to make some clubs and bars known to traffic women or sell children off-limits to service members, but one report indicates that only 4 out of 25 such places in the area have been listed as off-limits. The South Korean government, too, has been cracking down on sex trafficking in the past few years. However, the areas surrounding the U.S. military base have been exempted from the crackdown by the Korean government. So brothels around U.S. military bases are falling through the cracks of both U.S. government and Korean government policy.
Red Light Special: Nepali Elephant T-Shirt
Published February 09, 2010 @ 12:00PM PT
Are you sick of wasting your money on useless plastic crap made in overseas sweatshops? Do you want to use your money to vote for something you actually support -- a hopeful future for former slaves? Then check out Change.org's weekly Red Light Special. Once a week, I'll be bringing you a product that heals rather than hurts, because the proceeds go to help victims of human trafficking. Shop Red Light Specials to be part of the solution, instead of part of the useless crap problem.
This Week’s Red Light Special ... Nepali Elephant T-Shirt
In Nepal there is a great folk saying, which roughly translates to "the elephant marches on, heedless of the barking dogs." It means that we are bigger and more powerful than that which annoys us, distracts us, or tries to push of off our path. And for the survivors of human trafficking who make these graphic tees, the saying means they are bigger and more powerful than the slavery they've lived through.
This shirt, featuring an elephant walking towards a barking dog, is a great way to inspire yourself or others to push past life's problems and realize their own power. And for only $10, what's not to love about this deal? The shirts are 100% cotton and all proceeds go to help survivors of human trafficking.
You can buy this item here.
Let's face it, you don't need any more stuff in your life, but human trafficking survivors sure need a future. And you can give it to them with just a click of the mouse and a swipe of the credit card. So what are you waiting for?
If you know of an organization or business which you’d like to see financially rewarded for helping trafficking victims, let me know!
Rescuing the Superbowl Sex Slaves
Published February 08, 2010 @ 11:00AM PT
Friday, I loaded the backseat of a car headed to Miami with giant packs of condoms, bottles of hand sanitizer, and snacks. Was this going to be the best Superbowl party ever? No, it was part of a massive outreach effort to the child sex trafficking victims who are expected to be brought to Miami this weekend to service men attending the Superbowl. Last year, they found at least 24 kids trafficked to Tampa for sex. And this year, they predicted even more.
Why does the Superbowl mean an uptick in the amount of sex trafficking in a given city? It's because sex trafficking, like all forms of modern-day slavery, are driven by consumer demand for a product. And when large numbers of men gather in a city, especially without their families, some of them demand commercial sex. Pimps know that demand for prostitution will be higher in Miami this weekend because of the number of out-of-towners flying in for the big game. So they'll ship the women and girls who they sell to meet the demand and make them the highest possible profit. It's the exact same business model other entrepreneurs who will travel to Miami use. Except instead of selling hot dogs or t-shirts, they'll be selling children.
Fortunately, this year advocacy groups were prepared. A team of hundreds of outreach workers from organizations both local to Miami and national were on the streets, perhaps even in greater number than the pimps and traffickers, looking for trafficking victims, armed with outreach supplies like condoms and business cards with subtly scripted hotline numbers. And the volunteers have been trained to recognize that even the girls who are smiling and flirting may be women and kids forced into prostitution by a pimp.
Whether you rocked a blue pony hat or some black and gold Mardi Gras beads this Sunday, just remember that we're all cheering for at least one team. And that's the one standing on the street corner, throwing a Hail Mary pass to the girls they see. And unlike the boys on the field, these folks are actually hoping for a safety.
Photo credit: Ed Yourndon
Teen Dating Violence Is a Doorway to Trafficking
Published February 06, 2010 @ 11:00AM PT
When we talk about issues affecting women, like domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking, we often list them as separate issues. In reality, people who experience trafficking are often victimized in other ways as well. In particular, teen dating violence is a doorway to human trafficking.
Teen dating violence is the name that has been given to intimate partner violence which takes place between young people who aren't married or living together. Just like in domestic violence, teen dating violence involves one partner using coercive control to make the other partner do what they want. Abusive relationships usually start off great -- the abuser tells his victim how beautiful she is and how much he loves her. He showers her with gifts and attention. To a young person, this love and attention can be intoxicating. Only once there is a strong bond does the abuse start -- whether it's physical, emotional, sexual, financial, or other forms of abuse.
An abusive relationship between teens turns into trafficking when labor exploitation comes into play. Usually for teens, this means the abuser forces the victim into commercial sex. Since every child under 18 in the commercial sex industry in the U.S. is a trafficking victim, a boyfriend who pushes his teen girlfriend into prostitution becomes a trafficker, and she a victim. But while the definition of the crime has changed, the dynamics have not. A trafficker uses coercive control to keep his victims enslaved in the same way an abuser uses coercive control to keep his partner from leaving.
A victim of human trafficking and teen dating violence who has been forced into the commercial sex industry may also experience sexual assault, rape, battery, torture, and a myriad of other abuses. However, it's important to recognize that all of these issues, while seemingly separate, take place within a framework of coercive control. All of the abuses a teen trafficking victim/teen dating violence victim experiences are a direct result of the coercion from her partner/pimp.
Photo credit: Paul H Photography
Shell Fueled by Forced Labor
Published February 05, 2010 @ 08:26AM PT
Royal Dutch Shell has been accused of many human rights and environmental abuses over the years, and it appears that you may be able to add forced labor to the list of the company’s exploitative policies.
Earlier this week, Shell announced that it was putting $12 billion into a venture with Cosan, the leading company in Brazil’s sugar cane ethanol industry. You might remember Cosan from Angela’s recent post about Wal-Mart’s relationship with this company. Cosan was placed on a blacklist maintained by the Labor Ministry in Brazil after severe labor rights abuses were identified at one of the company’s suppliers. Last month, the company got a temporary injunction and was removed from the list, but the Attorney General is contesting the injunction.
This example raises a broader concern about the biofuels boom. Over the years, many workers in Brazil’s sugar industry have been removed from forced labor conditions as well as situations of debt bondage. The recent “List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor” published by the U.S. Department of Labor also noted that sugarcane from Brazil is often produced by forced labor. Beyond these cases, the general conditions for workers in this sector often include low pay, long hours, minimal or no attention to health and safety standards, exposure to toxic chemicals, and miserable living conditions. While huge amounts of money are going into developing this industry, much of the profits garnered by the large multinational corporations who are benefiting is fueled by worker exploitation.
Agrofuels have been criticized for many reasons –- negative environmental impacts, contributing to hunger, grabbing land from communities –- and the stories from Brazil and other major producing countries suggest that those of us concerned about workers should contribute to the debate as well. If we want to create truly sustainable solutions for the energy and climate crises, we must also protect the rights of workers and their communities.
Photo credit: whologwhy
California Senate to Traffickers: Get Out of Our Supply Chain
Published February 04, 2010 @ 03:45PM PT
The lack of watchdogging product supply chains for human trafficking has long been a bane to anti-traffickers. Even if the shirt you just bought wasn't sewn in a sweatshop, slaves still could have picked the cotton that it was made from. (Why does that sound so familiar, U.S. History? Will we never learn?) With no one regulating the supply chain, it's virtually impossible to ensure any item is completely slave-free.
Most people are content to let businesses regulate themselves, i.e. they turn a blind eye. The particularly ardent shopper might go so far as to buy only from small, relationship-based companies who oversee their product from conception to retail. But, let's face it, big business isn't known for its ethics and I seriously doubt you and I can completely avoid big business. That's why it's called "big." It's everywhere.
As of January 29th, California has officially had enough. Big business beware. Traffickers, take note. The State Senate passed SB 657. Among other things, the bill requires any retailer or manufacturer operating in the state to comply with federal and state laws regarding trafficking and to seek the eradication of slavery from its supply chain. Companies have to come up with policies reflecting this compliance, actually carry out the policies, and make them available to consumers upon request.
According to the Senate's bill analysis, the policy companies enact has to require the company and all its suppliers to follow anti-trafficking laws in their respective countries and if they encounter slavery in the supply chain, they will "seek eradication rather than ceasing business in that area."
Teen Prostitution Ring Operating On Facebook Gets Busted
Published February 04, 2010 @ 07:00AM PT
Move over Craigslist -- there's a new electronic pimp in town: Facebook. Police in Indonesia have arrested two men for running a prostitution service through the popular social network site. The twist? Like Facebook's users, most of the girls who were being sold in prostitution were teens.
In this case, Facebook acted as the advertising and communications mechanism. All the girls, who were between 15 and 16 years old, already have pimps who were controlling them and selling them in prostitution. But the would-be criminal entrepreneurs who the Indonesian police nabbed saw a way they could get a cut of those profits without actually having to pimp girls themselves. Once they made arrangements with the pimps, the men posted around 25 pictures of the girls on their Facebook account to attract potential customers. When buyers saw a girl they wanted, they sent a message through Facebook, which was then forwarded to the girl's pimp. The pimp arranged a meeting, and everyone made money except the teen girl. On average, each of these girls was selling for about $85 an encounter. This system had been running through Facebook for about two months.
It's not surprising that the men in this case had a brainstorm to use Facebook to set up a teen prostitution ring. So many teens have so many photos on the site, a few more would hardly be noticed by authorities. And men looking to have sex with minors have already identified the site as a place to meet kids, either to lure away from home or outright buy. Thankfully, though, the Indonesian police managed to put the pieces of this puzzle together and track down the traffickers. No mention has been made, however, of whether there will be any attempt to find and assist the teen girls, or arrest their pimps or johns.
