Posts by Amanda Kloer
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A Look Inside the Chinese Baby Trafficking Industry
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Sex Trafficking of American Indian Girls and Women
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An Open Letter of Apology to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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
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.
Human Trafficking in Fiji: Blindly Fighting the Shapeless Monster
Published February 03, 2010 @ 07:00AM PT
Every year, the U.S. State Department releases a Trafficking in Persons report which rates countries on their efforts to combat human trafficking. Each week, I'll be providing a brief glance at human trafficking in one of those countries, based off the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report, with my own (often snarky) analysis added. This is just a snapshot of what's going on in the country. For more information, you can check out the full text of the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report here.
This Week's Country ... Fiji
Basic Info
The U.S. State Department ranks Fiji on Tier 3, meaning they wouldn't know a trafficker if he sailed up to their shores on a massive luxury yacht having public sex with children he bought for prostitution (which, incidentally, actually happened when I was working with an NGO based there). Fiji isn't working to prevent trafficking, protect victims, or prosecute traffickers, and they aren't making an effort to change their ways. In fact, Fiji wasn't even ranked for the first several years the State Department was producing their report because of the complete absence of any information coming out of the country. Because of the general lackadaisical attitude of the government, Fiji is a source and destination country for trafficking victims, both internationally and internally.
So does Fiji have the political and economic stability to truly tackle trafficking? Saying Fiji is a small country with limited resources is like saying Gilbert Arenas waving his gun around in the locker room wasn't his best career move. But similarly resourced countries have found ways to at least indicate their desire to work on the issue. Lots of places, including the U.S. government, give capacity-building grants. But first Fiji has to prove it wants to end trafficking, despite what may be a tiny economic dip.
Who Are the Victims and What Are They Doing?
As with many poor countries with large tourism sectors, children are Fiji's largest population of victim. Fijian children are trafficked into the commercial sex industry, sometimes by family members. Hotel staff, taxi drivers, and nightclub staff have all been known to procure children for prostitution. In Fiji, poor families will often informally adopt their children to wealthier families living near good schools. This tradition leaves those children vulnerable to both forced domestic servitude and sexual abuse. Adult women are also forced into the commercial sex industry in Fiji. To a lesser extent, men and women may be trafficked into Fiji for factory work.
How Much Is That Child Soldier in the Window?
Published February 02, 2010 @ 05:00PM PT
It looks like the new American strategy for fighting/managing the Taliban is "if you can't beat them, pay them off." They're currently trying to buy out what they call the "$10 Taliban fighters" -- the people who aren't ideologically committed to the Taliban's goals, but instead are just trying to make a living. But while this strategy might work on some of the adults who would happily abandon Taliban service for a more lucrative offer, what will happen to the Taliban's growing army of child soldiers?
Children become Taliban fighters in a number of different ways, and through means that aren't as common in other parts of the world where child soldiers are ubiquitous. Some children are trafficked into service for the Taliban through kidnapping and sheer force. But a larger percentage join the ranks through other means, which range from extreme coercion and brainwashing to a simple ideological push in the extremist direction. They also range greatly in ages, from children as young as 7 to teen boys on the brink of adulthood.
The situation brings up several important and controversial questions. How old is old enough to choose to be a solider or a suicide bomber? If a child is being pushed in a direction by his parents, community, and faith, is that coercion? Communities around the world push children in ideological directions -- that's nothing new. So when does this activity cross the line into coercion? When the child has no reasonable choice but to follow the community. And in many cases with child soldiers working for the Taliban, that "choice" turns out to be forced martyrdom.
