Truckers Against Trafficking
I don't know that much about the trucking industry but this organization seems so vital to stopping the forced prostitution that is happening all over America. I saw this tag line somewhere,
"It takes the heart of a trucker to move this country."
Everything we see and buy from the grocery store to our favorite clothing store was brought there by a truck. If you have driven on most American highways they are flooded with truck drivers. Truckers are the eyes and ears of Americas highways. Please look into the important work Truckers against Trafficking are doing and help support them.
If you ever see anything at a truck stop or a trucker call this hotline. Make the call save lives: 1-888-373-7888
Spoken word by a man who is hitting the nail on the head. Our culture has a big part to play in why forced prostitution is thriving.
Showing posts with label Human Rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Human Rights. Show all posts
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
I challenge you to become educated
Do you wanna know how many slaves work for you?
Check out this website. It will totally blow your mind.
I was told a while ago that we vote with our pocketbooks everyday, and if pocketbooks is to outdated a term then we vote with our debit cards everyday. This has stuck with me and I vote with my money to let big corporate giants know that I prefer fair trade, ethically sound, organic made clothing. That's not where it begins or ends. It starts with cheap labor in cotton fields in Uzbekistan where the government pulls children and teachers out of school to pick the worlds cotton. Uzbekistan is the largest producer of cotton. How could I be OK going to say a Wal-mart and buying a shirt for my daughter that I know is made with blood cotton and put it out of mind because the shirt is only $1.50. That's somebodies baby out there being denied an education because people want shirts worth nothing. But the labor, damage and violence is everything to that child. Slavery is to big of an issue to be indifferent, I don't think we have the luxury of being indifferent.
I am in no way stating I am perfect and source all of my clothing and such from ethically sound companies but when I do know of a store that's not practicing good ethics and is sourcing cotton from places like Uzbekistan I stay away like the plague. There is so much to be done and said on this topic. I am still learning about fair-trade and how to make better choices with what I buy. Its still really hard to do but what we can do is write to our favorite brands and let them know this issue is important to us. We don't want cotton and other everyday materials in our things that came off the backs of slaves. There is a section at the bottom of slavery footprint that allows you to pick your favorite brands and send them a letter.
We need to become educated consumers. Vote with our pocketbooks everyday, make your vote count. Let your voice be heard. End slavery.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Be Relentless
Be Relentless
I love that, what does it mean to be relentless?
Google's definition; unceasingly intense.
Synonyms: persistent, continuing, constant, continual, continuous, non-stop, lasting, never-ending, steady, uninterrupted, unabated, unabating, unbroken, interminable, incessant, unstoppable, unceasing, endless, unending, perpetual, unremitting, unrelenting, unrelieved, sustained.
I want to be relentless, in my ministry as a mother, a wife, a friend a daughter. I want to give my all to God and my family. God knows the desires of my heart, I want to be relentless in my fight to end injustices. To be a voice to the voiceless. Just because it looks hard or impossible doesn't mean I quit but I keep going steady, persistent. God's love and grace is relentless, God's justice is lasting, unbroken and unceasing.
I thought about a quote by William Wilberforce,
“If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large.”― William Wilberforce
There is a woman, Norma Bastidas who is exactly this, relentless, she is a fierce survivor. Norma will double the world record for longest triathlon by swimming, biking and running more than 3,500 miles in Mexico and the U.S. Norma will do this to raise awareness on slavery. Please watch the video and support her mission it's not only for her but all of us. If one is not free we are all not free.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/be-relentless--2
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Are you in it to end it?
This February 27th, join us and other Freedom Fighters from around the world as we SHINE A LIGHT ON SLAVERY.
Draw a RED X on your hand.
Tell your world that slavery still exists and YOU WON’T STAND FOR IT.
Just use your influence any way you can to help us carry the message of FREEDOM so even more people know.
Let’s make this SHINE A LIGHT ON SLAVERY DAY even brighter than ever.
#enditmovement
Draw a RED X on your hand.
Tell your world that slavery still exists and YOU WON’T STAND FOR IT.
Just use your influence any way you can to help us carry the message of FREEDOM so even more people know.
Let’s make this SHINE A LIGHT ON SLAVERY DAY even brighter than ever.
#enditmovement
Every day from here until the 27th I will be posting videos of organizations that are, raising awareness, rehabilitating victims of trafficking and lobbying for stronger laws in the United States and around the world. Please join, slavery never ended. Just use your influence any way you can to help us carry the message of FREEDOM so even more people know.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Our God - And if our God is for us
A perfect song to close out our Human Trafficking series.
Be the Change you wish to see in the World. - Mahatma Gandhi,
Be the Change you wish to see in the World. - Mahatma Gandhi,
Human Trafficking Part 4
For those of us who feel helpless in this fight to end modern day slavery please don't. This whole cycle starts with the consumer (all of us). There are a plethora of ways that everyday people can help abolish slavery once and for all. Never think its not enough because if we all did just enough most of these issues would not exist. We just have to become educated consumers.
NUMBERED LIST OF HOW PEOPLE CAN TAKE ACTION TODAY
1. EDUCATE YOURSELF – Join a volunteer group like Virginia Stop Modern Slavery and DC Stop Modern Slavery and learn about modern day slavery and how you can take action as well as a upcoming events. These organizations are community based and work at the grassroots level. They are a 100% volunteer group and do not seek donations, only to further the mission of educating others in order to see modern day slavery abolished in our lifetime. http://www.meetup.com/virginiastopmodernslavery/
Visit these websites to learn about human trafficking:
www.endslaverynow.org – a comprehensive list of resources/links combined from dozens of government agencies, non-profit organizations, educational groups, victim aid groups.
www.freetheslaves.net ; Free the slaves liberates slaves around the world, helps them rebuild their lives and researches real world solutions to eradicate slavery forever. Our mission is to end slavery worldwide. We believe that ending slavery is an ambitious–and realizable–goal. Free the Slaves has a program called, I Am the Change where you can be the change in big ways and small. It takes 2 minutes to sign up visit https://www.freetheslaves.net/SSLPage.aspx?pid=361
www.polarisproject.org; Polaris Project's vision is for a world without slavery. Named after the North Star that guided slaves towards freedom along the Underground Railroad, Polaris Project has been providing a comprehensive approach to combating human trafficking and modern-day slavery since 2002. Polaris Project is one of the largest anti-trafficking organizations in the United States and Japan, with programs operating at international, national and local levels through our offices in Washington, DC; Newark, NJ; and Tokyo, Japan. Polaris Project is one of the few organizations working on all forms of trafficking and serving both citizen and foreign national victims of human trafficking.
http://www.verite.org/wellmade/ Verité is launching the Well Made campaign to demonstrate how all stakeholder groups can make a difference through impactful programs in their supply chains, starting with looking for work across borders and how hiring traps can lead to human trafficking, slavery and debt bondage for so many migrant workers.
NUMBERED LIST OF HOW PEOPLE CAN TAKE ACTION TODAY
1. EDUCATE YOURSELF – Join a volunteer group like Virginia Stop Modern Slavery and DC Stop Modern Slavery and learn about modern day slavery and how you can take action as well as a upcoming events. These organizations are community based and work at the grassroots level. They are a 100% volunteer group and do not seek donations, only to further the mission of educating others in order to see modern day slavery abolished in our lifetime. http://www.meetup.com/virginiastopmodernslavery/
Visit these websites to learn about human trafficking:
www.endslaverynow.org – a comprehensive list of resources/links combined from dozens of government agencies, non-profit organizations, educational groups, victim aid groups.
www.freetheslaves.net ; Free the slaves liberates slaves around the world, helps them rebuild their lives and researches real world solutions to eradicate slavery forever. Our mission is to end slavery worldwide. We believe that ending slavery is an ambitious–and realizable–goal. Free the Slaves has a program called, I Am the Change where you can be the change in big ways and small. It takes 2 minutes to sign up visit https://www.freetheslaves.net/SSLPage.aspx?pid=361
www.polarisproject.org; Polaris Project's vision is for a world without slavery. Named after the North Star that guided slaves towards freedom along the Underground Railroad, Polaris Project has been providing a comprehensive approach to combating human trafficking and modern-day slavery since 2002. Polaris Project is one of the largest anti-trafficking organizations in the United States and Japan, with programs operating at international, national and local levels through our offices in Washington, DC; Newark, NJ; and Tokyo, Japan. Polaris Project is one of the few organizations working on all forms of trafficking and serving both citizen and foreign national victims of human trafficking.
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/ Not For Sale is a Campaign of students, artists, entrepreneurs, people of faith, athletes, law enforcement officers, politicians, social workers, skilled professionals, and all justice seekers united to fight the global slave trade and end human trafficking. The Campaign aims to recruit, educate, and mobilize an international grassroots social movement that effectively combats human trafficking and slavery through "Smart Activism". It deploys innovative solutions for every individual to re-abolish slavery -- in their own backyards and across the globe. Not For Sale believes that everyone has a skill to contribute that can free an individual living in bondage, and together we can stop human trafficking and end slavery in our lifetime.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/
2. GET INVOLVED AND USE YOUR TALENT
Join a voulunteer group and use your talents to further the mission of educating others. Non-profits and community organizations are always in need of writers, those who love social media like, facebook and twitter, event organizers, and much more.
Other ways to help are volunteering at shelters, writing a blog about why we should fight human trafficking; make a film for youtube. The possibilities are endless.
Whatever you do best to make a difference!
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2010/ US Department of State’s 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report on 177 nations. It is the most comprehensive worldwide report on the efforts of governments to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons. The annual Trafficking in Persons Report serves as the primary diplomatic tool through which the U.S. Government encourages partnership and increased determination in the fight against forced labor, sexual exploitation, and modern-day slavery
http://www.verite.org/ Verité is a global advocate for workers. Through our understanding of the perspectives of workers, we find solutions to human rights violations in good business practices. We work to remove dangers and abuses in workplaces around the world by providing knowledge, skills and tools to workers, employers, multinational companies, NGOs, trade unions, investors and governments. Verité is launching the Well Made campaign to demonstrate how all stakeholder groups can make a difference through impactful programs in their supply chains, starting with looking for work across borders and how hiring traps can lead to human trafficking, slavery and debt bondage for so many migrant workers.
Reading List
The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today
Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter The War on Human Trafficking: U.S. Policy Assessed
Anthony M. DeStefano
A Crime so Monstrous: Face to Face with Modern Day Slavery
Benjamin Skinner
Ending Slavery: How We Free Today’s Slaves
Kevin Bales
Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy
Kevin Bales
Understanding Global Slavery: A Reader
Kevin Bales
To Plead Our Own Cause: Personal Stories by Today’s Slaves
Kevin Bales & Zoe Trodd
Nobodies
John Bowe
Trafficking of Human Beings from a Human Rights Perspective
Tom Obokata
The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today
Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter The War on Human Trafficking: U.S. Policy Assessed
Anthony M. DeStefano
A Crime so Monstrous: Face to Face with Modern Day Slavery
Benjamin Skinner
Ending Slavery: How We Free Today’s Slaves
Kevin Bales
Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy
Kevin Bales
Understanding Global Slavery: A Reader
Kevin Bales
To Plead Our Own Cause: Personal Stories by Today’s Slaves
Kevin Bales & Zoe Trodd
Nobodies
John Bowe
Trafficking of Human Beings from a Human Rights Perspective
Tom Obokata
Join a voulunteer group and use your talents to further the mission of educating others. Non-profits and community organizations are always in need of writers, those who love social media like, facebook and twitter, event organizers, and much more.
Other ways to help are volunteering at shelters, writing a blog about why we should fight human trafficking; make a film for youtube. The possibilities are endless.
Whatever you do best to make a difference!
3. LOBBY POLITICIANS
Often times adjusting laws and policies surrounding the issue of human trafficking can help make it easier to identify and convict traffickers in a court of law. For more information on how to inform your elected officials, check out www.polarisproject.org and www.change.org
4. Invest in Change- Support those on the frontlines and enable them to make a difference. Help fund the most effective project to reduce slavery and care for its victims like:
Often times adjusting laws and policies surrounding the issue of human trafficking can help make it easier to identify and convict traffickers in a court of law. For more information on how to inform your elected officials, check out www.polarisproject.org and www.change.org
4. Invest in Change- Support those on the frontlines and enable them to make a difference. Help fund the most effective project to reduce slavery and care for its victims like:
www.freetheslaves.net
www.ijm.org
www.gracehavenhouse.org
www.sharedhope.org
5. ORGANIZE A FUNDRAISER
www.ijm.org
www.gracehavenhouse.org
www.sharedhope.org
5. ORGANIZE A FUNDRAISER
6. SUPPORT SURVIVORS
7. BUY FAIR TRADE PRODUCTS & Products that are made by survivors of modern day slavery.
Find out how you or your company can support fair trade and help reduce the demand for products made by slaves. In the US, Fair Trade Certified™ food products carry the label of the US Fair Trade certifying body, TransFair USA. Make sure that what you buy was not made by the hands of a slave! Visit: http://www.greenamericatoday.org/programs/fairtrade/products/index.cfm; http://www.transfairusa.org; www.papertopearls.org; http://www.madebysurvivors.com; www.goodweave.org; www.greatergood.com or www.tenthousandvillages.com
8. HELP VICTIMS ESCAPE by LEARNING HOW TO RECOGNIZE VICTIMS
7. BUY FAIR TRADE PRODUCTS & Products that are made by survivors of modern day slavery.
Find out how you or your company can support fair trade and help reduce the demand for products made by slaves. In the US, Fair Trade Certified™ food products carry the label of the US Fair Trade certifying body, TransFair USA. Make sure that what you buy was not made by the hands of a slave! Visit: http://www.greenamericatoday.org/programs/fairtrade/products/index.cfm; http://www.transfairusa.org; www.papertopearls.org; http://www.madebysurvivors.com; www.goodweave.org; www.greatergood.com or www.tenthousandvillages.com
8. HELP VICTIMS ESCAPE by LEARNING HOW TO RECOGNIZE VICTIMS
For further information look to part 3 of Human Trafficking.
Put the human trafficking hotline in your phone so you will have it ready if needed. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) is a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. The NHTRC is a program of Polaris Project, a non-profit, non-governmental organization. They are not a government entity, law enforcement or immigration. You can call the number and receive information about human trafficking, report a tip, arrange for training, and receive general information or specific anti-trafficking resources.
Receive training on how to recognize trafficking victims and what steps you take if you think you may be aware of a human trafficking situation. Organizations offering training:
www.polarisproject.org; www.stopmodernslavery.org; www.freedomnetworkusa.org
Put the human trafficking hotline in your phone so you will have it ready if needed. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) is a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. The NHTRC is a program of Polaris Project, a non-profit, non-governmental organization. They are not a government entity, law enforcement or immigration. You can call the number and receive information about human trafficking, report a tip, arrange for training, and receive general information or specific anti-trafficking resources.
Receive training on how to recognize trafficking victims and what steps you take if you think you may be aware of a human trafficking situation. Organizations offering training:
www.polarisproject.org; www.stopmodernslavery.org; www.freedomnetworkusa.org
9. Consume and Invest wisely- Hold businesses accountable and ask corporations to join the fight. Buy Fair Trade products like coffee and chocolate, look into your investment brokers, companies, and spend your money on those holding themselves to a higher standard. See:
http://www.verite.org/wellmade/ Verité is launching the Well Made campaign to demonstrate how all stakeholder groups can make a difference through impactful programs in their supply chains, starting with looking for work across borders and how hiring traps can lead to human trafficking, slavery and debt bondage for so many migrant workers.
CSRwire.com CSRwire is the leading source of corporate social responsibility and sustainability news, reports, events and information. Members are interested in communicating their corporate citizenship, sustainability, and socially responsible initiatives to a global audience
www.GoodWeave.org works to end illegal child labor in the carpet industry and to offer educational opportunities to children in South Asia. The handmade rug industry has one of the highest child labor rates in the world. More than 250,000 children in South Asia between the ages of 4 and 14 are routinely kidnapped or trafficked, forced to trade their childhoods and their futures for endless hours of hard labor on carpet looms. The GoodWeave campaign doesn’t just inform consumers about the problem, it offers them a solution. By demanding rugs certified by GoodWeave, you can be assured that your rug is truly beautiful—because it was made by adult artisans, not by child labor.
10. Write- Do you know any journalists? Encourage newspapers, magazines and television stations to publish or to write stories about modern-day slavery, and how to stop it.
11. Tourism Matters- Visit the Trafficking in Persons Report from the State Department . Find out which countries are the worst trafficking offenders. Write a letter to their travel bureau and tell them you won’t visit the country until they address the issue.
12. Make help available- In public places, disseminate wallet cards, posters, brochures and other materials about trafficking. Download them from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at: www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/ or see the list of resources on www.endslaverynow.com
13. Give healthcare- Help collect and pack medical supplies and equipment to be sent to shelters for survivors. Check out Giving Children Hope.
14. Cybervention- Make sure trafficking does not happen on the internet. Keep an eye on Craigslist and advertising spaces. Write to Craig’s list and ask that they stop allowing people to be sold on their listing. Visit this site to sign a petition asking Craigslist to stop http://humantrafficking.change.org/petitions/view/tell_craigslist_to_make_real_change_in_the_adult_services_section_of_craigslist
15. Fight Sex Tourism- Ask travel agencies, hotels and tour operators to sign the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children in Travel and Tourism
16. Go- volunteer with organizations caring for survivors. Help build shelters. Teach English. Provide skills training. Ask the organization how you can help.
17. Slave-Free Campuses- Start a group at your school or university, and make sure your campus is free of products made with slave labor.
18. Safeguard transportation- ask airlines to provide training manuals to all their flight attendants on how to watch for victims being trafficked. Find the manual at www.innocentsatrisk.org.
19. Faith, Schools and Freedom- Help your faith community or school become an Abolitionist Organization. Find theses handbook in the action downloads section at: www.notforsalecampaign.org.
20. Do what you love- Use your talents to fight slavery. Do an art project and display it in a public place. Film a movie on the state of modern-day slavery. Write about the issue and post it on blogs.
www.GoodWeave.org works to end illegal child labor in the carpet industry and to offer educational opportunities to children in South Asia. The handmade rug industry has one of the highest child labor rates in the world. More than 250,000 children in South Asia between the ages of 4 and 14 are routinely kidnapped or trafficked, forced to trade their childhoods and their futures for endless hours of hard labor on carpet looms. The GoodWeave campaign doesn’t just inform consumers about the problem, it offers them a solution. By demanding rugs certified by GoodWeave, you can be assured that your rug is truly beautiful—because it was made by adult artisans, not by child labor.
10. Write- Do you know any journalists? Encourage newspapers, magazines and television stations to publish or to write stories about modern-day slavery, and how to stop it.
11. Tourism Matters- Visit the Trafficking in Persons Report from the State Department . Find out which countries are the worst trafficking offenders. Write a letter to their travel bureau and tell them you won’t visit the country until they address the issue.
12. Make help available- In public places, disseminate wallet cards, posters, brochures and other materials about trafficking. Download them from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at: www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/ or see the list of resources on www.endslaverynow.com
13. Give healthcare- Help collect and pack medical supplies and equipment to be sent to shelters for survivors. Check out Giving Children Hope.
14. Cybervention- Make sure trafficking does not happen on the internet. Keep an eye on Craigslist and advertising spaces. Write to Craig’s list and ask that they stop allowing people to be sold on their listing. Visit this site to sign a petition asking Craigslist to stop http://humantrafficking.change.org/petitions/view/tell_craigslist_to_make_real_change_in_the_adult_services_section_of_craigslist
15. Fight Sex Tourism- Ask travel agencies, hotels and tour operators to sign the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children in Travel and Tourism
16. Go- volunteer with organizations caring for survivors. Help build shelters. Teach English. Provide skills training. Ask the organization how you can help.
17. Slave-Free Campuses- Start a group at your school or university, and make sure your campus is free of products made with slave labor.
18. Safeguard transportation- ask airlines to provide training manuals to all their flight attendants on how to watch for victims being trafficked. Find the manual at www.innocentsatrisk.org.
19. Faith, Schools and Freedom- Help your faith community or school become an Abolitionist Organization. Find theses handbook in the action downloads section at: www.notforsalecampaign.org.
20. Do what you love- Use your talents to fight slavery. Do an art project and display it in a public place. Film a movie on the state of modern-day slavery. Write about the issue and post it on blogs.
Human Trafficking Part 3
Warning: This post is just to raise awareness please do not take the law into your own hands and go looking for victims. There are proper avenues to go about rescuing victims of Human Trafficking. If you do suspect call the police or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline (1-888-373-7888),
Recognizing Victims
The following is a list of suggested red flags that may be signs of a human trafficking situation of victim. It is important to note that this is not an exhaustive list. Indicators listed are intended only as potential red flags to keep in mind. In addition, each indicator taken individually may not imply a trafficking situation, but when taken with other indicators, may cumulatively paint a larger picture of human trafficking. Lastly, many of these indicators apply to victims of both transnational and local trafficking as well as both sex and labor trafficking.
Potential Indicators include individuals who:
§ Have few or no personal possessions
§ Travel through town frequently
§ Have few or no personal financial records
§ Ask about their whereabouts and/or do not know what city they are in
§ Are not in control of their own identification documents (ID or passport)
§ Owe a large debt and are not able to pay it off
§ Have their communication restricted or controlled. They may not be allowed to speak for themselves,
§ a third party may insist on translating, or they may seem watched or followed.
§ Have an attorney representing them that they don’t seem to know or didn’t seem to agree to representation
§ Have injuries, signs of physical abuse, and/or signs of torture
§ Have signs of malnourishment
§ Have been “branded” by a trafficker with the trafficker’s name
§ Lack the freedom to leave working or living conditions
§ Exhibit behaviors including fear, anxiety, depression, submission, tension, and/or nervousness
§ Are unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips in their work environment
§ Are not in control of their own money
§ Work excessively long and unusual hours
§ Are not allowed breaks during work
§ Exhibit a lack of health care for a prolonged period of time
§ Are under 18 and are providing commercial sex – de facto
§ Live in locations with peculiar security including barbed wire, guarded compounds, bars on outside of windows, or opaque boarded-up windows
§ Claim to be “just visiting” an area but are unable to articulate where they are staying or to remember addresses
§ Have numerous inconsistencies in their story
§ Exhibit unusually fearful or anxious behavior after bringing up “law enforcement”
§ Are performing odd tasks at odd hours (e.g., washing a car at 10pm at night in the cold)
§ Avoid eye contract
§ Exhibit “hyper-vigilance” or paranoid behavior
§ Have a loss of sense of time or space
If you have reason to suspect that someone is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline (1-888-373-7888). Multilingual call specialists are on standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are confidential.
Signs of Sex Trafficking
LOOK FOR CLUES that may identify a possible trafficking victim:
· Evidence of being controlled: the person is accompanied by a controlling person, and do not speak on her own behalf. The person is transported to or from work; lives and works at the same place and is rarely allowed in public.
· Lack of control over personal schedule: the person is not able to move freely or leave a job. For example a women who works 24/7, sees an important number of clients and has no time for herself.
· Lack of control over money: the person is not able to keep the money earned. It is “withheld for safe-keeping”. Most of the time the person owes debts to the employer.
· The person recently arrived in the country: she often does not speak the language of the country, or only knows sex related words in English.
· Fear, depression and overly submissive behaviour: the person is frightened to talk to outsiders and authorities as a result of threats.
· Poor health: Sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, pelvic pain and traumas, urinary difficulties, pregnancy resulting from rape and prostitution, infertility from chronic untreated STDs and unsafe abortions. Malnutrition and serious dental problems.
· Bruises, scars and other signs of physical abuse and torture: although, sex trafficked victims are often beaten in areas that won’t damage their appearance, like their lower back.
· Substance abuse problems or addictions: the person is often coerced into drug use by her traffickers or turn to substance abuse to help cope with her dreadful situation.
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS to help determine if the person is a victim of trafficking who needs help.
Key questions:
· What type of work do you do?
· Are you getting paid to do your job? Do you actually receive payment or is your money being held for you?
· Can you come and go as you please? Are you supervised when you are in public places?
· How do you feel about the police?
· Have you been threatened if you try to leave? Have you or your family been threatened?
· Have you been physically harmed in anyway?
· Have you ever been deprived of food, water, sleep or medical care?
· Do you have to ask permission to eat, sleep or go to the bathroom?
· Are there any locks on your doors and windows so you cannot get out?
· Has your identification or documentation been taken from you?
· Is anyone forcing you to do anything that you do not want to do?
BE AWARE:
Many victims have a strong sense of distrust, and often do not speak the language of the country.
Before questioning a person who may be a victim of sex trafficking, try to separate the person from the individual accompanying her/ him. This individual could be the trafficker, acting as spouse or any other family member.
Evidences of possible “Stockholm” syndrome where kidnapped victims, over time, become sympathetic to their captors.
In the case of CHILD sex trafficking:
LOOK FOR (in addition to the above):
· Child who do not trust adults
· Child who is afraid of being deported by authorities.
· Child who seems to have an inappropriate behaviour towards male adults.
· Child who has a cell phone despite a lack of other basic belongings.
· Child who travels alone or with a group of children accompanied by one adult who seems to guard them.
ASK QUESTIONS, making sure that the child is approached in a manner that reflects his/her age, development, culture, and language.
Recognizing Victims
The following is a list of suggested red flags that may be signs of a human trafficking situation of victim. It is important to note that this is not an exhaustive list. Indicators listed are intended only as potential red flags to keep in mind. In addition, each indicator taken individually may not imply a trafficking situation, but when taken with other indicators, may cumulatively paint a larger picture of human trafficking. Lastly, many of these indicators apply to victims of both transnational and local trafficking as well as both sex and labor trafficking.
Potential Indicators include individuals who:
§ Have few or no personal possessions
§ Travel through town frequently
§ Have few or no personal financial records
§ Ask about their whereabouts and/or do not know what city they are in
§ Are not in control of their own identification documents (ID or passport)
§ Owe a large debt and are not able to pay it off
§ Have their communication restricted or controlled. They may not be allowed to speak for themselves,
§ a third party may insist on translating, or they may seem watched or followed.
§ Have an attorney representing them that they don’t seem to know or didn’t seem to agree to representation
§ Have injuries, signs of physical abuse, and/or signs of torture
§ Have signs of malnourishment
§ Have been “branded” by a trafficker with the trafficker’s name
§ Lack the freedom to leave working or living conditions
§ Exhibit behaviors including fear, anxiety, depression, submission, tension, and/or nervousness
§ Are unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips in their work environment
§ Are not in control of their own money
§ Work excessively long and unusual hours
§ Are not allowed breaks during work
§ Exhibit a lack of health care for a prolonged period of time
§ Are under 18 and are providing commercial sex – de facto
§ Live in locations with peculiar security including barbed wire, guarded compounds, bars on outside of windows, or opaque boarded-up windows
§ Claim to be “just visiting” an area but are unable to articulate where they are staying or to remember addresses
§ Have numerous inconsistencies in their story
§ Exhibit unusually fearful or anxious behavior after bringing up “law enforcement”
§ Are performing odd tasks at odd hours (e.g., washing a car at 10pm at night in the cold)
§ Avoid eye contract
§ Exhibit “hyper-vigilance” or paranoid behavior
§ Have a loss of sense of time or space
If you have reason to suspect that someone is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline (1-888-373-7888). Multilingual call specialists are on standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are confidential.
Signs of Sex Trafficking
LOOK FOR CLUES that may identify a possible trafficking victim:
· Evidence of being controlled: the person is accompanied by a controlling person, and do not speak on her own behalf. The person is transported to or from work; lives and works at the same place and is rarely allowed in public.
· Lack of control over personal schedule: the person is not able to move freely or leave a job. For example a women who works 24/7, sees an important number of clients and has no time for herself.
· Lack of control over money: the person is not able to keep the money earned. It is “withheld for safe-keeping”. Most of the time the person owes debts to the employer.
· The person recently arrived in the country: she often does not speak the language of the country, or only knows sex related words in English.
· Fear, depression and overly submissive behaviour: the person is frightened to talk to outsiders and authorities as a result of threats.
· Poor health: Sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, pelvic pain and traumas, urinary difficulties, pregnancy resulting from rape and prostitution, infertility from chronic untreated STDs and unsafe abortions. Malnutrition and serious dental problems.
· Bruises, scars and other signs of physical abuse and torture: although, sex trafficked victims are often beaten in areas that won’t damage their appearance, like their lower back.
· Substance abuse problems or addictions: the person is often coerced into drug use by her traffickers or turn to substance abuse to help cope with her dreadful situation.
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS to help determine if the person is a victim of trafficking who needs help.
Key questions:
· What type of work do you do?
· Are you getting paid to do your job? Do you actually receive payment or is your money being held for you?
· Can you come and go as you please? Are you supervised when you are in public places?
· How do you feel about the police?
· Have you been threatened if you try to leave? Have you or your family been threatened?
· Have you been physically harmed in anyway?
· Have you ever been deprived of food, water, sleep or medical care?
· Do you have to ask permission to eat, sleep or go to the bathroom?
· Are there any locks on your doors and windows so you cannot get out?
· Has your identification or documentation been taken from you?
· Is anyone forcing you to do anything that you do not want to do?
BE AWARE:
Many victims have a strong sense of distrust, and often do not speak the language of the country.
Before questioning a person who may be a victim of sex trafficking, try to separate the person from the individual accompanying her/ him. This individual could be the trafficker, acting as spouse or any other family member.
Evidences of possible “Stockholm” syndrome where kidnapped victims, over time, become sympathetic to their captors.
In the case of CHILD sex trafficking:
LOOK FOR (in addition to the above):
· Child who do not trust adults
· Child who is afraid of being deported by authorities.
· Child who seems to have an inappropriate behaviour towards male adults.
· Child who has a cell phone despite a lack of other basic belongings.
· Child who travels alone or with a group of children accompanied by one adult who seems to guard them.
ASK QUESTIONS, making sure that the child is approached in a manner that reflects his/her age, development, culture, and language.
· Why did you come to (country’s name)?
· Do you have any papers? Who has them?
· Are you in school? Are you working? Can you leave if you want?
· Where do you live? Who else lives there? Are you scared to leave?
· Has anybody ever threatened you or your family, to keep you from running away?
· Did anyone ever touch you or hurt you?
If you have reason to suspect that someone is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline (1-888-373-7888). Multilingual call specialists are on standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are confidential.
· Do you have any papers? Who has them?
· Are you in school? Are you working? Can you leave if you want?
· Where do you live? Who else lives there? Are you scared to leave?
· Has anybody ever threatened you or your family, to keep you from running away?
· Did anyone ever touch you or hurt you?
If you have reason to suspect that someone is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline (1-888-373-7888). Multilingual call specialists are on standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are confidential.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Human Trafficking Part 2
How Victims Are Trafficked
Many victims of trafficking are exploited for purposes of commercial sex, including prostitution, stripping, pornography and live-sex shows. However, trafficking also takes place as labor exploitation, such as domestic servitude, sweatshop factories, or migrant agricultural work. Traffickers use force, fraud and coercion to compel women, men and children to engage in these activities.
Force involves the use of rape, beatings and confinement to control victims. Forceful violence is used especially during the early stages of victimization, known as the ‘seasoning process’, which is used to break victim’s resistance to make them easier to control.
Fraud often involves false offers that induce people into trafficking situations. For example, women and children will reply to advertisements promising jobs as waitresses, maids and dancers in other countries and are then trafficked for purposes of prostitution once they arrive at their destinations.
Coercion involves threats of serious harm to, or physical restraint of, any person; any scheme, plan or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; or the abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process.
Debt-bondage Victims of trafficking are often subjected to debt-bondage, usually in the context of paying off transportation fees into the destination countries. Traffickers often threaten victims with injury or death, or the safety of the victims’ family back home. Traffickers commonly take away the victims’ travel documents and isolate them to make escape more difficult.
Victims do not realize that their debts are often legally unenforceable and, in any event, that it is illegal for traffickers to dictate how they have to pay off their debts. In many cases, the victims are trapped into a cycle of debt because they have to pay for all living expenses in addition to the initial transportation expenses. Fines for not meeting daily quotas of service or “bad” behavior are also used by some trafficking operations to increase debt. Most trafficked victims rarely see the money they are supposedly earning and may not even know the specific amount of their debt. Even if the victims sense that debt-bondage is unjust, it is difficult for them to find help because of language, social, and physical barriers that keep them from obtaining assistance.
Many victims of trafficking are exploited for purposes of commercial sex, including prostitution, stripping, pornography and live-sex shows. However, trafficking also takes place as labor exploitation, such as domestic servitude, sweatshop factories, or migrant agricultural work. Traffickers use force, fraud and coercion to compel women, men and children to engage in these activities.
Force involves the use of rape, beatings and confinement to control victims. Forceful violence is used especially during the early stages of victimization, known as the ‘seasoning process’, which is used to break victim’s resistance to make them easier to control.
Fraud often involves false offers that induce people into trafficking situations. For example, women and children will reply to advertisements promising jobs as waitresses, maids and dancers in other countries and are then trafficked for purposes of prostitution once they arrive at their destinations.
Coercion involves threats of serious harm to, or physical restraint of, any person; any scheme, plan or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; or the abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process.
Debt-bondage Victims of trafficking are often subjected to debt-bondage, usually in the context of paying off transportation fees into the destination countries. Traffickers often threaten victims with injury or death, or the safety of the victims’ family back home. Traffickers commonly take away the victims’ travel documents and isolate them to make escape more difficult.
Victims do not realize that their debts are often legally unenforceable and, in any event, that it is illegal for traffickers to dictate how they have to pay off their debts. In many cases, the victims are trapped into a cycle of debt because they have to pay for all living expenses in addition to the initial transportation expenses. Fines for not meeting daily quotas of service or “bad” behavior are also used by some trafficking operations to increase debt. Most trafficked victims rarely see the money they are supposedly earning and may not even know the specific amount of their debt. Even if the victims sense that debt-bondage is unjust, it is difficult for them to find help because of language, social, and physical barriers that keep them from obtaining assistance.
Next post will be on how to identify a possible victim of Human Trafficking.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Human Trafficking Part 1
27
The number, in millions, of trafficked persons
WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING?
It’s something most Americans associate with third world countries and a few European ones. Yet, there are over 27 million people throughout the world living as modern day slaves, more than at the height of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The number, in millions, of trafficked persons
in the world.1
32
The estimated global annual profit, in billions US$,
of human trafficking.2
of human trafficking.2
20
The amount, in billions US$, of wages withheld from
human trafficking victims.3
human trafficking victims.3
90
The average price in US$ of a trafficked human being.4
80
The percentage of transnational trafficked persons who
are women and girls.
are women and girls.
It’s something most Americans associate with third world countries and a few European ones. Yet, there are over 27 million people throughout the world living as modern day slaves, more than at the height of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
They are men, women, and children who are being deceived, kidnapped, trapped and shipped everywhere from America to Africa. They experience a loss of freedom, shame, degradation, and exploitation at the hands of their traffickers who buy and sell them in pursuit of profit.
Human trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world, just behind illegal drugs.
Human trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world, just behind illegal drugs.
All this week I will be posting facts and information on what exactly is Human Trafficking and how we can identify a victim and how we can help.
3rd annual DC Stop Modern Slavery Walk
Let's start walking for those who have been rescued, those who are still waiting to be rescued and especially those who have lost the fight and are no longer with us on this green earth.
There were hundreds in attendance for the walk.
These two have far to much fun together.
Who says you can't have a little fun while fighting social injustice?
Cheers to joining the fight because 27 million people are far to many people to ignore.
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