Outreach in North Texas

We will be going up north to do outreach in the great Panhandle of Texas the last few weeks of Sept. 2009! There have been many tips of labor exploitation going on in meat packing plants up north. Now that we know there are immigrants from all over the world in the small towns up north, we realize a lot of exploitation could be occurring. I will keep you up-to-date on the latest about our trip!

The Aussies

Hmmmm…..Maybe the U.S. isn’t the only nation that believes profits or whether or not one is legal in their country is more important than the fact that children are being exploited…..

Child sex tourism study ‘blames Aussies’

STEVE LILLEBUEN

September 13, 2009

With a middle-class background and an internet connection, the Australian man is keen to explore travel deals advertised across the web.

He is the co-worker, relative and mate who awaits cheap flights to Southeast Asia that the economic downturn has made all the more plentiful.

But he is drawn to such tropical places not for the beaches, cheap drinks and a brief escape from the rat race.

He is the customer in a growing global issue that sees over 1.8 million children as young as eight years old being sold for sex – sometimes up to ten times a day – until they’re considered “worthless” before they reach their 30th birthday.

And new studies reveal this man has more mates than ever who think and act just like him.

Australians make up the largest portion of foreign sex offenders against children in Thailand, according to research at John Hopkins University in Baltimore that studied patterns of arrests and prosecutions between 1995 and 2006.

His money is fuelling a $US31.6 billion ($A36.5 billion) industry in trafficking in what a recent report by a global network of groups against child sex slavery concludes is a “massive human rights violation that is currently going largely unnoticed around the world”.

Bernadette McMenamin, CEO of Child Wise Australia, says child sex trafficking remains a hidden problem that most Australians have become complacent about – even though a main root of the global crime is the Australian offender.

“People tell us, ‘It happens overseas. Isn’t that an issue we talked about years ago?’ But what we’ve found is that … the supply and demand factors fuelling child sex slavery have actually grown,” she told AAP.

“The number of children entering the trade has grown. Efforts to combat this problem have not succeeded despite pouring money into overseas governments.”

A new global campaign called “Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People,” will be launched on Monday to help reverse the trend and bring the issue back into the homes of the average Australian.

Being run across 45 countries, the campaign aims to raise awareness, conduct a survey on people’s attitudes and lobby national governments.

In February, Child Wise will step up the campaign by backing stalled amendments to child sex tourism laws in the federal parliament.

Rather than seeing authorities wait for child sex to occur before acting, the amendments seek out preparatory offences: stopping sex offenders from travelling overseas, buying flights and possessing child pornography.

“We’ve waited long enough,” Ms McMenamin says of the proposed changes. “We’re simply not keeping up with travelling sex offenders.”

Only small changes are required to save Asian girls from being sold into a life of slavery, she says.

The Body Shop has already joined the Child Wise campaign by selling a hand cream that directs profits to Cambodian outreach programs.

Such programs can provide support for girls and keep them in school with books, pens and bicycles.

It may not seem like a lot but the average child sex slave is sold for only a few hundred dollars by a family or boyfriend in poverty desperate for cash, she says.

In Cambodia children are brought in from Vietnam or taken from village to village, then off to Thailand.

All these victims suffer lifelong mental and physical damage. Some contract HIV/AIDS while most find it hard to reintegrate into society after a decade of such slavery.

Ms McMenamin says most Australians view the price of petrol as a greater concern than the welfare of foreign children.

“We have increased awareness and there have been some arrests but overall we’re not putting a dent in the problem,” she says.

“We need people to try and think beyond what’s going on in their lives.”

Good News!

The Department of Labor has finally come out with its list of goods made by child labor and forced labor. This is a breakthrough in the anti-trafficking field, as we now see that the roots of all our hard work in passing these new laws is finally coming to fruition.

However, as you look at this list, you will see that most products we use and eat are brought to us through forced labor, and even moreso, child labor. How do we boycott all these products? How can we make a difference?

Notice that the U.S. was not one of the countries researched.

The Dept. of Labor’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor

The Dept. of Labor also put out 2 other documents required by the recent TVPA revisions:

Dept. of Labor’s 2008 Findings of the World’s Worst Forms of Child Labor

And, a proposed update to Executive Order 13126 which mandates that the Dept. of Labor, in conjunction with the Departments of State and Homeland Security, publish a list of products which were produced or manufactured by forced or child labor to ensure that federal agencies enforce laws related to these types of labor.

Our coalitions in San Antonio and Austin need to now work with the Dept. of Labor here in Texas to see how we can best protect the rights of those most vulnerable in this state. Especially now with the new administration’s attitude that the Dept. of Labor should again play more of a role with local agencies in fighting against labor exploitation.

More Publicity on Huffington Post

Fighting Human Trafficking, One House Party At A Time

Geralyn Dreyfous

On October 2, celebrate Gandhi’s birthday by taking part in a historic worldwide screening event of Born into Brothels

In a summer focused on the health care debate, Cash for Clunkers, and the deaths of some of our most renowned politicians and celebrities, there was all too little attention on a U.S. State Department report released in June 2009 on global human trafficking.

“The ninth annual Trafficking in Persons Report sheds light on the faces of modern-day slavery and on new facets of this global problem. The human trafficking phenomenon affects virtually every country, including the United States,” stated Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

I became all too familiar with this issue when I traveled to India over the past decade, first to make the film The Day My God Died about young girls from Nepal and Bangladesh being trafficked to India, and then when I was the executive producer of Born Into Brothels.

Teachers, churches and citizens from around the world who have seen our film always ask – “What can I do?” Initially, we asked our audience to support the children in the film by buying their artwork. Now, we are asking you to take part in a historic initiative to support these children, their siblings and their neighbors.

On Friday, October 2 – the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and the United Nations’ declared International Day of Non-Violence, we can make a difference in the lives of the daughters of prostitutes living in Sonagachi – the largest red light district in Calcutta – just by hosting a house party.

At a time when we are exponentially more connected through social networking, we are coordinating our first worldwide Born Into Brothels screening event. By hosting a movie night in your house, community center, school, house of worship or other local venue, you will join our supporters on four continents already registered to host a “House Party for Hope.”

From Norway to the UK, Australia to South Africa, Germany and France to Canada and all over the U.S., add your home to the list and take part to raise funds and awareness around the world – all on October 2.

Being the change you wish to see in the world has certainly gotten easier.

All proceeds raised through “House Parties for Hope” will be directed to completing our film’s legacy project called Hope House – a safe haven for 100 girls from Sonagachi to live and attend the best private day schools in Calcutta. Hope House will be a state of the art facility with computer labs, arts instruction (music, dance, and photography) and all of the physical and psychological support the girls will need to change their circumstances. There will be a formal mentorship program for the girls with students at an adjacent College of Nursing and an opportunity for their mothers to have alternate employment at a laundry facility being constructed nearby.

The need for Hope House is highlighted when reading the section on India in this year’s trafficking report. While it reveals some amount of progress made in a few states to rescue sex trafficking victims and arrest the traffickers, the conviction rate is low and the root of the corruption problem is deeply rooted and widespread.

As the report stated: “The significant problem of public officials’ complicity in sex trafficking and forced labor remained largely unaddressed by central and state governments during the reporting period. Corrupt law enforcement officers reportedly continued to facilitate the movement of sex trafficking victims, protect brothels that exploit victims, and protect traffickers and brothel keepers from arrest and other threats of enforcement. India reported no prosecutions, convictions, or sentences of government officials for trafficking-related offenses during the reporting period.”

As Chair of the Board of the Kids with Cameras Foundation, we have supported the education of the children from the original photography workshop in our film. We expanded to working in other marginalized communities in the world by supporting extraordinary photographers willing to work to empower children to find their own voice through photography.

As filmmakers, we made two promises: The first was to sell the photos of the kids from the original Calcutta workshop on our website, in books, postcards, and prints that have been exhibited all over the world. The proceeds of those sales have funded many of the children’s educations – mostly in India and two in the U.S. Avijit is a sophomore at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and Kochi is a junior at a private boarding school in Utah.

The second promise was to build Hope House – a place to foster creativity, arts, mentorship and education for the children of prostitutes who want a different day for their children. Hope House will be a demonstration project. Your support of our House Party initiative will help us complete our fundraising goal for Hope House.

So, make sure to Save the Date for October 2nd and visit us online at www.kids-with-cameras.org to sign up to host a party. It’s one way to make a difference in the lives only seen as numbers in the grim reports on worldwide trafficking and the dismal conditions for sex workers and their children.

I don’t know the answers!

A great article that tells us that no matter what we do to stop trafficking in persons, the most important thing we can do is to alleviate the poverty so many people face throughout the world.  People are forced to migrate to find economic opportunities, this in turn makes them extremely vulnerable to exploitation. Many women are forced into prostitution in order to care for families and children, and then are looked down upon because of their choice.  How can we hold governments repsonsible for not providing more economic opportunities? Or is it not the government we should hold completely responsible? But, something or someone needs to be held responsible for not taking care of the welfare of their citizens. What can we do to provide more economic opportunities…..small loan projects can only do so much!

What do we do about parents who sell their own children to beg, or steal or sell sex…and yes that happens in the US today! And what do we do when women are forced into prostitution to take care of their families, and then are ostracized by their society and their own family for having to do that?

A great article about Pakistan.

Meeting Pakistani Prostitutes

Democracy NOW Video

An interview with Kevin Bales from Free the Slaves. He also has co-written a book called “The Slave Next Door”

Bales gives some great examples of trafficking crimes.

View the video here:

“The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today”

What do you think of this?

I haven’t fully decided what to say about this video. Watch it for yourself and let me know what you think!

ACORN Baltimore Prostitution Investigation Part I

ACORN Baltimore Prostitution Investigation Part II

Oh Goodness, where do I begin with this one…..?

This article discusses both smuggling and involuntary servitude…there seem to be two investigations going on for both the smuggling and the servitude. Girls were brought to a restaurant that served as a brothel as well. People would eat there during the day and at night it became a brothel. How can people not notice something like this? We all go through life, though, not really paying attention to things like this, because having a brothel in a restaurant is the furthest thing from our minds. These types of crimes rarely cross the average person’s mind! This is what the human trafficking movement is about–raising awareness and making people aware that these crimes occur EVERYWHERE in the last place you expect!

Human Smuggling Alleged At Woodstock Restaurant

Kevin Rowson

WOODSTOCK, Ga. — A restaurant in Woodstock is the focus of a federal investigation into “human smuggling” and involuntary servitude. Two federal search warrant affidavits allege young women were smuggled into the United States and forced into prostitution.

According to the affidavits, the women came from Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

The investigation is focusing on Cabanas, a Salvadorian and Mexican restaurant. So far, no one has been arrested.

Clientele were going in and out of the restaurant Tuesday at dinner time. But according to federal investigators, the restaurant turned into a brothel after hours with an all-male clientele.

The affidavits, obtained by 11Alive News, allege the owner of the restaurant, who has not been charged, “Is believed to be actively involved in smuggling illegal aliens into the united states and requiring them to engage in prostitution in order to earn money to repay their smuggling fees.”

The FBI was brought into the case after Woodstock police received numerous complaints about the business’s after-hours activity. “Usually loud music,” said Sgt. Paul Brown. “We’ve had disturbances that have spilled out of the restaurant into the parking lot.” Sgt. Brown says most of that activity happened after midnight.

Woodstock police called in the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad (C-MANS) to investigate the business because of drug allegations. “We also had some allegations that there might be some drug activity going on related to the restaurant,” Sgt. Brown said. C-MANS then called in the FBI after finding allegations of prostitution and human smuggling.

According to the federal search warrants, investigators put surveillance on the restaurant and a home in Woodstock owned by the restaurant owner. Search warrants were served at both locations Saturday night.

Tuesday evening, every window in the home was covered, including the garage door windows. The affidavit alleges some of the women who work at the restaurant live in the home. The affidavit says “Vehicles drop off and pick up Hispanic females approximately twelve times per day.”

Michael Garcia, who has lived in the neighborhood for sixteen years, says he noticed the traffic at all times of the night. “I thought they ran a taxi cab company,” he said. “There’s different types of taxis that always show up at the house.”

No one at the restaurant would talk to 11 Alive News. An employee locked the door after a request was made for an interview. The door was only unlocked for employees and patrons.

According to the affidavits, three confidential informants and an undercover officer participated in the investigation. Two confidential informants acted as patrons and one was hired as a waitress.

The informant hired as a waitress stated that “After 10:00pm, the clientele at the restaurant changes dramatically. The male customers in the restaurant after that time repeatedly inquire of the waitresses as to how much money they charge for sex”

Three days after the two search warrants were served, there were still no arrests. Woodstock police say three people were arrested as a result of outstanding warrants not connected to the “Human Smuggling” investigation.

Another HT Bill Passes in California!

There are some good statistics here. It also gives some good ideas for how we can investigate, and prosecute traffickers. The punishment is still way too weak!!

Human Trafficking Bill Passes Assembly

California Political Desk

September 02, 2009

SACRAMENTO – The State Assembly yesterday unanimously approved legislation that would allow courts to seize any property, such as house or automobile, used in the commission of human trafficking. In addition to the courts seizing property, SB 557 would add civil penalties of up to $25,000.

“SB 557 will bring much-needed resources to help fight human trafficking, while also ensuring victims receive the services they need to recover from this horrific crime,” said the bill´s author, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo). “Between 14,500 and 17,500 victims are trafficked into the United States each year and enslaved for purposes of sexual or labor exploitation, and unfortunately many of the cases occur here in California. Our state has led the way in combating human trafficking and exploitation, but we should not stop our efforts until all women, men, and children are free and safe from such an appalling offense.”

Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide, according to the US Department of State. Victims are generally trafficked into the US from Asia, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe. Many human trafficking victims do not understand English and are therefore isolated and often unable to communicate with service providers, law enforcement and others who might be able to help them.

Research by the Human Rights Center at the University of California found 57 forced labor operations between 1998 and 2003 throughout California. These operations – mostly in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose – involved more than 500 victims from 18 countries.

The US Department of Justice recently announced that in the first 21 months of operation, the Human Trafficking Reporting System (HTRS) recorded information on more than 1,200 alleged incidents of human trafficking.

According to the Justice Department, nearly 90 percent of victims in human trafficking cases were female and almost all (99%) victims in sex trafficking cases were female.

Hispanic victims comprised the largest share (37 percent) of alleged sex trafficking victims and more than half (56 percent) of alleged labor trafficking victims. Asians made up 10 percent of alleged sex trafficking victims, compared to 31 percent of labor trafficking victims. Approximately two-thirds of victims in alleged human trafficking incidents were age 17 or younger (27 percent) or age 18 to 24 (38 percent). Sex trafficking victims tended to be younger (71 percent were under age 25) and labor trafficking victims tended to be older (almost 70 percent were age 25 or older).

Nearly eight in 10 human trafficking suspects were male. US citizens accounted for 66 percent of suspects in alleged incidents.

SB 557 will receive a procedural concurrence vote in the Senate before heading to the Governor´s desk.

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Texas Fertile Ground for Trafficking

From Polaris Project Hotline Statistics:

Texas is fertile ground for human traffickers as demonstrated by the following:

• 38% of all calls to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline were from Texas in 2008.
• The U.S. Department of Justice identified the I-10 corridor as one of the main human trafficking routes in the U.S.
• 25% of all certified foreign human trafficking victims have been from Texas.

So we must be incredibly thankful that the new bill was passed!!! Bill 4009 is now enacted and we will see how well we can enforce it. From my experience in doing outreach and talking with people working in the field, law enforcement is always the problem. How can we change the ideology of cops? It seems so impossible! We can be thankful we have this bill and be happy that Texas has the most progressive human trafficking laws in the country, but Texas should not be happy in the way that it enforces its laws, or educates its law enforcement on the laws already in place. It is too bad that so many cities and small towns in this huge state are not up to par to enforce such laws. One can only guess when it will happen that we can trust law enforcement to stand up for victims, and when social service providers can trust law enforcement with their clients.

To read the bill in full check out these sites:

This site will give a very extensive look at the bill: Texas Legislature Online

This will lead you directly to the bill: H.B. No. 4009

Check out the legislators that made it possible: House Rep. Randy Weber, and Senator Leticia Van De Putte

Quick reference to the new bill:

• HB 4009 mandates that a victim assistance program be established by the Health and Human Services Commission to assist domestic victims of human trafficking, i.e. those who are legal residents or U.S. citizens.
• HB 4009 creates a searchable database of assistance programs for victims which includes programs that provide mental and other health services,  services to meet victims’ basic needs, case management services, and any other services the commission considers appropriate;
• HB 4009 creates a grant program to award grants to public and nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to domestic victims, including organizations that provide victim identification services, public awareness activities, community outreach and training, and legal services;
• HB 4009 establishes a training programs and an outreach initiative for judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement personnel on identifying and responding to human trafficking and also provides information on the availablity of services to victims;
• HB 4009 will designate a statewide human trafficking task force to improve data collection and align existing state resources to better fight human trafficking.
• HB 4009 will create liability for the trafficker regardless of whether the trafficker knew the victim was a minor.
• HB 4009 will require a study of alternatives to the juvenile justice system for human trafficking victims.