Human Trafficking

In June, Iran and Syria were added to the United States blacklist of countries that are not taking sufficient measures to end trafficking in their countries. Iran and Syria joined other countries such as: Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Uzbekistan, Laos, Burma, Belize, Venezuela and Cuba as tier 3 offenders. (Tier 1 is compliant with US and International rules, Tier 2 is somewhat compliant, Tier 3 countries are in no way compliant and need to take immediate action to end trafficking.) 

It seemed a little shocking, and very upsetting to me to learn that the Middle East was so active in human trafficking. The Middle East has been traditionally known for it’s devout Islamic practices and laws that reinforce a very stringent custom that expects women to behave and dress in a modest way. Although religious idealogy, and laws vary somewhat from country to country. it is a general practice that women who do not conform to her countries expectations of behavior and dress are shamed and severely punished. Women of the Middle East do not enjoy the same comforts or luxuries as western women. Many times women are killed by their own brothers or fathers if it is discovered that she has had sex before or outside of her pre-arranged marriage. 

With that being said, I am surprised that these countries would tolerate such blatant degradation of women. When a woman chooses to have sexual intercourse with a man, she will be put to death by her own family. Yet, there is a huge market of sexual slaves. This must indicate that standards for women and men are not the same. 

Now that I’ve talked about the where and how of trafficking, I’d like to spend some time on what to look for if you suspect that a woman may be a victim of human trafficking. 
According to FASTEN, here are some signs:
·         evidence of being controlled
·         lack of identification, such as a passport or visa
·         bruises, or other signs of abuse
·         extreme fear, especially of authorities
·         language barriers
·         inability to move or to leave a job
This list is in no way complete. Recognizing trafficking is not a simple task, especially for law abiding citizens. Chances are, you may never encounter this dark underworld in everyday life. However, the most important thing you can do in your everyday life to combat trafficking is simple. Be aware of the businesses in your neighborhood! For example, a new nail salon opens, and it is completely staffed by foreign women (without cosmetology certificates.) The place is busy, all the time. 6 a.m., 3 a.m., noon, etc. There is no reason for a steady stream of men to be coming and going from a nail salon at all hours of the day. Many times, traffickers establish a business front to feebly attempt to hide what their real product-women.
In my experience, I have also seen traffickers that don’t even front with a service. This particular brothel was located in a commercial district of the city. The name of the business was something ultra generic, like mystique, or clip, some name that would give you no indication what so ever of what the business actually does. (Hint, most business want you to know by the name what they are doing!) The building had tinted windows and a steady stream of customers. I am happy to report that the brothel was raided and closed by police a few months ago. Unfortunately, as previously mentioned, the women who were working the brothel were treated like criminals and charged with prostitution until they could prove that they were victims of trafficking.

Another common misconception about human trafficking is that “it doesn’t happen here”. Oh, but it does. Fox news recently ran a story on sex worker slaves in the US. The scenarios in rarely changes:

Katya answered an ad to work as a nanny in New York City. With stars in her eyes, she was desperate to leave Russia for a better life. But when Katya landed at JFK Airport, there was no nanny job. Instead, two Russian mobsters greeted her. They took her passport and told the Russian hopeful that she owed them money for transportation and housing. Her choices: stripping in New Jersey or working in a Brooklyn massage parlor. 

Then, there’s Kika, a Venezuelan woman who was conned into coming to New York City by an American man offering her friendship and love. But the “loving” boyfriend confiscated her passport and money, demanding that she pay off her travel debt. He forced her to work in a brothel with other enslaved girls. When she resisted, he beat her. That first night she said, “I had sex with 19 men.” But, the worst moment in her three-year hell came when she witnessed the murder of her friend, because the girl refused to service a sex trafficker. When the police came, they treated Kika as a criminal, not a victim. She witnessed a friend’s murder and was given no support. 

The first and most obvious thing I would like to point out here is that these women were IN THE UNITED STATES! Think about that the next time you drive by that “live nude girls” sign. When people begin to realize that this is a problem close to home, perhaps the general public’s awareness of this issue will rise. I will be posting later on the signs that woman maybe trafficked in a later post. 

The next issue I would like to discuss is women who have been trafficked into the US being treated as criminals. Once again, due to unawareness of this issue, our law enforcement officials often automatically assume that a brothel, massage parlor, or like, (full of women who don’t speak English) must be filled with willing participants. Sex slaves are not “naughty women” but rather these are women forced into performing intimate actions with their bodies. If a woman should be so lucky as to be discovered by the police, she still must overcome an unfathomable amount of psychological damage in addition to the violations of her body. These women are not criminals and they should never be treated as such. This treatment of enslaved sex workers as criminals is sadly telling of what many law enforcement officials think of women. If you were in brothel, you must have wanted to be there, to be dirty, to be easy, right? It’ s like missing the forest for all the trees. Instead of targeting these women, how about using them to help catch the traffickers themselves, and in turn help other women avoid a similar fate. 

How is trafficking different from smuggling?
Smuggling is when a person helps another person cross a border into a county illegally. Often times the smuggler will force the illegal to work in a factory, a sweat shop, or other job in poor conditions, earning very little money, until the debt to the smuggler for his/her service has been satisfied. While both a person who is smuggled and a person who is trafficked both enter countries voluntarily, the difference is that a person who is trafficked does not know that they are being trafficked, or that they will be forced into servitude.
For more information, read Wikipedia article on human smuggling  

Why don’t these women try to escape?
Traffickers get know there victims before offering them the bait. By getting to know the woman, the trafficker establishes a trusting relationship in which the trafficker learns about the woman’s family and life. Once the woman is in captivity, the trafficker threatens the lives of her family, children and friends should she dare try to escape. To back up these threats, traffickers will show the woman current pictures of her loved ones, letting her know that they are watching them.
Click here for more information on why women cannot escape

Who are human traffickers?
Human trafficking is a highly organized crime ring. Often times, males from small towns are recruited to go out and lure women he knows into trap. This is a main reason why so many women fall victim to these predators, they are approached by men that they know and trust. These men (and sometimes women as well) also pose as talent scouts, looking for models, or as an agent searching for nanny for a wealthy family. The disguises are many, but the idea is the same, the woman must be lured out of her home country.
More on traffickers 

What kind of women do trafficker’s target?
No woman is immune from the tactics of human traffickers. However, women most likely to fall victim into trafficking are single mothers, and lower pink collar workers, women who live in sub par standards…i.e. any woman desperate to change her life circumstances, thus making the idea of going to a better place and making more money an offer she just can’t refuse.
More on at risk women (.pdf file) 

Are men and children at risk as well?
YES! Men fall victim to similar tactics, though much less frequently. Men are seldom, if ever, forced into the sex trade, but rather they are forced into factory/ labor jobs. Saddest of all, children also fall victim to trafficking. Some parents in under developed countries have been known to sell their children to traffickers. Other times, children are kidnapped from the parents. This is most common in Asia, where there is a large market for pedophile tourism because of the ready availability of children’s brothels.  
More on men and trafficking (.pdf file)
More on crimes against children