Multnomah County in Oregon has declared July as Human Traffic Awareness Month. Here is the article of why they were compelled to do so:
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/07/multnomah_county_commissioners_4.html
Not in the article but from U.S. Department of Health And Human Services under The Administration for Children and Families section:
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) defines “Severe Forms of Trafficking in Persons” as:
Sex Trafficking: The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person forced to perform such an act is under the age of 18 years; or as
Labor Trafficking: The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.
Also quoting from their web page:
"Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide, according to the U.S. Department of State. These estimates include women, men and children. Victims are generally trafficked into the U.S. from Asia, Central and South America,and Eastern Europe. Many victims trafficked into the United States do not speak and understand English and are therefore isolated and unable to communicate with service providers, law enforcement and others who might be able to help them."
You can read more about human trafficking at their web page:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/fact_human.html
As far as I know the six hundred to eight hundred thousand only included victims trafficked into the United States. When you add to that number the estimated two hundred thousand victims trafficked within the US the numbers reach a million. When I did an Internet search I saw one statistic that put the international number up to four million. The average age of a human trafficking victim is twenty years old. UNDP estimates that that trafficking in women and girls for sexual exploitation in the U.S. is a $7 billion/ year business.
As we celebrate our Independence this weekend let's just take a moment to think of these modern day slaves held against their will Your comments are appreciated.
WHO AM I?
Yesterday's answer was Susan La Flesche Tibbles
I was born in Puerto Rico in 1897 and died there in 1994. I was the oldest of nine siblings. My father who was the nephew of an early Mayor of San Juan was my political influence. Mom died when I was eleven. After high school I went on to become a pharmacist. I moved to New York and learned fashion design. I returned home to open a style and flower shop. I strongly believed women should have the right to vote and was an active participant in the suffragist movement, motivating many women to register. When the law allowing women to vote was passed I was the 5th woman to officially register. I married a San Juan lawyer who served as the Assistant Attorney General of Puerto Rico. We had a long and happy marriage but produced no offspring. I later was elected mayor of San Juan. Under my leadership San Juan was transformed into a great Latin-American urban center. I designed innovative public services and established the first pre-school centers which would eventually become the model for the Head Start programs in the United States. I also renovated the public health system and was responsible for the establishment of the school of medicine in San Juan. During the Cold War era I ordered the establishment of the island's first Civil Defense system. Under my direction San Juan was awarded the All American City Award. I started a Christmas tradition which has continued. On the Día de los Reyes (Three Kings Day), celebrated on January 6 I would give gifts and treats to the poor and needy children. Once I even had a plane load of snow delivered to San Juan so that the children who had never seen or played in snow, would be able to do so. After my twenty-two years as mayor I served as a Goodwill Ambassador for four US Presidents. When I died I was given the burial honors of a head of state and dignitaries from all over the world attended my service. I have public structures in Puerto Rico named after me. In Brooklyn there is a school named after me. In New York City you can go to an Institute For Law & Public Policy named after me. Who Am I?
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4 comments:
I suspect human trafficking and the numbers are one of the best-kept secrets of our society. It's really much easier to blame the victims than locate the reality and source.
It's been around a lot of years. Back in the mid-seventies, I dated an undercover cop. On occasion, he'd be called to duty, when we were out. On one occasion, I was asked to go in and sit with, hopefully talk with, a 13 year old girl who'd been picked up for prostitution. She was a run-away from an alcoholic, abusive home, who'd been "befriended" by a man who, after "rescuing" her and earning her trust, forced her into prostitution to "earn her keep." She'd been taught to be terrified of cops. She'd been taught the ramifications of not doing as told. I learned - because I had a lot of questions - that many prostitutes are/were young runaways, taken under the wings of attractive and personable men who later forced them into prostitution. At 12 or 14, where are they going to turn, to whom are they going to go for help. By the time they're 16, they're so far inured to the life, they see no way out. They have no education, not even high school degrees or GEDs, no skills, beyond what the pimps have taught them. A large number of these victims are not brought in from outside the country. Granted, some are. More of those who come across the border are exploited in the labor field. A large number of the prostitution victims are kids (both boys and girls) who live in our own cities. Gold stars to Multnomah County for recognizing the real problem and taking steps to help correct it.
Human trafficking for prostitution (well, for any purpose) is downright horrible, and I hope they can manage to do something at least locally.
But to me, it's another argument for legalizing prostitution. Legalize it, regulate it, and tax it. Better for the girls... well, maybe except the really high-priced call girls... better for the johns, better for society. Would that stop child trafficking? Maybe not, but it would be a step, and more attention could be paid to stopping the abuse of kids if they weren't taking up time pursuing adults.
Hi DR
The numbers are a well kept secret that is why they have such a hard time getting accurate numbers.
You example happens so often that it has become the norm instead of the exception.
Bill
Hi Pat
I do think prostitution should be legal for a number of reason including health reasons. I'm just not sure it would help trafficking since a lot of these kids are forced into it and don't go into it willingly.
It would like you say free up law enforcement to monitor it better. But I'm not sure how it would translate to helping kids go from one foreign country to another.
Bill
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