Modern Slavery News Round-up

Immigration Reform Will Deter Human Trafficking, Not Increase It
A recent Department of Justice report illustrates the connection between immigration policy and labor trafficking, in particular: It found that fully 95 percent of labor trafficking victims were foreign-born; of those, more than 70 percent were undocumented. Traffickers prey upon individuals who, in their desperation to enter the U.S. to escape extreme poverty, believe too-good-to-be-true promises of work and educational opportunities, only to be sold into slavery or prostitution and made to work under force, fraud or coercion. The State Department estimates that as many as 17,500 foreign-born individuals are trafficked into the U.S. in any given year.

FBI Raids Cleveland Massage Parlor Suspected of Prostitution, Human Trafficking
Cleveland FBI agents on Wednesday raided an East Side massage parlor in an attempt to find evidence of a regional sex-trafficking ring. No arrests were made during the searches. The FBI would not disclose what evidence, if any, was taken from the massage parlors. Last year, authorities in Warren shut down eight massage parlors suspected of prostitution, but made no arrests.

Report: Utah Increasing Efforts to Stop Child Sex Trafficking
When it comes to protecting children against sex trafficking, Utah is improving but could do better, according to a new report. Shared Hope International, a nonprofit group that works to eliminate child sex trafficking, gave the state a C grade for its efforts. Out of a possible 102.5 points, Utah received 74.5. That’s an improvement over the previous year, when the state received a D, and in 2011, when it got an F.

Pope Francis Steps Up Modern Slavery Fight
Pope Francis wants action against modern forms of slavery including forced labor and prostitution, the Vatican said Monday after a meeting of experts called by the pontiff to debate the problem. The pope was heavily invested in a subject he knows well from his years in Latin America and had even invited two experts on human trafficking that he knows from Buenos Aires.


Modern slavery must be abolished
On Oct. 17, CNN reported that nearly 30 million people around the world are currently living as slaves. The Global Slavery Index, published by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation, ranked 162 countries based on three factors that include estimated prevalence of modern slavery, a measure of child marriage and a measure of human trafficking in and out of a country. According to the Walk Free Foundation index, there are 29.6 million people in modern slavery globally. India leads the world, followed by China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh. These 10 countries account for 76 percent of the world’s modern slaves. These numbers reflect the chauvinistic nature of the countries.

Modern slavery must be abolished
On Oct. 17, CNN reported that nearly 30 million people around the world are currently living as slaves. The Global Slavery Index, published by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation, ranked 162 countries based on three factors that include estimated prevalence of modern slavery, a measure of child marriage and a measure of human trafficking in and out of a country. According to the Walk Free Foundation index, there are 29.6 million people in modern slavery globally. India leads the world, followed by China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh. These 10 countries account for 76 percent of the world’s modern slaves. These numbers reflect the chauvinistic nature of the countries.