Modern Slavery News Round-Up

Judge grants injunction against enforcing Wash. child sex trafficking law

A judge granted a preliminary junction on Friday that will prevent the enforcement of a new Washington State law that would require adveritising companies to verify the ages of people in sex-related advertisements.  Backpage.com, the main target of the law in an effort to combat minor sex trafficking, asked for the preliminary injunction after citing the 1st, 5th and 14th ammendments.  Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Wells, a supporter of the new law, agreeded that the "Constitution provides protection for speech advertising illegal activities...[but] we must continue the war against sexual exploitation of children."

Experts discuss ways to curb human trafficking
A colloquium in India on Sunday was attended by over 500 people in order to discuss concerns related to human trafficking and how to combat it.  A documentary created by the United Nations was shown and even appeals by Bollywood actors were featured.  It was emphasized that the legal framework to curb human trafficking as too many loopholes and 80% of the present child labor force is in the agricultural sector, with 65 procedures forbidden by the Child Labor Act. 

7 held in human trafficking raid
Seven people, five men and two women, were referred to a court in Ras Al Khaimah on charges in human trafficking after being arrested in May for involvement in a prostitution ring.  It was revealed the a female manager of a nightclub in the emirate forced women to act as prostitutes by threatning to prevent their return to home countries.

"Let's End Child Labor"

Every year on June 12th we draw attention to the tragedy of child labor through the World Day Against Child Labor. According to a recent survey, there are some 215 million children who are being exploited and therefore being denied an education and a childhood. Check out an excerpt of what BTFF's Executive Director, Cassandra Clifford, has to say about it:

"According to the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) most recent estimate, some 215 million children, 127 million boys and 88 million girls, are in situations of child labor exploitation. UNICEF places 16 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 14 years old living in developing countries in forms of child labor, and in the least developed countries the number almost doubles to 29 percent overall, while Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of child labor at 33 percent."

"These children are often forced to work long hours, which is often in harsh and dangerous conditions. Child labor has a direct link to poverty, and provides a substantial barrier to a child’s education…thus enabling a barrier to a child’s education and increasing the literacy gap. Education is often taken for granted in developing nations, however many poor and impoverished families are forced to face the choose to send their child to school or work to help the family…it is that choice that has sent millions of children out of the classroom, often disparagingly girls, to toil in fields, factories, homes and the streets."

To read the full post by Cassandra on the Foreign Policy Association's Children's Rights Blog please go here.