Modern Slavery News Round-up

Texas: 100 people found in suspected human trafficking stash house
A house overflowing with more than 100 people presumed to be in the US illegally was uncovered just outside Houston on Wednesday, a police spokesman said. The people were primarily from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador, he said. Two of the people, a pregnant woman and a man, have been taken to a hospital for unknown treatment, he added. Although Palmore said it was too early to say whether this was part of a human trafficking operation, he said it appeared that way.

Wichita men held for human trafficking
Prosecutors said 21 year-old Polo Miller is charged with 2 counts of aggravated human trafficking and 2 counts of commercial sexual exploitation of a child. 20 year-old Alexander Lane is charged with 2 counts of aggravated human trafficking. Both men made their first court appearance Thursday.

Iowa lawmakers wrangle with human trafficking bill
Lawmakers in Iowa are taking action to crack down on sex trafficking involving minors across the state. Legislation on the topic has won unanimous support in both chambers. Most recently, a measure that Rep. Greg Heartsill, a Republican from Melcher-Dallas, calls a "hybrid" of House and Senate versions overwhelmingly passed Wednesday in the House, 97-0. Democratic lawmakers worry that changes made to the bill, like the removal of reporting requirements and a victim support fund, take away from making the victim the priority.

Bern officals crack Thai human trafficking ring
The Bern cantonal prosecutor’s office says it has charged a 52-year-old Swiss-Thai woman for human trafficking and exploiting 25 sex trade workers from Thailand. The victims, including young women and transexuals, were working in brothels financed by the woman and operated by other people of Thai origin in the canton of Aargau, Bern and Lucerne, the office said on Friday.

Nation's top human trafficking route runs through Houston
A congressional hearing took place at Texas Southern University on Thursday to discuss the issue. The federal government considered the Houston area to be one of the biggest hubs in the country for human trafficking. In fact, the 1-10 corridor has been labeled as the number one trafficking route in the country.

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

FBI: Houston raids targeted human and sex trafficking operations HOUSTON-- Referring to the raids in Houston on October 10. Federal, state and local agents and deputies served search and arrest warrants in a coordinated sweep of almost a dozen locations. The FBI disclosure that some raids were on suspected human and sex trafficking operations. The victims were held against their will. Three of those victims, they say, are 15-year-old girls. An indictment obtained by Eyewitness News names 14 people who allegedly forced girls and woman from Mexico into prostitution at Houston area bars that also served as brothels. It goes on to say that the victims were locked in rooms and beaten if they didn't perform.

Human trafficking's impact hits home
"The women's stories all look very similar," said "Kindsey," Selah Freedom's coordinator, who asked that her real name not be used to protect the work she does on the streets of Sarasota and Manatee counties. "Their stories all started when they were 3 to 4 years old and they were sexually abused. "This is about reunderstanding the problem, that they're not just prostitutes who chose this. They are actually victims of sexual exploitation, and standing behind them is always a pimp or trafficker making a lot of money." Selah Freedom has been working with Sarasota and Bradenton police for about two years and is now focusing on expanding its efforts into the unincorporated areas of the two counties, where sex brothels can more easily hide because of looser regulations. The group is also planning to open the area's first-ever safe house for survivors of the sex trade. "These are just red flags," "Kindsey" said. "It doesn't mean human trafficking is definitely happening. But they are red flags, and we encourage you to open your eyes a little more."

Scotland's human trafficking bill could make it a 'beacon to the world'
MSP Jenny Marra points out there are more trafficking victims in Scottish jails than perpetrators, as she launches consultation. Most disturbing of all is the fact that many victims, when they are found by our authorities – usually in brothels or on cannabis farms, or indeed stealing from high street shops – are not being referred for support. Instead, they are charged and convicted for the crimes their exploitation forces them to commit. The Anti-trafficking Monitoring Group, set up to assess the government's response to the phenomenon, estimates there are 10 young people serving time in Scottish prisons for crimes traffickers forced them to commit. That is double the number of traffickers we have jailed.

MILAN: State Rep. helps introduce human trafficking legislation
State Rep. Dale Zorn, R-Ida, joined colleagues from the House and Senate for a press conference at the Capitol on Sept. 26 after introducing a bicameral bill package dealing with human trafficking. Zorn authored House bill 4209, which increases the penalties for subjects who directly or indirectly solicit, accost, or invite people ages 16 to 17 to commit prostitution or to do any other lewd or immoral act from a misdemeanor to a five-year felony and/or $10,000 in fines.

Human trafficking on radar of Greater Cleveland 
RTA Human trafficking and how to spot its signs is the focus of a new awareness push by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. RTA said it has trained more than 100 transit police in recognizing flags that can indicate someone may be trapped in prostitution or another situation where they're bought, sold and smuggled like modern-day slaves. The agency posted information about its awareness campaign Thursday on its website, and announced an iWatch program, a free app that lets customers communicate anonymously with transit police on iPhones or Droit smart phones.

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

Wed and Tortured at 13, Afghan Girl Finds Rare Justice    

In Afghanistan, 13 year old Sahar Gul was forced to marry her husband, 30 year old Ghulam Sakhi, illegally. She was beaten, tortured, and thrown into a dark cellar at the hands of her husband and in-laws after declining to prostitute herself or have sex with her husband. Sakhi and his family were not unaccustomed to using violence to force action; his first wife was beaten because she had not beared children. Sahar Gul's husband and in-laws were each sentenced to 10 years in prison; she is now at a shelter in Kabul.

Donyel Pier Dove of Manassas, Va. Sentenced for role in gang-led prostitution of H.S. girls
Donyel Pier Dove, the member of a the Underground Gangster Crips (UGC) based in Fairfax Virginia, was sentenced to 276 months in prison and 5 years of superised release. Dove served as a bodyguard and and driver for the UGC's prostitution ring, and even paid for advertisements of such commercial trafficking on Backpage.com. Five other members or associates of UGC were also convicted of the sex trafficking of juveniles.

Traffickers force more men into servitude
A Salvadoran man, who has not been identified because of beliefs that he is a victim of a sex crime, escaped a remote ranch after being forced to work without pay, picking vegetables; he endured beatings, rapings, and cigarette burns. In Houston, Texas there has been an increase in human traffficking cases involving men. Houston is popular for human trafficking because of its diversity and proximity to the Mexico border. Investigators have been unsuccessful in locating the ranch; the investigation remains open. Compiled By: Whitney Joseph