Modern Slavery News Round-up

South Orange Recognizes Human Trafficking Awareness Day
In honor of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, which is Friday, January 11, The South Orange Board of Trustees presented a proclamation to the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking during its Dec. 9 meeting.

NJ coalition warns Kearny pols about human trafficking at Super Bowl
The New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking is gearing up to fight what a representative called “modern day slavery.” At a recent meeting of Kearny’s governing body, Jersey City resident Stephen M. DeLuca told officials that large sports events like the Super Bowl are breeding grounds for human trafficking in the form of prostitution and forced labor. An estimated 30 million people worldwide are victims of the practice, according to DeLuca.

Labor and sex traffickers practice modern slavery in Colorado
The FBI's Rocky Mountain Innocence Lost Task Force rescued 59 teen prostitutes from flesh peddlers in the state this year, up from 49 in 2012. In July, Operation Cross Country, a nationwide sweep that targeted victims of underage prostitution and their pimps, recovered 105 juveniles and bagged 150 pimps in 76 cities. Denver ranked fourth in the number of teens rescued, with nine juveniles, fewer than only San Francisco, Milwaukee and Detroit. These are chilling statistics that indicate modern-day slavers continue to ply their trade in Colorado.

Sudan: UN strengthens support to combating human trafficking, smuggling
The United Nations refugee agency is working with the Government of Sudan and partners to reduce the number of kidnappings and incidents of trafficking and smuggling in, through and out of the country. “Those most vulnerable are the newly arrived asylum-seekers, mainly of Eritrean origin, who cross the border into Eastern Sudan,” according to a joint news release by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The strategy, which strengthens the capacity of the Government, also provides care and psychosocial support for victims, and builds awareness of risks among the families in camps and urban areas.

Maine joins national effort to combat human trafficking
Maine has joined other states in asking Congress to fund anti-human trafficking measures. Maine Attorney General Janet Mills and attorneys general in 46 other states sent a letter asking Congress to fund a measure passed in 2000 designed to protect human trafficking victims and help prosecute people doing the trafficking. The letter says human trafficking is tied as the second largest and is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, generating roughly $32 billion each year. According to a study of Department of Justice human trafficking task force cases, 83 percent of sex trafficking victims identified in the United States were U.S. citizens.

International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women

The presence of domestic violence mars the reputation of any nation regardless of how far in terms of women’s rights that nation has come. Nevertheless, as the U.N. points out, the problem “continues to be a global pandemic” and “up to 70 percent of women experience violence in their lifetimes.” Indeed, it is abundantly clear that “violence against women is a consequence of discrimination against women, in law and also in practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women.” Gender, therefore, matters because differential treatment based on the variable is still very real even today, years after the movement toward equal rights has commenced. It matters because many still consider it relevant in the determination of one’s personal characteristics, abilities, and behavior. Most importantly, gender matters because it is still quite common for mistreatment, objectification, and violation of women to be considered acceptable ways of promoting a service, selling a product, or gaining an audience.

A closer look at the messages in many commercials and advertisements, for example, reveals that sexual violence and aggression exhibited by men is what every woman wants even if she says no. Such messages contribute to the myth that a woman who wears a certain dress, or a skirt, or a shirt, a woman who uses a specific perfume is non-verbally asking for a man to assault her. Allowing these contagious messages to infect generations of young people facilitates the development of common beliefs that a heinous crime such as a date rape is in some way solely the girl’s or woman’s fault and therefore, must not be acknowledged as a global or societal problem. The recent date rape case in Steubenville, Ohio indicates that violence against girls and women is often seen as a joke or a way to exhibit one’s manhood. To successfully address the issue and bring a resolution, therefore, we must involve both men and women in the fight for equality, but we also need to engender a paradigm shift—a meaningful change in the way society as a whole views, addresses, and treats women.

Today, the world honors the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, but it is important to remember that this is an issue that must to be addressed every day. It is not an issue at the personal level; it is not an issue at the national level; it is an issue at a global level because violence against women ultimately threatens progress and development. It could also contribute to the financial hurdles of a nation; as highlighted by the U.N., “the cost of intimate partner violence in the United States alone exceeds $5.8 billion per year: $4.1 billion is for direct medical and health care services, while productivity losses account for nearly $1.8 billion.” Such facts emphasize the comprehensive and deep impact of violence against women and demand decisive actions toward a resolution.

To help empower women to achieve freedom from fear, violence, and discrimination, please consider sponsoring a free Violence Prevention Workshop for survivors of modern day slavery and human trafficking. 

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

Loyola Professor studies Modern-Day Slavery in New Orleans.
New Orleanians have always had a relaxed attitude about many things other cities deem illegal. But what happens when such cultural acceptance is extended to really serious issues like prostitution like Storyville back in the day or what is now called human trafficking. On this week's Notes from New Orleans Sharon Litwin talks with Laura Murphy, Assistant Professor and Director of the Modern Slavery Research read Project at Loyola University about where New Orleans stands on the issue of human trafficking.

Thailand arrest suspect leader in Human Trafficking Case.
Ko Myo, a 42-year-old Myanmar national, was shot and captured at a rubber plantation in southern Surat Thani during a raid by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and local police. The raid follows mounting international concern over the trafficking of Myanmar migrants in Thailand's lucrative fishing industry, one of several sources of human slavery in the country that could trigger U.S. sanctions. It also follows a Reuters investigation published on July 17 that found human smugglers selling some Rohingya Muslims into slavery on Thai fishing boats. Thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar in recent months after violence with Buddhists, who follow the country's majority religion.

Child Labor around the Globe.
Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child ratified by 154 countries, child labor is prohibited. But despite this, child labor is not only massively used in the factories, but is also becoming more common. According to the International Labor Organization, in developing countries about 250 million children have to work. It is reported that there are 153 million working children in Asia, 80 million - in Africa, and 17 million - in Latin America. "Many of them work under the conditions that are dangerous to their physical, mental and emotional development," human rights activists report. For example, children are involved in activities such as slavery, prostitution and pornography, participation in armed conflicts, as well as working in mines, agriculture and construction.

Fact: Recruiters Modern Slavery Can be a Stranger or Someone the Victim Knows

According to a United Nations report, the recruiter in 54 percent of human trafficking cases was a stranger to the victim. In 46 percent of the cases, the recruiter was known to the victim. The U.N. report said that the “majority of suspects involved in the trafficking process are nationals of the country where the trafficking process is occurring.” The majority of suspects involved in the trafficking process are nationals of the country where the trafficking process is occurring.

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

International Tour Management Institute Signs Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct
At the International Tour Management Institute's (ITMI) 26th Annual Symposium, ITMI became the first travel and tourism institute to sign the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct. Last year, ITMI incorporated human trafficking training into their curriculum. All graduates of the program are educated on the issue, the signs of trafficking, and empowered to report suspected incidences to the proper authorities.

UN Conference on the Rights of the Child gives concluding remarks on the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children
The United Nations gave their concluding observations on the second periodic report of the United States of America to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, adopted by the Committee at its sixty-second session (14 January-1 February 2013), how the U.S can improve its protection of children covered under this protocol. The recommendations state how the U.S. government can do a better job in protecting children from sexual exploitation and come from a review of the government’s report and additional conversation and between the US and the UN Committee on the Rights of the child in January.

150 years after U.S. emancipation, slavery isn’t over
This January marked not only the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, but also the third annual National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The presidential proclamation began in 2011 as a way for the administration and human rights groups to raise awareness of what President Obama has called “a crime that amounts to modern-day slavery.“ There are more people living in bondage today than at any other time in human history. The market value of a trafficked human life has decreased from the equivalent of $40,000 in today’s dollars in the mid-nineteenth century American South, to about $90 today. The number of human trafficking cases in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2007, according to the FBI.

Apple's Child-Labor Problem Runs Deep
Apple has released its 2012 Supplier Responsibility Report, which claims to have found no underage workers in "any of our final assembly suppliers." But Apple's supply chain goes much deeper than that, and what the company found in the supply chain of its suppliers — the places that send Foxconn parts — came out less clean. "In many of the cases of underage labor we’ve discovered, the culprit behind the violation was a third-party labor agent that willfully and illegally recruited young workers," explains the report. In one plant that makes circuit-board components, Apple's auditors found 74 cases of workers 16-years-old and younger. Another huge labor agency, Quanshun Human Resources, forced parents of young children to forge papers in order to cover for its underage workers. While 95 percent of the factories Apple audited had no signs of child labor, the other 5 percent include more sordid stories.

King County of Seattle Displays Awareness of Human Trafficking on Its Billboards
In early February, King County of Seattle unveiled billboards that increase awareness of Human Trafficking along the Interstate-5 corridor, in Kent and Tukwila as well as Tacoma, Mill Creek and Bellingham. The ad space, donated by Clear Channel Outdoors, advertises a national hotline and message to reach out to victims, potential victims and the public about where to turn for help on its 15 electronic and traditionally displayed billboards. The ads, in eight languages, encourage people to call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-3737-888 if they suspect someone may be a victim of human trafficking or if they are victims. Similar ads are being displayed on Metro Transit buses and on county websites and other resources. Clear Channel Media & Entertainment also airs public service announcements on their radio stations throughout the region as part of their $88,000 contribution to the awareness campaign.

Anti-Trafficking Symposium Presented by Goodwill Ambassador, ICE, and Federal Officials

The “Anti-Human Trafficking Symposium: Transforming the Coalition” co-sponsored by Georgetown University and Delotte on January 30, 2013 included keynote speakers, actress Mira Sorvino as the United Nations goodwill ambassador on human trafficking and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director, John Morton. The symposium gathers government, academic, non-profit and business leaders to revamp the fight against the illegal billion dollar industry that traffics human beings for sexual exploitation and forced labor.

Other keynote speakers included Luis CdeBaca from the U.S. Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons’ ambassador at large; Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West; and Alice Hill, senior counselor to the secretary of homeland security as well as two panels covering trends and challenges.  Coverage by Georgetown University includes web casts from Sorvino, Morton, and CdeBaca.

Key points discussed in the symposium paved the way ahead:

1. Combatting Trafficking
2. Trends and Challenges
3. New Technology

Delotte captures the highlights of the “Anti-Human Trafficking Symposium: Transforming the Coalition” they co-sponsored with Georgetown University, citing that over 300 people attended the event, several thousand viewed it on Georgetown's website (GULive) and C-SPAN, and some viewed the transcript of Mira Sorvino's speech." 

They also provide a more complete listing of keynote speakers and panelists for those that may be interested in hearing more from the presenters at the symposium:

• ICE Director John Morton and the Public Sector Panel discussed law enforcement challenges in working trafficking cases and the need for a victim-centered approach.
• Assistant Attorney General Tony West re-defined human trafficking efforts as the great civil rights movement of our time.
• U.N. Goodwill Ambassador to Combat Human Trafficking Mira Sorvino brought to life the importance of survivors' voices in the fight against human trafficking.
• A panel of government officials discussed trends and challenges with AHT prevention, prosecution and protection of victims
• Palantir demonstrated the use of data patterns to locate and apprehend human trafficking culprits and identify victims.
• DHS Blue Campaign Chair Alice Hill stressed the need for partnerships in the fight against human trafficking, specifically in training government officials.
• The Private Sector Panel discussed the opportunity for government to have open forums, increasingly accessible data, and awareness campaigns for private companies.
• Ambassador Lou CdeBaca compelled us to hold government and each other accountable to make a difference in the fight against human trafficking.

Fact: Human Trafficking and Human Smuggling are Two Separate Crimes

Image source: International Organisation for Migration (IOM)

According to the United Nations, human trafficking and human smuggling are some the fasest growing areas of international criminal activity. They often occur in conjunction with a number of different crimes and span several countries around the world. They are two separate crimes that involve criminals taking advantage of human beings to make massive profits. It is difficult to differentiate between the two crimes as the tend to overlap in the initial phase. 

• Smuggling is "often a criminal commercial transaction between two willing parties who go their separate ways once their business is complete" whease trafficking involves threat and/or use of force, fraud or coercion against a victim.Trafficking often includes an element of smuggling, specificially, the illegal crossing of a border. However, it is not always the case as trafficking can and does take place within national borders.
• Smuggling always involves a consenting migrant who wants entry into a state illegally whereas trafficking does not. The difficulty to distinguish between the two starts when a smuggling migrant becomes trafficked victime.
• Smuggling can lead to trafficking. For example, smuggled migrants can become victims of violence and exploitation during their journey and/or upon their arrival into the state. 
• Smuggling is a crime committed against a country and its borders whereas trafficking is committed against an individual.
• Smuggling is always a transnational crime as it requires illegal entry into a country whereas trafficking can be legal or illegal entry and does not require any physical movement of an individual.

Source: Blue Blindfold

Image-International Organization for Migration (IOM)

           

November 25: International Day to End Violence Against Women

The violence against women is "not confined to a specific culture, region or country, or to particular groups of women within a society." It takes many forms and is widespread throughout the world. The 2011 UN report on violence against "women estimated that up to 70 percent of women experience violence in their lifetime." The types of violence experienced by women around the world include rape, female gential mutilation/genital cutting, dowry murder, honor killing, sexual exploitation, female foeticide, discrimination and domestic violence. According to the World Bank data, "women aged 15-44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, car accidents, war and malaria."

To combat this human rights violation, International Day to End Violence Against Women was established by the United Nations in 1999 and first observed in 2000. The day is observed to:

• raise awareness about gender-based violence as human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels; 
• strengthen local work around violence against women; 
• establish a clear link between local and international work to end violence against women; 
• provide a forum in which organizers can develop and share new effective strategies;
• demonstrate the solidarity of women around the world organizing against violence against women;
• create tools to pressure governments to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women

Since the establishment of the international day, "one hundred and eighty-seven countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, at least 125 countries have outlawed domestic violence and there is a  large body of legislation to end violence against women and girls." In the the twelve years of observing the day, awareness of the types of violence women experience around the world has increased, understanding of root causes of the violence has improved, assistance for the victims has improved, and many policy-makers have begun to take action. However, women around the world still experience violence in their daily lives. As we observe this day, it is essential that we recognize how important it is to stop violence against women as it is not only "an appalling human rights violation but also a burden on national economies and a barrier to lasting peace."

Sources: Michelle Bachelet
              United Nations

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

Myanmar military releases 42 more child soldiers
Myanmar authorities released 42 more child soldiers from the armed forces [last] Monday, a move to further end recruitment of under-age children in the armed forces, reported Xinhua, citing local media. The 42 children, who are from across the country;s regions and states, were handed over to their parents in the presence of officials of the ministry of social welfare. The move came after an agreement was signed between Myanmar government and the United Nations in late June on prevention of further recruitment and use of under-age children in the armed forces.

Opinion: Anti-slavery law needs saving

With the upcoming elections, you can't turn on the television without seeing a negative campaign ad or heated news segment giving Americans a glimpse of the political divisions that currently exist in out country. While politicians argue over our future government, we lose sight of how the actions of our current government are impacting the lives of real people right now, like the millions of enslaved men, women and children in the U.S. and around the world at risk if Congress fails to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act by the end of the year.

NY taxi drivers get sex trafficking lesson
New York City taxi drivers will soon not just be taking passengers around the city, they're being asked to help spot potential sex trafficking victims. Under a new city law, drivers should be on the lookout for clues that a passenger is a victim of a sex trafficking activity.In a little under three months the law will kick into effect, and drivers will be required to alert authorities if they see suspicious situations in their cabs which may cause them to believe there is a trafficking victim in the backseat. The city plans to run a training course for the drivers of taxis and private cars for hire. A video is planned to teach what to look for.


A Move That Could Help Reduce Child Labor
Campaigners for the abolition of child labor in India welcomed a Cabinet decision Tuesday which would ban the employment of children under the age of 14. The government's ministers called on Parliament to pass an amendment to the Child Labour Act 1986, a law which, until now, has allowed children below 14 to be involved in "non-hazardous" work. The amendment, if passed, would impose a maximum three-year jail term and 50,000-rupee fine for anyone employing a child under the age of 14 in any kind of work or engaging under-18s in hazardous work. The change would be the most significant development in India's child labor laws since the introduction of a partial ban in 1986, according to activists working for an end to the practice.

Fair Food Program helps end the use of slavery in the tomato fields
Since 1997, the Justice Department has prosecutes seven cases of slavery in the Florida agricultural industry - four involving tomato harvesters - freeing more than 1,000 men and women. The stories are a catalogue of horrors: abductions, pistol whippings, confinement at gunpoint, debt bondage and starvation wages. Thankfully, those enslaved workers may be among the last found in Florida's tomato fields. Today, virtually all Florida tomato growers have joined the Fair Food Program, which includes a code of conduct outlawing debt bondage and requiring human conditions of labor and a more livable wage. Shade stations, toilets and drinking water are appearing in the fields, and educators are spreading word about the code to the harvesters.

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

Canadians fight global sex trafficking on their soil
Human rights advocates are enraged after an announcement made by the Adult Entertainment Association of Canada (AEAC) declared they will be recruiting high school and college students to fill the demand for sex workers after the government banned visas allowing foreign workers to work in the industry.  The AEAC insists the industry is safe to work in, yet Joy Smith, a member of Parliament, argues "many Canadians do no realize that prostitution, strip clubs...are were the majority of victims of human trafficking are found." Canada is a gateway for many Asian and Eastern European victims.

Appeals court reinstates Vermont prison forced labor case
After an appeal made Friday, a three-judge panel decided that Finbar McGarry, a man who claims he was forced to do manual labor while pending trial, has the right to argue that he was under threat to work in a prison laundry.  He was waiting trial for domestic disturbance when he says he was forced to work up to 14 hours three days a week washing laundry for 25 cents/hour.  He will be arguing for $11 million in damages.

Torture and denial of rights for drug addicts locked in Asian camps
Hundreds of thousands of drug users in China and across Southeast Asia are held in camps where they are subject to physical and sexual violence in order to be "cured".  These centers have received financial support from donor countries and UN agencies yet they deny people their rights.  The lack of liberty can last up to 5 years and involve the homeless, mentally ill and street children.  Joe Amon, a director at Human Rights Watch, insists that "beatings, forced labor and humiliation" are not part of the prescribed therapy.

Tanzania: Dar es Salaam Leads in Human Trafficking

The Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) reported that Tanzania has a higher rate of internal trafficking than transnational trafficking. Internal trafficking often occurs among the family and friends of victims who, as with other forms of trafficking, are given empty promises of employment, education, and otherwise. Many victims are subjected to being domestic workers, barmaids or prostitutes. The case study was done on the city of Dar es Salaam; the top five cities where human trafficking is found are Iringa, Kilimanjaro, Morogoro, Singida, and Dodoma, respectively.

Food cart gives human-trafficking survivors a new life on the street

Non-profit organization doma is helping human trafficking victims in Franklin County Ohio by allowing women to run their food cart, Freedom a la Cart. Stationed Downtown, the women, who learn skills such as kitchen prep and business management, also provide catering services and every “meal served comes with a pamphlet on human trafficking. All proceeds go to helping victims.”

DOJ suspiciously dismissed human trafficking case, says watchdog group

Watchdog group Judicial Watch claimed that the Department of Justice suspiciously dismissed a case in which three defendants “who worked for the Los Angeles-based labor recruiting company in question -- Global Horizons Manpower, Inc. -- pled guilty to [human trafficking-related] charges…” Bruce Schwartz pled guilty to conspiring to commit forced labor, while Sam Wongsesanit and Shane Germann pled guilty to conspiring to commit document servitude. However, other watchdogs argue that the prosecutors were unable to prove the admitted guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Compiled By: Elyse Elder and Whitney Joseph 

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

Israel: Court Conviction a victory, but more needed
On May 10th the head of the largest trafficking operation in Israel, Rami Saban, received an 18-year jail sentence.  Saban and three partners are accused of having trafficked thousands of young women from Eastern Europe.  They are said to have recruited mostly from Moldova and Ukraine on the false pretenses of offering careers as cleaners.  The women were then sold to brothels based on age and appearance once they were smuggled into Israel from Egypt.  According to the US State Department's Trafficking in Persons report, Israel "does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so."  The Israeli government has instituted special training for police officers and has established a shelter for victims who escape, but more needs to be done.

Forced labor in the seafood industry
Sea vessels, or "motherships", that serve as deep-sea resupply stations have become sites for laundering products gathered by forced labor.  Once a squid or sardine comes aboard a mothership, it is almost impossible to know whether it was netted by paid fisherman or sea slaves.  Slavery is Thailand's deep-sea fishing trade is an open secret, recognized by the US, the UN and even within the Thai government.  In the wild-caught seafood industry, forced labor persists because out in the open sea, the "law is soft," says Bpa Ouan, a fishing syndicate chief based in Samut Sakhon, Thailand's hub for the fishing industry.  "We have to handle problems ourselves," he says.

Human Trafficking: McKenna, AG's blast Backpage.com
One of the most common things heard from law enforcement regarding human trafficking is that the trade has moved from the real world to the virtual one.  One of the easiest avenues for human trafficking is through websites that contain "adult" sections, most notoriously, Backpage.com.  Washington State Attorney, General Rob McKenna, along with 48 other attorneys general (AG) are pressuring the site to close it's adult section.   "One reason police are critical of Backpage.com is because too often the victims of prostitution are children," says Missouri AG Chris Koster.  In response, Liz McDougall, the general counsel, has promised to only cooperate with the AGs if they rescind their request to have that section discontinued. It is a request, they say, they will not obey.

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

New agreement to fight human trafficking

The International Organization for Migration (IOM)and the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime pledge closer cooperation to tackle the issue of modern-day human trafficking last Tuesday in Vienna.  Due to the large number of victims that suffer this problem, the two agencies signed the agreement to ensure borders are better managed.  "It is believed there are between 12 and 27 million victims of trafficking.  This is really something due tot the fact that there are no worldwide mechanisms in place to detect appropriately victims," says Laurence Hart, head of the migrant assistance division of the IOM.  Trafficking is a $32 million/year industry and the agreement also calls for a greater cooperation by businesses to eradicate human slavery.  

Traveller family accused of exploitation

Thomas Connors, four sons, a daughter and her husband face charges of forcing others to perform forced labor, while some also face assault allegations, an Irish court was told.  Homeless and other vulnerable men were poorly fed, frequently threatened and forced to work for nothing.  Victims were recruited at homeless shelters, soup-kitchens or taken off the streets.  Physically violence was then threatened and/or used in order to get them to comply and stop demanding promised wages.  The prosecution has urged the press to describe the allegations as forced labor and servitude.  They say that hundreds of men allegedly fell prey to the Connors family.  

Rwanda opens center to rehabilitate former child soldiers
This past weekend, the Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission inaugurated a new child rehabilitation center for former child soldiers who fled from the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The children, between ages 13 and 18, were forced into war activities and forced labor by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a group responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.  The center will offer psycho-social support, vocational training and help the ex-combatants find their parents.  Rwanda's success story is now a blueprint for the United Nations Security Council campaign to shame other groups that force children into labor and to act as soldiers.  

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

Afghanistan's "dancing boys" exploitation
According to Afghan human rights researchers, the practice of wealthy Afghans exploiting underage boys as sexual partners who are often dressed up as women to dance at gatherings is on the rise.  Mirzahan, a 22-year-old farmer, purchased a 9-year-old boy because marrying a woman would have been prohibitively expensive.  Boys who are perceived as particularly beautiful can be sold for tens of thousands of dollars and can then be rented out to as dancers at male-only parties.  Once they become too old many of the boys turn to pimping or prostitution.  Wurth, a U.N. official, says she is not aware of any prosecutions in the area.  "A kid who is between sexually exploited, if he reports it, he will end up in prison."

Women enslaved by Spain's brothel tourism boom
Thirty years ago nearly all the prostitutes in Spain were Spanish and nowadays almost none are.  The networks today that bring in women to the area vary widely and are constantly changing.  Valentina, a Romanian woman, believed she was coming to work in a hotel through the help of her boyfriend.  Instead she became a prostitute on the side of the road and the man threatened her children if she did not comply.  Most of Spain's economy is struggling, but prostitution is booming.  Civil rights activists believe this is due to the change in customer: it has shifted from middle-aged men to young tourists.  Out of the 90,000 prostitutes, 90% of the them are believed to be trafficked.

Modern Slavery News Round-Up

U.N.: 2.4 million human trafficking victims
The U.N. crime-fighting office said Tuesday that 2.4 million people across the globe are victims of human trafficking at any one time.  Statistics show that 80% of these victims are sexual slaves and 2 out of every 3 are women.  Further, only 1 out of 100 victims of trafficking are rescued, says Yuri Fedotov, head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime.  Trafficking is second only to the illegal drug trade in profitability and there is a lack in strong legislation and police training to combat it.  M. Cherif Bassiouni, an emeritus law professor at DePaul University in Chicago urged the general assembly to reassess "who is a victim and who is a criminal."

Missing children raise trafficking concerns
At least 182 Indonesian children, ages 0 to 12, were reported missing by their parents in 2011, says Arist Merdeka Sirait, chairman of the National Commission on Child Protection.  Thirty nine of these children were stolen from maternity clinics and Sirait suspects they are being used by a human trafficking network for illegal adoption, commercial sexual exploitation, drug trafficking and domestic and international labor.  Police have a difficult time investigating these networks because ringleaders promise better facilities and and more money if victims recruit more people.  As of right now, less than 1% of cases are being brought to court.

Feds charge Chicago man with trafficking minors for sex
Carl Brandon Smith, also known as "Moo", was arrested last week for trafficking minors for sex.  His allegations include bringing one of the minors from Wisconsin in order to force her into prostitution.  These charges are a result of the combined work of the FBI and the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force as federal authorities look to ramp up their prosecutions of sex trafficking cases.  Charges say Smith forced two minors into the commercial sex trade, as well as two women older than 18 into prostitution and he could receive anywhere from 10 years to maximum life behind bars for each of the counts he is facing.