Modern Slavery News Round-up

Europe cycle raises awareness of human trafficking A team of passionate anti-trafficking campaigners has just returned from an 11-day cycle that took in some of Europe's human trafficking routes. The Freedom Challenge cycle started on October 6 in Sofia, Bulgaria and took in 10 countries, finishing on Wednesday afternoon in Westminster. The purpose of the cycle was to raise money and awareness for the A21 campaign against human trafficking ahead of anti-slavery day today. The cyclists hope to raise 210,000 euros for A21 shelters and victim assistance programs.

Human trafficking an American problem, experts say at forum Wednesday
The average American is largely unaware of how prevalent human trafficking is across the country, trafficking experts said Wednesday. “Often people think it’s an international issue, but primarily it’s a much bigger issue here in America,” said Jaime Meyers, managing director of Children at Risk. Undercover Dallas police officers pose as buyers online to target trafficking sales online. The program, called “Operation Brick and Mortar,” rescued six children from June of last year to August, said Lt. Alfred Diorio of the Dallas Police Department’s High Risk Victims and Trafficking Unit. The unit has made 118 arrests in the past year, many of which resulted in “significant sentencing” for the perpetrator, Diorio said.

 Maine efforts to combat human trafficking get federal funding
Advocates for homeless teenagers and young people with disabilities in southern Maine say a $400,000 federal grant will help dedicate resources for young people who have been coerced into trading sex for money or a place to sleep. The two-year grant from the Department of Justice to Preble Street allocates funds directly to help victims of human trafficking. The social services agency in Portland, which also operates a teen center, will administer the money to agencies in Cumberland and York counties. The money will also be used for health and mental health programs for victims, for legal assistance to vulnerable immigrants, and for protective orders.

Palawan intensifies campaign against human trafficking
In an effort to intensify campaign against trafficking in persons in Palawan, the provincial government spearheaded the holding of a seminar-workshop attended by members of the provincial Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).The two-day activity discussed salient features of Republic Act No. 9208 or “Anti-Human Trafficking in Persons Act” and the recent Republic Act No. 10364 or the “Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012,” which was enacted for a stronger anti-human trafficking measure. Under the RA 10364, disclosure of the identities and circumstances of human trafficking offenders is already allowed. It also looked at the present situation of trafficking in persons in the national level and to zero in on the provincial situation. Palawan and Puerto Princesa City have had human trafficking cases particularly in southern Palawan taking the so-called “backdoor” to Malaysia.

Thailand must do more to end human trafficking
According to humantrafficking.org, Thailand is a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking: ‘It is a destination-side hub of exploitation in the Greater Mekong sub-region, for both sex and labor exploitation.’ The majority of Thai trafficking victims are trafficked to the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bahrain and China, for both sexual and labor exploitation. It also said that the Mekong region, compared to many other parts of the world, contains very diverse patterns of human trafficking – internal and cross-border; highly organized or small-scale; sex and labour, through both formal and informal recruitment mechanisms.

Another Victory: New State Joins in Vacating Convictions for Victims

Prostitution convictions for victims of forced prostitution and sexual exploitation are sadly all too often common aspects of human trafficking -modern slavery.  Recently, Hawaii joined a small group of states who have passed legislation which will vacate prostitution convictions for victims of human trafficking. Hawaii's new law -SB 2576- “allows sex trafficking victims to vacate prostitution convictions from their criminal records by proving they were sexually enslaved”. Additional states with similar legislation include New York, Illinois, and Nevada; New York was the first state to enact such a law. While this is good news for many survivors -who find it increasingly difficult to attain or retain employment due to this such unjust and misunderstood convictions- there are a few criticisms. One argument questions “how useful a bill like SB2576 would be to many victims on a practical level […saying] that many victims are too afraid of their traffickers to testify against them to prove their victim status. Therefore, a vacating conviction law has no value to victims if it requires them to prove their sex trafficking history by testifying against traffickers” (Dale). Unfortunately, it seems that similar issues will arise in many cases of “vacating convictions” laws, as they do with cases of sexual assault and rape. In rape cases, it can be very difficult to prove that the incident occurred, in addition to the psychological turmoil of reliving such a traumatic event. Victims are often accused of provoking their attackers or of lying. The few cases in which it is later revealed that the victim was not actually a victim certainly does not help. In the same instance, victims of human trafficking/modern slavery endure the same fate as victims of rape. Their lawyers must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that they were trafficked and the victim has to relive that time in their life. In addition, there is the possible accusation that they are lying or that they were voluntary participants. Regardless of criticisms, many individuals and organizations view SB2576 and similar legislation, as a victory for victims. It is a new change and another chance for them to reintegrate into society with a clean slate. Dale, Youngbee. "Hawaii: New Law Allows Trafficking Victims to Vacate Prostitution Convictions." Washington Times Communities. N.p., 11 July 2012. Web. 27 July 2012.

Written by: Whitney Joseph