January 11, 2009 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. Victims are subjected to force, fraud and coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. Across the world, 27 million people are impacted by human trafficking and 50% of those victims are women and children. An estimated 14,000-17,000 women, children and men are trafficked each year into the United States according to the U.S. Department of State.
In February, the United Nations reported that human trafficking is a $33.3 billion business. Most people have heard about human trafficking existing in other countries such as Thailand or India, but slavery also exists right here in our country. Victims are lured to our beautiful communities with promises of good jobs, education, and a fresh start. Instead, they find themselves trapped in forced labor with little or no wages, forced prostitution under threat of harm or fear of being sent to prison. When victims are rescued, it is because of the awareness of everyday citizens who see something that doesn't look quite right. Consider the case of a 12-year old Egyptian girl who was a household slave in an upscale gated community in Orange County. She was rescued because a neighbor who occasionally noticed a child that didn't seem to be going to school with the other children from that house. She called to report it and Shyima was rescued. (Click here to read the full story)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services developed the Rescue and Restore Coalition to help organizations throughout the country learn to identify and assist trafficking victims
According to the Los Angeles County United Coalition which represents a broad coalition working together to identify local victims in the community and to address the issue of human trafficking in its many forms:
- California is a top destination for victims. Victims are lured to our beautiful communities with promises of good jobs, education and a fresh start.
- California’s five anti-trafficking regional Task Forces, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, report that 599 potential victims of human trafficking were identified between December 1, 2005 and March 12, 2007.
- Between 1998 and 2003, human trafficking operations were found in almost a dozen cities in California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose.
- Untold stories of victims from China, Thailand, Russia, Mexico, Asia, Indonesia and the U.S. have been disclosed in California courtrooms and to counselors on hotlines. The Federal government has invested funding for law enforcement to investigate and act on this crime.
For additional information about human trafficking, please see the following links:
Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition
http://www.bsccoalition.org/
U.S. Department of State: Facts About Human Trafficking
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/fs/2005/60840.htm
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: The Campaign to Rescue and Restore Victims of Human Trafficking
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/
|
