Human Trafficking and the Super Bowl

As sports fans prepare for a showdown between the Broncos and the Seahawks just outside of New York City, conversation about human trafficking is heating up. There is a lot of discourse about a peak in human trafficking surrounding the Super Bowl, but as our partners at the Sex Worker Project and the Urban Justice Center explain, that may be just a myth:

While we commend efforts to raise awareness about human trafficking, allegations that large sporting events, like the Super Bowl, increase the number of persons trafficked into prostitution are simply unfounded. Investigations from past Olympics, World Cups, and Superbowls, have not found large numbers of persons trafficked to these locations by force to engage in commercial sex. These claims can lead to raids and police harassment of adult sex workers, increasing danger for this population. This is a misuse of scarce resources better aimed at preventing human trafficking.

While it is critically important to understand and tackle the root causes of human trafficking and provide resources to those who are currently in trafficking situations or who are survivors, erroneous links to sporting events are not helpful toward these ends. They also distract from real issues surrounding large sporting events that do deserve our attention and are often under-reported, including instances of unsafe labor conditions for construction workers who build sports arenas, and the large scale trafficking and deaths of migrant workers.

The media’s fixation on trafficking into the sex trade has led to an unfortunate misperception about human trafficking, and missed opportunities to halt human rights abuses. We encourage journalists and members of the public to support more just working conditions in all labor sectors where trafficking exists, including restaurants, private homes, landscaping, construction, and agriculture; this will help us recognize and assist victims in need.



Written by: Sienna Baskin, Esq. Co-Director Sex Workers Project Urban Justice Center www.sexworkersproject.org

To learn more about the intersection of human trafficking and large sporting events, please see these sources:

Trafficking in Human Beings and the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Migration Research Series no. 29 , International Organization for Migration (2007), (stating that “the estimate of 40,000 women expected to be trafficked [in Germany surrounding the World Cup] was unfounded and unrealistic”).

What’s the Cost of a Rumour? A guide to sorting out the myths and the facts about sporting events and trafficking, Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (2011).

Urban Legends and Hoaxes: How Hyperbole Hurts Trafficking Victims, Huffington Post, Rachel Lloyd, (2012), (stating that while “there have definitely been some reported cases, the statistics just don’t bear out this claim.”).

A Recap: The 3rd Annual Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force Conference

Last week, 200 social service providers, law enforcement, healthcare professionals and committed community members convened at the 3rd annual Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force Conference to tackle the hard issue of human trafficking. The two-day conference aimed to build a comprehensive and targeted response to both sex and labor trafficking by: 1) hosting plenary sessions that delved deeper into the nuances of pimp culture and labor trafficking as it appears across the nation; 2) providing relevant case studies to assess points of access and discuss successful convictions of traffickers; 3) examining the child welfare response to child trafficking; 4) offering law enforcement and healthcare focused workshops; and 5) honing in on effective outreach, interventions and organizational responses to human trafficking.

Speakers included Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, DCFS Human Trafficking Coordinator Stacy Sloan, Tiffany Williams from the Institute for Policy Studies and other local and national leaders in the field. The conference also included a survivor session with DC-based Chicago-born survivor and founder of Courtney’s House, Tina Frundt. Her session served to look closely at the mindsets of pimps and those they choose to control and sell, ultimately bringing real lived experience to the table as the ideal learning scenario for future prevention and intervention.

As a partner of the core team and a facilitator of the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force, we hope to use these lessons learned to better inform our steering committee and subcommittee work. With newly formed labor trafficking and LGBTQ subcommittees charged with better identifying and serving underserved communities, there is much work to be done.

We also want to thank the speakers, attendees and volunteers for truly making the conference a success! Until next year!

Summar Ghias,
Program Specialist, IOFA

Treating Children as Victims, Not Criminals

Child Sex Trafficking is one of the worst forms of human trafficking and child sexual abuse. It is a large, and growing, problem throughout the world and in the U.S.

Fast Facts

• 50% of transnational victims of human trafficking are children
• In India, it is estimated that 270,000-400,000 children are working in prostitution
• In Nepal, the problem is spread out all over the entire country. It is estimated that there are 800 girls working in the sex trade in the Kathmandu valley alone
• Young boys are often victimized in Pakistan ; often they are first hooked on drugs before they are forced to prostitute themselves
• In Sri Lanka, the average age of a child who is prostituted is 8-15 years old

What about in the U.S.?

• There are an estimated 300,000 American children at risk of sexual exploitation
• The average age that a girl is first victimized and prostituted is 12-14
• Over 50% of domestic victims are classified as runaway youth living on the street
• 55% of street girls become entangled in prostitution networks
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children conservatively estimates that 100,000 children are exploited each year for prostitution in the United States

What is being done to help these children in the US?

There are numerous steps that are being taken in the US to combat human trafficking. One important legal one is the passage of legislation known as the 'Safe Harbor Acts', acts that are intended to protect victims of child exploitation. The goals of the Safe Harbor Laws are to 

1. Prevent minor victims from being prosecuted for prostitution and
2. Protect Child victims of sex trafficking by providing them with specialized services

Safe Harbor Laws are important because they treat victims as victims as it gives them access to the services they need, and the ability to escape 'the Life' instead of being victimized twice; once by the pimps and a second time by the system.

New York was the first state to enact the Safe Harbor for Exploited Children Act in 2008. Several other states followed, including Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Vermont, Connecticut, Tennessee, and Washington. The Texas Supreme Court also ruled on a case that children cannot be charged with prostitution.

In Illinois, the Safe Harbor Act for Exploited Children was signed by Governor Quinn on August 20, 2010.

Some key points

• If a child is under the age of 18, they are immune from prosecution of prostitution offenses. This is a change from the previous age of 16
• Children who are victimized by human trafficking or by prostitution now fall within the definition of an 'abused child.' This means that any law enforcement official who takes a child under 18 into custody for a prostitution offense must immediately repeat an allegation of Human Trafficking to DCFS. Within 24 hours, DCFS must begin their initial investigation
• The term 'Juvenile Prostitute' is eliminated from the criminal code, and replaced with minors engaged in prostitution.
• Finally, mistake of age is now not allowed as a criminal defense. A pimp or solicitor cannot argue that they thought the minor was above the age of 18

New York has similar legislation. In regards to services, the legislation goes a couple steps further to ensure that victims have an advocate during all steps of the process.

• Advocates: Must accompany child to court
• Housing: Safe Houses must, either directly or through written agreement with another agency, 
• Housing
• Assessment
• Case management
• Medical care
• Legal services
• Mental health and substance abuse services
• Must have service plan for
• Counseling and therapeutic services
• Education services including life skills, and planning services to transition back into the community
• OCFS must offer appropriate services to a sexually exploited child
• Section gives the department or any person the authority to file a care and protection petition or a CHINS petition if a sexually exploited child is unable or unwilling to participate in services

However, this is only nine out of 50 states that have such legislation. It is up to individuals to motivate their representatives to pass similar Safe Harbor Legislation. See the Polaris Project on ways that you can take action: http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do/policy-advocacy/assisting-victims/safe-harbor

Jasmine

Project Development Intern

Understanding the US Trafficking in Persons Report

What is it?

There has been significant controversy over the latest report released by the U.S. State department. Several countries who have been downgraded (most notably Russia and China) reject the report and deem in unfair, stating that the U.S. is trying to advance its own international policy. But what is this report that has created so much controversy?

Here's Secretary of State John Kerry's introduction here:

The Trafficking in Persons report is the U.S. Government's main tool to engage foreign governments on the issue of trafficking; it is meant to facilitate global conversation on trafficking and key human rights and law enforcement issues. The US Government uses the report to engage foreign governments in dialogues to advance anti-trafficking reforms, to combat trafficking, and to target resources on prevention, protection, and prosecution programs.

What factors does the State Department look at?

The Department of State places each country onto one of three tiers based on the extent of their governments' efforts to comply with the "minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking" found in Section 108 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). Some factors that the US looks at are

1. Whether the government investigates and prosecutes acts of human trafficking
2. Whether the government actually convicts and sentences perpetrators of human trafficking
3. Whether the punishment adequately represents the severity and nature of the crime
4. Does the government protect victims of human trafficking
5. Does the government encourage the victims to assist in the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases
6. Does the government provide adequate legal remedies to victims of human trafficking, such as not deporting them back to countries in which they continue to be victimized
7. Does the government not unfairly incarcerate or fine victims of trafficking
8. Does the government adequately train law enforcement officials in regards to human trafficking cases
9. Had the government adopted measures to inform and educate the public about human trafficking

1. Has the government adopted measures that identifies and protects potential human trafficking victims
2. Has the government adopted measures to ensure that its nationals who are abroad on peacekeeping missions do not engage in trafficking.
3. Does the government cooperate with other governments on measures to prosecute and investigate incidents of human trafficking
4. Does the Government extradite individuals who are guilty of trafficking
5. Whether the government monitors immigrant populations who are potential targets for human trafficking
6. Progress of the government's efforts to prevent human trafficking
7. If the government of the country has made several and sustainable efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts and participation in international sex tourism by nationals of the country

A sampling of Countries

Here are a couple countries and their statuses

• United States- Tier 1- source, transit, and destination for victims of trafficking. Often immigrants are targeted for labor trafficking, and children in welfare system for sex trafficking
• United Kingdom- Tier 1- Source, transit, and destination for victims. Majority of victims are from Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Increased trafficking of sex trafficking victims from Latvia.
• France- Tier 1- mainly destination and transit centers for victims of trafficking
• Canada- Tier 1- destination, source, and transit center. Children in welfare system are at high risk for trafficking
• Russia- Tier 3- source, destination and transit center. Over 1 million reported cases of victims who work in forced labor situations. 
• China- Tier 3- Source, transit, and destination for many trafficking victims. Most trafficking victims come from neighboring countries, although there are many cases of forced labor trafficking from within China.
• Cambodia- Tier 2- Source, transit, and destination. Ramifications from internal conflict creates unstable environments that put victims at particular risk.

• Laos- Tier 2- Mainly source, often trafficked to neighboring countries
• Philippines- Tier 2- mainly source in sex and labor trafficking. Case workers are worried about an increase in labor trafficking. There are many instances of involuntary servitude. Skilled workers, such as nurses and engineers, are getting trafficked for free labor in neighboring countries
• India- Tier 2, source, destination, and transit area. NGO workers are concerned about the increase that they are seeing
• Thailand- Tier 2, Source, destination, and transit area. 2-3 million workers are in situations of forced labor. Thailand is also a known destination for international sex tourism, creating an environment that encourages sex trafficking
• Burma- Tier 2. Due to the recent conflict and revolution, there are numerous refugees who are prime targets for trafficking. Burmese army has also been cited as forcing families into forced labor, and trafficking individuals
• Japan- Tier 2. Mainly destination. Quite a few instances of labor trafficking, often women are brought into the country and told that they are being married to Japanese men, instead are forced into trafficking. The Yakuza, the Japanese organized crime leaders, are responsible for most of the trafficking
• Malaysia- Tier 2. Destination and source for labor and sex trafficking. Women are often told that they are being hired for legitimate hotel and other hospitality industry jobs, and are instead forced into sex trafficking.
• Indonesia- Tier 2, major source of trafficking, for both sex and labor trafficking.

Backlash

Both China and Russia have disputed their Tier 3 ranking. A foreign ministry spokeswoman said "We believe that the US side should take an objective and impartial view of China's efforts and stop making unilateral or arbitrary judgments of China," while a Russian statement read "As far as the application of unilateral sanctions against Russia concerned... the very idea of raising this issue causes indication."

The reason for this downgrade is that no country can stay stagnant on Tier 2 of the watch list according to a 2008 law; they have to either be upgraded or downgraded.

Jasmine Prokscha

Intern

IOFA Director, Shelby French speaking at Niagara Forum about Human Trafficking

IOFA's director, Shelby French, will be speaking about human trafficking tomorrow, April 11, at a Niagara Foundation forum. Speaking with her are Rachel Durchslag from Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE) and Gregory Wing from the FBI.

We invite you to join us tomorrow to learn more about human trafficking. RSVP for your tickets here! http://traffickingnf-eorg.eventbrite.com/

Voices Behind the Campaign

As part of the Human Trafficking is Our Problem Campaign (HTIOP), IOFA asked participants to submit a photo with a picture holding the HTIOP slogan to show support in recognizing human trafficking as a local issue. In this short series, IOFA would like to share with you voices from the campaign’s participants and why they decided to support HTIOP.

 (Voices correspond with individuals from left to right)

"People whom I have spoken with are constantly surprised that human trafficking happens in their cities, but they are willing to learn more about it and bring awareness to this issue. I think that in realizing that domestic human trafficking happens closer to home, people will take more ownership of this problem and acknowledge that it is NOT OK. The campaign is a way that we can rally people toward this goal." –Esther Liew

“From the suburbs of Illinois to the streets of Uganda, human trafficking is a global issue that touches communities and individuals across the globe. I support this cause because the denial of basic and inherent human rights to individuals and groups is a tragedy, which this campaign seeks to change. By raising awareness new groups can join with old to mobilize against this vastly growing issue and contribute to the global movement against human trafficking.” – Alyse Shields

“I support the HTIOP campaign because of its’ potential to bring people together on an issue that cuts across race, gender, and faith to recognize a social problem within our own communities and work with one another to do something about it. To take part and have an active role in a locally grown campaign that is a unifying force on a human issue is quite unique and frankly, awesome.” – Aatifa Sadiq

“I support HTIOP because it is just that, our problem.  Many people don't realize the impact that trafficking has on the global community.  I hope that by supporting HTIOP more people will become aware of this global issue and do their part to support anti-trafficking efforts in their own communities.” –Laura Horner 

The Human Trafficking Is OUR Problem campaign videos are up!

Hello friends of IOFA!

In January, many of you took part in IOFA's Human Trafficking is OUR Problem campaign by submitting pictures and taking videos of yourself holding signs. We have compiled your submissions and have made two videos!

The first is a call to action to raise awareness that human trafficking does not just happen overseas - it happens in our states, cities, and towns.

The second video is a short narrative on human trafficking in the U.S.

Please help us to spread the word by sharing the videos with your friends and families. Perhaps they will help to generate discussions about this issue! Thank you all for your participation in helping to raise awareness of domestic human trafficking!

- IOFA team

Should a Minor Engaged in Commercial Sex Be Labeled as a Prostitute or a Victim?

            On December 13, 2012 a 17 year old girl in Iowa was arrested after she solicited an undercover officer for sex on Backpage.com.  This girl told police that she was being forced into prostitution by her abusive boyfriend who has allegedly beat her and threatened to kill her.

Now, the Polk County, Iowa attorney’s office wants to prosecute her for prostitution as an adult.  The girl’s attorney, Paul White, has tried to argue that she should be protected by Iowa Code 710A which gives “an affirmative defense” to human trafficking victims who could not escape due to threat of injury.  The law is supposed to target pimps and others who have forced someone into the sex trade for financial gain.

A prosecutor’s job is to seek justice.  If the girl is prosecuted as a prostitute in this case, what justice is being served?  Charging this girl does nothing to prevent other people from being forced into the sex trade.  It does nothing to help improve this girl’s life and get her out of the sex trade.  Wouldn’t justice best be served here if the prosecutor, John Sarcone, focused his efforts not in prosecuting this minor who has been forced into commercial sexual activity but in prosecuting the pimp who forced her into the sex trade?

Iowa’s neighbor, Illinois, has passed sweeping legislation when it comes to minors in the sex trade.  The Illinois Safe Children’s Act was signed into law in 2010.  Instead of placing minors who have been found to be engaging in commercial sexual activity in the criminal system, the Act places these minors in the child protection system.  Illinois has recognized that minors (anyone under the age of 18) do not have the capacity to consent to their own commercial sexual activity.  The law also states that these minors are victims of exploitation and not perpetrators of prostitution.  Iowa has tried to come up with new human trafficking legislation, but it needs to go further, as do many other states The Illinois Safe Children’s Act should be a model for the nation.  It is only through protection not prosecution of minors, that justice can truly be served for those forced into the sex trade.

Laura Horner

Intern

More Than Exchanging Drugs and Weapons as Gang Activity

Gangs in the U.S. have generally been known for drug trafficking, the exchange of weapons, and violent crimes that result in shootings and deaths. However, according to the FBI’s 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment, they have shifted from activities which are more dangerous and risky to less visible ones such as human trafficking, alien smuggling, and prostitution. At the time of the report, 35 states and U.S. territories have reported gangs in their jurisdictions who are complicit in these activities. These crimes involve a lower risk of detection and are also more profitable because humans are considered a more expensive commodity. After all, the criminal exchange of humans has become the second most profitable industry globally after the drug trade. If the traffickers are out of sight, the trafficked are the ones who will get into trouble with the police because they are positioned vulnerably on the front lines.

Some gangs have combined the trafficking of drugs and humans, where girls and women will transport drugs and at the same time, engage in commercial sex. Gangs in the U.S. are both locally based but also have transnational ties, enabling the movement of trafficked victims across state and international lines. Gang members act as pimps who first lure young girls into their care, then will control them through physical and psychological abuse. Gang-related human trafficking, many cases of which are sex trafficking, is evidence of the escalating prevalence of the domestic sex trade in both U.S. cities and suburbs.

Gang members have used social networking websites to recruit girls. They prey on girls by complimenting them on their looks, asking to get to know them better, and extending offers for opportunities to make monetary profit with their good looks. If these girls, who are mostly young teenagers, agree to meet their solicitors, they will be asked to provide a cell phone number where they can be contacted for an in-person meeting. The girls are quickly taught the ropes of commercial sex, sometimes by older girls who have had more experience in this work.

Sometimes, girls are recruited through “skip parties”, where young girls succumb to the enticing option of going to a party instead of sitting in a classroom during school hours. The masterminds behind these parties, knowing that girls like to travel in groups, conveniently encourage them to invite friends to the skip parties. Girls are then passed on from member to member, until she is “seasoned” for the streets and deemed ready to work.

The FBI has identified Asian gangs, Somali gangs, Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples, MS-13, Sureños, Vice Lords, and Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs to have engaged in human trafficking. 27-year old Justin Strom, leader of the Underground Gangster Crips in Fairfax, Virginia was convicted in September of this year for recruiting high school girls online, then trafficking them for commercial sex. MS-13, the first gang that the U.S. has named as a transnational criminal organization in October, has been notoriously known for its violent crimes, numerous murders, beatings, and infamous attacks with machetes. The presence of MS-13 is most heavily felt in LA County and the Washington, DC area. One of its mottos is “Mata, roba, viola, controla”, which translates to “Kill, steal, rape, control”. To ensure payment from the girls’ customers and that the girls were not hurt, MS-13 members would carry weapons while accompanying the girls to work.

Young boys are no exception to being victims of trafficking. They are considered low cost, low risk, and expendable to gang members who traffic them for labor purposes. While girls are more likely to be subject to sex trafficking, boys at age 7 are recruited to transport drugs, steer customers toward designated drug exchange locations, and as lookouts when law enforcement investigates suspicious drug-related activities. These boys are offered protection, food, and shelter when they cooperate, but are deprived of them when they do not. They will be socialized to gang norms, desensitized to violence, may grow up to belong to the gangs themselves, and will likely be incarcerated.

The nation’s first ever state-based wiretap investigation targeting human trafficking involved a case in Chicago that lasted one and a half years in 2011. Operation “Little Girl Lost” resulted in charging nine individuals with ties to street gangs who trafficking children and young women, some as young as twelve years old. The nine were charged with Involuntary Sexual Servitude of a Minor and Trafficking in Persons for Forced labor, punishable up to 30 years. Throughout the investigation, police found dozens of young women and girls who had suffered extensive emotional and physical abuse and were then provided social services that could give them safety from their traffickers. IOFA played an important role in this case as a partner with the State Attorney’s efforts to refer victims to recovery and after-care services, and at present continues to be an important presence in the city as a co-collaborator on the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force.

With the involvement of gangs, human trafficking is becoming an increasingly organized and networked crime. Although some tactics that gang members use to coerce girls into working for sex are similar to non-gang affiliated traffickers, it behoove anyone whose work involves interventions to reduce and prevent gang violence to address human trafficking. Three San Diego professors have received a $399,999 federal grant to explore the intersection of gang activity and human trafficking in their region. Although this issue is relatively new in comparison to other gang-related activity, it will continue to be a fast-growing business if there is not a concerted effort to target these specific victims. We cannot let the drugs, weapons, and shootings overshadow human trafficking, for this is a vile human rights violation.

Sources:

Aguilera, E. (2012). Experts to Study Region's Gangs, Sex Trafficking. U-T San Diego.

Cook County State Attorney’s Office. (2011). State’s Attorney Announces Charges In Joint Undercover Human Trafficking Investigation: Operation “Little Girl Lost” Targets Chicago Street Gang Members.

Fox, E. (2012). Child Drug Traffickers: What Can Be Done? InterAmerican Security Watch.

Lederer, L. (2011). Sold for Sex: The Link Between Street Gangs and Human Trafficking.The Witherspoon Institute Public Discourse.

National Gang Intelligence Center. (2001). National Gang Threat Assessment: Emerging Trends.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation. Teen Prostitution: Gang Used Social Media Sites to Identify Potential Victims.

Esther Liew

IOFA Asian American Trafficking Outreach Project program development intern

Unintended effects: How the war on drugs is fueling human trafficking

What do a Berkeley real estate tycoon and the Italian mafia have in common? Lakireddy Balireddy, infamous landowner, and several members of the Italian mafia have been key players in the business of human trafficking. These recent cases mark a change within organize crime groups. While gangs and other organized groups have been historically known for perpetuating the underground drug business, the war on drugs has marked a shift in operational focus. Tighter regulations and stricter enforcement have been behind several drug busts around the country, and gangs were not blind in noticing the threat to their livelihood.

When it comes to exploiting, gangs often are the first to recognize new avenues for profit and are dissuaded by little. Faced with the rising risk of engaging in large drug deals, they were left looking for a way to sustain overhead funds. They soon realized that smuggling humans could be an enormously profitable enterprise; women could be prostituted multiple times while drugs could only be sold once. Furthermore, the girls carry the bulk of the risk of getting caught and prosecuted rather than the traffickers.

In 2000, Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in response to this shift in the underground sector. However, the act was difficult to enforce and ultimately was regarded a missed opportunity to prosecute traffickers under these concrete terms.

Part of the reason for the increasingly difficult to prosecute gang members is because little research has been conducted on the details of the operations. In an effort to shed light on the issue, the Australian Institute of Criminology conducted an economic analysis of the trade. The research found that the most sophisticated trafficking circles are structured like actual businesses and are designed to respond to change quickly while maximizing profit. Common roles include anonymous investors, recruiters who find potential migrants, transporters who smuggle victims, money launderers who cover up the cash trail and corrupt officials who provide the documentation necessary for operations to proceed smoothly.  

Sadly, gangs have been largely successful in their newly chosen trades. The Chinese trafficking ring is controlled by the Chinese snakeheads and together make between $2.4 and $3.5 billion annually. The Italian mafia now has a combined capital of $800 billion, and the BBC estimates that one in five Italian businesses is controlled by an organized criminal group. They work in collusion with Albanian gangs and German foreign intelligence reports that they will be expanding operations soon.

When gangs have been in existence for centuries, it’s difficult to know where to begin to dismantle their operations.  The Witherspoon Institute has deemed these steps as necessary for improving the situation:

1) State and local governments must add human trafficking to the list of suspect activities for criminal gangs

2) Gang and human trafficking task forces must coordinate and plan joint prosecutions

3) Gang investigations should include specific tactics for actively spotting human trafficking 

4) Gangs involved in human trafficking should be charged under the TVPA or state trafficking-in-persons laws in addition to other criminal charges

5) Communities should develop specialized outreach, education, and training programs to address gang-related trafficking

6) Asset forfeiture laws should be utilized more extensively in gang related human trafficking cases

7) New and creative approaches to prosecution (such as using the child soldiers provision in the TVPA) should be explored and established.

While international human trafficking and gang activity have been growing issues of importance on the world stage, they are seldom looked at in conjunction. Clearly, a link exists between organized crime and the perpetuation of large scale trafficking circles. Acknowledging this connection is a stride towards combating trafficking more effectively. 

Nikhitha Murali, Intern

Human Trafficking in the UK: Debunking Myths

Human trafficking cases are never pretty. They often leave us wondering where Humanity went to vacation and when we can join her.  Recent news of a UK child sex operation was no exception, but the case added fuel to the fire when commentators drew upon issues of race as the motive for perpetrators and as the explanation behind failure to prosecute by law enforcement. (You can read more about the details of the case in a well-summarized piece by the Guardian here).  

The case highlighted that though human trafficking cases are all tragically in violation of fundamental human rights, they are still never one and the same. In fact, the various misperceptions and preconceived notions at play that often come from only knowing or believing one story – whether the single story of a perpetrator, of a young runaway or of marginalized sexually active youth in general - solidified barriers to exit for victims in this particular situation, leaving us with a handful of myths that warrant immediate debunking.

MYTH #1: THOSE WHO PERPETRATE AND THOSE WHO ARE VICTIMIZED CAN BE CATEGORIZED BY RACE

Media outlets from all over the political spectrum are drawing attention to the fact that the young white victims fell prey to South Asians who saw them as worthless because of their race. Taking it one step further, they also state that law enforcement’s failure to take on the case stemmed from fear of being dubbed racist toward South Asians in general. It is undoubtedly a crucial misstep on the part of law enforcement for not having heeded victims who came forward years ago, whether on account of political correctness or not. However, the nine South Asian men who forcefully engaged young white girls in sex acts simply reinforce the reality that traffickers come in all sizes, shapes and colors, as do victims.

To the various race-based outcries, it is ironic that the case did not break until Nazir Afzal, a prominent British lawyer of South Asian descent, reopened the case upon his appointment as chief crown prosecutor, overturning his predecessor’s decision to decline it.

Regardless, to harp on the questions of whether racial animus against whites motivated the Asian perpetrators of this crime or whether the prosecutors declined the case in the interest of political correctness is to simply fan the flames of a political fire and propagate fears of a racial minority and underclass. Meanwhile, experts have documented that the majority of sex crimes in Britain are committed by white men. For that matter, perpetration and victimization are not sequestered to one racial group, and this case is simply further proof to that end.

MYTH #2:  SEXUALLY ACTIVE YOUTH ARE PROMISCUOUS, AND THEREFORE, NOT CREDIBLE VICTIMS

According to BBC, all five girls who were witnesses in the gang's conviction were known to social services at some stage in their lives. The young girls, who were described as vulnerable because of their “chaotic lifestyles, hanging round kebab shops late at night and befriending the staff who worked there”, should have been on the radar if they were already known within the system. Did their outward reputation render them beyond belief?

Huffington Post contributor Hayley Meachin brings up a critical point when she questions why we only take notice of our vulnerable youth once they are made victims on the books as criminals are convicted. (You can read her thoughts here.) At what point did these social service providers and the community at large let them fall through the cracks?

The systems that failed these girls are not unlike the systems that often fail youth here in the United States and elsewhere, ultimately calling to question what makes vulnerable and disadvantaged youth around the world prone to exploitation and ignored. Perhaps it's time we listen to young people regardless of the social constructs that place them in a rigid binary of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. How can we break free from looking for one type of person to fit the mold of a so-called ‘credible victim’?

CONCLUSIONS

While demographics, socioeconomic status and family history can make some groups more vulnerable to exploitation than others, efforts to categorize race as a determining factor on either end of victimization or perpetration are wholly misguided. Furthermore, a narrow interpretation of what makes victims credible only further marginalizes youth, leaving them at risk of never believing the system can or wants to help them. 

 

Finally, as with all human trafficking cases, prosecution, protection and prevention are equally important. The delay in prosecution no doubt harmed young women who already faced multiple barriers to a healthy trajectory, but the remaining two parts must be weighed as well if we are to fully understand how we, as a global society, can do better to help our vulnerable youth.

- Summar Ghias

Program Development Intern

Should all sex work be considered trafficking?

President Obama declared January National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. As part of these thirty days, IOFA would like to pose a question each week that initiates critical dialogue and hopefully some thought-provoking conversation with friends.
These days, anti-trafficking organizations and statistics abound, but we’ve siphoned through the media coverage to find some articles that highlight the complexity of the situation.

Feministing’s take: http://feministing.com/2012/01/04/potus-declares-human-trafficking-prevention-month/
Trafficking legislation states that if the age of an individual has been verified to be under 18, and the individual is in any way involved in the commercial sex industry, or has a record of prior arrest for prostitution (or related charges), then he or she is a victim. One Wisconsin man’s recent arrest even stemmed from advocacy on behalf of an adult sex worker who found his request for an 8-year-old girl offensive. You can read the article here: http://www.channel3000.com/news/30136733/detail.html

Vulnerable adolescents under the age of 18 are clearly victims of trafficking, but what about adults? Thousands of people take part in the sex trade each year. Many of them declare their work a choice. So, our question to you, is, should all sex work be considered trafficking? Take our poll here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FBSWDV7

Criminals or Victims?

On Sunday night, the TV show “Our America with Lisa Ling” told viewers the heartbreaking stories of girls, all under the age of 18, who have been victims of sex trafficking. Host Lisa Ling was guided through her investigation of child trafficking in Washington, D.C. by Tina Frundt, who is a trafficking survivor and the founder and executive director of Courtney’s House, an organization that provides services and support to child trafficking victims. Courtney’s House does street outreach work and offers intake assessments, a shelter for trafficking survivors, case management services, therapy, and medical referrals.

All too often, however, children who have been involved in the commercial sex industry are not recognized as victims of human trafficking and therefore do not receive the services they need, services like those provided at Courtney’s House. During the show, Lisa Ling repeatedly made a very important point: all children and youth who are under 18 and who are involved in commercial sex work are victims of human trafficking.

The recognition that youth under 18 who are involved in sex work are, by definition, trafficking victims is an essential first step in making sure they receive the services they need. According to the 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), anyone who is involved in commercial sex work as result of the use of force, fraud, or coercion is a victim of human trafficking. However, in the case of children under 18, the TVPA specifies that force, fraud, or coercion need not be present in order for the situation to be considered human trafficking. Here in Illinois, that definition of trafficking was reinforced by the 2010 Safe Children Act, which removed references to “juvenile prostitutes” from the Illinois Criminal Code and provided additional protections for child trafficking victims.

As an implementing partner for the Illinois Safe Children Act, IOFA is launching the ChildRight program to spread the word about this issue and to train service providers on how to identify and provide services to trafficking victims.

We hope that Sunday’s program will help draw attention to this issue. And we hope that you’ll support IOFA’s work to make sure that child trafficking victims get the support and services they need.

Improving the Wyden Bill – Proactive Protection of Vulnerable Youth

On March 16, Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) reintroduced an important bill that aims to provide resources to combat sex trafficking of minors. The Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking and Victims Support Act (S.596) would provide funding for law enforcement training and for services for victims. The proposed legislation is the 2011 version of a bill that passed both houses of Congress with strong bipartisan support in December 2010, but did not become law because it was not passed in time to reconcile differences in the House and Senate versions before the end of the 111th Congress.

The legislation, if passed, would support and reinforce IOFA’s work in several critical ways. As the actress Mira Sorvino pointed out in a speech that she gave in support of the bill,

(http://www.youtube.com/senronwyden#p/a/u/1/PUyPrDhSUzM)

it recognizes that minors involved in commercial sexual exploitation are, by definition, victims of trafficking, not criminals.

IOFA has taken a leadership role in the implementation of the Illinois Safe Children Act, which was signed into law in August 2010 and mirrors the proposed federal legislation in removing the criminal status of juvenile prostitution. As part of this effort, IOFA is advocating for the development of a coordinated service referral network that would link service providers and trafficking victims. IOFA also provides training to Illinois law enforcement on how to identify trafficking victims and handle cases of suspected trafficking. The legislation would tackle these issues on a national level by providing grants to fund similar efforts, as well as creating shelters for trafficking victims, at six sites across the country.

Despite these valuable provisions, however, more work is needed to draft policies that address the causes, not just the outcomes, of trafficking. In a statement introducing the bill, Sen. Wyden said of trafficking in the U.S.: “The reason that this crime has reached epidemic proportions is simple: the resources are not in place to help innocent victims escape from trafficking, nor to punish the violent, ruthless pimps who are trafficking them.” This assessment of the problem reflects the bill’s approach to trafficking, which is to focus on issues associated with existing trafficking cases. Service provision is of critical importance for current victims, but it does not prevent the creation of new victims. And while law enforcement training is essential, Wyden framed its primary purpose as enabling officers to work with victims to build strong criminal cases against traffickers. Wyden suggested that doing so would have a deterrent effect on traffickers who, he said, “have figured out that trafficking a person is a lot less risky, and just as profitable, as trafficking drugs.” The bill’s approach to the issue is thus to focus on existing instances of trafficking, rather than directly seeking to protect minors from becoming victims in the first place.

IOFA believes that it is necessary to go a step beyond this, taking a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to the problem of trafficking. We argue that trafficking can be effectively reduced by identifying youth who are vulnerable to exploitation and working to minimize those vulnerabilities. We’re in the midst of researching and writing a report, “The State of the World’s Vulnerable Youth,” that will have much more information on the factors that contribute to vulnerability as well as suggestions on possible policy responses that take a preventative approach to trafficking.

So if you’re interested in learning more about these issues, please check back in and read the report to be released in Summer 2011!

Charlotte Cahill

IOFA Resource Development & Policy Intern