What Is Human Trafficking?

What Is Human Trafficking?
Kerri Hartsfield Created: 11/16/2009 11:04:26 PM Updated: 11/17/2009 12:04:04 AM

Guilford County -- The death of a 5-year-old North Carolina girl, who authorities say was sold for sex, is bringing attention to the troubling issue of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is considered a form of modern-day slavery, which involves force, fraud or coercion. An estimated 800,000 victims move across international borders each year, according to agencies that track human trafficking. They estimate more than 17,000 victims enter the United States annually.

"There are people out there that will sell their children--that will buy children for sexual purposes," explained Detective Tommy Sluder, who was recently named Guilford County Sheriff's Office's first human trafficking investigator. "It's so new to us, we just don't know how big the problem is."

Human trafficking victims can be found in the sex trade, hotels, restaurants and on farms, says Sluder. Although some victims come in contact with the general public, he says many are afraid to ask for help. "They've been told, 'You go to the police and we'll hurt your family,' or they fear they are going to get deported because they are here illegally."

"This is happening in our communities," explained Danielle Mithcell, who helps human trafficking victims through Triad Ladder of Hope. "Some of these girls have been forced to have sex with men up to 30 times a day."

Mitchell has documented human trafficking, and she says the United States is among the countries with the highest demand. Unless communities take a stand, she says crimes like what police say happened to Shaniya Davis will continue to occur. "The reason we have children for sale for sex in Greensboro is because we have people that are willing to buy them."

To report human trafficking, call 1-888-373-7888.

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So crazy....this is something that until pretty recently I would have never thought about this as being so prevalent in the U.S. I have come across a lot of cases lately though of such things as "babysitters" selling the kids they are supposed to be watching for as little as $100.00 Sickening.

abck2006, this is sickening.. HOW, WHY would a mother EVER consider this? NO REAL mother would do this!! So horrific! I only wish we could all adopt these innocent children before these horrible things happened to them

mommyof3kids wrote:abck2006, this is sickening.. HOW, WHY would a mother EVER consider this? NO REAL mother would do this!! So horrific! I only wish we could all adopt these innocent children before these horrible things happened to them

I have never been able to understand this kind of behavior. Although I've never personally witnessd anything THIS bad, I worked in a daycare for over 2 years while finishing up undergrad and saw quite a few cases of abuse and neglect. Human services has pretty much always just added to my anger and frustrations of such situations. As mandated reporters we would report cases to human services and they would never do anything until it was too late. GRAPHIC STORY BELOW.....


There was a little boy that lived in my area that human services had been contacted about numerous times. They never did anything until the little boy's mutilated body was found in a suitcase in his step-father's closet. Infuriating. And from everything I've heard about this case, they had investigated Shaniya's mother, noting multiple types of drugs in the house as well as noting how filthy the house was and all they ever said was that she appeared to be taken care of. :mad:

Sex abuse awareness, man charged in Shaniya Davis scam, plus the Shaniya Davis Memorial Trust Fund
November 19, 9:24 AM

The awareness surrounding Shaniya Davis' death has turned focus within America's sex abuse against children, including the fact that sex offenders could fly under the radar.

Mid-October in Winston Salem, one month before the disappearance of Shaniya Davis, James Columbus Morrison Jr., 36, was charged with murdering a 4-year-old young boy after he and his fiancee, Debra Lee Ann Matthews, 22, had taken a boy to the hospital over life-threatening injuries. The hospital contacted the police after certain red flags appeared over the injuries. The child's name and injuries were not released. Matthews has been charged with felony after the fact surrounding the death of the child.
Morrison is a sex offender who spent four and a half years in prison, according to the State Department of Records, stemming from 1999 charges of three-counts of second-degree sexual offense with a child, and two-counts of second-degree rape. Even though he was paroled in June, many still question why Morrison was not monitored more closely.

Donald Currin, 33, was arrested 18 times ever since he was 16-years-old. Currin was arrested again last week. Currin was driving along South Saunders Street in Raleigh when a woman came up to his car and asked for a ride. Currin took her to a construction site instead where the woman claimed she was raped at knife point. Currin is now facing life without the possibility of parole. One of the past arrests surfaced that Currin was charged with indecent liberties with a minor.

At the time of arrest Currin was serving 36 month probation period for kidnapping a 10-year-old child.
But what is the connection between Shaniya Davis' case, Morrison, Matthews, and Currin? A 5-year-old girl was a victim of a sex-slave operation that led to her death. One sex offender murdered a 4-year-old boy. And one criminal with a past record of indecent liberties with a minor and child kidnapping has raped again.

To keep the awareness surrounding sex offenders visit the National Sex Offenders Family Watchdog.
Sex abuse is a serious problem by which the death of Shaniya Davis turned focus towards. For awareness surrounding sex abuse visit the North American Freedom Foundation.
_______________
Shaniya Davis' death has taught many lessons. On a lighter scale, those who abuse the rights of others involving the death of the once missing North Carolina girl will find themselves in jail.

Donald Roddy Jr., 36, has been arrest on obtaining property by false intent. Mr. Roddy had been collecting donations surrounding 5-year-old Shaniya Davis' disappearance. How did he receive money? While vehicles would drive by they would see a sign of the collection for donations. They would stop and offer Roddy a donation in hopes that one day the money would go towards finding Shaniya Davis. But that was not the case. Police were tipped of his activity. Roddy's bail was set for $2,000.
Here's where you can donate.

Any Wachovia Bank will accept donations for the Shaniya Davis Memorial Trust Fund. After speaking with Wachovia Bank they stated that all you would have to do is make a deposit into the Shaniya Davis Memorial Trust Fund, a very easy process.

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Published Thu, Nov 19, 2009 02:00 AM
Modified Thu, Nov 19, 2009 06:57 AM
Slavery is with us in N.C.

BY BARRY SAUNDERS - Staff Writer
Tags: local | news

What's that y'all say? Three of the things that contribute to our self-image as a state - not to mention to our economy - also contribute to the prevalence of human trafficking cases, such as the one that allegedly led to the death of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis?

Representatives of organizations that study and aim to eradicate the modern-day slavery - and that's what it is - contend that wherever you have a bunch of military bases, commercial farms and highways, the likelihood increases that someone is being forced to have sex for money, clean house or work in a field against their will.

Sundy Goodnight, national campaign director of Stop Child Trafficking Now, said in a prepared statement that the discovery of Shaniya's body - in Lee County - "is a grim reminder that human slavery of children exists today right here in the U.S.


"We hope Shaniya's story will motivate us all toward awareness and prevention of child trafficking and propel efforts to put predators behind bars."

Rachel Braver, a representative for Legal Aid of North Carolina also said those factors - plus the tourism industry - "make North Carolina a prime destination" for human trafficking.

When I reached her by phone, Goodnight said, "Our research has shown that child trafficking increases when you have military bases and a strong agricultural presence in the area." That's why, this year, before Shaniya's disappearance and the discovery of her body made "human trafficking" a hot topic, Stop Child Trafficking Now - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] .org - had led marches to raise money and call attention to what FBI agent Scott Cheney said is "an extremely common situation" in our state.

But before you deluge itsoffices with letters and nasty calls accusing them of denigrating our soldiers and farmworkers, calm down, folks. Neither said that our beloved soldiers - no, that's not sarcasm - are predisposed to having sex with underage girls.

"When you have military bases, you're going to have prostitutes," Goodnight said. "We believe that a majority of the prostitutes are funneled by trafficking, and many of the girls are underage."

Cheney, supervisory special agent of the FBI's Charlotte office, said not all of the people who are trafficked are sold for sexual exploitation. Many people are exploited, he said, for domestic service and migrant work.

"We don't track what percentage involve children," Cheney said.

FBI statistics estimate that 20,000 people are trafficked in America each year, and Cheney said "it's certainly true that the amount of farmworkers" and highways here contribute to the fact that 25 percent of the victims end up in the Southeast.

Not all, perhaps not even most, of those cases involve children, Cheney said.

When they do, though, it just breaks your heart. Like now.

If you suspect someone is the victim of human trafficking, call local law enforcement or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888-373-7888.

One Child of How Many? Human Trafficking in the U.S.
posted by: Liz ODonnell 14 hours ago

Hello, I saw this on Care2 and thought you'd like it as well. Care2 is the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world.
Care2.com

Heartbreaking news out of North Carolina this week. After a week-long search, Shaniya Davis, a five year old girl, was found murdered and left lying on the side of the road. She had been taken from her home and authorities say she was raped. Mario McNeill is charged with both first degree murder and first degree rape. Perhaps most shocking of all, the girl's mother, Antoinette Davis, who first reported the child missing, has been charged not only with filing a false police report, but with trafficking her daughter and child abuse involving prostitution.

For many Americans, human trafficking seems like a foreign, remote problem, hard to fully comprehend. But the fact is, buying and selling of humans is very real. Worldwide, the International Labor Organization, estimates there are about 2.5 million people forced to work in human trafficking at any one time and that 56 percent of forced labor victims are women and girls. According to HumanTrafficking.org, the United States is primarily a transit and destination country. The organization estimates 14,500 to 17,500 people, primarily women and children, are trafficked to the U.S. annually.

However, trafficking happens within our national boundaries too. The Polaris Project, an anti-trafficking organization in the United States and Japan, says there is a large "domestic" component of human trafficking in the United States for the purposes of both sexual and labor exploitation. The Polaris Project also projects the average age at which most children are first exploited is 13.

Some recent high profile projects are shedding light on this issue. A new film, "Fatal Promises," tells the story of victims and an art installation backed by actress Emma Thompson and called "The Journey" gives an in-depth look of a woman's journey in the sex industry. But all the activism and awareness can't help us comprehend how a mother could allegedly sell her own child. Even so, there are ways to help.

To help stop human trafficking in the United States and to learn the signs by which to identify victims, sign this Care2 petition.

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December 26, 2009
A cause worth fighting for
By Jamie Freeze

As you celebrated the Christmas season with your family, I'm sure you reflected on the importance of family and friends. Perhaps you watched anxiously as your children opened gifts, and you were thrilled by their cries of excitement and joy. Perhaps as you gathered with family and friends around a holiday meal, you were thankful for a roof over your head, food on the table, and the clothes on your back. Perhaps you took a moment to pray for our troops who were separated from their families this Christmas. Perhaps you reflected on how much your freedom means to you. However, as you enjoyed time with your family and friends in the Land of the Free, men, women, boys and girls around the world were enslaved. And those already enslaved were being used. Unfortunately, human trafficking never takes a holiday.

According to the International Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by the threat or use of kidnapping, force, fraud, deception or coercion, or by the giving or receiving of unlawful payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, and for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor.

A recent study indicated that 225,000 Haitian children are used as domestic slaves in Haiti. Typically, these children are "sold" by their own parents out of poverty's desperation. Of the children, two-thirds are girls. Since unemployment has reached 70% in Haiti and people live on less than $2 a day, human trafficking and organized crime have become a large problem. Human trafficking is also a problem in Palestine where women are forced into prostitution and are often cruelly beaten. Tales of horror are beginning to emerge from the war-torn region, yet the trafficking continues. Earlier this month, 107 people were rescued in Mexico City after being used as slave laborers. Of the victims, ages 14-70, some had been tortured and sexually abused. According to officials, the victims were forced to work sixteen hour days with only a thirty minute break in which to eat (this means no bathroom breaks). This was not an isolated incident. A recent study found that 10,000 people are trafficked annually in Mexico. Slave labor is rampant in underdeveloped countries. Last year, Brazil freed 4,634 victims who used in slave labor. People in Pakistan are also falling victim to slavery due to the desperation of poverty.

Many people think human trafficking is an anomaly or just something that occurs in developing countries. However, each year, 17,500 (60,000 by other estimates) individuals are brought to the United States and held against their will. Many of these victims are sexually abused and exploited. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that between 100,000-300,000 American are victims of sexual trafficking annually. The victims of trafficking are typically the poorest and most vulnerable in society: children, women, migrants, runaways, and the poor.

In 2000, it became a federal crime in the United States to engage in human trafficking, yet as we see, human trafficking is still a huge problem — even internationally. But what can we do? First of all, don't fall into the trap of thinking it only occurs in other countries. Clearly, human trafficking is a serious problem in the United States. Don't let human trafficking become an "out of sight, out of mind" issue. Second, we need to advocate for the victims of human trafficking, especially those who are victims of sex trafficking. Currently, our laws say that children cannot consent to sex, yet they can often be charged for selling sex. This must change. Police often misidentify human trafficking and call it prostitution, truancy or curfew violations. Victims (even adult victims) of human trafficking should not be penalized for being victims. They only people who should be treated as criminals are the buyers and sellers of human beings. It is to our shame that we allow the victims of trafficking to be treated as criminals in our court system, when they were never the criminals.

If you still want to reject that human trafficking is a real threat, consider the following case. Back in early November, a beautiful five-year-old girl was raped, murdered, and dumped on the roadside in Fayetteville, NC. Her mother was charged with human trafficking after allegedly prostituting her little girl. Little Shaniya Davis lived a short life filled with unspeakable horror and pain. Hopefully, justice will be served on her mother and her murderer, but that justice cannot bring back Shaniya. A little life snuffed out because of the evils of human trafficking. We can sit back and act like this kind of stuff doesn't happen. Or, we can let the horror and disgust motivate us to advocate for the victims of human trafficking. Perhaps you can make the difference in a man, woman, boy or girl's life. Perhaps you are their last hope. Don't let this issue fall to the wayside like other New Year's Resolutions; make a thoughtful effort to combat human trafficking. Write to your legislators. Write letters to the editor. Volunteer at crisis centers. Donate items to rescue groups. Go to law enforcement agencies and advocate for these victims. After all, nothing is more sacred than human life and dignity — be it life at home or abroad.

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Human trafficking cases on the rise
January 6, 10:34 AM

According to the U.S. Department of State, figures show an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 men, women and children are victims of human trafficking every year. These figures represent the number of people that are taken across international borders and sold into sex and slavery. Of these figures, approximately 70 percent are female and 50 percent are children. The amount of individuals that this involves is simply staggering and emphasis the global crisis.

A movie entitled "Human Trafficking" broadcast in 2005 and starring Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland showed an accurate portrayal of human trafficking. The film depicted the lives of innocent people kidnapped and sold into the sex trade and the battle of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement division to save the victims. In a recent case in Fayetteville, North Carolina, 5-year-old Shaniya Davis was allegedly sold by her mother to a man and later found murdered.

In order to bring awareness to the crimes being committed against these men, women and children, the month of January has been formally recognized by the President as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. There are different campaigns going on worldwide to help others recognize what a huge problem this and possibly prevent this from happening to a loved one. For more information on how you can help, go to Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships, Inc.

Posted: Jan 11, 2010 5:22 PM CST Updated: Jan 11, 2010 5:27 PM CST

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - Human trafficking in North Alabama is not as far fetched as you might think, according to one local activist.

Pat McKay organized Madison County's first-ever Human Trafficking Awareness Day and she has the support of several Madison County leaders.

McKay hoped to further spread the word on this issue at an event held Monday evening at Trinity United Methodist Church in Huntsville.

Human trafficking is usually a crime associated with war and poverty in Third World countries. But McKay said the selling and kidnapping of people into sexual slavery is happening right here in North Alabama.

"It's an ever growing problem in the international scene," she said. "But unfortunately, it's becoming more of an issue here locally."

In December of 2009, 30-year-old Manuel Enrique Zelaya of Florence was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges involving a 15-year-old girl.

"When it becomes that close, it becomes personal," McKay said.

The issue made national headlines in November following the rape and murder of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis, a North Carolina girl whose mother is now charged with human trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution.

Mckay said traffickers will often prey on the vulnerable.

"Unfortunately, it's children and women, as it is in a lot of other crimes," she said.

She's gotten Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle to sign a proclamation declaring January 11th Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Madison County.

"I wanted to make sure that my neighbors were informed and that's my mission today," McKay said.

Leaders from Huntsville, Madison, Madison County, and Redstone Arsenal attended the awareness event.

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Human trafficking exists ‘right here, right now’

By Meena Ramakrishnan

Fri Jan 15, 2010

Allston-Brighton -

Nuns told stories of young girls torn from their families and sold into prostitution to more than 60 people gathered for a vigil outside the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse on Sunday.

The vigil was held in recognition of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

Temperatures were below freezing outside, but members of the public joined the vigil, and drivers passing by honked in support.

“We really didn’t know how many would be here,” said Sister Betsey Goodwin.

This marks the first vigil the sisters have held for human trafficking victims. It came a day before the third National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

Nuns from 16 congregations held signs that said “Stop Modern-Day Slavery” and “Human Trafficking Happens in Our Own Backyard.”

According to the press release, “While many call [human trafficking] a hidden crime, it exists right here, right now in the Boston area.”

Sister Marilyn McGoldrick read accounts of women forced into prostitution in the Boston area at the vigil, along with prayers for the victims.

“Systems of justice don’t exist in my town. People disappear. Rape is all too common,” McGoldrick said, reading an account of a young woman was a victim of human trafficking. “I also prostituted to get money. Young girls like me dream of making the trip to the U.S.”

The account was from an 11-year-old Guatemalan girl.

Another instance of human trafficking in the Boston area was at a Framingham nail salon where the owner kept young women used for sex, as described by State Regent Linda Coletti from the Catholic Daughters of America.

Places such as nail salons and massage parlors are known for holding trafficked victims, said Sister Carole Lombard: “They’re fronts for prostitution, for organized crime.”

Many of the victims are immigrants, Lombard said, but some are trafficked within the country, including children picked up at malls or train stations. While many human trafficking cases go unreported, Sister Peggy Cummins said it is estimated that there are around 17,500 victims in the U.S.

Along with the vigil, the sisters have held two symposiums in honor of human trafficking victims. They continue to work with local organizations such as the Anti-Trafficking Coalition of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and Kim’s Project, an organization that helps victims of violence and prostitution.

For their efforts, Pope Benedict XVI congratulated the “women religious” last year for their commitment to raising awareness and educating the public about human trafficking.

“We believe that raising awareness is an action,” said Sister Joanne Gallagher, CSJ.

Gallagher said organizations all over the country, such as congregations in San Diego and Toledo, Ohio, also hosted gatherings for National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.


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Child rescue bid raises tough questions in Haiti

By PAISLEY DODDS and FRANK BAJAK, Associated Press Writers Paisley Dodds And Frank Bajak, Associated Press Writers – 2 hrs 10 mins ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The arrest of 10 Americans for trying to take children out of Haiti has raised an uncomfortable question in this brutally poor and earthquake-devastated country: could some children be better off abroad under the grim circumstances?

The Baptists from Idaho were waiting Monday to hear if they will be tried on child trafficking charges for attempting to take 33 Haitian children to the Dominican Republic without official authorization.

Child welfare groups expressed outrage over Friday's attempt, saying some of the children had parents who survived the Jan. 12 earthquake. Prime Minister Max Bellerive denounced the group's "illegal trafficking of children" in a country long afflicted by the scourge and by foreign meddling.

But the reality is that some struggling Haitian parents see adoption as a last-ditch hope for their children.

"My parents died in the earthquake. My husband has gone. Giving up one of my kids would at least give them a chance," Saintanne Petit-Frere, 40, a mother of six living outside in a tent camp near the airport said Sunday. "My only fear is that they would forget me, but that wouldn't affect my decision."

The Baptists' "Haitian Orphan Rescue Mission" was described as an effort to save abandoned, traumatized children. Their plan was to scoop up 100 kids and take them by bus to a 45-room hotel at Cabarete, a beach resort in the Dominican Republic. The 33 kids ranged in age from 2 months to 12 years.

They were stopped at the border for not having proper paperwork and taken back to Port-au-Prince, where the children were taken to a temporary children's home.

Haiti's justice secretary, Amarick Louis, told The Associated Press that a commission would meet Monday to determine if the group would go before a judge. The group was being held at a building where government ministers are giving regular briefings — a maze of dingy concrete rooms but not traditional cells. Their living conditions were unclear.

Foreigners adopting children from the developing world have grabbed headlines recently — Madonna tried to adopt a girl from Malawi amid criticism from locals, while Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have a burgeoning multicultural brood.

But in Haiti, a long tradition of foreign military intervention coupled with the earthquake that destroyed much of the capital and plunged it even deeper into poverty, have made this issue even more emotionally charged.

"Some parents I know have already given their children to foreigners," said Adonis Helman, 44. "I've been thinking how I will choose which one I may give."

Haiti's overwhelmed government has halted all adoptions unless they were in motion before the earthquake amid fears that parentless or lost children are more vulnerable than ever to being seized and sold. Sex trafficking has been rampant in Haiti.

Without proper documents and concerted efforts to track down their parents, children could be forever separated from family members able and willing to care for them. Bellerive's personal authorization is now required for the departure of any child.

"For UNICEF, what is important is that for children separated from their parents, we do everything possible to have their families traced and to reunite them," said Kent Page, a spokesman for the group in Haiti. "They have to be protected from traffickers or people who wish to exploit these children."

He said it was possible the Americans arrested may have had "good intentions but misguided execution."

The Idaho church group's spokeswoman, Laura Silsby, told the AP from detention that the group was "just trying to do the right thing" amid the chaos. She conceded she had not obtained the proper Haitian documents for the children.

The children were taken to an orphanage run by Austrian-based SOS Children's Villages, where spokesman George Willeit said they arrived "very hungry, very thirsty." A 2- to 3-month-old baby was dehydrated and had to be hospitalized, he said. Workers were searching for their families or close relatives.

"One (8-year-old) girl was crying, and saying, 'I am not an orphan. I still have my parents.' And she thought she was going on a summer camp or a boarding school or something like that," Willeit said.

As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is in a difficult spot — it needs aid, but deeply resents foreign meddling. Many have mixed feelings toward Christian groups that funnel hundreds of millions into missions in Haiti.

Christian missionaries alone run or support an estimated 2,000 primary schools attended by some 600,000 students — a third of Haiti's school-aged population, according to government figures. Church groups also run vital hospitals, orphanages and food-distribution sites.

"There are many who come here with religious ideas that belong more in the time of the inquisition," said Max Beauvoir, head of Haiti's Voodoo Priest's Association, which represents thousands of priests and priestesses. "These types of people believe they need to save our souls and our bodies from ourselves. We need compassion, not proselytizing now, and we need aid — not just aid going to people of the Christian faith."

Two-thirds of Haiti's 9 million are said to practice Voodoo, a melange of beliefs combining animism from west Africa and Catholicism.

Many religious groups run legitimate adoption agencies and orphanages in Haiti.

The arrested Americans include members of the Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian, Idaho, and the East Side Baptist Church in Twin Falls, Idaho. They are part of the Southern Baptist Convention, which is America's largest Protestant denomination and has extensive humanitarian programs worldwide.

The Idaho churches had elaborate plans before the earthquake to shelter up to 200 Haitian and Dominican boys and girls in the Magante beach resort, complete with a school and chapel as well as villas and a seaside cafe catering to adoptive U.S. parents.

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The question here: Is this truly child trafficking or is this religious group merely trying to assist in placing orphaned children? And if so, why are these American's from Idaho sending the kids to the Dominican Republic? Also, why would an 8 year old be crying saying her parents are alive..yet they are trying to take her??

If it turns out this was all above-board I will move it.

I heard on the radio this morning, (can't find it in print), that the flyers/papers this group was handing out promised a better life for their kids with swimming pools and tennis courts. Hmmm???? Who's to say these kids will be better here anyway, maybe one of them could be the one to make a difference in their own country.

The country obviously needs help, especially the children, but I think we need to help under their terms. One suggestion being raised here in Louisiana is, should we and can we send the not used katrina FEMA trailers to Haiti. I can see both sides of the argument, but have not heard from Haiti and what they want. I hear they are now living under sheets, so it seems a trailer would be much desired, but i don't know, maybe they would prefer higher thread count sheets. Not being flip, just saying I don't think we should be so sure as to think our way of life and the things we have are superior and desired by everyone. Everything is not as black and white clear as many seem to think and want it to be, jmo.

By Joseph Guyler Delva Joseph Guyler Delva – Tue Feb 2, 9:54 pm ET

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Five of the 10 American Baptist missionaries accused of illegally trying to take children out of earthquake-shattered Haiti left their jail cells temporarily to plead their case to a judge on Tuesday.

The missionaries were arrested on Friday trying to cross into the Dominican Republic from Haiti with a busload of 33 children they said were orphaned by the January 12 quake. They denied charges they were engaged in child trafficking, insisting they were trying to help vulnerable orphans.

Haitian police have said some of the children have living parents.

The case could be diplomatically sensitive at a time when the United States is spearheading a huge relief effort to help hundreds of thousands of Haitian quake victims, and as U.S. aid groups pour millions of dollars of donations into Haiti.

The five missionaries were questioned behind closed doors at Haiti's judicial police headquarters in Port-au-Prince, where they are being held behind bars.

They were escorted from their cells by uniformed Haitian National Police officers to a separate room where the judge awaited along with a clerk and a translator.

"I heard five of them. Then I will hear the other five tomorrow," Judge Ezaie Pierre-Louis said. "After the hearing tomorrow, I will make a report to the prosecutor, then he will decide what he does next."

Communications Minister Marie-Laurence Lassegue said the missionaries did not have lawyers present.

One of the missionaries, a woman, was returned to the police building on Tuesday after being treated at a hospital for hypertension.

Before the hearing, prosecutor Mazarre Fortil said authorities were in the preliminary stages of the investigation. "I am here to hear the Americans, to know more about the case, about what were their intentions," he said.

"We are looking deeper into what happened to determine the next steps."

SOME PARENTS GAVE UP CHILDREN

Haitian authorities have repeatedly expressed concerns that child traffickers could prey on children in the chaos that followed the earthquake that killed up to 200,000 people.

Government officials said the detained Americans had no paperwork proving the children were orphans or giving them permission to take them out of the country.

Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive called the arrested Americans "kidnappers" but later acknowledged the possibility they were misguided and acted in good faith.

Interviewed on CNN's "Larry King Live," Samantha Lankford, the daughter and sister of two detained Americans, said, "I know their heart was to help these people and it very much hurts me that they are being accused of this."

Lisa Allen, whose husband is among the detained, said: "I think it's a big misunderstanding that's kind of been blown out of proportion. Their intentions were to go there and help the kids that were in need."

Haitian police say the parents of several minors intercepted with the Americans have said they agreed to give up their children in the hope they would receive an education and a better life.

"I put them on the bus with my own hands," Lely Laurentus told CNN, describing how he handed over two young daughters to the missionary group. CNN said 21 of the 33 children came from families in a small mountain village outside Port-au-Prince.

U.N. human rights experts warned on Tuesday that children were at increased risk of being abducted, enslaved, sold or trafficked due to increased insecurity in quake-hit Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas.

In Geneva on Tuesday, the top U.N. relief official said the aid operation in Haiti had been complicated and slow, but was making significant progress, especially in getting food to survivors.

Finding shelter for the 1 million homeless was now the main priority, said John Holmes. He added the situation in badly damaged Port-au-Prince was mostly calm, apart from "isolated incidents of looting or attacks on convoys of food."

"This is a potentially volatile environment and we have to make sure it doesn't degenerate from fights over food into more serious civil unrest," he said.

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ATEST Launches Human Trafficking PSA Campaign in Times Square

Vital Voices proudly joins 10 human rights organizations as a member of the Aliance to End Slavery & Trafficking (ATEST). On February 11, ATEST launched a month-long public awareness raising campaign in New York City's Times Square, which will feature two 15-second public service announcements.

Coalition of Eleven Human Rights Organization
Launch Human Trafficking PSA Campaign in Times Square.

Washington, D.C. February 11, 2011— The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST)—a coalition of 11 leading U.S. human rights and anti-slavery organizations—announced today the launch of a public campaign to raise the profile of the issue.
Often hidden or in plain sight, human trafficking is one of the world’s fastest-growing criminal industries. Tens of millions of people are enslaved around the world in debt bondage, forced labor, child labor, sex trafficking, and other modern manifestations of this ancient scourge.
The campaign will begin with public service announcements airing in New York.The 15-second spots will appear today through April 12 on the CBS Super Screen at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue.





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Ending Demand: Sex Trafficking in New York
posted by: Lindsay Spangler
Written by Sarah Schwartz, a Women's Media Center blogger

"If men didn't buy sex, there would be no sex trafficking."

Tuesday night, the WMC attended a panel discussion about sex trafficking in New York. Hosted by Sanctuary for Families (SFFNY), the event kicked off the End Demand NYC campaign and featured Rachel Lloyd from GEMS, Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times and many other prominent advocates.

An estimated 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year, but how many here in the US? Just in New York City, GEMS supported over 300 domestically trafficked girls in the last year. In fact, New York is a central artery of the multi-billion dollar global sex trafficking industry. This may come as a surprise to many, since human trafficking is typically portrayed as something that happens elsewhere, in less developed countries, but not here in our own backyard.

Whether in Times Square or Cambodia, Kristof spoke about how the hurdles are similar. Victims remain largely invisible and without the political capital to help themselves. And using the word "victim" might have greater repercussions. How do we distinguish between a "survivor" and a "victim" of trafficking? Rachel Lloyd talked about how there is, in fact, no difference, and in order to change the existing paradigm, we must stop talking about "real" victims or "good" victims, because there is no one face of trafficking.

So how do we change the conversation, and shift the paradigm to create a society that doesn't permit these abuses to continue?

We live in a culture that glamorizes prostitution and pimps, said Dorchen Leidholdt, of SFFNY. New York passed groundbreaking anti-trafficking legislation in 2007, but it hasn't had the large-scale effect that many hoped for. Indeed, the bill was signed into law under Gov. Eliot Spitzer, once a prominent advocate against sex trafficking and later felled for buying sex. He never served time.

Such as in that case, there are often white, middle-class women who come forward to talk about how they did, in fact, have a choice going into the sex industry. These are the exceptions though, said Rachel Lloyd. She asserted that until there's "a level playing field," and women from all races, socio-economic backgrounds and legal status begin with the same opportunities, we really can't talk about "choice" in sex trafficking.

What we can focus on is the demand. Without a demand for sex, after all, there would be no trafficking. How do we begin to shift that paradigm, end demand, and encourage a culture that places greater value on women and girls' bodies?

At the WMC we can start with the media. PWV Alumna and Change.org Director of Women's Rights Shelby Knox is taking on The New York Times with this petition campaign. Visit SFFNY's End Demand campaign to find out more about how you get involved.

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With the leading support of Europol, police have arrested 184 suspected child sex offenders and identified over 200 victims of child abuse following one of the biggest investigations of its kind by law enforcement agencies across the world.

With investigations still continuing, 670 suspects have been identified across the world already, 184 arrests made and 230 children safeguarded. The number of victims safeguarded is the highest ever achieved from this type of investigation, and is set to rise even further in the coming weeks.

These spectacular operational results were the work of effective police cooperation across many countries. Instrumental to the success was the unique role played by Europol in identifying the members of the child sex abuse network and facilitating operational action by police authorities in multiple jurisdictions. In particular it was the work of Europol analysts in cracking the security features of a key computer server at the centre of the network which uncovered the identity and activity of the suspected child sex offenders. Europol subsequently issued over 4000 intelligence reports to police authorities in over 30 countries in Europe and elsewhere, which has led to the arrests of suspects and the safeguarding of children. These reports also identified links between this network and those featured in multiple other investigations.

"I am proud of the exceptional work of our experts in helping police authorities around the world to record these groundbreaking results. The safeguarding of so many vulnerable children is particularly rewarding and demonstrates the commitment of our agency to make Europe a safer place for its citizens. I also pay tribute to the relevant authorities in Europe and elsewhere for their operational work in tracking down the suspected criminals and their victims," says Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol.

Known as Operation Rescue, this complex case has run for three years, with Europol supporting and coordinating investigations for the last 1.5 years. Law enforcement authorities have been brought together from 13 countries to track offenders on a truly global scale. Countries involved: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Greece, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States. Some other countries, although not listed, still have investigations ongoing in which suspects have been identified.

The suspected child sex offenders were members of an online forum – boylover.net – that promoted sexual relationships between adults and young boys. The website operated from a server based in the Netherlands and, at its height, boasted up to 70 000 members worldwide.

The website has now been taken down. It attempted to operate as a ‘discussion–only’ forum where people could share their sexual interest in young boys without committing any specific offences, thus operating ‘below the radar’ of police attention. Having made contact on the site, some members would move to more private channels, such as email, to exchange and share illegal images and films of children being abused. Computers seized from those arrested have harvested huge quantities of child abuse images and videos.

At the start of the investigation, UK and Australian covert police internet teams infiltrated the boylover.net site to quickly identify those members who were assessed as posing the highest risk to children. They also tracked the migration of offenders to other sites where further investigations and risk assessments continued.

In 2009, the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre located the owner of the website and traced the server to Holland, involving the Zaanstreek–Waterland Police in the Netherlands and also bringing Europol into the investigation.

Between June 2008 and June 2009, Canadian, Italian, New Zealand and US law enforcement authorities all joined the investigation, as the scale of the international network became clear and suspects were identified in their jurisdictions.

In January 2010, a copy of the seized site's server was received by Europol, and the Australian and UK police. Working with Zaanstreek–Waterland Police in the Netherlands, Europol rebuilt the forum offline and forensically interrogated the server to produce intelligence analysis which was disseminated globally to law enforcement authorities. So far, Europol has distributed 4202 operational intelligence reports to 25 EU Member States and 8 other countries.

Having identified at least 670 suspected offenders, international law enforcement authorities continue to work with forces which are actively pursuing the intelligence arising from Operation Rescue. This has led to the arrest of a number of individuals suspected of serious offences against children, who are now awaiting trial.

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A reality show is coming to the tube. It will follow a brothel.

more promotion for underage girls.

A Must-See Documentary!

'Fatal Promises' is a feature length documentary that provides an unprecedented in-depth look into Human Trafficking.

Every year about 800,000 human beings are trafficked across international borders. It is the most horrendous crime in modern times and a multibillion-dollar global criminal enterprise.

Human Trafficking is slavery, no less. Victims are lured by the fatal promises of work and money but experience violence, coercion, abduction, abuse, rape and murder. How can modern societies and highly developed countries like western Europe or the USA tolerate that human beings are being treated like commodities - bought, sold, re-sold and finally discarded?

Fatal Promises purpose is to give the victims a voice in contrast to the chatter of politicians and pundits who claim to be making significant strides in combating this horrific crime against humanity. It also gives the NGOs and activists a voice in their battle to stop the trade in human beings.

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by Ellen B.
October 5, 2011
11:30 pm

This guest blog is from Kevin Ryan, President of Covenant House. One of the largest privately-funded childcare agencies in the U.S., Covenant House provides services to homeless and runaway youth. Want to make a difference in the life of homeless kid? “Like” Covenant House below and help raise public awareness about the very serious problems facing young people in America.

As President of Covenant House, I know all too well the dark realities of the human trafficking industry. Many young victims find their way to Covenant House after they escape capture, have been freed by police raids or have made contact with Covenant House outreach staff who comb the streets day and night looking for kids in danger.

If you want to truly understand the horrors that young trafficking victims must endure, please visit our Abolish Child Trafficking microsite to read their stories.
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Their words — along with three compelling articles that recently appeared in the New York Times — remind me of the importance of working together as we fight for the lives of homeless kids with no voice of their own.

One of these articles was a heart tugging account of a young woman sold into prostitution from the age of 13 who is seeking to have her criminal record of past prostitution offenses vacated so she can move forward with her life.

Another was a horrifying account of a still at-large serial killer preying on prostituted women. And the third was a welcomed statement that New York State’s Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman is calling for a new approach to juvenile justice that would transfer jurisdiction for 16 and 17 year olds accused of less serious crimes from the state’s criminal courts to family court where rehabilitation takes priority over retribution.

The first article’s relationship to human trafficking is obvious. A child of thirteen being bought and sold to the highest bidder is sickening. A 13 year old simply cannot consent to sexual activity. Federal law therefore makes it perfectly clear that there is no such thing as a child prostitute, but rather there are far too many sexually exploited children used for the commercial gain of others. States have been too slow to follow suit. The fact that this young woman, now 22 and trying to rebuild her life, must answer yes to questions on job applications about whether she has ever been a convicted of a crime is absurd. Thanks to a 2010 New York state law allowing the prostitution convictions of trafficking victims to be overturned, this injustice may finally be corrected.

The article about the serial killer reminds us about the terrible violence that exploited women endure in daily life. These victims are real life people with loved ones, who faced not only a brutal death but most likely lives of violence. And although the victims of this killer may have been adults at the time of their death, the odds are high that they were once sexually exploited children.

Fortunately the third article, discussing a move from adult criminal court to family court for 16- and 17-year-old offenders was filled with logic and common sense. This is good news for many of the young people we see at Covenant House whose lives have been filled with adversity and abuse which can lead to the making of wrong choices. Let’s give young adults the rehabilitative services they need instead of saddling them with criminal records that will make it even harder to choose a new path.

Although this will be a positive change for all of the young people we see at Covenant House, it is especially welcome for all victims of commercial sexual exploitation. I have been somewhat frustrated that New York’s Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Youth Act, which was designed to treat minor victims of commercial sexual exploitation as victims instead of criminals, does not truly help 16 and 17 year olds. Although the law was written with the intent to help commercially sexually exploited children under age 18, the law’s mechanism converts juvenile delinquency petitions to Persons In Need of Supervision petitions, a less punitive and more rehabilitative form of petition. Yet because children must be under age 16 to have a juvenile delinquency petition in family court in the first place, the law has little impact on 17 and 18 year olds.

At what age does a child who was commercially sexually exploited at 13 turn into a criminal or prostitute, simply by the passage of time? The trafficked young people we see at Covenant House may be as old as 21, but to me they are no more culpable than the exploited children they once were. The only thing they are guilty of is that no one offered them the help they needed before the clock ran out and they hit the age majority. All commercially exploited young people should be treated as victims instead of criminals regardless of the number of candles on their birthday cake. I will welcome the chance to see New York’s courts treat 16 and 17 year olds as the children they are — and have the right to be.

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