What is Human Trafficking? – Huffington Post

Human Trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. Its the exploitation of people and involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.

Contrary to popular misconception, Human Trafficking exists in every country, including the United States. If you think its always about foreigners and poor people then its imperative for you acquaint yourself with the facts.

Victims can be any age, race, gender or nationality. They can also come from any socioeconomic group. Theyre not dirty or sex mad or stupid. Theyre victims of a wide network of underground criminals.

Courtesy of NCMEC

Its estimated that Human Trafficking generates many billions of dollars in profits per year; second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime.

Award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio (whom Ive previously written about in my article We Are All Jane Doe), is the producer and director of the film I Am Jane Doe. This documentary followed the heart breaking journey of several middle-school daughters, victims of Sex Trafficking on Backpage.com. Those harrowing experiences brought out the fighter in hershes not letting go of the bully pulpit any time soon.

When I first read about Jane Doe #1, #2, and #3 filing suit against Backpage in Boston, said Mazzio in a recent interview, I was struck but the fact that Child Sex Trafficking happens here within our own borders. And in high numbers that would make your head spin.

Traffickers look for people who are vulnerable, said Staca Shehan, Executive Director at National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC, a clearing house for missing & exploited children). This could mean economic hardship, psychological or emotional issues or even the desire for affection. The trauma that traffickers cause can be so great that, even in highly public settings, many do not self-identify themselves as victims or ask for help.

Courtesy of NCMEC

In 2016, NCMEC assisted law enforcement and families with more than 20,500 cases of missing children:

Of the more than 18,500 endangered runaways reported to NCMEC in 2016, one in six was likely a victim of child sex trafficking. Of those, 86 percent were in the care of social services when they went missing. Repeat: 86 percent.

Human Trafficking is nationwidein rural towns, cities and suburbs. It could even be happening in your own community: to young people you know or even members of your own family. And the law is not always on their side.

I was also struck by the fact that federal judges were excusing Backpage from all liability, said Mazzio. Even alleged criminal activity is shielded by an outdated internet freedom law, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, in a particularly stunning decision, told these Jane Doe children that even if Backpage participated in the federal crime of sex trafficking, the case had to be dismissed. It simply did not make any sense to me that it was legal to host ads for the sale of children here in the United States.

The media is so focused on Sex Trafficking as an international issue, said Emily Pasnak-Lapchick, Manager of the U.S. Fund for UNICEFs End Trafficking Project. People do not realize it happens in the USA and affects US citizens. They also dont realize boys are being affected. And the assistance for male victims of trafficking is negligible at best. The misconceptions around these issues are astonishing.

Other types of crimes related to Human Trafficking include Forced Labor and Slave Labor. The International Labor Organization estimates are frightening:

You can find victims of it in legitimate and illegitimate labor industries, restaurants, hotels, sweatshops, massage parlors, agriculture and domestic service.

You might ask why it is you arent seeing much of what goes on. Thats because Human Trafficking is usually a hidden crime, its victims afraid to come forward so as to find help. Theyre forced or coerced through threats or violence; they fear retribution or fear of the safety of their families. Many have lost control of their identification documents, or they may never have had any in the first place.

Dennis and Patrick Weinert, two young filmmakers from Germany, have been documenting Sex Trafficking in the east for a number of years. Under cover as potential clients, theyve covertly interviewed pimps and prostitutes. Although prostitution is prohibited in the United Arab Emirate, it seems that officials often look the other way when money is on the table.

We risk a lot, say the brothers, but we can always back out from any potential arrangements by saying the price is too high. And were always relieved when were out of those kinds of situations.

The Weinert Brothers have encountered many who are trapped into forced prostitution and labor traffickingthe latter often within construction environments. Once these victims become enslaved, their movement is often restricted because their personal documentation is being held by their employers; theyre forced into unsanitary and stressful living conditions and receive little to no healthcare or basic services. Most of them experience significant emotional, physical, sexual, and psychological violence.

NOTE: The video below is predominantly in German. However, you can turn on Closed Captions and use the auto-translate function in less than 10 seconds: click on SETTINGS; SUBTITLES; select GERMAN; click AUTO-TRANSLATE and select the language of choice.

In the United Arab Emirates, whenever the brothers asked about the chance to meet women, taxi drivers and former hotel staff members provided the same informationany five star hotel can provide for all of their needs; the police are no problem.

A quick look at customer reviews on Trip Advisor shows just how true that is: Hyatt Regency, St. George Hotel, Moscow Hotel, York International Hotelall have reviews from disgruntled guests who were not amused by the goings on. Not every prostitute there is a victim of human trafficking, the Weinert Brothers are quick to point out. But traffickers use these places as a platform. One former victim we spoke to was forced by her pimp to work at the Hyatt Regency, amongst other big hotels, some years ago and prostitution is still going on there.

Strangely, said the Weinert Brothers, Hyatt Regency UAE claims on its website that they are proactively combating human trafficking, allegedly having been certified by Polaris. Clearly, something is wrong.

Perhaps the worst part of this is when it happens to a minor. Some are forced or coerced; others are induced to perform commercial sex acts out of desperation. Regardless, under federal law, every minor induced to engage in commercial sex is a victim of human trafficking.

Exploitation is clearly at the heart of human trafficking. With respect to sex trafficking, exploitation implies forced prostitution or sexual abuses of vulnerable men, women, and children. According to the United States Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA):

According to the International Labor Organization (the United Nations agency that deals with global labor issues), the latest global estimate show that nearly 21 million people are victims of Human Trafficking worldwide. Roughly 4.5 million of those victims are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Lack of awareness is a huge problem, said Shehan. People do not fully understand victimization. They fail to separate adults from under-aged children. So many misconceptions exist.

Pasnak-Lapchick agrees. Awareness is low. We struggle with this underground industry for data, studies and estimates. Its so hard to inform and convince legislators without hard data. Its equally difficult to advocate for funding (lack of beds for kids is an example). Boys in particular face hardships.

And the lack of training for law enforcement is lamentable. Kids are being arrested as opposed to being saved because the police, teachers, social services, families and other officials dont know what signs to look for. The first step in identifying victims is recognizing key indicators of human trafficking. This can help save a life.

But lack of awareness appears not to be the only factor. The Weinert Brothers have discovered that given the right remuneration, officials in places like the United Arab Emirates will turn a blind eye to illegal activities.

Until such time as our government officials and organizations can work in a totally non-partisan manner, coming together with governments around the globe, progress will continue in baby steps.

Courtesy of UNICEF USA

I asked Mazzio, Shehan and Pasnak-Lapchick what the average person like you and I could do to move our leaders (both regional and national) to act. Here are some of their suggestions:

Excerpt from:
What is Human Trafficking? - Huffington Post