Global human trafficking roundup (May 20, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Kentucky: Two parents were indicted on human trafficking charges for selling their daughters' sexual flavors. They arranged their 13 and 14 year old daughters to provide companionship and affection to men for money and goods, according to the indictment. Their mother recruited men at local grocery stores and encouraged them to touch and kiss her daughters to receive money and clothing from the men.

Hawaii: Labor company was fined $340,000 for exploiting more than 400 Thai farm workers. The court ordered the company to pay $153,000 in back wages to 88 temporary workers and $197,000 for penalties. The back wages were calculated based on what was originally promised to the Thai workers.

Nevada: Governor signed a bill to assist women forced into prostitution in Las Vegas. The Assembly bill 6 would allow women forced into prostitution or trafficked to request a district court to erase her conviction.

Georgia: A man gets 12 years in prison for sex trafficking women. When the then 21 year old victim had escaped from the man, he tracked her down and brought her back to his motel. He ordered other streetwalkers to beat her up. Then, he locked her up in a dog kennel.

EUROPE

UK: A woman forced to work as a domestic servant was awarded £5,000 damages after the judge criticized the Metro police for failing to promptly investigate the case. The victim was regularly stripped and beaten with a stick or belt by the church pastor in front of her three children. In 1999 the pastor also stabbed the victim in her head with a heavy meat cleaver. The pastor was sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison after being convicted of trafficking the woman and two other children to UK as domestic slaves.

ASIA

India: Police found a 21 year old woman who was victimized by a trafficking ring. According to the victim, she was sent to Dubai with a promise of a good job but ended up being forced into performing a dance at a bar. She also stayed at a hotel with 20 other girls in the similar situation. When she tried to committed a suicide to escape an enslaved lifestyle, Her trafficker sent her back to India. She was weeping at the Delhi airport, when police found her.

Taiwan: Two teenage boys are arrested for pimping on dozens of girls. The girls as young as twelve years old were recruited through internet for prostitution, working at tea house, and hotels in the capital city. Police said that the teenage boys are the youngest pimps ever.

AFRICA

Senegal: ILO and other international organizations report that Talibes, students of Islam, are forced into begging on the students. They estimate that over 7000 boys are working on the street in the capital city alone. And Human Rights Watch estimates that 50,000 children are exploited nationwide. Children are initially recruited to learn how to read and recite Quran by the religious teachers but ended up living under a poor condition and being forced to beg on the street.

Global human trafficking roundup (May 19, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Nebraska: U.S. authority says that corporation needs to wake up to fight against human trafficking. Currently, awareness raising led to legislations in many states to punish traffickers and protect victims. But, authority says that further action is necessary to include corporation to collaborate with countries across the regions to trace supply chains of cheap goods to fight against slavery.

Tennessee: The recent study on human trafficking in Tennessee shows that many children in the age between nine and 17 are transferred from city to city and sexually exploited. Hamilton County, according to the study, is one of eight in the state to report more than 100 cases of adult sex trafficking for the past 24 months. Because of it's geographical proximity to Atlanta and interstates that cross the state, it is conducive to a traveling business.

Canada: RCMP says that the case against a woman to enslaved an African woman is solid. According to RCMP, the woman is a well respected in the community without any criminal record. However, he lured a 24 year old victim from Africa and forced her into long hours of labor without pay in her home for years. The woman is now facing one count of human trafficking and one count of smuggling charges.

Florida: FBI arrested a couple who forced children into prostitution. They are facing charges of recruiting, providing and maintaining minors for commercial sex in a house. According to the criminal complaint, the couple prostituted children as young as 14 year old to have sex with men. One victim said that there were many women and children dancing in front of men when she first walked into the house. She also said that she had sex with the suspect who told her ti was part of orientation.

EUROPE

Belgium: EU proposes better help for victim protection. Currently, the level of protection and assistances for victims differ in each member state. EU argues that this creates confusion about their rights among the victims. EU further argues that a new directive will provide a more unified protection for the victims regardless of where they are from or where they are located in Europe.

ASIA

India: Police busted a human trafficking ring and arrested two people. During the raid, police rescued nine children who were trafficked. The children, including three boys and three little children, were sold to Delhi as domestic servants. The allegedly traffickers received the initially payment from the employers. But, neither the parents nor the children received any monthly salaries for their labor.

AFRICA

Congo: Children are vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation, a report says. Many of them grew up in a poor family, and they often share financial burdens of their parents. Some are neglected by their own parents and ended up being forced to beg for living on the street or recruited by a brothel madam. While child protection law is in place, it is rarely enforced, according to the report.

Global human trafficking roundup (May 18, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Canada: The Manitoba government gets tough on child sexual predators. A new legislation is introduced to allow asset forfeiture from the convicted traffickers. The legislation will also allow the victims to file civil lawsuit against their predators.

Georgia: Advocates praise the state's new legislation to combat human trafficking. The new law will treat those in sexual slavery as victims and allow them to provide affirmative defense "when coming forward and for penalties that allow the state to seize any real or personal property used or purchased by a convicted trafficker."

EUROPE

Estonia: Advocacy group say that human trafficking is ongoing problem in Estonia. According to the report, the group's helpline received 71 calls from victims in March alone. In 2010, the helpline received total 643 calls, receiving in average 50 calls in each month.

UK: The government says sexual grooming of children is a much bigger problem than that has been recognized before. The children's minister says that the UK government launches action plan to tackle child sexual exploitation. Experts say that children as young as 10 year old are sexually exploited in UK. The action plan will likely look at obstacles that child victims experience to bring their abusers to justice.

AFRICA

South Africa: Two Chinese women are facing a trial for human trafficking related charges. They allegedly lured women with a promise of a good job in South Africa and forced them into prostitution. They are facing charges of human trafficking and running an illegal brothel in Cape Town.

Global human trafficking roundup (May 17, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Canada: BC woman was charged with human trafficking and smuggling. She allegedly lured an African woman to come to Canada with promise of job and forced her to work as a domestic slave. The victim was forced to work 18 hours a day and seven days a week without a pay.

North Carolina: Federal law enforcement charged a man with running an online prostitution ring in Charlotte and other cities in South. When the woman said that she wanted out, the man became violent, pulled her hair, striking her face and threatening more harm to force her to continue on prostitution.

Oregon: Lawmakers approved a bill to combat child prostitution in the state. The new bill, if implemented, would create tough penalties for people who pay for sex with minors. It would create $10,000 fine for John's first offense and a $20,000 fine and jail time for additional offenses.

EUROPE

UK: ECPAT UK says that efforts to protect victims have suffered since coalition took power last May. The group claims that the coalition brought lack of leadership and funding. While the UK government says that it is working on a new strategy to combat trafficking, the group's director says that it will have no separate section on combating child trafficking.

ASIA

Japan: Major Internet service provides block access to internet child pornography. The measure came about after the Cabinet's crime countermeasures conference concluded that the law allows blocking access to child pornography under certain conditions. However, some people raise the concern that such move will affect freedom of expression.

Global human trafficking roundup (May 14-16, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Massachusetts: The Attorney General filed a bill to crack down on human trafficking in the state. The bill will criminalize sex and labor trafficking in the state if implemented. It will also create an Attorney General led human trafficking task force to study illegal trade and increase penalties for Johns.

Minnesota: Lawmakers are considering a bill to treat children who were engaged in prostitution as victims. If the bill is implemented, the state becomes the fifth state to protect children from being prosecuted for prostitution.

Florida: An Orlando man was indicted on child sex trafficking charges. He allegedly forced children into having sex with men from across the country. According to the indictment, the man advertised the children online to set up an appointment with johns. His victims include a child as young as 13 years old.

EUROPE

UK: Trafficking victims testify their experience as slaves. One trafficking victim from Ghana was trafficked to UK and was prostituted by her boyfriend. She was locked into an apartment and forced to have sex with men for 300 days until the escape. Another victim was trafficked as a domestic servant to Italy when she was nine years old. After working seven years without pay, she was trafficked to UK to work for another family as a domestic servant. They both were subject to beating and verbal abuse.

ASIA

China: Police arrested eighteen suspects and rescued nineteen children from a human trafficking ring. The investigation began after the police received a tip regarding a 29 year old woman an several suspects trafficking children out of Yunnan providence and sold them in Fujian providence.

AFRICA

Ghana: Police rescued 116 children from communities around Volta Lake. They are in the age between four and seventeen, according to the report. Police also arrested thirty men in connection to this human trafficking case who were sentenced to 16 months in prison at the court.

Global human trafficking roundup (May 12, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Maryland: A 43 year old man was sentenced to 10 years in jail after convicted of sex trafficking a child. The police made the arrest after receiving a tip from the relative of the missing 12 year old minor. The relative stated that the 12 year old girl was recruited for prostitution. The victim told the police that she met the man in Washington D.C. The man had sex with her in D.C., and recruited her to work for him. The victim also said that she had sex with many men, and the man kept all the profits.

Tennessee: State Senate sponsors a new legislation to combat child prostitution and human trafficking in Tennessee. The new bill will protect the victim status of minors charged with prostitution and would be released to their families or guardians after rehabilitation care. Also, it will make patronizing a person under the age of 18 or a person with disability a Class E felony.

ASIA

China: Authorities arrested 40 people and rescued 22 children from a child trafficking ring. Arrests were made while suspects abducted children in Yunnan providence and sell them to Fujian providence. According to the report, over 200 local law enforcement were deployed to bust this human trafficking ring.

Israel: A recent report by the Tel Aviv migrant worker's hotline says that many migrant workers are exploited with labor. Ever since Israel began allowing non-Palestinian migrant workers entry, migrant workers live under debt bondage and human rights violation. Some employers sell or rent their migrant workers to others.

Thailand: Police arrested a 30 year old woman for recruiting children in the age of 15 -18 for prostitution. The woman admitted to hire minors to work at karaoke bars and the beach and sold them for sex to foreign tourists.

AFRICA

Namibia: ILO study shows that child labor is prevalent throughout Namibia. According to the report, over 800 Namibian children and 27 foreign children are discovered to be exploited with labor throughout the regions. In particular, foreign children are believed to be trafficked from Angola and Zambia for child labor purpose. The children are engaged in chores including "cattle herding, field de-bushing, ploughing, weeding and harvesting on communal, subsistence and commercial farms."

Global human trafficking roundup (May 11, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Missouri: House offered a unanimous vote to a bill to strengthen anti-human trafficking measure. Under the new bill, trafficker will face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of as much as $250,000. Victims of trafficking or forced labor will also be able to seek restitution.

Colorado: Colorado Human Trafficking Task force is taking action against the crime in Colorado Spring. The Task Force representative said that they want to raise awareness and money to train local law enforcement to crack down human trafficking. Currently, lawmakers are trying to attack the prostitution problems with tougher penalties against johns by raising the fine to $5000.

Kentucky: The U.S. attorney announced that a nation wide human trafficking investigation resulted nine indictment on various levels of prostitution charges. According to the court records, the defendants operated brothels using women from Hispanic countries in Tennessee and Kentucky. The women were forced to work Monday through Saturday and traveled between the cities on Sundays. The women were also required to see 30 clients a day and work 50 weeks a year.

Hawaii: Nonprofit groups say that Asia Pacific Economic Conference may lead increase in prostitution in Honolulu. Some of the attendees are from countries that the law against prostitution is not enforced. Honolulu local law enforcement says that they are planning on devote more resources in Waikiki during this event, but that step-up measure is normal for such a big event.

EUROPE

Spain: Police arrested a German man for filming himself sexually abusing his and other children in the age between three and nine. He also distributed the video on the internet pedophile forum, in which he offered the children to other adults for sex with and make similar videos.

ASIA

The Philippines: Two Swedish men were jailed for running a cyber sex den according to the court. On their internet sex site, women would perform for clients. They both received unprecedented life term sentences. Also, three Filipinos who assisted these Swedish men were convicted of human trafficking charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

China: The state family planning officials in Hunan providence have reportedly involved in child trafficking ring for a decade. For the past ten years, the government officials seized at least 20 children from their families and sold each child for $150 to a local welfare center. State officials took away children from families who breached one child policy law or illegally adopted a child.

Global human trafficking roundup (May 10, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Missouri: A man was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for trafficking people for labor. An Uzbekistan man brought thousands of people from abroad and forced them into labor in local restaurants and hotels. He also larded fees for uniforms and housings. He also had put some of the workers into work for as little as $1 an hour.

Tennessee: Law enforcement busted a human trafficking ring last week. They arrested nine people, including three women at three different residences. Law enforcement said that it's not clear how many women were forced into prostitution by this trafficking ring. The arrest was a result of five month long undercover investigation.

Michigan: A former janitor at the University of Michigan was arrested for bringing a family of four from African to work in his home. He is charged with human trafficking, forced labor, and visa and mail fraud. ICE agents found journals written by the victims detailing abuse by the man at his residence. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

New Jersey: Nonprofit group says that New Jersey is a hub of human trafficking. A Polaris Project representative says that labor trafficking males, most male Hispanic migrants, significantly increases during the growing seasons, and transgender youths are forced into survival or commercial sex. Also many foreign women are forced into prostitution in massage parlors throughout the state.

Massachusetts: The state house is considering a bill to combat sex trafficking in the state. The new bill will define people managing prostitutes or pimps as traffickers. The bill will also impose much stiffer penalties on pimps and johns who pay for sex.

LATIN AMERICA

Argentina: A new study reports that U.S. is the destination for many Argentine men, women, and children for human trafficking. 80% of the trafficked victims work as sex workers under pretenses. The study also says that Argentina is a transit point for many women trafficked from neighboring countries.

AFRICA

Kenya: Police arrested a woman who was allegedly involved in child trafficking. The police also found three children that she was going to sell in Kisii. The children were later reunited with their parents, and the woman is still under investigation.

Global human trafficking roundup (May 7-9, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Texas: A Milwaukee couple were charged with trafficking a woman for prostitution. They allegedly kidnapped the woman to their house and forced her into prostitution in New Orleans and Dallas. If the victim failed to make $500 a day, the couple denied the victim of privileges including watching TV. The suspect also held the victim's head underwater until she agreed to stay when her first attempt to escape failed.

Oregon: Police are investigating an allegedly sex trafficking case at a local motel. The investigation began after they were informed that a 15 year old girl was held against her will. She was given drug and forced into prostitution. According to the report, the victim was taken to the hospital for recovery, but her mental recovery may take longer.

ASIA

India: Police busted a human trafficking ring that sent people to Gulf countries for labor trafficking. Police arrested a 55 year old man and 23 year old man for trafficking people abroad. The suspects allegedly lured the victims with a promise of good jobs in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but the victims ended up working at a poor working environment without pay.

AFRICA

Zimbabwe: Interpol is tracking down on a South African based human trafficking ring that allegedly recruited more than 100 girls from neighboring countries. The victims are mostly from Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and Mozambique. They are also transferred to Europe and Asia for prostitution or labor exploitation.

Global human trafficking roundup (May 6, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Texas: A 33 year old mother and a survivor of sex trafficking shares her experience as a sex slave. She arrived in San Antonio from Honduras a few years ago to support her children. Instead, she was lured by another woman who forced her into prostitution. The woman threatened her that she will report her to immigration office and hurt her child if she refused to prostitute. The case is still under investigation.

Minnesota: The new bill is proposed to protect child prostitution victims. The new bill, if implemented, will treat prostituted children as victims rather than juvenile delinquents. If Minnesota lawmakers pass the legislation, it becomes only the fifth state in the nation to make this plan into law.

Michigan: Federal agents suspect that Grand Rapid prostitution ring case may be connected to human trafficking. In this case, a man allegedly ran the prostitution ring in Grand Rapid, one of several in four states. According to the report, all women were in debt as they were told to repay the smuggling fees. They had to pay the house manager for costs of food and other living expenses.

EUROPE

Finnland: Foreign workers are increasingly exploited with labor in Finland. Many labor trafficking of foreign workers take place in cleaning and household service sectors, according to the report. Many victims are hired by private citizens. They often receive small wages and live under very poor conditions. According to the immigration status, most victims are from the Philippines recruited for domestic chores.

ASIA

China: Human trafficking in China is on the rise, according to a watchdog. More than 130 human trafficking cases were documented along the borderline between China and Burma last year. According to some source, parents are selling their daughters to traffickers for $1800 to pay off their debts.

Philippines: A 30 year old man was arrested for transporting eight women for prostitution. According to the report, he picked up women in the age between and 18 and 23 in Manilla and took them to Coron, where his mother runs a videoke bar. An authority says that the videoke bar caters tourists, mostly Americans. However, the man denied the allegation.

Global human trafficking roundup (May 5, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Indiana: Federal authority busted a human trafficking ring in Indianapolis. The multi state ring brought women from abroad and prostituted them in Hispanic community on the northwest side of Indianapolis. Police also arrested 19 people including four men and three women appeared in Federal court earlier this week.

Hawaii: The second suspect pleads guilty in largest U.S. human trafficking case. He is one of the eight people charged in an alleged human trafficking case exploiting 400 Thai workers on Hawaiian farms. With the guilty plea, he could face up to five years in prison and "three years on probation as well as pay a $250,000 fine and restitution to the victims."

Arizona: The Department of Public Safety found a dozen of trafficking victims at a drop house during the raid. The raid was conducted after the investigators received a tip from a family i Florida that their family member was being held for ransom in somewhere in Phoenix area. The investigators round 10 victims and six suspects during the raid. Some of the victims are bound for sex industry. The house was located in the middle of an upscale suburban community.

Washington: Governor signed a new bill into a law to combat child prostitution. Under the new legislation, allow police to record telephone calls involving underage victims when the victims give consent. It will also allow minors to help police with investigations. The new law will go in effect in the beginning of August.

EUROPE

Czech Republic: National authority said that the federal law enforcement has been unsuccessful in fighting against labor trafficking. She said that traffickers no longer use violence but rather targeting their vulnerable positions as a method of control. She also added that the new method of control has been very difficult to prove, and it is often not considered as a crime at all.

Ireland: Two men are scheduled to be extradited from Lithuania to Northern Ireland on charges involve human trafficking. The charges are related to a human trafficking incident in 2006 and include abduction, false imprisonment, rape, and human trafficking in and out of UK.

Belgium: Europol report says that organized criminals in Europe increasingly rely on technology and social media to defraud victims. According to the report, extensive use of Internet is used for recruitment and marketing of human trafficking victims.

ASIA

Pakistan: Age old religious practice continues to fuel slavery of innocent children. According to the superstition, women whose first born has a very small head are obliged to sacrifice the first born at a shrine as servants to protect her subsequent children from being disabled by birth. Once the mothers wishes are fulfilled, their first born are left in the premises of a tomb. These children also are forced to wear steel helmets to restrict their growth and used for begging in the various parts of the country.

AFRICA

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe is criticized for failing to counteract human trafficking in the country. The country is the transition point of many women and children trafficked from Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, and Mozambic to South Africa. Zimbabwean women and children are also trafficked to Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia. Yet, the county has no legislation to fight against human trafficking.

Swaziland: Law enforcement rescued eight boys who were trafficked for labor exploitation. They were lured with a promise of high paying jobs in South Africa but ended up cutting trees for approximately .80 cents per each. The boys also found other victims who were trafficked to South Africa from Swaziland at the destination for the same reason.

Global human trafficking roundup (May 4, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Georgia: The governor signs a new bill to fight against human trafficking into a law. The new law provides expanding definition of coercion to include causing or threatening financial harm, prohibits defense by blood relation, treats those in sex trafficking as victims, significantly increases penalties for offenders.

California: Prostitution and sex trafficking is increasing in Fresno. Many of the victims are underage girls who are forced into prostitution at local motels. Though they are forced into prostitution during the daylight, no significant efforts has been made to rescue the victims. One local council member therefore intends to tackle the problem by visiting mayor's office and the law enforcement.

EUROPE

Kosovo: EU court confirmed the charges against five people for international organ trafficking. They trafficked poor people into Kosovo after falsely promising them a large amount of money for their kidneys. According to the indictment, the suspects sold the kidneys to the patients for $148,000.00.

ASIA

Australia: Law enforcement is under scrutiny for failing to act on child prostitution case. The new report reveals that police did not act when a 12 year old girl reported her family of pimping on her for prostitution. She was sold online for prostitution as an 18 year old girl by her mother and her mother's boyfriend. When informed of the incident, police said that they could not merely act on rumor.

Global human trafficking roundup (May 3, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Vermont: The Senate passed a bill to crack down on human trafficking in the state. Under the new bill, a convicted trafficker can face up to life in prison and a fine of $500,000.

Georgia: Atlanta City remains as hub of sex trafficking. According to the report, "a slave in Atlanta in 1850 cost around the equivalent of $40,000 today; now, the average price for a slave is $90." The Atlanta City Mayer's office also reports that there is a strong correlation between adult prostitution industry and child sex trafficking in the area.

Florida: Two women are facing multiple charges for having sex with a 17 year old girl and pimping on her. The victim told the police that she had sex with the two suspects twice last month and was sold for sex on two occasions for $40 and later $60.

ASIA

The Philippines: Lawmakers aim to toughen up a human trafficking measure. Under the new legislation, a trafficker can face up to 25 years in jail. The money and properties forfeited from the traffickers will be placed in the trust fund, according to the report.

AFRICA

South Africa: A recent police raid brings back human trafficking under spotlight again. Police uncovered a human trafficking ring run by Nigerian and South African traffickers and now looking into rescuing more than 100 children from the traffickers. Many girls have been trafficked for prostitution while boys are forced into street vending, agriculture, and food services.

Global human trafficking roundup (April 30-May 2, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Missouri: The U.S. Attorney's office is applying to be part of a pilot program to fight against human trafficking. Recently, a man from Ellisville was sentenced five years in prison for his role in a human trafficking scheme. In another case, the U.S. Attorney's office prosecuted an owner of Chinese restaurant for exploiting Mexican and Chinese workers with labor.

New York: A 30 year old man was convicted of pimping on a 11 year old child. The victim met him when she was under foster care in the age of 10. She continued to see him after she moved into her grandmother's care. Soon, the man forced her into prostitution. She said that she had to sleep with several men for $500 or sometimes $1000.

EUROPE

Malta: International human trafficking in Europe is on the spotlight. Many victims from Eastern Europe and Asian countries are trafficked to Europe for forced labor or prostitution. Children are also trafficked in the early age and sold for adoption or child labor.

ASIA

India: Corporates in Goa say that they will support trafficking victims. Corporates agreed to support victim assistance and rehabilitation programs. Goa State Women's Commission therefore plans to form a few committees to implement policies to help the victims with corporates' help.

Iraq: An army reservists save Ugandan women from trafficking in Iraq. According to the report, at least 150 Ugandan women were believed to be lured into coming to Iraq with a promise of jobs on American military base. But, they were sold into wealthy Iraqi families for $3500. To escape physical and sexual assaults by their employers, 17 of the Ugandan women fled to the U.S. military base. Despite the lack of jurisdiction, the army reservists decided to help Ugandan women instead of turning the matter to Iraqi security.