Global human trafficking roundup (March 17-19, 2012)

NORTH AMERICA

Connecticut: The new anti-trafficking bill seeks to deter underage sex ads. If implemented, the bill will make online and printed publishers liable for felony charges if they run an escort service that exploited minors. The crime will be punishable with up to 10 years in prison or $10,000 fine.

EUROPE

UK: Metro police investigation method is under heavy criticism by local politicians. A report by Silence On Violence accuses the police of heavy handed approach to brothel raids and criticized police performance of less than 1% success rate.

ASIA

Australia: Federal police says that human trafficking in Australia is increasing. Many foreign women are smuggled into sex industry, construction, and manufacture sectors for slave labor. Many women come from Asia and Eastern Europe.

Thailand: Authority says that labor trafficking of migrant workers remain rampant in the country. According to the authority, many young girls come from Laos are forced into prostitution. Traffickers recruit not only victims but also customers to exploit young girls in karaokes and bars.

AFRICA

Ghana:

Global human trafficking roundup (March 16, 2012)

NORTH AMERICA

Indiana: The state makes the first charge under the new anti-trafficking law. A 29 years old pimp James Martin is charged with the felony of promoting human trafficking and others for transporting a 14 years old victim for prostitution. Martin and the victim lived together.

Oregon: Eugene man was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for trafficking two minors. He was convicted of commercially sexually exploiting the victims. According to victims, he never allowed them to contact friends and family. Also, he gave victims false identification to use in case that they were in contact with police.

New York: Online sex trade is flourishing despite the state's counter trafficking effort. Law enforcement criticizes websites providing sexual services. Simultaneously, they argue these websites allow law enforcement to find victims.

EUROPE

Serbia: The first shelter for trafficking victims is open this week. The shelter was established with the donation from Japanese government. Japanese authority said that over 140 projects are in place for trafficking victims in Serbia. The victims will receive legal and psychological counseling as well as employment training.

ASIA

The Philippines: The authority is investigating the case involving over 30 victims trafficked to Syria. They were working in Syria for approximately four years. Some of them were minors when they first recruited illegally.

Global human trafficking roundup(March 12, 2012)

NORTH AMERICA

Colorado: A CEO was indicted on human trafficking charges. He allegedly brought foreign nurses from abroad to work as teachers at a false college. Upon arrival, however, he forced them into working at long term care facilities. He is currently released on bond. Law makers attempt to make prosecution of traffickers easier. The senate committee unanimously passed the bill HB 12-1151 to grant victims better rights and prosecutors easier to convict traffickers.

Texas: Authorities face challenges in collecting statewide data on human trafficking. The lack of uniform reporting system hinders policymakers from measuring the scope of the problem to invent better policy mechanisms.

EUROPE

Germany: Thai police said that they arrested a 61 years old pimp from Germany. The arrest came about after the police received a tip from an under age victim who was prostituted in his prostitution ring. The German man and his Thai partner allegedly were running a prostitution ring at a club in Soi Kaonoi. The investigation continues.

Norway: Three Filipino nurses were rescued from a trafficking ring. A couple running a furniture company recruited three nurses from the Philippines with a promise of a job at Olsen Hospital in Norway. According to the report the nurses were forced to borrow money and pay off the loans to the recruiters from wage deduction.

ASIA

Australia: Australian Federal police raises awareness of human trafficking. AFP reports that it rescued more than 200 people from human trafficking incidents in the past. It also hopes that more officers are aware of human trafficking in the country.

China: Police rescued 24,000 women and children from trafficking rings last year. Over all, police rescued over 8000 children and 15,000 women, and caught 3195 traffickers in 2011. The highlights of police arrests in 2011 includes a trafficking ring bust of women to Angola.

Global human trafficking roundup (March 9, 2012)

NORTH AMERICA

Florida: Legislators passed a bill to make it easier to prosecute traffickers. If implemented, the bill HB 7049, will combine trafficking laws into one making it more practical to use for prosecutors. It also increases penalties against traffickers and includes pornography to "the sexually explicit performances in the legal definition of the crime."

EUROPE

UK: Police arrested three people for sex trafficking case in Northern Ireland. Police said that the arrest was a result of sex month investigation in the area. During the investigation, police seized cash and documents.

Malta: Many women from Eastern European countries, including Russia, are sexually enslaved in Malta. They are lured into working at entertainment industries in Malta. Upon arrival, however, young women are forced into prostitution.

Romania: A family is sentenced for bringing young girl and a man to UK and forced them into slavery. According to the report, the pair subjected the girl to working for a long hours, a poor living condition, and physical abuse. The 53 years old man was also forced to work without payment and subject to physical and sexual assault by the pair.

ASIA

Thailand: Experts say Thailand is on the brick of becoming the world's worst country for trafficking in person problem. Police recently rescued 11 boys forced into begging on the street. Five men forced them into begging after dressing them as monks. The trafficking ring forced hundreds of children into begging nationwide, according to the report.

Japan: Japan commits approximately $27 million to fight human trafficking. The funds will support projects to fight trafficking and migrant workers' rights in developing countries like Ivory Coast, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Kenya.

AFRICA

South Africa: 16 girls were rescued from a brothel in Durban. According to the police, their boyfriends lured the girls with a promise of job offers. Upon arrival, the girls were forced into prostitution.