Global human trafficking roundup (April 2-4, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Pennsylvania: Experts say that training is the first step to fight against human trafficking. Representative from nonprofits working to fight against human trafficking and child prostitution spoke in front of law enforcement and social service individuals during the all day training.

Alabama: Another suspect was arrested in connection to the human trafficking case at Homewood motel. Police said that the victim was the daughter and the granddaughter of the two suspects. And, police arrested the male suspect last Friday. They all were charged with sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 and human trafficking.

Ohio: Lucas County in Toledo offers John schools to first time offender soliciting prostitution. The program coordinator says that most johns believe that prostitution is victimless crime. But, they do not realize what they are doing and that they could be facing serious charges if the woman was a minor. The county opened john school last summer and modeled it after those in other cities in Ohio.

ASIA

The Philippines: Department of Justice charged an immigration officer for human trafficking. He allegedly worked with human trafficking syndicates. The Department of Justice claimed that the immigration officer facilitated human trafficking by allowing seven passengers to travel without properly inspecting travel documents.

Malaysia: Police is investigating that an Indian politician and a Malaysian Pakistani nationale used a nonprofit to trafficking people. Last week, police received a tip from the Indian police that four Indian nationals were held with bonded labor in Malaysia and recent sent back to their village. Police were also informed that there are four more Indian workers enslaved in Malaysia.

China: Police escorted a 42 year old woman from the Philippines to China for sex trafficking women. She allegedly trafficked women and forced them into prostitution in Chongqing Municipality between 1994 and 2009. After the police began the investigation, she fled to the Philippines in 2009. Many victims were physically abused when trying to escape the woman's human trafficking ring. One victim was imprisoned at a house for six years.

AFRICA

Angola: IOM representative said that human trafficking occurs more in developing countries. She also argued that traffickers targets family with no prospective livelihood by feeding them with false hopes to turn them into hostages.

Global human trafficking roundup (February 23, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Arkansas: Local law enforcement receives training on human trafficking and immigration crime. Unlike many people assume, one anti-human trafficking organization says that sex trafficking is happening in Little Rock, Arkansas. one social worker who attended class also stated after the training that she might have been encountered human trafficking a few times over the past years but didn't realize it.

Colorado: A new bill is proposed to tackle demand side of the sex industry in Colorado. If implemented, the bill will require johns to attend classes taught by sex trafficking survivors. However, the program will only be available to the first offenders of prostitution related crimes. According to the experts, the average age at which individuals enter prostitution is 13.

Alabama: Alabama opens the first emergency shelter for trafficking victims and prostitution. The shelter will provide immediate needs for the victims, including, shelter, spiritual guidance, food, and clothing. Eventually, it hopes to provide education opportunities such as GED preparation among many other services.

Arizona: The Senate passed the anti-drophouse bill sponsored by by Sen. Kyrsten Siena. The bill will combat the use of drop houses for criminal activities such as human trafficking. Last year, police discovered that a 9 year old Ecuadorian boy held in captive for four months in a drop house.

ASIA

UAE: An Uzbekistan woman was charged with sex trafficking and running a brothel. She allegedly recruited a female victim from Moldova, locked her up in a room, and forced her into prostitution. According to the victim's testimony during the trial, the woman also confiscated the victim's passport.

Global human trafficking roundup (February 17, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Alabama: An FBI agent says that human trafficking happens in Alabama, and the residents should be aware of the crime. One sex trafficking survivor says that she was sold and exploited when she was 6 years old. She doesn't remember her biological parents, and she ran away from her traffickers in the age of 11 but was exploited again by another family with selling drugs.

California: A sex trafficking survivor receives award from the community. She came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1997 to work at a restaurant as a waitress. But, she was locked into a warehouse with thirty other women and forced into prostitution. When the restaurant shut down, she was able to escape from the tragedy.

Texas: Authorities raided two business premises in eastern Houston in search of human trafficking victims and suspects. According to the FBI, the women came to the U.S. believing that they would work, but were forced into prostitution by their traffickers to pay off the debts. It is unknown how many were arrested, but the further details will be released later this afternoon.

Canada: Canada's first human trafficking case ended with three people pleaded guilty of keeping a common bawdy house but without conviction on human trafficking or any related criminal charges. According to the report, the arrest was made after the police found three immigrant women who were forced into prostitution. Despite of the terrified victims, the prosecutor had to dismissed human trafficking charges based on the lack of evidences.

ASIA

China: Police rescued about 19000 women and children and arrested more than 3500 suspects during the crackdown on human trafficking. According to the report, Vietnamese women and children are particularly becoming more vulnerable to human trafficking in China.

Cambodia: A British nationale is on trial for prostituting two children. He was arrested at a guesthouse for allegedly purchased sex from two underage girls in 2006. According to the report, the victims testified that they had sex with him at least three times in 2006, and their lawyer said that he paid between $50-$100 per each session.

New Zealand: ECPAT representative says that child pornography trade is common in New Zealand. Child pornography is multi-million dollar industry which is closely connected to underage prostitution and child trafficking. According to ECPAT, child approximately 20 percent of internet pornography is child pornography since 1997, and the number of child pornography has increased 1500% .