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.

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 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 22, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Florida: A woman's human trafficking sentence was cut in half after helping local police to recognize the signs of human trafficking. She was convicted of trafficking three other women for prostitution. She and her boyfriend ran an escort service in Bonita Spring and used drug addiction to force the victims into prostitution.

Maryland: The governor is signing a bill that would allow the law enforcement to use wiretapping and electronic devices during human trafficking investigation into the law. Under the new legislation, judge may grant an order authorizing the interception of wire, oral, and electronic communications.

EUROPE

Bulgaria: Police uncover a human trafficking ring. The police were able to arrest the gangs in cooperation with Greek police. A 29 year old ring leader promised the victims a better life at charity organizations in Greece. Many of the victims were disabled. However, he forced them into begging in Athens upon arrival, and they were subject to poor living conditions.

ASIA

India: The Central Bureau of Investigation raided several recruitment agencies for human trafficking. The raid was conducted in six travel agencies in New Delhi yesterday, and CBI is planning on raiding other agencies in other cities. The CBI believes that two travel agencies in New Delhi are working with recruitment agencies to trafficking people abroad.

Malaysia: A 22 year old man was convicted of trafficking 13 Indonesian women and sentenced to 91 years in jail. He denied the allegation at the court stating that the victims came to Malaysia voluntarily and that he was only helping them with daily activities and welfare.

Global human trafficking roundup (April 15, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

New York: Brooklyn man pleaded guilty to forcing underage girls into prostitution. When sentenced, he will face minimum 10 years maximum life in prison as well as forfeiture of his residence and other property used for commission of his crime. He advertised sexual services of two women on the internet in his residence. He also took live videos of two women strip-pole dancing which could be accessed online for a fee paid by customers.

Florida: Law enforcement officials and health care providers receive training on human trafficking. Recently, women from Guatemala were smuggled into the U.S. with a promise of a job. But, they were forced into prostitution to sleep with dozens of men every day. Florida ranks the third highest the nation for human trafficking.

Oregon: A new child trafficking bill receives approval from Senate. The bill now goes to House for approval. The new bill removes the requirement that both pimp and John knows that the victim is a minor to force him/her into prostitution.

Texas: Feds caught fourth suspect who was running a sex trafficking ring in Rio Grande. This was the day after the indictment against three people running a teen sex trafficking ring was unsealed. They kept three teenagers at an apartment against their will and repeatedly raped them to force them into prostitution.

Washington: Federal prosecutor charged the second suspect in a doughnut shop child prostitution ring. He and his co-conspirator locked away runaway teens at an apartment to run a child prostitution at a doughnut shop. They advertised the sexual services of 13 year old online to attract johns.

EUROPE

UK: A new index which says the effectiveness of a government's anti-human trafficking efforts shows that UK's measure is less effective than Albania. Though UK has strong policies to prosecute traffickers and prevent human trafficking, it has poor policies to provide protection for victims.

Germany: Police arrested two men from Berlin for trafficking a 10 year old Costa Rican boy. According to the investigator, they started an aid organization to recruit children from Haiti. Then the two men have brought boys to Germany and sold them to pedophiles.

Global human trafficking roundup ( April 13, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Oregon: Senate passes a bill to combat human trafficking in strip clubs. The bill authorizes Oregon Liquor Control Commission to request the proof that the individuals working at strip clubs meets minimum age requirements. If the person fails to prove his or her age requirement, the OLCC can order them to stop working and cite the employer for allowing underage individuals to work at a strip club.

New York: The New York City Mayor's office releases a new PSA to raise awareness of human trafficking. It urges New Yorkers to help identify human trafficking victims. The signs include people whose passports taken away and being forced into work for a long hours at very low or no wages.

Florida: A woman says that she was forced into sex slavery for five years prior to escape. She was a teenager working at a strip club when she was recruited by a man who she thought was her admirer. Her pimp physically and mentally abused her. She was forced to turn the trick on the street in Ohio seven days a week. FBI agent in Tampa says that they rescued 43 children from sex trafficking since 2009.

West Virginia: The head of the agency overseeing 3000 hair and nail salons said that he would send out inspectors later this year to examine whether human trafficking exists in the businesses like in other states. The executive director of the state's Barber and Cosmetologists said that his agency didn't pay attention to forced labor issue until last summer when Ohio announced that major labor trafficking players could be in West Virginia.

ASIA

UAE: Shelter Centers of Human Trafficking Victims establishes 24 hours hotlines for trafficking victims. The hotline will be available in multi languages nationwide. The representative of the Shelter Centers said that the hotline staff will respond to victims' needs including immediate intervention if it deems necessary.

South Korea: Four people were indicted for trafficking seventy women from North Korea. Police said that they forced the women into prostitution in China after buying them from Chinese brokers. The 70 North Korean women were forced into prostitution and live in a small premise run by the four defendants. The four defendants also profited $28,000 from running a prostitution ring between February and November 2009.

Global human trafficking roundup (March 30, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Georgia: The Senate unanimously approves the new anti-human trafficking bill. The bill, upon implementation, will toughen up the penalties on offenders and seek to improve outcomes for victims. According to a nonprofit, over 370 children are commercially sexually exploited each month in Georgia.

Florida: Federal officials say that human trafficking is a growing problem. Just last year, three people were arrested charged with forcing Haitian migrant workers into labor for several years in a county in Florida. According to a special agent, human trafficking is the largest crime in the U.S. after narcotics.

Texas: Child trafficking case is increasing in Rio Grande Valley, according to the report. A local child advocate says that last two months, he has seen 50% increase in child trafficking last month. Also, he says 72% of trafficking cases are never reported.

Hawaii: The House Judicial Committee on Tuesday advanced the anti-trafficking bill. The bill was amended to include language establishing labor trafficking as crime. However, both attorney general's office and public defender's office opposed the human trafficking language added to the bill. The attorney general's office argued that existing laws in Hawaii is sufficient to address the crime in Hawaii.

New Mexico: Police and federal agents say that human trafficking is increasing in New Mexico. A police suspects that the increase may be caused by the thriving internet sex industry. Another federal agent also said that human trafficking has recently jumped in border states like New Mexico.

ASIA

Vietnam: Four people were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for trafficking women to China. They were convicted of selling 14 women to a ring headed by a Vietnamese woman living in China. According to a report, the women were forced to marry Chinese men.

Global human trafficking roundup (February 18, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Florida: A new york man receives the maximum penalties in a federal sex trafficking case. He was convicted of "sex trafficking by force, threats of force and fraud; transporting women across state lines for prostitution; enticing, inducing and coercing a woman to travel across state lines for prostitution; and conspiracy to transport a woman across state lines for prostitution." He now faces "two consecutive life sentences plus 35 years in federal prison for his crimes."

Georgia: The state legislators holds the first hearing on a new bill to combat child trafficking. The bill will not only impose longer penalties on traffickers but also allow the authority to seize the traffickers' assets.

Texas: U.S attorney says that ten people, including the local bar and restaurant owners were arrested on human trafficking charges. According to the report, they brought women and girls from Mexico to Houston and forced them into prostitution.

Hawaii: Domestic sex trafficking survivor said that she wants harsher penalty for traffickers. She shared her story before the legislators yesterday during the informational briefing to implement new anti-human trafficking bill 576 in Hawaii. She said that she was raped with a gun pointed on her head and forced into prostitution for three months by her pimp. She also said that she lives in fear and hopes that her pimp will never find her.

Canada: A sex trafficking survivor says that she was saved by a newspaper article. She was 19 when she came to Canada to be a domestic worker. But, instead, she was forced into sex industry as a exotic dancer upon arrival. When she read the story of another trafficking victim and the local police asking other trafficking victims to come forward on the article, she was able to find her way to escape from slavery.

Guam: A jury found a brothel owner guilty of sex trafficking women from Micronesia. According to the report, she preyed on nine victims, including a 16 year old girl, by forcing them into prostitution after promising them a good job at a restaurant. The brothel owner is now facing a maximum of life in prison at a sentencing set for May 18.

LATIN AMERICA

Mexico: A mother sells her infant to pay for her elder child's cancer treatment. She sold the infant to a midwife for a little more than $400, who, in turn, handed over the baby to a U.S. citizen for $1670. Both the midwife and the U.S. citizen are in custody and may be prosecuted for human trafficking.

EUROPE

Switzerland: The new IOM report on human trafficking criticizes lack of victim assistance from some countries. It argues that lack of victim assistance also leads to re-victimization of many women and children. The report is based on the close studies of 79 cases of human trafficking victims and shows that none of the victims in the studied cases were offered neither a temporary nor a permanent residency from the country of their destination. According to the report, the international victims who received no assistance from the country of their destination are re-trafficked within the country of their origin after the initial rescue.

ASIA

The Philippines: Local police rescued eighteen people who are believed to be trafficking victims. According to the police, the alleged victims came from various parts of the country and failed to present proper documents or working visas. Police also believes that the victims were illegally recruited to work in Malaysia.

AFRICA

Ghana: A couple are on trial for trafficking six women to Lagos. According to the police, they recruited six women from their hometown and another state in Ghana and transport them to Lagos to sell porridge. However, the victims were forced into selling porridge without compensation during the day and prostitution at night.

Global human trafficking roundup (February 12-14, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Florida: Planned Parenthood is urged to support human trafficking victims. The organization is currently under the FBI investigation for assisting abortion process for minor trafficking victims. According to the report, the writer pleads the organization to look beyond the politics to help trafficking victims escape sex industry.

Georgia: The governor introduces a new bill to combat human trafficking. The new bill, if implemented, impose tougher penalties on traffickers and provide better assistance to the victims.

Arizona: A CEO of two health food supermarkets is arrested during the child prostitution sting. He was arrested after arriving at a hotel to meet what he believed was an underage prostitute he met online.

EUROPE

Spain: Police busted a prostitution ring in Madrid. The prostitution ring exploited many young girls from various nationalities in four brothels in Madrid. Police also arrested 11 gang members and charged them with human trafficking and other related crimes.

UK: UK launches the first fair trade hallmark for gold. The supporters of the fair trade argues that it will allow the gold to be fully traceable with a certification. According to UN, gold mining is another industry in which children as young as 5 year old are exploited with labor.

ASIA

The Philippines: A woman was convicted of trafficking Filipino women. The investigation began after she recruited two women with a promise of job that did not exist at that time. She also promised the victims' mothers with high salaries but the cost of recruitment would be deducted from their salaries. The victims were forced to work as domestic servants without compensation. One of them was also forced into prostitution.

Pakistan: Ministry of Labor orders the Federal Investigation Agency(FIA) to stop taking complaints regarding human trafficking or overseas recruitment. Instead, National Action Plan for Human Trafficking will be responsible for taking all complaints related to human trafficking and other crimes, according to the report. FIA, however, argued that the order makes the agency a toothless tiger in prosecuting human trafficking.

China: Online effort to reunite missing children with their parents is flawed, the report says. Some critics argue that traffickers may react to the new campaign by taking the children to underground and more lucrative market.

UAE: Three Asian people are arrested for trafficking girls including a 15 year old minor. According to the prosecution, the victims were lured into coming to UAE and forced into prostitution upon arrival. The victims were also locked into a house that was guarded by one of the suspects.

AFRICA

South Africa: Human trafficking in South Africa alarms the authority. According to the report, traffickers often bring women from Zimbabwe by demanding large sum of money. When victims fail to pay the amount, the gangs confiscate the victims' cellphones and jewelry. The traffickers then call victims' family to ask for money or exploit them with labor or sex.

Global human trafficking roundup (February 9, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

New York: Tom Cruise and Church of Scientology are under federal investigation for human trafficking charges. According to the report, Church of Scientology paid only $50 a week to members to meet Cruise demands, including customizing Cruise's building, repairing his boats, etc.

Georgia: Lawmakers proposed a bill to tackle sex trafficking in Georgia. The bill, if implemented, will increase the penalties for the crime to those similar to drug trafficking, with offenders facing up to 20 years in prison for human trafficking and 50 years in prison for trafficking in minors. The bill also will provide victims with aftercare assistance for recovery.

Texas: A federal grand jury in Dallas indicted five defendants for allegedly enslaving a Sri Lanka woman. According to the indictment, defendants forced the victim into labor and confiscated her travel documents and passports with an intent to pervert her from leaving or traveling. each defendant is facing multiple charges. They could each face up to 20 years in prison with $250,000 fine for the count of forced labor alone.

Florida: A Miami man is facing sex trafficking charges. He was caught after the police stopped his van without a license plate. Police said that he is accused of transporting three women for sex slavery and the violence of his family members used to keep the women working for him.

Hawaii: A federal grand jury indicted two additional defendants in relation to Global Horizon Manpower Inc. case, in which the company exploited 400 Thai workers with labor. Each defendants are facing 10 years and five years in prison for co- conspiracy in arrangement to force 400 workers into debt bondages.

EUROPE

UK: Prime Minster was urged to do more to stop human trafficking before London Olympics. According to the UK press association, the report expects that the Olympic game will magnet human trafficking victims and criminal gangs next year.

Italy: Police arrested 40 people for selling young Romanian girls' virginity online. Their organization is branched throughout several cities in Italy and men purchased the right to have sex with the victims for 6000 euro ($8,210) online.

ASIA

The Philippines: The court made a first conviction of labor trafficking case. A woman is convicted of recruiting victims for housemaids in Malaysia without compensation. The victims testified that they worked for 9 months for their Malaysian employers but were not paid at all. According to the report, there have been total 38 conviction of human trafficking case, out of which 37 cases involved sex trafficking.

Saudi Arabia: US Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Dhahran allegedly used the labor exploited by their recruitment agency. According to the report, workers are found to be living in slavery conditions. The cleaners at the Embassy are only paid as little as $4.44 a day while gardeners are getting paid a little more than $3.00. Their contract has also been confiscated by the company.

Japan: The number of Filipino women entering Japan under entertainment visa is in rapid decline, according to the report. The decline occurred after the Japanese embassy in the Philippines imposed more strict immigration policies on entertainment visa. The restriction was followed by the criticism on rampant human trafficking in Japan by the U.S. State Department.

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO POST GLOBAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING ROUNDUP OVER THE SUMMER. IF INTERESTED, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT. Thank you!!!!!!!

Florida: door to door sales is an emerging trend of trafficking young people

A couple years ago, three young men in a clean suit knocked on my door. Though bit annoyed as it was a distraction from finishing my homework, their speech certainly warmed my heart. These young men said that they were from inner city schools in Georgia and trying to go to college by collecting donations from the neighborhoods. They also said that I could either contribute some money for them or buy a subscription to a magazine which would help out inner city kids like themselves. But, little did I know then that these three young men might have been forced into door to door sales by their traffickers after being tripped of their identifications as runaways or missing children.

Door to Door Sales; the new growing trends of human trafficking

This morning, one local news report in Palm Beach, Florida, reported that the residents are experiencing the same incidents of children or young people selling magazines subscription. One local advocate says that it is a story that she is very well aware of and familiar with. According to the advocate, if the young people are not selling enough subscriptions, they are subject to punishment like physical abuse or starvation. One female victim, according to the report, was locked into a car for three days because she failed to meet her daily quota. The advocate also said that most of these young men and women are runaways or missing children. What's more, many of theses victims do not return from the tour. Instead, they are either sold to sex industry or even overseas, according to the advocate.

Take Action

The advocate therefore encourages the residents to ask these victims what and where they are about or how long they are going to be in town. Also, the advocate encourages the residents to contact law enforcement or outreach programs.

Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888.

Global human trafficking roundup (January 12, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

California: San Diego county cracks down on teen prostitution. The San Diego Board of Supervisor "unanimously called for state legislation that would add pimping, pandering and human trafficking to the list of activities required to define a criminal gang." The board also endorsed tougher penalties for people convicted of prostitution related crime within 1000 feet of a school.

Oklahoma: A company develops a USB card to protect children from being trafficked. According to the report, the USB card allows the parents to compile informations about their children, including close friends and fingerprint. Once a child is missing, the parents can assist police with the USB card to find him or her.

Rhode Island: An Indiana man pleaded guilty to human trafficking charges on Monday. He transported two women across the state line to engage in prostitution. He was arrested after checking in a local hotel to force the women into prostitution. He also left one of the women in the hotel room after assaulting her. The woman then reported the police of the man.

Florida: A man was sentenced to life in prison for child sex trafficking. The 15 year old victim met the man after she ran away from juvenile facility and rehabilitation center. He then introduced her to crack cocaine and prostitution as a way of obtaining more crack cocaine. According to the report, the child stayed with the man for a period of 1o or 14 days, during which she performed commercial sexual acts at least 50 times for the man. When she attempted to leave him, he chocked her and threatened to kill her with a gun pointing her head.

EUROPE

Russia: Russian and Greek authorities dismantled a large human trafficking ring. The criminal group used a job placement agency as a front company to lure young women and sold them to prostitution abroad. Russian Interior Ministry announced that two people were charged as a result, and 19 Russian and Greek individuals were arrested in related case in Greece.

The Netherlands: Police closed down two escort agencies for possible human trafficking incidents. Police also arrested two individuals for questioning and issued an international warrant for a 37 year old man who found one of the escort agency.

Human trafficking roundup (January 11, 2010)

NORTH AMERICA

New York: A woman suspected of trafficking Korean women for prostitution in New York and other areas in East coast was arrested while gambling at a casino in Connecticut. The 52 year old woman has been sought by the police since August 2006. She is facing numerous charges including conspiracy to engage in human trafficking.

Wisconsin: Jury found a man guilty of 11 felonies related to human trafficking. His case was the first prosecution for human trafficking at state level in Wisconsin. The details of the case is not stated on the report.

California: Riverside county launches anti-human trafficking program. Operation Safe House, an organization that runs network of shelters for runaway teens, is hosting session to train law enforcement officials and social service providers. The organization representative emphasized the importance of law enforcement individuals treating victims as victims to provide rehabilitation and assistance programs to them.

Florida: Federal agents said that a couple allegedly forced 39 Filipino workers at a few exclusive country clubs in South Florida. The couple also set up a staffing agency and sent out the workers to posh the clubs for long hours with little pay.

ASIA

Cambodia: A 54 year old British man was arrested for sexually exploiting four boys. According to the report, he molested the boys who were working at his Souvenir store as book sellers. The arrest was made after the boys reported the police of the incidents.

Pakistan: Authority announced that approximately 250 children in the age between 10 and 18 have been trafficked for sexual exploitation by an organized crime. The criminals first lure the children with alcohol and other substance abuse, which normally become very expensive habits to afford for many children. After their substance dependency, children are forced into pornography or other sexual activities in order to obtain more substance by the organized criminals.

AFRICA

Global human trafficking roundup (January 8-10, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Florida: Publix, a produce corporation, in South Florida receives criticism for its apathy towards labor exploitation in its supply chains. According to the report, during the interview with a press last month on labor exploitation at the corporation's supply chains, the representative of Publix said "if there is some atrocities going on, it's not our business. Maybe it's something the government should get involved with."

Massachusetts: A Massachusetts immigration and refuge group scheduled an educational event to raise the awareness of human trafficking. According to the report, the event will be held Tuesday this week outside of Worcester City Hall, where the group will distribute literature to educate public about human trafficking.

California: FBI says Sacramento is hub of child sex trafficking. Because of its location on the I-5 corridor at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 50 and large immigration population, Sacramento is appealing to traffickers, according to the report.

Texas: Police arrested a man for forcing a 13 year old girl into prostitution. According to the report, he allegedly forced her into prostitution after raping her for 19 times and releasing her from a local motel in Dallas. The girl had been missing since she left a middle school basketball game with two 20 year old men last month.

LATIN AMERICA

Jamaica: Court extends the bails for business man and his stepdaughter who allegedly trafficked foreign women. The two suspects were charged with several counts of human trafficking, money laundering, and others. They were arrested during the police raid on a local nigh club and a residence. Police also rescued thirteen people, including six foreign women from Latin American countries and a few minors.

Fiji: Immigration Department provides a training program to its officers to combat human trafficking. The program is response to the alarming report on the number of human trafficking and the first conviction of a trafficker last year.

ASIA

Saudi Arabia: A Saudi woman was jailed for exploiting her Indonesian maid. The woman was sentenced to three years in prison for beating, stabbing, and burning her Indonesian maid with Iron. The woman physically abused her severely that the assault caused the maid's internal bleeding. Meanwhile, the maid's attorney said that he would appeal the case in order to bring harsher punishment to the woman.

India: The number of child trafficking victims in Manipur state in 2010 was 139, reaching the highest number ever in the state. According to the report, many of them were trafficked to other states after being promised with free education and jobs. In January 2010 alone, more than 50 children were trafficked to Tamil Nadu and later rescued by Child Welfare Committee.

AFRICA

Global human trafficking roundup (December 14, 2010)

NORTH AMERICA

Florida: A couple were sentenced to 51 months and 78 months in jail for labor exploiting at least 39 Filipino workers. They forced the workers into labor with the threat of deportation and arrest. According to the report, 28 workers slept in one house, and some of them slept on the kitchen floor.

Georgia: The U.S. Marshall captured two fugitives at Tempa Florida. They were listed on America's most wanted in connection to the homicide case in Georgia. They are accused of killing and shooting a recruited prostitute who later ran away from them. The charges against them including murder, sex trafficking of minor, running a prostitution ring, etc.

Colorado: A state senator wants to open a class to educate johns who were arrested for soliciting prostitution. He argued that the new bill will allow johns to be educated on harmful side of sex industry on prostituted women and human trafficking victims. He also argue that after taking the class, johns will not go back to solicit prostitution. The class will also be available to first time offenders as plea bargain that would dismiss the charge if they complete the program.

EUROPE

Denmark: Denmark opted out from signing EU human trafficking directive. The authority argued that the agreement should be based on the decision among the member of union states, which would be a long process. Meanwhile, media slammed on the authority's opt-out on EU human trafficking directive arguing that the opt-out may cause Denmark to become a hub of human trafficking.

ASIA

Taiwan: Police busted Asia's largest human trafficking ring. The ringleader profited from more than 30 cases of human trafficking in the past, according to the report. The arrest was a result of cooperation among the law enforcement in Hong Kong, UK, the U.S., and Thailand. The police arrested seven members of human trafficking and summoned seven others for questioning.

China: Shelter manager arrested for selling homeless as forced labor. Some of the homeless people were mentally disabled. The investigation began after the police visited a factory, where the homeless people with mental disability were working. The shelter manager allegedly sold 11 residents to the factory.

Global human trafficking roundup (December 9, 2010)

NORTH AMERICA

Washington: Tacoma woman uses her donut shop for child prostitution. She took two 13 year old girls and forced them into prostitution after taking pictures and post them online. She often met up with johns at donut shop and took the men to the apartment, where two girls are held against their will.

Texas: A 44 year old man was indicted on charges related to human trafficking incident in 2007. He was arrested for kidnapping a 13 year old for more than a week for prostitution in 2007. The victim testified that he and his four accomplice tied her up, drugged, and locked her in a bedroom at a house. If convicted, the man is facing life sentence in prison.

Kentucky: Two men are facing charges on human trafficking. According to the police, they victimized a 15 year old who was under one of the men's care. They both are facing multiple charges including human trafficking, sodomy, rape, and sexual abuse of a minor.

Florida: FBI found 27 people who may be human trafficking victims during the raid. The raid was conducted inside of two homes and one local restaurant. The FBI spokesperson said that 8 of them were found in a residence in Clearwater and 19 people in a Largo home. He also said that they were Asian and Hispanic origin cramped in a small house all together. But, they had all of their basic needs.

Canada: Federal justice minister expressed his disappointment on Craigslist for its failure to remove adult service section. He sent a letter asking Jim Buckmaster, the CEO of Craigslist to remove adult service section on Craigslist Canada last month, but Craigslist has yet to removed the adult service section on its Canadian website. The minister once again urged the company to shut down adult service section as critics say Craigslist facilitate child prostitution and sex trafficking in Canada.

EUROPE

The Netherlands: The council of Armsterdam began a campaign to combat human trafficking. The campaign will focus on sex trafficking of women in the city. Since 2007, the city provided aftercare assistance to the victims including, medical care and social care. Each year, it assists 150 victims, among which 20 are minors. The campaign effort will include awareness raising among johns in red light district, advertisement through media outlets, etc.

ASIA

Indonesia: A woman returned home blind from Saudi Arabia, where she worked as housemaid. She was physically assaulted by her employer for no reason and continuously tortured. She lost her eyesight when her employer repeatedly slammed her head against the wall. According to the statistics generated by a nonprofit, 43 percent of the migrant workers working in Saudi Arabia are exploited by their employers.

AFRICA

Egypt: Approximately 250 refugees from Eritrea are treated like slaves by their traffickers. The refugees paid smuggling fee to their traffickers to enter Israel. But, instead, they are kept in hostage to demand money from their families and friends. The refugees are kept in chain and live under threats and violence.