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 (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 (February 10, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Illinois: Twin brothers were sentenced to four years in prison for sex trafficking young women. The two 18 year old men pleaded guilty to human trafficking charges. Their operation involved taking pictures of victims and making hotel reservation for commercial sexual services, according to the prosecutor. The victims include an underage girl.

Missouri: A House committee hears bill about human trafficking. The bill, if implemented, will allow the court to impose convicted traffickers to pay minimum amount of $100,000 restitution to victims, among many other things.

Indiana: A 27 year old Chris Smiley gets 10 years in jail for trafficking a 19 year old girl for prostitution. The victim was held against her will, beaten, and forced into prostitution by the man. The victim was also taken into hostage in the age of 18 in February 2010 and forced to strip at a west side show club after her mother's boyfriend did not pay Smiley for crack cocaine.

New York: Actor Paul Haggis reveals human trafficking incidents in Scientology. After 34 years of membership at the Church, he recently walked away from the religion. He also stated that Scientology is guilty of human trafficking, sexual abuse, and forced labor, which involve child victims in some cases.

EUROPE

Germany: A man is on trial for allegedly sexually abusing her step daughter for more than two decades and forcing her into prostitution. The DNA test also shows that he at least fathered seven children by his step daughter that he molested.

ASIA

India: Police busted one of the biggest human trafficking rings in India. The arrest was made after the tip from a young woman in New Delhi. According to the police, more than 40 victims were trafficked from their home states and resold in the capital city.

China: A Chinese microblog helps missing children to reunite with their family. One parent found his son through the site, on which the reunion was posted. The site currently has 170,000 followers as of Thursday, and six more children were found through the site.

Looking for volunteers to post human trafficking roundup over the summer. If interested, please leave a comment. Thank you!!!!!

Global human trafficking roundup (January 27, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Michigan: Experts said that over 160 underage girls are exploited online in a month during the town hall meeting. According to the study conducted last year, about 159 children were exploited in August and 158 in November, which was up from 117 in February.

California: Police arrested and charged 10 Bay area residents for running a prostitution and human trafficking ring. Each of them is facing five felonies, including pimping and human trafficking. The defendants are part of a human trafficking ring which sexually exploited immigrant Asian women. The victims are brought from Thailand and China and cycled throughout the brothels in Bay area.

Louisiana: Governor Bobby Jindal proposed a bill to strengthen the state anti-human trafficking bill. The proposed legislation will expand current law to include anyone who "advertises children or women for sale or who promotes prostitution involving young people."

Texas: Love146 is launching a campaign against to raise awareness about child sex trafficking ultimately to provide long-term prevention programs for at risk and exploited youth in Dallas.

Indiana: A Marion Superior Court jury makes first conviction of human trafficking case in the county. A 28 year old Chris Smiley was accused of holding a 19 year old woman against her will and and forced her into prostitution and working at a strip club.

Canada: Police circulates mugshots of dozens of suspected pimps to 10,000 strippers at 115 strip clubs to help prevent them from being lured into prostitution in Ontario. The strip club owners are working with the police to post suspected pimps mugshots which they believe will protect their staff.

EUROPE

Ireland: New research has found that prostitution and sex trafficking are rising in Northern Ireland. According to the report, 18 out of 29 police areas across the region reported incidents during the six month period. Also, last year, 17 victims of sex trafficking were identified, highlighting the growing problem of sex slavery in the region.

AFRICA

Nigeria: An authority in Sokoto region stated that 500 victims of human trafficking have been rescued since 2006. Also, he said that approximately 102 cases were received and investigated during the same period. According to the authority, though the number has been reduced recently, this does not mean that human trafficking has completely eradicated in the region.