Labor Exploitation in North Carolina

*Juan, a sixteen year old from Columbia, is a migrant farm worker in North Carolina. He came to the U.S. to support his family two years ago after his traffickers promised a wonderful life in this land of opportunity. Unlike what his traffickers promised, however, Juan's life in the States has been nothing but challenging. Everyday, Juan gets up 4 o'clock in the morning, heads to the farm, and works for 14 hours. Under the hot scorching North Carolinian sunlight, Juan gets neither a bathroom break nor cold water to quench the thirst. He would be lucky if he gets to come home at the end of the day without getting heat stroke.

But, Juan's story is common among the farm workers in North Carolina. According to the North Carolina Coalition Against Human Trafficking, North Carolina has seen 260 percent increase in the number of human trafficking victims for the past three years, and 38 percent of the victims were the ones exploited with labor like Juan.

Many migrants also often are subject to very poor living and working conditions, According to one research:

• Of the growers provided housing submitted to water testing, 44 per cent had contaminated water (University of North Carolina. Reported by Smith-Nonini.)

• One wash tub per 30 workers meets the state’s requirements.

• In 1986, of farm workers tested, 86 per cent had intestinal parasites - a reflection of poor sanitation and contaminated water (University of North Carolina. Reported by Smith-Nonini.)

• Despite a legal requirement, a survey found that only 4 per cent of farm workers had access to drinking water, toilets and hand washing facilities in the fields. (Human Rights Watch)

• There are four federally funded clinics that serve farm workers where patients pay on a sliding scale according to income. However, more than 60 per cent of the migrant farm worker population live in counties outside the service area of a migrant health center. (NC Farmworker Health Alliance, March 1996)

• The state provides limited funds for migrant health services. These funds provide reimbursements for doctors, dentists, clinics and pharmacies for care to farm workers and their dependents who have been employed in the state within the past 24 months. (NC Farmworker Health Alliance, March 1996)

But, the situation of migrant workers on tobacco farms in North Carolina are worse than others. They often experience green tobacco sickness due to the excessive absorption of nicotine through the skin. The symptoms of green tobacco sickness include, "dizziness, vomiting, weakness, coughing, nosebleeds, and headaches." Yet, many of them have no ways to speak up for themselves because the traffickers or their employers threaten them with deportation.

Thankfully, an organization like Farm Labor Organization Committee has stood next to a farmworker like Juan to protect his rights. But, further work needs to be done. What can you do for a worker like Juan?

For more information, visit supportfloc.org

*Juan is a fictitious name.

Global human trafficking roundup (July 20, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Canada: Hamilton police receives funding supports to fight human trafficking in the area. The funding will be used to increase education campaign, special investigations targeting sex trade, etc. Last year, Hamilton police arrested ten adults and a youth in connection to the largest human trafficking case in Canada.

Georgia: Authorities found a missing 15 year old Wisconsin girl and her infant son. The report says that she was a victim of sex trafficking in Georgia. The victim has been missing since May 2011, when she ran away from home in Belmar Hills, Wisconsin. Police are still investigating to discover who was involved in sex trafficking the victim.

US: U.S. authority launches a public campaign to fight against human trafficking. The campaign includes the ads based on the feedback from Homeland Security. The ads will run across the states including District of Columbia, Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. The campaign's primary target is to countermeasure labor trafficking in the U.S.

North Carolina: human trafficking is an ongoing problem in the state, police says. The crime is so lucrative that it is difficult to track it down, according to the police. Currently, the legislation is available to help victims in the state, but the funding is for the initiatives are up for discussion in Congress.

EUROPE

UK: Home Secretary warned that human traffickers likely would target Olympics. The warning came as the Home Office launched a new measure to combat human trafficking. The Home Office will examine tougher penalties to seize assets from the convicted smugglers and traffickers.

Turkey: Human trafficking persists to be a problem in Turkey. One woman shares her story as a victim of sex trafficking in Turkey. She came to Istanbul to be a housekeeper after responding to a newspaper advertisement. But, upon arrival, she was locked into a house for several months and forced into prostitution. One law enforcement pointed out the male dominated culture and inadequate law enforcement as main causes of human trafficking in Turkey.

Czech Republic: Police dismantled sex trafficking ring that preyed on Czech women in Britain. The investigation was conducted in cooperation with British police. The police arrested six people that recruited young Czech women for sham marriages and prostitution.

ASIA

Myanmar: Myanmar steps up its effort to combat human trafficking. The authority established 26 new special police squads to curb female trafficking in the border region. It also increased its awareness raising effort by using pamphlets, billboards, etc. to combat human trafficking.

India: Police arrested a placement agency owner for running a human trafficking ring. He allegedly recruited girls from rural area in Assam for domestic servants. The victims, however, never received the wages.

The Philippines: Three women were charged with trafficking other women and children. According to the report, the arrests were made during the operation conducted by IJM and the Intelligence Unit. Police also rescued eight victims during the operation.

AFRICA

Nigeria: The national authority announced that over 20,000 girls were sex trafficked in Mali last year. Young women were subject to forced prostitution as well as emotional and physical abuse by the traffickers. They were also required to see at least 20 men a day. The critics point out the Nigerian government's failed effort to combat human trafficking in the country, such as Operation Timbuktu.

South Africa; A woman was sentenced to life in prison for trafficking three girls from Mozambique. According to the report, the convicted trafficker locked the girls in the age between 14 and 17 in a house and forced them into prostitution.

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 (April 9-11, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

California: Law enforcement officers and politicians in San Diego gathered last Friday to support a bill to increase penalty for gangs running prostitution ring. The bill will go before the Assembly and will add pimping, pandering, and human trafficking to the list of gang related crimes with increased penalties.

North Carolina: A nonprofit group says that the number of Latin American human trafficking victims is on the rise. She also said that the language barrier and cultural difference make the immigration community an easy target. One Hispanic mother's daughter has been missing for four months after she left the house to go to school. The nonprofit group says many Hispanic victims are snatched on the street and forced into prostitution or domestic servitude.

Texas: Police arrested a woman during the undercover sex sting. An undercover officer contacted a message parlor and spoke to a woman named Karla Winters. Upon arrival, the officer was greeted by the woman and received sensual message. The woman requested $200 after the message. Police also found the evidences that she employed other females to perform sensual message and sexual conducts and collect the fee taking half of their profits.

ASIA

New Zealand: The first human trafficking case in Tonga was delayed in ruling. The defense lawyer requested the delay to have more time to review his client's case. The defendant, a Chinese national, has pleaded not guilty to charges including, human trafficking, keeping a brothel. Two victims argued that the defendant forced them into prostitution.

India: A national report says that contraceptive use fosters human trafficking in India. The campaign to promote condom usage earlier this year said that regardless of what brothel one visits, a john is encouraged to use condom. The campaign, the national report argues, endorses prostitution with trafficked victims.

The Philippines: Police rescued over 140 women and 33 minors during the raid operated at a karaoke bar. The raid was conducted after the police saw the karaoke bar advertised on a sex ad site. On the website, the bar advertised that customers can meet hot girls for P4000 ($92.80).

UAE: Three women and a man allegedly lured a female visitor and forced her into prostitution. According to the court document, the victim came to UAE with a promise of a job at a beauty salon. But, upon arrival, the defendants locked her up at an apartment and forced her into sex industry. The defendants denied the allegation.

Global human trafficking roundup (January 25, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

North Carolina: A woman faces 25 years in jail and $500,000 fine for keeping a 17 year old boy as a slave and starving him. She allegedly forced him to clean her 60 yard trailer yard and withdraw his birth certificate. She denied the allegation. Instead, she told the media that she did the boy's father, who is also an illegal immigrant, a favor by agreeing to take care of the boy.

Nebraska: Police have arrested of human trafficking and pandering. A 42 year old man Jarod Rosenow was arrested Wednesday after an 18 year old woman reported the police of Rosenow. The woman met Rosenow on Craigslist while looking for a female encounter. Rosenow posed as a 22 year old woman. He told the woman that the 22 year old woman is actually a 14 year old boy and threatened her to report to the police and register as a sex offender, if she doesn't have sex with him. The woman never met Rosenow in person.

South Carolina: Police charged a woman in connection with her role recruiting and harboring a 20 year old woman into prostitution. She allegedly forced the 20 year old victim into prostitution to pay off her smuggling fee. Police is still looking for two other men in connection with the case.

EUROPE

Greece: Police dismantled a baby trafficking ring in Bulgaria and Greece. According to the report, five people were arrested in Bulgaria and nine people were arrested in Greece for trafficking Bulgarian babies to Greece. The criminal gang transported pregnant women who agreed to sell their babies in Greece.

ASIA

UAE: Two women were charged with trafficking three women for labor and sexual exploitation. They allegedly forced the victims into prostitution at a massage parlor. According to the report, this is the first case that women are charged with human trafficking.

AFRICA

Ghana: The trial date for three sisters who allegedly forced women into prostitution in Nigeria was postponed. The court was adjourned after the sisters' lawyer withdrew his service because he is traveling. The three sisters allegedly recruited women from Ghana with a promise of job security in Nigeria. Upon arrival, victims were forced to sell porridge during the day and prostitute at night.

Uganda: Police arrested two men for trafficking Ugandan women to Malaysia for prostitution. One woman was promised a job in Malaysia but was locked up in a brothel and forced into prostitution. The victims also had to pay for their own food, water, and electricity on the top of $6000 plane ticket to Malaysia to the traffickers.

Global human trafficking roundup ( January 21, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Georgia: An ICE representative says human trafficking is increasing in Atlanta, but the crime is hard to uncover because victims do not come forward. He also pointed out two growing trends; that victims are becoming as young as 14 and that traffickers increasingly use violence to control victims.

North Carolina: Authority says the number of victims for sex trafficking in North Carolina has increased in recent years. Many female victims are lured into coming to North Carolina with a promise of a better job. The Immigration officers therefore work with local and state authority to combat human trafficking in North Carolina.

Massachusetts: A New Hampshire police is searching for a suspect setting up a girl in a Portsmouth hotel room for prostitution. Police arrested a girl earlier this month at a hotel, where she was working as a prostitute. But, police believes that this incident is part of a large human trafficking or child prostitution ring throughout New England.

EUROPE

Finnland: Four Latvians are convicted of human trafficking through Russia and Balkan states. They smuggled 80 people from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria in 2008 and 2009. The victims also paid $10,000 for smuggling fee. The Latvians received jail sentence ranged between 14 months and 5.5 years. Whether the victims were forced into slavery is unknown.

UK: A female applicant for refuge status is found herself to be in the center of the biggest human trafficking investigation in the north of England. According to the report, she was forced into having sex with men at a massage parlor by gangs members. She was beaten and raped by the gang and forced to work six or seven days a week. Sometimes she was forced to have sex with as many men as 10 a day.

ASIA

Indonesia: Police arrests a new suspect in child prostitution ring. The ring victimized at least 98 children by kidnapping and raping. Police also said that the suspect is one of 18 people who were involved in the child prostitution ring.

Global human trafficking roundup (January,1-3, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Tennessee: Law enforcement receives applaud for dismantling a human trafficking ring preyed on girls nationwide. According to the report, the persistent effort of law enforcement in Nashville charges most of gang members selling Minnesota girls to sex trade in Tennessee. Report also states that girls as young as twelve years old were enslaved in sex industry for more than a decade while some of them were sold for as little as a bottle of brandy.

North Carolina: A local church uses holidays to support human trafficking victims around the world. On Christmas day, The pastor shared a sermon on human trafficking victims around the world, which led the congregation to raise $128,000 for trafficking victims.

Michigan: Advocates call for tougher measures against human trafficking. One advocate says that Michigan is particularly vulnerable to human trafficking as an agricultural and a border state. Another advocate pointed out that lack of awareness among public and law enforcement authorities are another reason why many victims are not rescued in Michigan.

EUROPE

UK: A group of nonprofit pressures the authority to adopt EU directive to fight against human trafficking in UK. They argue that hundreds of children are at risk of trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation. The group believes that EU directive, upon adoption, will increase protection of children and prosecution of traffickers. Meanwhile, the UK government announced that it would launch a new plan to combat human trafficking in spring.

AFRICA

Rwanda: The authorities are working to deport Bangladeshi human trafficking victims to their country. A Bangladeshi man was arrested for trafficking 64 men in the age between 20 and 50 years old. Prior to this event, the man was arrested in 2006 for smuggling a group of Bangladeshis in Mozambique.