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 (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 18, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Canada: The Manitoba government gets tough on child sexual predators. A new legislation is introduced to allow asset forfeiture from the convicted traffickers. The legislation will also allow the victims to file civil lawsuit against their predators.

Georgia: Advocates praise the state's new legislation to combat human trafficking. The new law will treat those in sexual slavery as victims and allow them to provide affirmative defense "when coming forward and for penalties that allow the state to seize any real or personal property used or purchased by a convicted trafficker."

EUROPE

Estonia: Advocacy group say that human trafficking is ongoing problem in Estonia. According to the report, the group's helpline received 71 calls from victims in March alone. In 2010, the helpline received total 643 calls, receiving in average 50 calls in each month.

UK: The government says sexual grooming of children is a much bigger problem than that has been recognized before. The children's minister says that the UK government launches action plan to tackle child sexual exploitation. Experts say that children as young as 10 year old are sexually exploited in UK. The action plan will likely look at obstacles that child victims experience to bring their abusers to justice.

AFRICA

South Africa: Two Chinese women are facing a trial for human trafficking related charges. They allegedly lured women with a promise of a good job in South Africa and forced them into prostitution. They are facing charges of human trafficking and running an illegal brothel in Cape Town.

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 19, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Hawaii: Law enforcement says that massage parlors can be used for prostitution and sex trafficking. Though the law requires massage parlors to have license to practice, at least eight of them had no record of license in Honolulu.

Washington: Governor signed two anti-human trafficking bills into law. One of the two bills will expands the criminal definition of human trafficking, which will include forced labor, involuntary servitude, commercial sexual abuse, of a minor, criminal sex acts, and illegal human organ harvest. Another bill will authorize the use of money to support housings for victims and their families.

Maryland: A 31 year old man was charged with human trafficking after attempting to hire an undercover cop to work for him as a prostitute. He was during the sting that female officers worked undercover to see if they'd be solicited for sex.

California: Federal officiers said that they indicted 38 people in gang related prostitution ring. They conspired with owners of hotels and used the internet to prostitute underage girls. Federal officers also rescued 30 minors who were mostly runaways from the prostitution ring during the investigation. The indictment targets not only pimps but also women called bottom to recruit high school and junior high school girls for prostitution.

ASIA

The Philippines: Commission on Filipino Overseas says that it has received flood of complaints from victims since it launched a hotline for trafficking victims a month ago. Some of the complaints also led to court cases. But, the officer at Commission urged that more people should come forward to report human trafficking incidents.

AFRICA

South Africa: A man is on trial for allegedly trafficking a Swazi woman and pleaded not guilty. He allegedly trafficked a 19 year old woman and sexually exploited her for two years ago. According to the report, this is the first human trafficking case in West Cape. If convicted, he can face up to life in prison.

Global human trafficking roundup (March 26-28, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Illinois: A 46 year old man faces up to 3o years in prison for running a prostitution ring in and around Chicago. According to prosecutors, the man rented motel rooms and forced the women to see up to 25 men a day. The women said that he threatened to beat or kill them if they refused to follow his order. He also told the women to call him "Magnificent."

Canada: A Montreal based company that provides caregivers is facing charges against forced labor. According to the report, the company allegedly has been trafficking Filipino women under the federal government Live-in Caregiver program. The victims were came to Canada with a promise of high paying salaries and a residence in Canada within 36 months after their arrival. However, upon arrival, they were forced to sign a lease to live in a slum and open a bank and life insurance account that the company thought was best for them. The company also collected $4000 agency fee and airfare to come to Canada from each woman.

Kansas: Labor department cracks down on work visa fraud. The proposed rule changes are aimed at closing the loopholes of H-2B program that are exploited by traffickers. If it is made to final, the new rule will eliminate job contractors from the program.

EUROPE

UK: Two women are facing child prostitution charges. They allegedly prostituted four children in the age between 13 and 17 and facing four counts of arranging the prostitution of child and one count of controlling a child to prostitute. Children were taken into social services after the women's arrest.

Kosovo: A former trafficker talks about human trafficking in Kosovo. He says that sex trafficking in Kosovo is highly organized from top to bottom that no law enforcement can stop the crime. He also pointed out corruption involved in human trafficking.

Scotland: Police began investigating a possible human trafficking case after an Eastern European woman claimed that she was forced into prostitution. She turned up at a sexual health clinic in Capital last week and told the staff that she feared for her life in the hands of her partner and begged for help. The police however stated that the inquiries are currently at an early stage.

ASIA

India: The authority in Orissa establishes anti-human trafficking unit. The anti-human trafficking unit will gather intelligence to investigate traffickers and rescue victims from the trafficking rings. In the state of Orissa, women and children are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking as they are forced into domestic servitude or prostitution, according to the report.

UAE: A woman was sentence to five years in prison for forcing another woman into prostitution. The 38 year old Uzbek was found guilty of forcing a 21 year old Moldovan victim into prostitution by using coercion, beating, and false imprisonment.

AFRICA

South Africa: Two Chinese women are facing criminal charges for running a brothel and trafficking women. According to the report, police received a tips from local newspaper advertising massage parlor at a residence. During the raid, police found two Chinese women in the age of 25 and 29 that were forced into prostitution. The women also told the police that they were raped and told that they would be engaged in prostitution upon arrival in Cape Town.

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 11, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Hawaii: A report reveals sex trade in Waikiki. With its high turn over tourist population, many girls are prostituted on the street. According to the report, though some of them are local recruits, many of them are from out of town. Many victims live with physical and emotional abuse but are afraid of asking for help.

New Jersey: A man is accused of offering a 14 year old boy money in exchange for sex. He allegedly showed pornographic images to the 14 year old boy and offered him money for sexual favor according to the prosecutor. The 64 year old man is now facing charges on endangering child's welfare and promoting prostitution.

EUROPE

Luxembourg: ECPAT, a nonprofit organization to fight child trafficking and sexual exploitation of children, says Luxembourg government does little to fight human trafficking. According to the report, the organization severely criticized that the government makes no effort of raising awareness nor educating public and government officials to fight against human trafficking.

UK: Campaign against sex trafficking says crackdown on brothels is vital to combat trafficking in Britain. The Poppy Project urged police to prioritized brothels as urgent target as an environment of human trafficking.

ASIA

China: Authority announced that more than 9000 children were rescued as a result of nationwide campaign against human trafficking. In particular, Chinese microblog found by a professor in Beijing further helped missing children reunite with their parents.

India: Police rescued five teenage girls and arrested their trafficker. The arrest is made during the raid at a Bus stop. Police also seized cash from each victim who told the police that the man was transporting them from Orissa to Uttar Paradesh.

Australia: A pimp was fined $3000 after pleading guilty to running an illegal prostitution. He pleaded guilty to nine counts of procuring and other related charges. He also pleaded guilty to possessing child exploitation materials.

AFRICA

Nigeria: Immigration officer captured two people who were attempting to cross the border with three people, including a female. They allegedly were heading to Italy without proper immigration documents. The authority is still investigating whether there is human trafficking involved.

South Africa: Police arrested two Chinese women and rescued two victims. The two Chinese women were forced the victims into prostitution at a massage parlor. The victims were tied up with nylon straps at the time of rescue.

Global human trafficking roundup (January 5, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

California: California based anti-human trafficking organization, CAST, will host a National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on Tuesday next week. The executive director of CAST argues that many people are unaware of the problems of human trafficking. Meanwhile, she said that between 12 million and 27 million people are trafficked around the world, and approximately 18000 people are trafficked into the U.S.

Canada: Edmonton cops are overwhelmed by victims of human trafficking, according to the report. After rescuing one Chinese and two Fijian women, police said that they were not ready to deal with the level of trauma and damages experienced by the victims.

Oregon: Multnomah county will launch john school this Saturday for people who were arrested or charged with purchasing sex. According to the report, the program will allow the first time offenders to clear their record if they attend the one day john school and remain arrest free for six months. The program is modeled after those from Seattle and San Francisco.

ASIA

Lebanon: Prostitution and human trafficking is increasing in Lebanon. According to the report, thousands of women from Eastern Europe, Asia, Syria, and Egypt work at sex industry both legally and illegally. One organization providing shelter to the victims says that it receives approximately 80 women every year, but this number is only a tip of the iceberg.

AFRICA

South Africa: A former madam works for child prostitution victims. She says that many children who are in sex industry are often forced into prostitution. She also says that Many children and women in prostitution feel that prostitution is the only way of earning a living they know, which is why they need constant support from community.

Global human trafficking roundup (December 11-13, 2010)

NORTH AMERICA

New Mexico: A man is convicted of trafficking a woman into prostitution. This was the first conviction through the state's human trafficking legislation in New Mexico. He admitted to coerced the victim into prostitution at a local motel by using threats, force, and coercion. He is facing three year jail term.

Tennessee: Police arrested five people from Columbia on human trafficking charges. Police also stated that Nathaniel Roberts used Backpage.com to advertise victims. He also boasted that he learned $100,000 as a pimp on MySpace.

Nevada: Cab drivers benefit from providing transportation to prostitutes and customers to message parlors, brothels, etc. in Las Vegas. According to the report, a $140 massage at a parlor can result $70 in a driver's pocket. Cab drivers also benefit from sex industry by bringing tourists to the brothels and clubs, where they can receive profits the most. According to the report, IRS is making the drivers accountable for the fast cash generated from delivering prostitutes.

LATIN AMERICA

Jamaica: Twin sisters were denied on bail after being arrested for allegedly prostituting a teenage girl. According to the report, the teenage victim ran away form her home to live with the twins who introduced her to a man. The man later took her to his home and forced her to have sex with other men at his house. Police also arrested the three men who had sex with the victim. But, the men were offered bail in the amount of $100,000.

EUROPE

Bulgaria: Police arrested an Italian man who pimped on women in France. According to the report, he appeared at a court in Strasburg for his trial in 2005. But, he moved to Italy then Bulgaria in order to avoid the four year jail term in France. After the arrest, he however requested a voluntary extradition to France to Bulgarian police.

The Netherlands: A 27 year old man was arrested for abusing more than 50 children for child pornography. He worked as a substitute carer at a daycare in Armsterdam and advertised babysitting job on internet. The investigation began after a number of child pornography generated from the Netherlands were found in the U.S.

ASIA

Nepal: A 24 year old man was charged with trafficking a 17 year old girl and sold her to a brothel in Mumbai. He pleaded guilty to luring the victim with a promise of a marriage and a lucrative job and sold her to sex trade in India.

AFRICA

South Africa: A 32 year old Nigerian man was arrested on human trafficking charges. He allegedly lured a 18 year old girl with a promise of a job as a house sitter. But, when she arrived in Durban, he drugged her at his apartment, where she was supposed to work as a house sitter. After she was drugged with cocaine, he forced her into prostitution. He was denied the bail.