"사채 못갚아?" 원정 성매매 강요한 브로커일당 구속

http://pk.newdaily.co.kr/news/article.html?no=305694


사채 빚을 진 여성들에게 빚을 협박삼아 해외 원정 성매매를 시킨 브로커 일당이 경찰에 붙잡혔다.

부산경찰청 국제범죄수사대는 빚을 못 갚은 여성들에게 일본·캐나다·미국·호주 등으로 보내 원정 성매매를 알선한 브로커이자 사채업자 이 모(37)씨와 윤 모(57)씨, 포주 박 모(47)씨 등 3명을 성매매알선행위처벌 위반 혐의로 구속하고 브로커 6명을 불구속 입건했다고 22일 밝혔다.

또 최 모(27,여)씨 등을 포함한 성매매 여성 44명을 불구속 입건했다.

이들 중 국내에서 사채업을 하던 이 씨는 빚을 갚지 못하는 여성들을 유혹해 도쿄 성매매 업소에 알선했고 포주 박 씨는 인터넷 사이트로 여성을 모집한 뒤 자신이 운영하는 업소에서 일하도록 한 혐의를 받고 있다.

또 일본에서 고리사채업을 해왔던 윤 씨는 이들은 여성들에게 사채를 빌려준 뒤 갚지 못하면 여권을 빼앗고 성매매를 알선해 대금의 40% 가량을 가져가는 등 부닥 이득을 취한 것으로 조사결과 드러났다.

특히 이 중 일본으로 여성들을 알선했던 이 씨는 성매매여성들의 접대 매뉴얼까지 상세하게 제작해 단속을 피하는 법이나 접대요령까지 교육시킨 것으로 경찰은 전했다.

이들은 성매매 여성이 관광비자로 3개월간 일본에 체류한 후 재입국이 어렵다는 점을 감안해 미국과 캐나다 등지의 성매매업소와 연계하여 해외 원정 성매매를 알선하고 성매수를 희망하는 남성들이 전화를 하면 일반 가정집으로 위장된 업소로 가는 이른바 '인 콜(in-call) 형태의 성매매를 해온 것으로 밝혀졌다.

김병수 국제범죄수사대장은 "이들은 여성끼리 연대 보증을 서도록 만들어 성매매 여성들이 더욱 빠져나가기 어렵게 만들었다"고 전하며 "성매매 알선에 가담한 나머지 관계자들의 행방도 쫓고 있다"고 말했다.

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South Korean women coerced into prostitution to pay off private loans by loansharks. After being trafficking into Japan, the women were trafficked to U.S., Canada, or Australia. In the U.S. or Canned, the women were trafficked through "in-call" : called into private residence.  

South Korea: low penalties for rape.

http://economy.hankooki.com/lpage/society/201509/e2015091607011693800.htm

If a person is drunk when committing crime, the law shows leniency towards his criminal behavior - Penalty: 2-3 years in prison for raping a woman, molesting a 5 years old, etc.

한인 성매매 여성들 "현대판 노예생활"

http://chosunilbousa.com/ninfo.cfm?id=26236

워싱턴을 포함해 미주 전역에서 성매매를 하는 한국에서 원정 온 여성들은 ‘현대판 노예’의 삶을 살고 있는 것으로 조사됐다. 

특히 이들 여성들은 하루 평균 12.3시간 일하면서 7.2명의 손님을 받고 있으면서 포주에게 여권을 뺏기거나 맡긴 상태에서 이 도시 저 도시를 전전하며 성매매를 하며 거주이전의 자유를 심하게 제한 받고 있는 것으로 나타났다. 

매사추세츠 로웰대학 추경석 교수는 한국형사정책연구원과 재미한인범죄학회가 공동 주최한 국제학술행사 ‘한국과 미국의 범죄 피해조사 및 정책 비교 연구’에서 이 같은 내용을 포함한 ‘성적 인신매매의 개념 정의, 인신매매 희생양인가, 성매매 이주노동자인가’를 발표했다. 

지난 수 개월간 실시한 조사에서 추 교수는 성매매 중인 18명의 한인 여성과 심층 면접을 실시했는데, 그 결과 조사 대상자의 60% 이상이 하루 12시간 이상 일하고 있으며, 2명은 하루 종일 일하고 있다고 답하는 등 휴일 없이 하루 평균 12.3시간 일을 하며 평균 7.2명의 손님을 받고 있다. 화대는 포주 6과 본인 4비율로 나눠 가진다. 

미주 지역으로 성매매를 나서는 여성들은 주로 인터넷 카페의 광고나 주위 친구의 권유 등을 통해 연결되는데 빚이 있던 여성들이 브로커나 포주에게 적게는 5000달러에서 많게는 4만달러 정도의 빚을 일단 진다. 

워싱턴 등 미주에 도착해서는 선금 1만~1만5000달러에서 20%의 선이자를 떼고 8000~1만2000달러 정도를 받은 뒤 일을 시작하는데, 이들의 선금은 120% 이상의 고리로 불어나 대부분의 성매매 여성이 빚에 허덕이며, 이를 갚기 위해 성매매를 계속 하게 되는 원인으로 조사됐다. 

또 대체적으로 포주의 폭력 등에 의해 강압적으로 성매매에 나선 경우는 드물지만, 여권을 포주나 브로커에게 빼앗기고 살아가거나 일정기간 성매매 후에 다른 도시로 강제 이주 당해 성매매를 하는 등 거주이전의 자유를 제약당하고 있는 것으로 드러났다. 

이번에 조사 대상자는 30~51세 였으며, 이 중 35%인 6명은 2년제 또는 4년제 대학을 졸업하기도 했다. 

김성한 기자 

경찰, 살해 여중생 성매매 시킨 2명 '영장'

http://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/4389740

서울 관악구 한 모텔에서 여중생이 숨진 채 발견된 사건을 수사 중인 경찰이 이 여중생에게 성매매를 시킨 일당에 대해 구속영장을 신청했다. 

서울 관악경찰서는 아동·청소년 성보호에 관한 법률 위반 혐의로 박모(28) 씨와 최모(28) 씨에 대해 구속영장을 신청했다고 28일 밝혔다.

많이 본 기사

• 경찰관이 대학 여자 동기생 성폭행하고 동영상 촬영
• 박근령 "천황폐하에 계속 사과 요청… 창피한 일"
• "지금 빚내서 집 산다? 폭탄을 사는 겁니다"
• 가수 도은영 사망…향년 33세
• "고속도로 통행료 면제, 황당하다"…도로공사 끝까지 반대

 

이들은 지난 26일 오전 6시 30분쯤 관악구 봉천동 한 모텔에서 A(14) 양에게 성매매를 시킨 혐의를 받고 있다. 

경찰 조사결과 박 씨 등은 지난달 초 온라인 대화방에서 A 양을 처음 만나 성매매에 끌어들인 것으로 드러났다. 

한편 A 양은 이날 낮 12시쯤 같은 모텔에서 숨진 채 발견됐고, 국립과학수사연구원의 부검 결과 사인은 목 졸림에 의한 질식사인 것으로 나타났다. 

경찰은 A 양과 함께 투숙한 남성을 유력한 살해 용의자로 보고 추적 중이다. 

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 (February 7, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

New York: A Queens man is charged for forcing at least three women into prostitution by using violence, threat, and intimidation. According to the law enforcement, he allegedly moved these women across the state lines from New York to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and D.C.

Iowa: Two people are convicted of sex trafficking women, including a 15 year old minor. They emotionally, physically, and mentally abused the women to forced them into prostitution. Mary Crane Horton was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison and Nate Horton received 14 and a half years in jail.

Texas: An Austin man was arrested for forcing a minor and her adult sister into prostitution in Dallas. He attempted to bring two sisters to Dallas for prostitution. When the older sister refused to the idea that the younger sister would be prostituted, the man physically assaulted her and bit her arm twice to force her teenage sister into prostitution for him inn Dallas.

EUROPE

Ireland: Many migrant women are sexually exploited in Ireland. During the Dublin conference, the speaker stated that approximately 1000 migrant workers are exploited with commercial sex in the country. The conference also recognizes the successful system in Sweden to countermeasure human trafficking and prostitution.

UK: A sex trafficking survivor shares her story as a victim. She was trafficked by a Romanian gangs who were jailed for sex trafficking and related charges. She was 17 year old when she was kidnapped in 2008. The gangs forced her to sleep with at least 12 men a day and turn over the profits to the gangs. She, however said, that at least 1000 girls are forced into sex slavery in Birmingham.

ASIA

South Korea: A Cambodian woman was arrested for cutting off her husband's genital area. According to the family members, the couple often fought since they got married in 2007. He often alleged his wife of having an affair. Domestic violence among international marriage couple in South Korea is common, according to the report.

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

Government and culture, not poverty, cause human trafficking

Earlier this week, one organization made a bold statement that poverty causes human trafficking. The theory is based on the strong correlation between a country's GDP and human trafficking. According to the report, "every $1000 increase in a country's GDP makes the country nearly 10 percent more likely to be a destination for international human trafficking victims." Is poverty the root cause of human trafficking? Or, is it a byproduct of the third factor that also causes human trafficking?

OTHER CASE STUDIES SHOW OTHERWISE

A number of studies on different countries' case suggests that poverty is more than likely a co-existing factor to human trafficking, not the root cause of human trafficking.

Case #1: Myanmar

Take a look at this impoverished country of source, which pushes out many human trafficking victims to its South Asian neighbors. On the surface level, one can argue that poverty pushes many migrant workers to leave Myanmar while traffickers are waiting to prey them on in anyway on the other side of the country's borderline. According to no where else to go, an in-depth report by a nonprofit, the military regime's economic mismanagement and high tax are two driving factors for the Burmese victims to flee the country. The research also states that the victims are hesitant to report cases against police corruption involving human trafficking because the close connection between the military regime and the many NGO representatives would only bring the victims themselves under the accusation of taking part in the human trafficking ring. Therefore, many victims' reports remain unreported. The Burmese military regime, according to the report, is also in charge of a large percentage of aids and social welfare programs. Therefore, government is the reason for any traffickers to flee the country as well as a hindrance to their victim assistance.

Case #2: Kenya

The human trafficking in Kenya, in particular, those of Maasai girls, is another example that caused by government corruption and mismanagement. While some analyst even attempted to blame climate changes in the past, the fact is clear that the draught and climate change has been fact of life for Maasai people. Regardless of the draught and poverty, however, history shows that Maasai found their way of self-sustaining life-style. And, they had good life within the community until the British government stepped in with economic mismanagement and corruption. According to a research, corruption involving blood relationship and personal ambition played significant factors behind mismanagement of the subdivision of the land introduced by the British. Only a few rich people have benefited from the system at the expense of exploiting the rest of the poor Maasai people. In addition, according toone report by Heritage Organization, a policy think thank based in D.C., corruption is highly pervasive in Kenya as the country ranks 147th out of 179 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Index in 2008. Further, the lax property rights and extensive corruption limits the country's overall economic freedom. ( For further information on history of Maasai community in regards to human trafficking click here).

Case #3: South Korea & China

South Korea and China are members of OECD countries. South Korea's GDP, according to World Bank, reached $832.5 billion and China's GDP was 4.985 trillion in 2009. Both countries' GDPs in 2009 were conspicuously higher than that of Switzerland ($491.92) and Demark in the same year. In case of China, its GDP is much higher than Italy ($2.1 trillion), UK($2.18), and even France ($2.65) and even Germany($3.33). Yet, both China and South Korea have been the main sources of sex trafficking victims in the U.S. In particular, according to the Attorney General's office in 2006 report, South Korean women made up 23.5% of human trafficking victims in the U.S., which was the highest percentage of victims among the reported cases followed by Thailand (11.7%) and Mexico (9.6%). Likewise, according to the Coalition Against Trafficking of Women, 5000 Chinese women were prostituted in Los Angles in 2007. In the same year, BBC news reported that Chinese women were being trafficked into the United States in New York and North Carolina. BBC also stated that these women were held in $40,000 debt bondage.

If the analysis that poverty causes human trafficking based on the correlation between a country's GDP and human trafficking data is true, neither Chinese women nor South Korean women would not be enslaved in the US. Rather, one will witness more number of sex trafficking victims from UK, Switzerland, Demark, Italy, and France than those from China in the U.S.

One thing is clear that regardless of their high GDP, both China and South Korea do not have policies supporting women's rights as much as many western countries with the similar economic development status. For instance, in South Korea, it is much more difficult for a woman to take out bank loan than it is for her male counterpart. What's more, today's report on a South Korean celebrity who committed suicide after being forced into prostitution and others for her successful career shows the glimpse of the reality for South Korean women.

CONCLUDING THOUGHT

Above examples show that poverty is a co-existing factor to human trafficking, not a root cause. It is true that many migrants from poor countries flee their countries in order to escape poverty for better job opportunities abroad. It is also true that they often are preyed by human trafficking in one way or the other. However, this does not mean that poverty itself is causing victims to be trafficked. Rather, government's economic mismanagement, corruption, lack of policies on women's rights, and the culture that embraces and even promotes sexual and labor exploitation are to blame the ongoing atrocity of human trafficking around the world.

Global human trafficking roundup (January 7, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

California: A man was convicted of keeping a child sex slave. He spent 29 years as a fugitive after being convicted of child molestation in Orange County in the 1970s. He was again convicted in Florida of bringing child across the state lines for sexual purpose. According to the report, he brought a girl from Vietnam and molested on daily basis and even encouraged her to bring her friends so that he can molest them too.

Ohio: Two siblings were charged during the state wide investigation on human trafficking rings in nail salons. Along with two other women, they face multiple charges including, "fraud, submitting false documents and tampering with documents." One state cosmetology board authority stated that human trafficking in nail salons by using fraudulent identities is a multi-million dollar scheme.

South Carolina: Advocates pushes for a bill to make traffickers pay for the crime. On January 11th, the advocates plans to lobby for SC H4522, asset forfeiture laws. If passed, the traffickers will be mandated to turn over all of their assets to the state, which will be used for victim assistance programs.

New Hampshire: Police is investigating online brothel involving child prostitution case. A teen girl was sold as a prostitute at a local hotel by out of state suspects. The police said that the girl was exploited through backpage.com. Because of the ongoing investigation, police said that further details could not be disclosed.

South Dakota: A man was arrested for allegedly pimping on high class call girls. He is charged three counts of pimping and two counts of hiring prostitutes for sexual activity. But, the state's attorney said that he can be charged with fifty additional counts and may qualify for human trafficking.

ASIA

Cambodia: A woman was charged with trafficking her mentally disabled 13 year old daughter after allegedly sending her to Malaysia to work. Police said that the woman was arrested at her residence. The woman allegedly forged documents to indicate that the girl was 19 years old. The investigation began after World Vision informed the police that the girl was only 13 years old and working in Malaysia.

South Korea: A 37 year old man was sentenced to 17 years in jail for killing his Mongolian wife's friend and severely injuring her husband. The crime occurred after the 37 year old visited their residence in search of his wife who ran away from the man's domestic violence. The incident caused public stir over increasing reports of domestic violence and human trafficking.

India: Ten Nepalese women who were trafficked into India were sent back to their country upon rescue. According to the nonprofit advocates who worked with these women stated that these women are lucky to be able to go back to their country. Many of them are left in brothels, shelters, or even in prison instead of finding their ways to go home.

AFRICA

Uganda: Immigration officer testifies against pastors for trafficking a 17 year old girl. According to the report, the two pastors allegedly lured the girl from her hometown into flying to Dubai for a job opportunity. They also allegedly falsified the document stating that the girl is 19 years old to obtain a passport.