Global human trafficking roundup (March 17-19, 2012)

NORTH AMERICA

Connecticut: The new anti-trafficking bill seeks to deter underage sex ads. If implemented, the bill will make online and printed publishers liable for felony charges if they run an escort service that exploited minors. The crime will be punishable with up to 10 years in prison or $10,000 fine.

EUROPE

UK: Metro police investigation method is under heavy criticism by local politicians. A report by Silence On Violence accuses the police of heavy handed approach to brothel raids and criticized police performance of less than 1% success rate.

ASIA

Australia: Federal police says that human trafficking in Australia is increasing. Many foreign women are smuggled into sex industry, construction, and manufacture sectors for slave labor. Many women come from Asia and Eastern Europe.

Thailand: Authority says that labor trafficking of migrant workers remain rampant in the country. According to the authority, many young girls come from Laos are forced into prostitution. Traffickers recruit not only victims but also customers to exploit young girls in karaokes and bars.

AFRICA

Ghana:

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 20, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Kentucky: Two parents were indicted on human trafficking charges for selling their daughters' sexual flavors. They arranged their 13 and 14 year old daughters to provide companionship and affection to men for money and goods, according to the indictment. Their mother recruited men at local grocery stores and encouraged them to touch and kiss her daughters to receive money and clothing from the men.

Hawaii: Labor company was fined $340,000 for exploiting more than 400 Thai farm workers. The court ordered the company to pay $153,000 in back wages to 88 temporary workers and $197,000 for penalties. The back wages were calculated based on what was originally promised to the Thai workers.

Nevada: Governor signed a bill to assist women forced into prostitution in Las Vegas. The Assembly bill 6 would allow women forced into prostitution or trafficked to request a district court to erase her conviction.

Georgia: A man gets 12 years in prison for sex trafficking women. When the then 21 year old victim had escaped from the man, he tracked her down and brought her back to his motel. He ordered other streetwalkers to beat her up. Then, he locked her up in a dog kennel.

EUROPE

UK: A woman forced to work as a domestic servant was awarded £5,000 damages after the judge criticized the Metro police for failing to promptly investigate the case. The victim was regularly stripped and beaten with a stick or belt by the church pastor in front of her three children. In 1999 the pastor also stabbed the victim in her head with a heavy meat cleaver. The pastor was sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison after being convicted of trafficking the woman and two other children to UK as domestic slaves.

ASIA

India: Police found a 21 year old woman who was victimized by a trafficking ring. According to the victim, she was sent to Dubai with a promise of a good job but ended up being forced into performing a dance at a bar. She also stayed at a hotel with 20 other girls in the similar situation. When she tried to committed a suicide to escape an enslaved lifestyle, Her trafficker sent her back to India. She was weeping at the Delhi airport, when police found her.

Taiwan: Two teenage boys are arrested for pimping on dozens of girls. The girls as young as twelve years old were recruited through internet for prostitution, working at tea house, and hotels in the capital city. Police said that the teenage boys are the youngest pimps ever.

AFRICA

Senegal: ILO and other international organizations report that Talibes, students of Islam, are forced into begging on the students. They estimate that over 7000 boys are working on the street in the capital city alone. And Human Rights Watch estimates that 50,000 children are exploited nationwide. Children are initially recruited to learn how to read and recite Quran by the religious teachers but ended up living under a poor condition and being forced to beg on the street.

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 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 (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 (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 12, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Oregon: Portland remains as a hub of sex trafficking despite of the anti-huamn trafficking effort by the lawmakers. One sex trafficking survivor shared her experience as a sex slave. She accepted a ride from a man who took her to Seattle when she was 18. He brought her to a hotel and tied her to a chair. He also took away all of her identification and cell phone. Though she was able to escape, she said that many victims are too terrified to come forward out of the fear of their traffickers.

Arizona: Girl Scouts battle prostitution by working with sexual exploited minors. Cactus-Pine Council of the Girl Scouts in Arizona partners with the department of Juvenile Corrections to support prostituted children by using some of the funds from cookie sales. The Cactus also established a program to mentor sexually exploited and incarcerated youths to build confidence and courage.

EUROPE

Ireland: Many victims are trafficked from all over the world, and Nigeria is the main sending country that victims are trafficked into Ireland. According to the report, while 80,000 victims were trafficked from Nigeria into Europe for the past five years, the number of African women trafficked into Ireland is still growing.

UK: The Immigration Minister says that the government is taking a positive step to combat human trafficking and ensure to remain the world's leader in the arena. He pointed out a Moldovan female victim's case, in which she received damage award from the government as an evidence of UK's strengthened measure.

ASIA

India: Police forms an anti-human trafficking cells in each districts in Delhi Police. The cells will be run by the police officers that are trained to deal with trafficking victims. Those who were trained in juvenile welfare will be given a preference to work for the unit.

The Philippines: Police charged seven people after rescuing over 140 victims in Cebu City. Police said that thirty -five out of over 140 victims were allegedly minors and now placed under the custody of Social Welfare and Development office for further assistance. They were rescued from the night club last week.

Global human trafficking roundup ( April 6, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Rhode Island: A UAE military officer attending Naval War college in Rhode Island was indicted on a human trafficking charge. According to the report, he failed to compensate a Filipino woman after persuading her to come to Rhode Island with his family to care for his children and clean his house. He also allegedly forced her to work seven days a week until midnight.

Minnesota: A trucker was sentenced in federal court for taking a 14 year old child on interstate trucking trip for the purpose of having sexual relation with her and producing pornography involving her. He was sentenced to 480 months in prison and lifetime supervision upon release.

LATIN AMERICA

Dominican Republic: Authorities said that they busted a Haitian human trafficking ring that allegedly exploited dozens of Haitians. The authorities also found seventy-seven Haitians, including 44 children at a building that was formerly used as a daycare. Ten of the children were under the age of one. They were forced to go out on the busy intersection every morning to beg and clean the windshields. The authority also arrested the ring leader who was also a illegal migrant from Haiti.

Mexico: A Federal Appellate Court in Mexico convicted a Canadian man of running a child pornography business at his residence. He was sentenced to eight years in jail. He was arrested in 2009 after the authority found fifteen hard drive containing four million copies of child pornography.

EUROPE

UK: A restaurant owner from Dublin was refused bail in sex trade probe. Prosecutors argue that the man was a member of organized criminal gang who ran a vice involving Hungarian nationals. The investigation began after the police in London received a tip from Hungarian embassy regarding a woman who came to UK to work at a restaurant but forced into prostitution. Though the restaurant owner appeared at the police station, it was after he cleaned out his apartment to remove the evidence. But, police later found a number of evidences of sex trafficking in his car.

ASIA

The Philippines: The U.S. State Department says that the Filipino government made a significant progress in combating human trafficking for the last six months in 2010. The report highlighted the conviction of nine sex traffickers, DOJ's order to prosecutors to make human trafficking cases a priority.

AFRICA

Nigeria: The police arrested five individuals for trafficking human body parts. Three Beninoise and two Nigerians transferred the human body parts from a grave in Benin Republic. The suspects were allegedly hired by a politician who wanted to perform human sacrifice ritual to win the election this month.

Global human trafficking roundup (March 31, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Michigan: Michigan toughens up its anti-huamn trafficking law through amendment. According to the report, the new amendment will impose longer prison term for involuntary servitude. An expert at Michigan University says that human trafficking is happening all over the state, and tougher measure by law enforcement is required.

Illinois: Sex trafficking is widespread in Chicago. One victim testified that she was raped and forced into prostitution against her will by her friend's boyfriend who called himself as her pimp. She was locked into a room at a house being naked and constantly injected with drugs. She said she was lucky to be escape from the slavery, but many girls are not able to do so.

EUROPE

UK: Former police chief begins his anti-human trafficking work in Wale. According to the police, at least 2600 people were working as prostitutes in England and Wale, trafficked from abroad. He further emphasized the importance of cooperation among law enforcement and charity groups to fight against the crime.

Denmark: Many women from Nigeria and other Eastern European countries are enslaved in sex trade. An advocate says that the number of women trafficked from Nigeria tripled. Victims are afraid of coming forward because when they are caught, they are treated as illegal immigrants and face deportation. Though victims are given reflection period to cooperate with the police investigation, experts say that it does not offer enough time nor incentive to the victims.

ASIA

Vietnam: A Vietnamese woman was sentenced to five years in prison for trafficking women to Malaysia and Singapore. She was convicted of selling seven Vietnamese women to work abroad. However, the woman argued that she was not aware of the victims sold to prostitution because she was only an agent who helped the women find jobs abroad.

Australia: An Australian Christian Lobby says that legal brothels participating human trafficking is a failure of regulation. She said she is not surprised when she heard that licensed brothels were under investigation for human trafficking and child prostitution. She said that legalized brothels have not made prostitution safer because prostitution in itself is harmful to women.

UAE: Two Nigerian women are convicted of human trafficking and sentenced to five years in prison. They are convicted of trafficking three women for prostitution from Nigeria. The women also confiscated the victims' documents and held them in an apartment against their will.

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 (March 24, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Texas: An anti-human trafficking bill passed the Senate on Wednesday this week. The bill is aimed at strengthening penalties against traffickers. Prostitution of children will be upgraded to the first degree felony and punishable by a minimum of 25 years in jail. The bill also seeks for better victim assistance. Currently, it is awaiting for the governor's signature after receiving the state House approval. Teenage girls allegedly trafficked to Rio Grande City for prostitution. Three men allegedly raped and abused Mexican girls who were across the U.S. border to work as prostitutes. Their sex trafficking ring was uncovered during March 17 traffic stop. The girls were as young as 13 years old and sexually abused by their smugglers. The three men were charged with smuggling, but were not officially charged with human trafficking yet.

Alaska: A lawmaker proposed a bill to strengthen the fight against human trafficking. The bill is aimed at closing the loopholes and tightening punishments. Human traffickers will be charged with a felony for enticing someone to move within the state to engage in sexual conduct or forced labor under the new bill.

EUROPE

UK: A Hungarian man was charged with controlling prostitution for gain. Though he claimed to fly to Dublin and drove them to Belfast because he was in love with one of the women. But, the investigator revealed the evidence that up to 70 women may have been trafficked to UK. The investigator also presented the evidence of contacting one of the women who came to Ireland to work at a restaurant but was forced into prostitution during the court hearing. The Hungarian man was remanded in custody to appear again via video link next month.

ASIA

The Philippines: The local government in Talcoban City announced that it's strengthening its effort to fight against human trafficking. According to the Philippines government report, the campaign is launched to protect Filipino migrants from human traffickers warning the traffickers of dire consequences of their crimes. In 2010 alone, the authority says that 11 out of 19 victims were served in the region.

Australia: Prostitution laws in Canberra City leaves police powerless to rescue child prostitution victims. According to the report, more than two years after a 17 year old victim who died of drug overdose in a brothel, police say their ability to investigate children working at legal brothels were limited and constrained. Authorities are also concerned that they would be remain in the dark about what goes on in illegal sex operations.

AFRICA

Ivory Coast: Many children on the street are vulnerable to child prostitution in the capital city. Children in the age between 9 and 14 are in search of godfather, uncle, or boss who will give them food, money, or clothes in exchange of sexual favors. Some of johns include politicians, and children, in times, receive death threats when they reveal their johns' identities.

Global human trafficking roundup (March 23, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Texas: Texas governor proposes a legislation to fight against human trafficking. The bill, if implemented, will toughen penalties for human trafficking. It will also impose life sentences on repeated offenders and provide civil remedies against traffickers.

Colorado: The bill to combat sex trafficking in Colorado passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill will create hefty fines for soliciting, pandering, and patronizing prostitute. It would also create john schools for first time offenders.

Tennessee: A man was arrested for solicitation of minors. During the two month long operations, police discovered that he requested a person to arrange the purchase of a child in the age of 12 or under for purpose of sex. Police also confiscated his computer and other digital media.

EUROPE

UK: UK sings up for Europe wide measure against human trafficking. The UK government initially criticized for opting out EU directive against human trafficking. However, immigration minister said that by waiting until the final wording was agreed, UK's interest has been protected. The new legislation will, according to report, increase protection for human trafficking victims and increase the chances to prosecute traffickers.

ASIA

China: The authority arrested approximately fifty people on human trafficking and prostitution charges during the raid. Police also rescued twenty women who are smuggled into Taiwan. The gangs who ran trafficking rings offered cash rewards to Chinese women who help recruiting other women from China. Though some Chinese women voluntarily engaged in prostitution Taiwan, police continues to investigate whether any woman was forced into prostitution.

UAE: A group that provides assistance to human trafficking victims says that total 124 sexual abuse cases were reported since 2009. Many of them are foreign victims who are trafficked to UAE for sexual exploitation. Most of them come to UAE with visitors' visa through family and friends, but some of them come to UAE with a false promise of a good job.

Cambodia: Cambodian government calls for crackdown on labor trafficking. The prime minister in Cambodia announced the crack down and urged the public to seek employment within Cambodia. The announcement was made after the government faced the criticism from the human rights group on its regulation of training centers for Cambodians seeking employment abroad. They are often held against their will while waiting to be sent abroad.

The Philippines: Child prostitution and sex tourism receives criticism from child advocacy group. One 14 year old child prostitution victim was sold to an Australian man by her parents. She was literally kept as a sex slave. Although such child sex tourism or prostitution case is common, its prosecution is rare. Some locals even believe that a child should be rightly available for sexual gratification for foreign sex tourists.

Global human trafficking roundup (March 19-21, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

South Dakota: A nonprofit group named "Be Free" plans to open a safe house for trafficking victims. The shelter will provide a space for 8 to 10 women and offer other services and support to them. According to the Be Free director, sex trafficking is underreported and is likely to increase in the state.

Georgia: Delta Airways becomes the first airline company to sign the code to fight against child trafficking. Upon agreement, the company pledges to train and educate employees to identify child trafficking victims so that the employees can report child trafficking incidents to the authority.

Colorado: Lawmakers tackles johns to crack down on prostitution. The new bill proposed will require the first offenders to attend johns school, where they will learn about human trafficking. As a result of participation to the program, the first offenders will be able to avoid jail sentence.

New York: Police arrested five women on the charges of prostitution during the undercover prostitution sting. One of them also was charged with endangering the welfare of child for bringing a 15 year old girl to engage in prostitution acts under her direction. They used the internet website, Backpage.com to set up a meeting with johns for commercial sexual services at motels.

LATIN AMERICA

Jamaica: Police rescued seven human trafficking victims and arrested one person on human trafficking charges last Friday. According to one former employee of the arrested individual, he was allegedly brought to Jamaica from India with a promise of a good job. However, upon arrival, his passport was confiscated and was forced to work for months without pay.

EUROPE

UK: A report reveals the reality of human trafficking in UK. Many sex traffickers bring women from abroad and forced them into prostitution. However, even if they are jailed for committing such horrendous crime, they rather brag about their wrong deeds. Also, children from Vietnam are trafficked to UK and exploited with labor in cannabis farm. One Vietnamese teenager came to UK with a promise of a good job and a new life, but ended up being locked up in a cannabis farm and exploited with labor. For many foreign victim cases, however, police is faced with difficulty to crack down on the crime because of language and cultural barriers.

ASIA

Malaysia: The national authority announced that over 300 people were arrested for human trafficking between February 2008 and February 2011. What's more, approximately 1900 people have been rescued during the same period. The government representative further warned the childless couples of child trafficking among adoption agencies.

The Philippines: The government launches a hotline for human trafficking victims. The hotlines will be available for 24 hours to the victims in Manila City and providences in emergency situations.

Global human trafficking roundup (March 18, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Texas: A 36 year old man pleaded guilty to sex trafficking young women. According to the report, he recruited young women, especially vulnerable single mothers from troubled backgrounds and forced them into prostitution. He also required each woman to meet a daily quota and wire the funds to his account. Under the terms of the plea agreement, he is facing 30 year long prison sentence.

District of Columbia: Two U.S. Senators introduced a bill to fight against sex trafficking in the U.S. The senators argue that Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act will give law enforcement the tools and funding to investigate, prosecute, and incarcerate pimps and traffickers. It would also authorize block grants of 2-2.5 million dollars to six locations considered as major hubs of sex trafficking.

California: A man was convicted of pimping on teenage girls in San Francisco, Oakland, Reno, and other cities. He was convicted of forcing two teenagers in the age of 14 and 16 into prostitution in 2006. Because of his previous conviction in Nevada for pandering, he was sentenced to life in prison.

LATIN AMERICA

Argentina: Many farm workers live in a slavery conditions, according to the report, They are forced to work 14 hours a day and live in a mud-floored dorms or sheet material trailers with no water and electricity available. Also, they only receive a small compensation after the costs of food, clothing, and transportation were deducted from the wages.

EUROPE

Portugal: More than 31,000 people signed a petition to fight against child sex trafficking in the country. The petition is aimed at urging the lawmaker to strengthen the measure against child traffickers and was part of Body Shop campaign against child trafficking.

UK: A retired doctor was found guilty of enslaving an African woman. She was convicted of forcing the African woman into sleeping on the kitchen floor and feeding her two slices of bread a day, etc. for three and a half years. The doctor also confiscated the victim's passport and kept her belongings locked in the backyard. The doctor was sentenced to nine months in jail and ordered to pay 25,000 pounds to the victim.

ASIA

Thailand: Surrogate rings are trafficking foreign women to bear children for wealthy couples in Thailand. The ring is spread out through South Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, and Thailand. Just last month, the police rescued 20 Vietnamese women and arrested four individuals who trafficked these women.

India: Police rescued sixteen girls in the age between two and seven years old from brothels in Mandaur district. According to the report, the girls were from Bachhras tribes, in which the families keep tradition of selling the first daughters to prostitution to receive financial support. The little girls were held in captivity so they can prostitute when entering puberty.

Global human trafficking roundup (March 4, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Texas: Law makers propose new human trafficking bills to toughen up the measure against the crime. The House bill 7 and HB 1122 each addresses pimps and johns who exploit children. Governor Perry is in support of the bill after hearing the crackdown report during the Super Bowl game.

Canada: Heath care workers are surprised to find out about rampant human trafficking in Canada. They were shocked to hear that many migrants in Canada live in debt bondage or sex slavery. One health care worker said that she was overwhelmed to think about how many victims that she might have come across in the past and didn't realize it.

Maryland: An NJ man was arrested for trafficking a 19 year old victim. The victim initially came down to Maryland voluntarily with other three women for prostitution at local motel. But, when the victim said that she wanted to go home, she was held against her will and denied the mail she reached out to her relatives in NJ.

EUROPE

Ireland: An alleged human trafficking case in Belfast moved to Scotland. A 47 year old Scottish man was initially charged with human trafficking and controlling prostitution, running a brothel, and converting criminal property in Northern Ireland. He is scheduled to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court to be arrested on Scottish warrant.

UK: Police arrested a convicted pimp who has been on the run since last November yesterday. He became a fugitive since he failed to appear before the court for two hearings. He was convicted of "trafficking women within the UK for sexual exploitation, conspiracy to traffic women within the UK for sexual exploitation and controlling prostitution for gain and converting £67,075 of criminal property."

ASIA

The Philippines: Police rescued three minors from child labor along with thirty other adult victims. The three minors were recruited with a promise of high paying job with free lodging and food. But, they only received 1/7th of what was promised, and the fees for using utensils and food were deducted from the salaries. The thirty adults were also subject to forced labor.

Global human trafficking roundup (February 16, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

South Dakota: The Senate passes on the anti-human trafficking bill. The new bill will outlaw forced prostitution, labor, or involuntary servitude. It also will particularly benefit victims as anyone under the age of 16 will be considered as victims.

Georgia: The new Georgia attorney seeks new powers to prosecute human traffickers. The bill 200 aims to boost penalties and remove loopholes that have hindered prosecutions in the past. The bill is currently pending in a House committee for approval.

Maryland: A Craigslist undercover sting led to a possible sex trafficking case. The woman was 46 year old illegal migrant from China. She barely spoke English and believed to have a child in New York and another one left back in China. The undercover detective also said that she found evidences to promote him to turn her case over the Federal Human Trafficking Task Force.

EUROPE

UK: A Detective in Wales was told to ignore sex trafficking allegation by her superior. In 2007, her superior officer told her to leave the sex trafficking victim in the hands of the brothel owner, who was a suspect of another sex trafficking case. A month later, she discovered that seven women were forced into prostitution at the brothel while interviewing another victim in a London safe house. The Detective is currently on the process of suing the police for discrimination under whistle-blower laws.

ASIA

Thailand: Police rescued 13 girls from Karaoke during the raid. The police also arrested the bar manager and his three associates on human trafficking and pimping charges. Police seized three motorcycles that were used to transport victims for prostitution and account books.

The Philippines: A man who has been on the wanted list for pimping was shot dead by the police while escaping from the police arrest. He has been wanted by the police for a long time for pimping on a 13 year old girl on several occasions.

Macau: Authorities said that despite of the decrease in overall crime rate, the number of kidnapping soared last year. According to the government report, the number of kidnapping in 2010 was 98, up from 67 in 2009. Kidnapping was also recorded 46.3 percent increase, the biggest one out of all reported crimes.

Global human trafficking roundup (February 15, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Texas: Police charged 59 people on prostitution related crimes in Arlington during the days leading up to and on the day of Super Bowl. According to the report, thirteen of them were visitors in the area, three men were believed to be pimps, and one faces a human trafficking charge.

Washington: Two men have pleaded guilty to forcing young women into prostitution. According to the federal prosecutor, they facilitated women's prostitution by providing cell phones, transportation, and motel rooms. They also used threats to force them into prostitution. The arrest was made after the 17 year old victim called her brother and said that she was held against her will at a motel.

South Carolina: The state authority creates a sex offender watch website to protect children from the criminals, including child traffickers. The new website allows a family to monitor registered sex offenders who are prohibited from residing within 1000 feet from school, day care, and children's recreation center, etc.

South Dakota: Three men from South Dakota and Iowa face commercial sex charges after online sting. If convicted, they all can face life in prison. The men were arrested after responding to the online ads posted as part of undercover operation by Homeland Security and the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

EUROPE

UK: A Nigerian female pastor is facing a jail term for trafficking children and a woman to keep them as domestic servants in UK. According to the court document, she allegedly smuggled the victims into UK with false passports in 2000. Since then, the victims were kept as domestic workers and routinely subjected to physical abuse.

ASIA

UAE: Four women received jail term for sex trafficking other women in two different cases. One woman was sentenced to three years in jail for sex trafficking another women. Another woman and her assistance each received two year and a year jail sentence for forcing a victim into prostitution. The other woman received three year jail term for sex trafficking her victim. All of them will also face deportation after serving their jail terms.

The Philippines: Police intercepted nineteen victims of human trafficking before they were leaving for Malaysia, according to the report. The victims were illegally recruited by an agency and was about to board a commercial ferry. The interception was part of anti-human trafficking operation at ports in Zamboanga City.

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.