58 people charged in Virginia prostitution bust

http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-prostitution-sting-59-charged-20120126,0,5784446.story

HESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) - Nearly 60 peoplewere arrested for prostitution-related crimes during a three-day undercover operation, Chesterfield Police revealed in a statement Thursday morning.

Police said those charged ranged in age from 19 to 71 years old.

Police said the arrests were the result of a joint operation involving Chesterfield County detectives, Henrico County detectives and the FBI that went undercover, posing as buyers and sellers of sex.

They said the goal of the November-December operation was to "impact in the local human trafficking enterprise."

All 58 people arrested face prostitution or solicitation of prostitution charges. Nine also face a Use of a vehicle for solicitation of prostitution charge. Twelve face what police called "collateral charges."

However, many details of the bust are largely being kept a secret. [PHOTOS: Click here to see mug shots and a list of who was arrested]

"Most likely you will find them within prostitution and prostitution rings," said Sara Pomeroy, advocate for anti trafficking legislation.

Pomeroy was not surprised to learn that police charged John H. Hunter III of Chesterfield with pandering.

Officials said his case would be considered trafficking because he was arranging sexual exchanges for women and taking a cut of their earnings.

"Most of the time these victims of trafficking are lured in to..forced in to prostituting themselves," said Pomeroy.

Pomeroy believes the big bust can cause big problems for an operating ring. But more importantly than the large number of arrests, she said is the message it sends about how communities respond not just to prostitution, but to trafficking.

"If you can arrest one and really get a strong charge that sends a message to the rest to say this is not ok in our state," she said.

http://www.fbi.gov/richmond/press-releases/2012/ohio-man-arrested-for-transporting-a-minor-across-state-lines-for-purposes-of-prostitution?utm_campaign=email-Immediate&utm_medium=email&utm_source=richmond-press-releases&utm_content=70293

February 10, 2012

RICHMOND, VA—Calvin L. Winbush, 37, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, also known as “Good Game,” was arrested this morning by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of transporting a minor across state lines with the intent that the minor engage in Ppostitution. Winbush faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years’ incarceration and a maximum of life imprisonment if convicted on these charges.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Michael F.A. Morehart, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after Winbush’s initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge M. Hannah Lauck.

According to court documents and court proceedings today, Winbush transported three females, one of whom was only 15 years old, from Ohio to Richmond, Virginia at the end of December, 2011, with the intent that the females, including the juvenile, engage in prostitution while in Richmond. Winbush was originally arrested by Henrico County Division of Police on January 3, 2012 on pandering charges after the HPD and FBI responded to a hotel in Richmond, Virginia and encountered Winbush, along with the juvenile female and two other females.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Henrico County Division of Police, Vice Unit as part of an ongoing initiative between the FBI and HCDP targeting persons engaged in human trafficking. Assistant United States Attorney Jamie L. Mickelson is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Criminal complaints are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The NK dictator dead; will NK trafficking victims be free?

I don't know if you guys have followed the news in this holiday season, but Kim Jong Il, the North Korean dictator is dead a few days ago. I initially thought, "well, does that mean that the trafficking victims from NK are no longer at risk?

Unfortunately, the answer is No. It may not affect any NK people's lives, let alone, the women and children at risk of human trafficking.

The dear leader, Kim Jong Il, appointed his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, as "Great Successor." last September. The dear leader knew that his days were numbered and he'd better hurry up and get ready for who was going to run the country after his death.

And the dear leader picked Kim Jong Un, his youngest son, over two older ones. There are number of reasons why the dear leader picked the youngest one. But, I won't go in details since it's not that important to the livelihood of trafficking victims. And, I am assuming since this is the blog for trafficking victims' cause, none of the readers is that interested. ( If you are, leave a comment).

A lot of speculations are out there about this kid, Kim Jong Un. That's right. He's a kid, a 28 year old who's crazy about NBA basketball. But, never overlook his young age and inexperience. A sushi chef who cooked for the Kim's family remembers Kimg Jong Un, "ruthless, competitive, and ambitious. And he added, "Just like his father."

Experience and age can change someone. But, the words, "ambitious" and "just like his father" doesn't give us much hope for change in terms of the lives of trafficking victims. On a top of this, Jong Un intends to continue his father's politics, meaning, he'll pretty much do anything using his force and authority to control people and earn loyalty from people.

What does this mean? Well, Jong Un is pretty much willing to or let his elite groups send 30% of food aid and a good portion of NK's very own grown (??) rice and corn to the military. And, it'll be so even if it means starvation for the rest of the North Koreans.

Experts say he will pretty much do anything to be in power, which means, NK people won't be free from the political oppression either.

Here is the thing. NK women and children are trafficked in China as sex and domestic slaves. And it's primarily because they want to escape poverty. They cross the Duman river ( or Tuman river) on the border of China and NK, and get caught by the Chinese soldiers, sold to brothels and such. Sure. Chinese is not free from the blame, but if NK was a peaceful and free nation with abundant life, the women wouldn't be crossing the border and get sold to slavery to begin with.

Having said that, the lives of people in NK, including trafficking victims, would unlikely be better off, just because the dear leader died.

And, you wonder what you can do for them. ( Did I call it or what?). You can pray. You can donate food and resources to the people who perform humanitarian reliefs on behalf of NK people. Yes, the humanitarian aid will benefit the NK tyrant and his military greatly and only certain portion of the aid will go to the people. But, at this point, that's the best shot, unfortunately.

Check out this ORG working for NK people ( and victims).

It says "refugees." But, trafficking victims are many of Those refugees.

http://www.linkglobal.org/thereliance/

Nestle investigates child labor

Politicians and food executives have been talking about ending the problem of child labor in the West African cocoa industry for the last decade. After shocking revelations that hundreds of thousands of children were forced to harvest cacao beans under abusive conditions, companies pledged to address the practice as "fair trade" entered their lexicon.

But 10 years later, labor advocates say the chocolate industry doesn't have a lot to show for itself on this issue. In 2009, the U.S. Department of State estimated that there were still more than 109,000 children working in Ivory Coast's cocoa industry, and about 10 percent were victims of human trafficking or enslavement.

Perhaps that's why Nestlé, the world's largest food company, has just hired an organization that specializes in accountability to investigate and document child labor on the farms that supply it with the cocoa that ends up in millions of chocolate bars.

Beginning in January, the Fair Labor Association, Nestle's new partner, will send a team of independent assessors to Ivory Coast to map the cocoa supply chain. The group has conducted similar investigations with companies in the textile, manufacturing and other industries in countries around the world. But Nestlé is the first food company to open up its supply chain to FLA's scrutiny.

"Our system is a very robust system; it's really only for companies ready to 'walk the walk,'" Auret van Heerden, president of CEO of the Fair Labor Association, tells The Salt. "There's a lot of work to be done and Nestlé knows that, but they're showing commitment and seriousness."

If FLA finds evidence of child labor, it will advise Nestlé on what to do about it, Nestle says. "Child labor has no place in our supply chain," said Nestlé's Executive Vice President for Operations José Lopez in a statement. "We cannot solve the problem on our own, but by working with a partner like the FLA, we can make sure our efforts to address it are targeted where they are needed most."

Ivory Coast and other West African countries produce 75 percent of the world's cocoa. But as NPR's Maria Godoy has reported, bulk beans grown in Africa represent just a small sampling of the many flavors of cacao. That's inspiring chocolate explorers to scour the Amazon Basin in search of a new bounty of wild cacao.

Full Article

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So, a lot of people are excited about Nestle investigating child labor on its own supply chain in West Africa. But, I have news for you. There is NOTHING to be excited about in regards to this investigation. Nestle is wasting its own money and time to put up a show not to loose consumers.

The problem of child labor in West Africa is mostly cultural, political, and economic matters. Yes, child trafficking in genuine sense happens, but this is far too rare in the region comparing to how many subsistent farmers and their families depending on the cocoa industry.

I said this in my article a while ago, but I am gonna say this again. Even the president of the Ivory Coast worked as a child with his families. Most farmers work on someone else's land. They have may be one or two trees that they own on someone else's farm and work their butt off to bring food to the table for THAT DAY because that's all they can afford.

If anyone is interested in eliminating child labor in West Africa,(mainly Ivory Coast), start pressuring the Ivorian government to clean up their act. The bribery and high taxation are more painful to these children and their poor farmer parents, rather than working on their farm itself per se. If the government stop taxing them so much and the government officials stop asking for bribes for passing the bridge or what not, the farmers will have more money to pay for legitimate workforce and send their kids to school.

Happy Thanksgiving Day-- Remembering trafficking victims on holidays

I haven't been very consistent with keeping up with this blog. A lot happened since last time I posted anything on this blog. But, I am trying to write more often here so you have something to read on human trafficking more often and I get to say things more often. :)

I also write a weekly column on The Washington Times Communities every Wednesday. I am not allowed to be so personal on that column i.e., not allowed to ramble nor use "I". So, I would like to keep this blog as more conversational and engaging with readers and other advocates who care about human trafficking.

Besides, this helps me blab about human trafficking and social issues with other people who care, when nobody else around me is really interested in talking about the subject.

So, I recently interviewed a nonprofit founder from Alabama. Her name is Tajuan. She is also a survivor of human trafficking victim. She talked about her bleak Thanksgiving Day as a victim on my column this week. She described her holiday as a victim as follows:

Instead, her pimp made her stay out on the street longer during holidays than on other days, because sex customers usually stayed home with families on holidays making it hard for the workers to meet the daily quota.

Now, I've never been trafficked. But, I sure remember how it feels to be alone and isolated on holidays. There was one holiday that I had to stay in VA all by myself to prepare for an exam. The small town that I stayed in felt so so very dark and cold. Everything including Walmart was closed. I think CVS was opened till 6 pm but that was about it. I would imagine that the only thing that keeps anyone warm from that cold weather and dreary town during that holiday season was their families, esp. the loving parents (and grandparents) who wanted to stuff them with turkey and gravy with extra love.

That holiday, I had none of that. But I also didn't have a pimp who forced me to be on the street without food all day and not letting me come into the motel room unless I make daily quota. Without the pimp, that winter was cold enough.

Can you imagine being in a victim's shoes? It must've felt like someone stripping her and whipping her back in the cold weather while everyone is watching her. Not to be too graphic or pessimistic on this wonderful holiday, but I just wanted to share my thoughts on how a holiday is like to trafficking victims.

Comments and thoughts are welcomed.

J-1 visa participants treated no different than human trafficking victims

J-1 visa participants treated no different than human trafficking victims

Though the students were visiting the U.S. for cultural experiences, their lives in the U.S. looked more like those of trafficking victims. Despite the deplorable conditions, the US State Department failed to protect the J-1 participants

Under the regulation 22 CFR 62.10(e), sponsors are responsible for monitoring students’ welfare during their stay and are required to submit annual report the State Department. However, the annual report does nothing to protect students from exploitive employers. The State Department, which oversees the program, has no way to monitor the actions of the sponsors or to ensure accurate reporting.

According to some of the 300 students sponsored by Hershey’s, the company threatened them with deportation when they complained about overcrowded housing and exploitative work conditions.

For employers, the J-1 program offers the easiest way to hire cheap seasonal labors. Though the students have the same labor rights as those of American workers, companies often take advantage of the lax regulation by the State Department and pay the student workers $1 or $2 an hour after deducting housing, uniform, or other fees from their paychecks.

Some employers even force students into working at strip clubs. In December 2010, strip clubs in the U.S. openly solicited students on J-1 program. The students told Associated Press that criminals forced J-1 participants into sex slavery and confiscated their passports.

Full Article:

Who can eliminate child labor in the Ivorian cocoa industry?

Who can eliminate child labor in the Ivorian cocoa industry?

Local farmers see anti-child labor campaigns as intimidation rather than an opportunity for children's education. For Ivorian cocoa farmers living on $2 a day, Americans boycotting their products sounds much more threatening than not sending their children to school.

Many also see child labor regulations as cultural imperialism, imposing western ideals on them.

Instead of demanding that chocolate companies adhere to fair trade practices, the government and advocates must address systemic problems of high tax rates, poverty, governmental bribes and the culture of the Ivory Coast to eliminate child labor on the cocoa farms.

According to a March 2011 BBC report chocolate companies claiming to implement the fair trade process are stil relying on child labor. The BBC report found one Ivory Coast farmer who was sending his products to the Nestle co-operative as part of its fair trade initiative still relying on his “eight year old brother and eleven year old son” to harvest the cocoa and that neither of the boys are attending school.

One of the causes behind child labor in the Ivorian cocoa industry are high tax rates that, according to a Financial Times report, has 40% of the proceeds from the sale of international cocoa going to the African government.