Friday, September 30, 2011

KENYA: Sex-trafficked women and girls also vulnerable to organ trafficking | Women News Network

Source: Women News Network

Friday, September 30, 2011

Gitonga Njeru – Women News Network – WNN

Somali women refugees at Kenya refugee camp

Somali women entering Kenya via refugee camps are exceptionally vulnerable to human trafficking, including sex-trafficking and organ trafficking. Image: Isani Yardim Vakfi/IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation Turkey

(WNN) NAIROBI: With the highest rate of human trafficking in East and Central Africa, several nongovernmental organizations in Kenya are now under investigation by INTERPOL , the world’s largest international police organization, with 188 member countries. The Interpol Sub-regional Bureau for Eastern Africa is based in Kenya’s capital in Nairobi.

Young women as well as girls who are trafficked can also become a living supply for human body organ transplants.

Trafficking in human beings for the purpose of using their organs, in particular kidneys, is a rapidly growing field of criminal activity,” says INTERPOL. “In many countries waiting lists for transplants are very long, and criminals have seized this opportunity to exploit the desperation of patients and potential donors,” continues Interpol.

The trail of corruption in Kenya may also reveal human trafficker’s collusion with Kenyan authorities which may include the police and intelligence, as well as the judiciary. This alleged collusion may enable the illegal industry to grow as it goes ‘unchecked’ inside the country.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most prevalent destinations for trafficked organs is Western Europe and the United States. These destinations have the highest number of patients waiting for a new kidney, liver, heart or pancreas.

Organizations currently under investigation are based in Kenya’s capital Nairobi and in Kisumu, Kenya’s third largest city. For legal reasons the organizations cannot be named since investigations are ongoing and there are pending court cases.

Investigations are also revealing that young girls under the age of 16 have been trafficked to Europe and the America’s.

“Victims are often misinformed about the medical aspects of the organ removal and deceived about the sums they will receive. Their health, even life, is at risk as operations may be carried out in clandestine conditions with no medical follow-up,” continues INTERPOL.

A growing number of naïve young women, who’s families are tricked by traffickers into thinking they will have a better life once they are in their respective western countries, can find themselves trapped inside an illegal organ ‘donation’ crime ring as their own organs are removed without their consent.

While many are trafficked for commercial-sex-work or for work as domestic household servants, a growing number of women are trafficked into and out of the Kenya for other purposes.

With the growing global rise of diabetes, along with the damage the disease can create in the kidneys, the demand for kidney transplants is on the increase. Currently Kenya has over six million diabetics and over 2 million people in need of kidney transplants.

Global organ trafficking is not something new.

Organ trafficking appears to be occurring as flagrant and direct violations of the law of many countries with a flourishing of broker nations, intermediary brokers and corporations,” said the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2003. “The consequences are not merely for individuals; trafficking also has major “social, economic, medical and political” repercussions for involved countries,” continues the WHO.

Organizations in Kenya currently under the attention of INTERPOL are also being investigated on matters relating to local kidnappings of young women and girls who have allegedly been taken to backstreet Kenyan clinics in order to remove their internal body organs, such as their kidney and/or liver.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNHCR) is also investigating over 15 Kenyan based organizations involved in collusion with the illegal practice. Investigations are also looking into the misuse of donor money which has been connected to human trafficking.

“It is a shame that organizations that are supposed to protect the voiceless are now abusing their rights,” said Omar Hassan, a commissioner with KNHCR. “Many senior Non Governmental Organization officials have become wealthy over a short period of time and cannot account for their wealth,” he outlines. In 2011 KNHCR has been receiving international acclaim in its efforts to fight justice.

Even though KNHCR has been active over the last year in exposing human traffickers, many obstacles have also been in the way. Individuals inside Kenya who are immune to legal accountability, despite the new 2010 Kenya constitution, are still part of the norm.

While the majority of women who enter Kenya with human traffickers are brought into the country for sex purposes, a growing number are entering the country largely to donate internal organs for what could be considered ‘a throw away fee.’ Some of the most unfortunate women are not paid anything for their contribution and only left for dead.

A percentage of these ‘donations’ come through backstreet clinics in Nairobi and Mombasa. The illegal procedure comes with many dangers. Unethical doctors involved in the organ trade are often short on proper or adequate training with safe transplant medical procedure.

Kidneys and pancreas are the most common human organs illegally transplanted. Illegal heart and corneal transplants are also found in Kenya.

Today a Kidney transplant in a well respected Kenyan hospital can cost as much as $20,000. But a poor South East Asian immigrant in Kenya can receive just $650 in a backstreet clinic in Nairobi for a donated kidney. In South Africa the price is much higher. Someone interested in selling their organs can be paid up to $20,000 or more to ‘donate’ a kidney in a public hospital.

Slum outside of Nairobi, Kenya

Women and girls suffering from extreme poverty are in much higher danger as victims of sex-trafficking. They can also be tricked into donating organs. Organ trafficking is a global human trafficking crime that includes many global partners. Victims of these crimes are those who often suffer the most from poverty. Image: MFFO

As the needs for kidneys increase throughout the world the rates for kidney transplants also rises. In 2007, the cost in Russia for the sale of one kidney was set at approximately $25,000. In 2011, the total medical expenses for a kidney transplant procedure supervised by a medical team in a standard U.S. hospital is a staggering $262,900.

The situation for organ trafficking is strongly dependent on supply and demand.

“In the United States for instance, kidney donations between 1990 and 2003 increased by only 33% while the number of patients waiting for kidneys grew by 236%,” says author and Professor of Medical Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley Nancy Scheper-Hughes.

Currently Kenya has no enforceable law that regulates the transplant of kidneys or other internal body organs. There is also no reliable law that protects women, men or children from this kind of trafficking. Analysts have blamed the growth of illegal back-street clinics performing organ removal to the lack of laws in the country.

Located near the bottom of the list by German human rights group Transparency International with a 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index of 2.1, Kenya shares its position with Russia, Cambodia, Tajikistan and Congo-Brazaville.

Brought to the industry by a desire for financial gain corrupt government officials; organ brokers; airport officials; doctors and hospital personnel; police mortuaries and organ banks and repositories perpetuate the rise in the globalization of organ trafficking.

Recent 2011 improvements in corruption in Kenya have been visible though as judicial reforms aim to give stronger legal culpability to government officials causing some Kenyan leaders to face increased legal examination and accountability.

“Already, the country is in the process of extraditing a former Finance government Minister to the United Kingdom to face charges of money laundering,” says Judy Thongori, a family law attorney based in Nairobi.

Kenya’s new constitution is expected to come into full implementation in 2012 when the country holds its first election under the new system. With laws and policies on the table, lawyers say that justice inside the country will improve as new laws and the new constitution are fully established.

“Justice is still on since the constitution was promulgated last year. But we hope by next year, many of the pending cases will be solved fairly,” says Thongori. ”The new law gives hope to many Kenyans, unlike the previous one; it holds many leaders accountable for their actions.”

While numerous Kenyan women are trafficked outside of Kenya to provide human organs for organ transplants, many others are also trafficked into the country to provide live potential organ donors. Most women who become victims to these traffickers easily fall through the cracks, as many come to Kenya from conflict affected regions in and surrounding Somalia.

“Of late there have been so many migrants from Somalia who have been involved in all sorts of activities such as prostitution. Most illegal immigrants in the country come from war torn Somalia Republic,” continued Thongori.

In an attempt to slow the tide of trafficking, the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently working with respective countries to return trafficked children, who have been identified, back home to their families.

Organ trafficking is also an issue for children. According to the United Nations Convention Against Organized Crime, also known as the Palermo Protocol, outlines the punishment for traffickers, especially for those selling women and children through exploitation.

“Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs,” says the protocol.

Consent of the victim is “irrelevant” says the Palermo Protocol. Transporting, harboring and holding a child for exploitation is considered by the protocol to be ”trafficking in persons” even if none of the usual means of trafficking are employed.

“We are doing what we can to make sure that many of these children return safely to their families. It is not an easy process since the laws in some of those countries mostly in Western Europe give a lot of requirements,” said an official in the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs who is not allowed to speak to the media. In the past few months, the country has deported hundreds of illegal immigrants to their home countries as a way to battle human trafficking and dealing.

But how many legal patient recipients for organ transplants are most of the women in Kenya?

“…the circulation of kidneys followed established routes of capital from South to North, from East to West, from poorer to more affluent bodies, from black and brown bodies to white ones and from female to male or from poor, low status men to more affluent men. Women are rarely the recipients of purchased organs anywhere in the world,” says Professor Scheper-Hughes.

A new Birth and Deaths Registration Bill 2011, which is still in review in Kenya’s transitional parliament, may be instrumental in tracking illegal crimes in the human organ trade, which can happen easily without consent or public knowledge after death.

For the first time a formal registration of all deaths and births in Kenya will be “compulsory,” which hopes to help with the problem of illicit human organ harvesting. The ‘cause of death’ is also required to be included on all death certificates and signed by a medical officer who has knowledge or who has been in attendance at the death.

Under the new law, those taking charge of the body after death, such as administrators of funeral homes or mortuary facilities or other institutions handling a body following death, will also be traced and named.

______________________________________________________________________

In June 2008, Ana Lita, Ph.D. Director of the AHA Appignani Center for Bioethics in NYC talked about the crisis in the rising global need for organ transplants at the 17th World Humanist Congress held in Washington D.C. With rising needs come rising costs as organ removals for transplants are done illicitly The imbalance of supply and demand for medical procedures with transplants is mirrored in the increased profits of organ traffickers along with an increased supply of organs coming from those who are suffering from poverty. Conditions of greed and poverty contribute much to the illegal crimes surrounding the global black market for human organs.

______________________________________________________________________

On a September 2010 investigation, the Kenyatta National Hospital invited detectives from Kenya’s criminal investigations team to investigate whether more of the hospital staff were involved in the reported trade in human body parts from Kenyatta Hospital mortuary. While acknowledging that the man arrested, who was later charged with harming a dead body, was an employee the hospital sought to assure the public that this was an isolated case and not a regular occurrence at the facility. Since this video was produced hospital director and chief executive, Dr. Jotham Micheni, has stepped down on the expiration of his contract with the hospital. Sylvia Chebet reports for Kenyan CitizenTV in this 2:18 min 2010 report.



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Children rescued from slave labour in Vietnam factory | Herald Sun

Source: Herald Sun

Last Updated: October 01, 2011

TWENTY-THREE children and young adults rescued from slave labour in a garment factory by Vietnamese authorities with the help of an Australian-run children's charity have arrived in Hanoi.

Vietnamese government officials and police from the victims' home region, with help from the charity Blue Dragon, raided the factory in Ho Chi Minh City. The owners have been arrested and are awaiting trial.

The victims, aged from 10 to 21, are from the Kho Mu ethnic group, in Dien Bien province in Vietnam's far northwest. Some of them had been working for up to two years as slave labour in the garment business.

Tired but happy, the children relaxed for an hour at Noi Bai airport before boarding a bus for the 12-hour journey home to their villages.

The group told AAP they were looking forward to returning to their families.

"I felt so homesick, living in Saigon," said 12-year-old Trang.

He was taken by car from his small village of 35 households and brought to Saigon, where he worked cutting cloth and was regularly beaten, he said.

He couldn't estimate how many hours he worked as he can't read a clock.

Gazing fixedly at his can of Fanta, he said he wanted to get home to his parents and six younger brothers and family farm.

Ta Ngoc Van, a lawyer with Blue Dragon, travelled to the remote villages of Da Lech and Co Nghiu some weeks ago following up a tip from a contact in the Ministry of Public Security about rumours of missing children.

He found some families hadn't seen their children in two years.

They'd been approached by traffickers who promised their children well-paid and comfortable jobs in Ho Chi Minh City.

After receiving almost no money and no contact, the families were desperate. Investigations by Blue Dragon, experienced in saving children from garment factories, and Vietnamese officials located the children.

Michael Brosowski, the Australian founder of the charity, said local authorities were extremely interested in combating child trafficking.
Legislation in Vietnam, however, needs to catch up.

Vietnam is rated as a Tier 2 Watch List nation in a worldwide report on human trafficking released by the US State Department this year.

Most human trafficking recognised by the government and NGOs related to cross-border trafficking, often for sex work.
Internal trafficking, usually for labour, is harder to define and rarely prosecuted. According to the US report, no one was prosecuted for trafficking persons in Vietnam last year.

"It's not sexy enough (as an issue) compared to sex trafficking," said Brosowski.

"But labour trafficking can be hideous as well. These children lose years of their lives," he said.

According to the State Department report, Vietnam's legal structure is ill-suited to support the identification and prosecution of trafficking cases.

As internal trafficking can be hard to prove, some cases are prosecuted under labour laws instead.

Authorities have not yet said how they plan to prosecute this case.

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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Carter: Human Trafficking Upgraded to Violent Crime Status in Bipartisan Bill | The State Column

Carolyn B. Maloney, member of the United State...Image via Wikipedia




The State Column | | Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Human trafficking would join the list of violent crimes reported under federal law enforcement grant requirements if legislation introduced today by U.S. Representatives John Carter (R-TX) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) is passed into law.

“Human trafficking is in many cases modern day slavery, with victims subject to heinous and degrading crimes,” said Carter, a former Texas judge. “These severe cases should be on the same federal reporting level as other violent crimes such as murder and rape, if we are to collect the national data needed by law enforcement to combat these atrocities.”

“By including human trafficking in the data collected and sent to the Department of Justice, we can get a clearer picture of the prevalence of this form of exploitation,” Rep. Maloney said. “And that data will help us create new tools to help combat this modern-day slavery.”
The bill addresses a major recommendation of the U.S. State Department 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report, which found that the U.S. needs to “improve data collection on human trafficking cases at the federal, state and local levels.”

The Human Trafficking Reporting Act, H.R. 2982 would amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the definition of Part I violent crime to include severe forms of human trafficking. The inclusion would add human trafficking data report requirements to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance program (Byrne grants).

State and local governments which receive Byrne grants report Part 1 statistics to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which tracks crime statistics and trends nationwide. Part I crimes are currently defined to include murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. In spite of the violent and degrading nature of human trafficking it is not included in the current definition of Part I offenses.

The bill is cost-free and has no impact on the federal deficit.




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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

South Florida a "Perfect Storm" For Human Trafficking | NBC Miami

Investigators say South Florida contributes to an estimated $32 billion human trafficking industry worldwide
Source: NBC Miami
By Sharon Lawson

View more videos at: http://nbcmiami.com.


In Miami, a dirty secret lies beneath the cosmopolitan veneer.

"When you look at South Florida," said Carmen Pino of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "we are like the perfect storm...for human trafficking.

"And now you have organized crime that's taken hold of things and they're working to make billions of dollars off that industry."

Pino, an assistant special agent in charge of homeland security investigations in Miami, investigates the trafficking of people internationally and across state lines. The victims, he says, are exploited for labor, domestic servitude or commercial sex.

"It's an absolute huge problem," said Pino.

A recent report estimated $32 billion a year in profits from the 27 million people victimized worldwide.

The number one group at risk by traffickers in America, experts say, is runaways.

Sandy Skelaney, who went from being homeless to getting a masters degree from Yale University, now works at the Kristi House in Miami, a child advocacy center that works with children who are sexually abused. She manages Project Gold, a program that works with girls who have been sexually exploited.

For three years Skelaney called the streets home.

"I was surrounded by young people who were being victimized in the industry," said Skelaney. "They target them and know where to find them."

Florida ranks 3rd in the country for lucrative human trafficking. Law enforcement agencies are trying to get the message out through public service announcements, education and awareness.

Adriane Reesey, a liaison with the Broward Sheriff's Office and President and chair of the Broward County Human Trafficking Coalition, says disturbing trend here in South Florida finds criminals using force, fraud, or coercion to entice the vulnerable.

"It is here and it's in our backyard and in our neighborhoods," said Reesey.


Posted Saturday, Sep 17, 2011 - 8:46 AM EDT

TRAFFICKING MONITOR: See also

NBC Miami: HumanTrafficking

Uploaded by on Sep 14, 2011

Friday (Sep. 16th) at 11p on NBC Miami


Source: NBC Miami

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MTV's College Network Amplifies Student Efforts to End Modern-Day Slavery in the "mtvU Against Our Will Campaign" - MarketWatch

Sept. 22, 2011, 2:30 p.m. EDT

--Campaign Partners Include Free the Slaves, GEMS and Polaris Project --mtvU Launches "Slavery Footprint Campus Challenge" with the U.S. State Department and Call and Response

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Today at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, MTV's College Network mtvU and a student activist from Atlanta announced the launch of the "mtvU Against Our Will Campaign," in partnership with Free the Slaves, Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS) and Polaris Project. This new campaign taps into the growing student movement to end modern-day slavery and makes it easy for young people to take action to help stop one of the greatest human rights atrocities of our time. Today, it is estimated that there are as many as 27 million sex and labor slaves worldwide.

Through a series of on-air, online and real world initiatives that spotlight domestic sex and labor slavery, the "mtvU Against Our Will Campaign" will shed light on our nation's role in this global epidemic. According to The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) hotline, incidences of human trafficking have been reported in all 50 states in the past two years. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery where people profit from the control and exploitation of others. Sex trafficking includes instances where a child is involved in the commercial sex trade, or when adults are coerced or forced into this trade under the control of a pimp. Labor trafficking occurs when workers are forced to work against their will without pay, and can take place in a variety of industries, from farms and factories to nail salons and restaurants.

Currently, there are more than 300 student organizations on campuses around the country taking action to stop human trafficking. The "mtvU Against Our Will Campaign" will serve as a platform to spotlight student actions, connect young people with ways to get involved, and galvanize the college audience's effort to stop human trafficking.

"Young people on campuses around the country are rising up and taking action to help end modern day slavery," said Stephen Friedman, President of MTV. "As we've seen with the anti-apartheid movement and the genocide in Darfur, students are a powerful engine for social change, and mtvU is proud to give them a national megaphone to help abolish all forms of slavery in our country."

"GEMS is excited to partner with mtvU on this ground-breaking initiative," said Rachel Lloyd, Executive Director and Founder, Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS). "As an agency that has effectively worked with media to deglamorize the commercial sex industry, foster awareness of the issue, and give voice to survivor's experiences, we're thrilled to extend this message to millions of college students across the country so they can raise awareness and take action against commercial sexual exploitation and domestic sex trafficking."

Elements of the "mtvU Against Our Will Campaign" include:

"mtvU's Against Our Will: Fighting Modern-Day Slavery in the United States": MTV's SuChin Pak and Sway Calloway are hosting a half-hour, commercial-free special this fall on mtvU (date to be announced). This programming block will feature poignant interviews with human trafficking survivors and students talking about what they can do to take action to end modern-day slavery, along with excerpts from roundtable conversations with college students candidly discussing the issue.

Programming: mtvU will premiere a series of in-depth interviews with human trafficking survivors and eye-opening discussions with college students. From exposing the role of pimps in trafficking to profiling students who are taking action to inspire change, this series of short-form features illuminates the connection between the commercial sex industry and slavery in order to lessen demand for slaves; shed light on the realities of modern-day slavery; and outline ways students can and are already taking action to put an end to human trafficking. All of this content will be available on demand at www.mtvU.AgainstOurWill.org . Additionally, throughout the year, the network will integrate this issue into some of its most popular franchises.

PSAs: mtvU will roll out a collection of PSAs online and on-air looking at different aspects of this issue, from sex to labor trafficking.

Human Property: symbolically explores how sex and labor trafficking victims are treated like property.

Hotel Room: inspired by true stories of survivors, this spot addresses the demand that fuels modern-day slavery, and looks at misperceptions associated with commercially sexually exploited women and children.

Boyfriends?: demonstrates the ways pimps use lies to coerce and manipulate children and young women into modern-day slavery.

Hair Salon: based on a true story where girls were brought to the U.S. and forced to work in a hair braiding salon for 14 hours a day without any pay, this spot illuminates the reality of modern day slavery, and shows how trafficking victims can be in plain sight without anyone noticing.

Slavery Footprint Campus Challenge: in partnership with Call + Response's Slavery Footprint, which is being supported by the U.S. State Department, the network is calling on students to help stop slavery in the "Slavery Footprint Campus Challenge." Students can download this new application to take actions such as checking-in at retail and restaurant locations to alert brands and business owners that they want slave-free products. The Challenge, which launched today and runs through December 31, 2011, will reward the top 10 students at the University taking the most action with a trip to attend mtvU's annual college music award show, the mtvU Woodie Awards. For full rules and regulations, please head to mtvU.AgainstOurWill.org.

mtvU.AgainstOurWill.org: as the central hub of the campaign, mtvU.AgainstOurWill.org will provide comprehensive information on the prevalence of modern day sex and labor slavery in the U.S. Additionally, the site will outline ways students can continue the fight to stop sex and labor slavery through: raising awareness; decreasing demand for goods and services provided by trafficking victims; joining or starting a student group; supporting organizations that are fighting modern-day slavery through donations, fundraising, by purchasing survivor-made products or by volunteering to help survivors or at-risk youth; joining the discussion surrounding human trafficking legislation; encouraging their schools to adopt human trafficking curricula; and by reporting situations where they suspect trafficking is happening.

Illuminating Student Action: mtvU will spotlight students across the country who are taking action to help stop modern-day slavery through programming and online at Act.MTV.com, MTV's blog dedicated to celebrating young people who are taking action. In the first programming spot, mtvU speaks with Chinny, a recent Kennesaw State graduate who along with her peers reported a case of suspected human trafficking at a restaurant near her school in Atlanta. As it turned out, the restaurant was part of a larger human trafficking ring, and the students' work helped to expose it.

Student Organizing: the campaign will help students on campuses across the country continue to organize efforts to end modern-day slavery. Found on mtvU.AgainstOurWill.org, mtvU will provide a digital toolkit with tips and guidelines to support campus organizing and a blog that will feature a monthly call-to-action. Additionally, Free the Slaves staff will be available for students to use as a resource on questions regarding how to best organize effective groups to help end human trafficking.

On-the-Ground Events: the "mtvU Against Our Will Campaign" will touch down at campuses around the country this fall and spring. Dates and additional information to be announced at a later time.

Campaign Partners: The network collaborated with leading organizations focused on stopping modern-day slavery to develop the "mtvU Against our Will Campaign." As partners in this initiative, Free the Slaves, GEMS, and Polaris Project are official advisors for the program, and worked closely with mtvU to develop the campaign.

"Polaris Project is proud to partner with mtvU to raise awareness on human trafficking, an issue that needs a major increase in attention and resources to combat it," said Bradley Myles, Executive Director and CEO of Polaris Project. "We look forward to connecting college students with the issue of modern-day slavery, and using mtvU as a platform to inspire action and affect real change."

"College students are the future of the abolitionist movement," said Free the Slaves College Chapter Coordinator Laura Murphy. "They will become the researchers, the legislators, the social workers, the lawyers, the teachers and nonprofit leaders who will ensure a future without slavery in the U.S. and abroad."

As defined under U.S. federal law, victims of human trafficking include children involved in the sex trade, adults age 18 or over who are coerced or deceived into commercial sex acts, and anyone forced into different forms of "labor or services," such as domestic workers held in a home, or farm-workers forced to labor against their will. Every year, human traffickers generate billions of dollars in profits by victimizing millions of people around the world, and here in the United States. Human trafficking is considered to be one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world. (source: www.polarisproject.org )

For more information on the "mtvU Against our Will Campaign" head to www.mtvU.AgainstOurWill.org or mtvU.com.

About mtvU

Broadcast to more than 750 college campuses and via top cable distributors in 700 college communities nationwide, mtvU reaches nearly 9 million U.S. college students - making it the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S., as well as on cable systems from Charter Communications, Verizon FiOS TV, Suddenlink Communications, AT&T u-Verse and nearly 70 others. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are: on-air, online and on the campus. mtvU programs music videos from emerging artists that can't be seen anywhere else, news, student life features and initiatives that give college students the tools to advance positive social change. mtvU is always on campus, with hundreds of events per year, including exclusive concerts, giveaways, shooting mtvU series and more. For more information about mtvU, and a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvU.com .

About Free the Slaves

Free the Slaves is one of America's leading anti-slavery organizations. We liberate slaves in hot spots around the globe, help survivors rebuild their lives, and attack the systems that allow modern slavery to exist. Our research is widely quoted by universities, governments and journalists. Our documentary films and videos about slavery, and news coverage of our innovative efforts to end it, have reached hundreds of millions of people throughout the world. Free the Slaves has student chapters at 16 college campuses across the U.S.

About Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS)

Girls Educational and Mentoring Services' (GEMS) mission is to empower girls and young women, ages 12-24, who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking to exit the commercial sex industry and develop to their full potential. GEMS is committed to ending commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of children by changing individual lives, transforming public perception, and revolutionizing the systems and policies that impact sexually exploited youth. For more information, please visit www.gems-girls.org/ .

About Polaris Project

Polaris Project is a leading organization in the United States combating all forms of human trafficking and serving both U.S. citizens and foreign national victims, including men, women, and children. We use a holistic strategy, taking what we learn from our work with survivors and using it to guide the creation of long-term solutions. We strive for systemic change by advocating for stronger federal and state laws, operating the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline (1.888.3737.888), and providing services to help our clients and all victims of human trafficking. For more information, visit www.PolarisProject.org .

About Call + Response

Call + Response is a division of the Fair Trade Fund, Inc. We are a non-profit organization whose goal is to generate awareness and deploy action for the issues of forced labor, slavery, and human trafficking. We believe the end of modern day slavery will come from individuals who gather together to push on businesses, media, and governments to support their existing values for human rights. We believe that this is a bottom-up movement that needs dynamic information, sustained inspiration, and most importantly, tactile activation. For more information, please visit www.callandresponse.com

About the Clinton Global Initiative

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made more than 2,000 commitments, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued in excess of $63 billion. The 2011 Annual Meeting will take place Sept. 20-22 in New York City.

This year, CGI also convened CGI America, a meeting focused on developing ideas for driving economic growth in the United States. The CGI community also includes CGI U, which hosts an annual meeting for undergraduate and graduate students, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young CGI members for leadership development and collective commitment-making. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org .

SOURCE mtvU

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Slavery Fund Exhausted — U.N. Calls for Donations | Political News and Opinion from a Multicultural Point of View

un seeks donation to anti slavery fund

A United Nations fund that aids victims of modern-day slavery is seriously depleted, and the world body issued an urgent plea for nations to donate to the U.N. Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery.

According to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, donations have decreased sharply in recent years. This year the fund received a record 436 grant applications, totaling more than $6 million. However, the fund has less than $400,000 available.

“With the present funds, only 6 percent of the projects requested will receive support,” spokesperson Rupert Colville said in a statement.

The General Assembly established the fund 20 years ago to support human rights and humanitarian organizations that provide help to slavery victims. These organizations provide housing, food and medical care, psychological and social support and more to those freed from slavery.

Modern slavery commonly involves forced labor, debt bondage, human trafficking and child labor.

According to State Department figures reported in the New York Times, as many as 100,000 people are in bondage in the United States and about 27 million people worldwide. “These victims of human trafficking are vulnerable men, women or children coerced into servitude for sex or labor,” the Times stated. “They might be transported from Russia to Europe, from the Philippines to Dubai, or held in their hometown.”

Gulnara Shahinian, a U.N. expert on contemporary forms of slavery, said the fund has supported more than 400 projects and changed thousands of lives.

“I have visited projects funded through grants provided to local actors and seen the tangible results,” Shahinian said in a statement. “I have met survivors, heard their terrible stories and hopes and witnessed real change.”

Navi Pillay, the U.N.’s high commissioner for human rights, said slavery was widespread and eradication required a global focus on root causes, including poverty, exclusion, marginalization, racism and discrimination.

“The Voluntary Fund has helped thousands break free from slavery and recover their lives – not through expensive projects, but through small grants to grass-roots initiatives,” she said. Relatively small contributions of $10,000 can go a long way toward advancing the cause of eliminating slavery, Pillay added.

The urgent call for donations comes as the global community celebrates the International Year for People of African Descent, to recognize the estimated 200 million descendents of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

August 23 marked the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. According to some estimates, about 12.5 million Africans were transported to the Americas and the Caribbean for enslavement.

Author: Nigel Roberts
Nigel Roberts is the United Nations correspondent for Politic365. He has been a political, economic and international affairs reporter for more than a dozen years. Nigel also freelances in public relations and communications. He holds a master’s degree in Political Science/International Relations from the City University of New York Graduate School & University Center.

Source: politic365.com

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Monday, September 26, 2011

UN human rights anti-slavery expert - YouTube

Uploaded by on Sep 26, 2011

UN independent expert on contemporary forms of slavery Gulnara Shahinian says despite the abolition of slave trade years ago, it still manifests itself today in various forms. She called for a stop in modern forms of slavery including bonded labour.





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Sunday, September 25, 2011

BERNAMA - Malaysia To Sign Security Agreement With China, Vietnam

Source: BERNAMA

September 19, 2011 17:02 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will sign an agreement on security cooperation with China and Vietnam to tackle transnational crime, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

Among others, he said, the agreement involved the sharing of information on international syndicates indulging in human trafficking.

"The agreement is also crucial in studying the flow of manufactured goods in the context of trade which can sometimes be interpreted as goods that pose a nuclear threat, for example," he told reporters after launcing the third edition of the International Conference on Financial Crime and Terrorism Financing, here Monday.

Hishammuddin said the agreement with Vietnam involved, among others, human trafficking, workers' and students' visa besides security relations between the two countries.

In his speech earlier, the minister said he would travel to China and later Vietnam to ink the cooperation pacts in the next few months.

"Malaysia is serious about combating transnational crime and we shall pursue this agenda to ensure that Malaysia remains a highly secure, safe and prosperous nation for the benefit of its people and economy," he told the gathering.

Hishammuddin noted that Malaysia had signed an agreement on security cooperation with Saudi Arabia in April 2011 and a memorandum of understanding to prevent and combat transnational crime with the United Kingdom three months later.

"We should realise that transnational crime is now one of the major threats facing the world today. This is far bigger than the threat to the global system compared to double-dip recessions, political uprising in the Middle East or even earthquakes and tsunamis," he said.

He pointed out that transnational crime was far too complex for any one nation to combat effectively as it was a global problem which required global solutions with domestic enforcement.

The two-day conference is organised by a number of entities such as the Institute of Bankers Malaysia, Compliance Officers' Networking Group, Asian Institute of Finance and Malaysian Insurance Institute.

-- BERNAMA

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Global clothing brands boycott Uzbek cotton - Telegraph

Source: Telegraph

More than 60 of the world’s top clothing labels, including Burberry and Levi, are to boycott cotton from Uzbekistan over claims the government forces children to harvest the crop.
Boy in Uzbekistan watches his cotton harvest being weighed
Boy in Uzbekistan watches his cotton harvest being weighed Photo: THOMAS GRABKA

Swedish high street retailer H&M, and sportswear companies Adidas and Puma were among the brands who pledged not to buy cotton from the former Soviet Central Asian country that they know has been collected by children.

The groups have signed a pledge under the Responsible Sourcing Network, a project organised by the US-based advocacy group As You Sow which is organising the boycott.

“We are a major cotton consumer and like many companies, we take a clear stand against child labour, regardless of country,” said Henrik Lampa, corporate social responsibility manager at H&M.

US retail industry group American Apparel and Footwear Association, which represents more than 800 companies, had previously signed up for the pledge but Andrew Behar, Chief Executive of As You Sow, said the new individual pledges had extra significance.

“It’s about integrity and transparency,” he said. “It’s different when you sign up individually and put your logo on it.”

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Reintegration of victims of trafficking in Albania

Reintegration of victims of trafficking in Albania by D&E @UN.GIFT.HUB

Anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress syndrome, borderline and other personality disorders as well as schizophrenia are just some of the mental health problems survivors of human trafficking have to face.

In its recently released 2010 annual report, the Albanian NGO Different and Equal (D&E) provides valuable data on the many health issues affecting victims of human trafficking and the challenges of their recovery. The report describes the profile of the victims supported, the identification and referral process incurred and trends in trafficking and exploitation of persons.

D&E was established in May 2004 to provide reintegration services for Albanian victims of trafficking and vulnerable populations. In 2010, D&E was chosen as one of the awardees of the UN.GIFT Small Grants Facility to develop a project for the sustainable reintegration for victims of human trafficking in Albania.

Through its project 'Providing Sustainable Reintegration Assistance for Albanian Victims of Trafficking and those in risk of being trafficked' 79 victims of trafficking have been provided with relevant reintegration services. 29 beneficiaries have attended vocational training, and 19 clients continued their formal education. A number of survivors started their own businesses and others found job placements throughout Albania.

Read the full report in the UN.GIFT.HUB Resource Centre

Source: UN.GIFT.HUB

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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Clinton Global Initiative: The Key Players Fighting Human Trafficking

Jessica Prois

Human Trafficking

First Posted: 9/23/11 07:17 PM ET Updated: 9/24/11 12:53 PM ET

The Clinton Global Initiative took a frank look at human trafficking with a panel that included MTV, the Body Shop and a student who busted a trafficking ring.

CGI, an annual meeting that brings together leaders from around the globe to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems, convened Tuesday to Thursday.

A trafficking panel discussion on Thursday centered around everything from the role of pimps to the legislation that's emerged from both grassroots and organized advocacy.

Human trafficking, defined by the panel as the illegal trade of human beings for forced labor or sex, is a $50 billion business with about 20 million modern-day slaves worldwide.

Read on to see how CGI highlighted the need for action against human trafficking:

"mtvU Against Our Will Campaign"

mtvU, MTV's College Network, announced at CGI the launch of "mtvU Against Our Will Campaign." The program aims to shed light on the growing problem of modern-day slavery and to provide a platform for student activists working to wipe out the worldwide problem.

The website will spotlight student actions, providing young people with inspiration and resources to create change.

"College students often wake up the world to atrocities," Stephen Friedman, President of MTV, said during the panel discussion. "What we will do in the campaign is follow these inspirational young people who are leading the charge. mtvU is giving them a microphone.

As part of the campaign, mtvU released a series of PSAs that will explore how victims are treated like property, delve into the demand and expose the way pimps manipulate children.

One video tells the story of girls who were brought to the U.S. and forced to work in a hair-braiding salon for 14 hours a day without pay.

mtvU has partnered with Free the Slaves, Girls Education and Mentoring Services (GEMS) and Polaris Project.

Outside of mtvU, the general network will feature specials this fall on the topic. The series will include interviews with human trafficking survivors, stories of student activism and a look into the work that still needs to be done.

The campaign will highlight the connection between the commercial sex industry and slavery as well.

mtvU will visit campuses around the country this fall and spring.

Chinny

Chinny, a recent grad of Kennesaw State near Atlanta, shared at CGI how her curiosity has lead her to pursue a law degree in hopes of someday prosecuting those involved with trafficking.

While in college, she and a group of friends investigated a case of human trafficking near her school. "We started observing this restaurant and saw the staff arrive and leave in a van every day," said Chinny, who prefers not to use her last name. She reported it to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which followed the case and discovered that it was part of a larger trafficking ring outside of Atlanta.

Chinny later lobbied against human trafficking in Capitol Hill in 2008, helping to keep safe houses open and functioning.

The Body Shop

The Body Shop announced at CGI that it will soon present an anti-trafficking petition to the United Nations. With more than 7 million signatures garnered in about a year, it's one of the biggest petitions ever presented to the UN, according to Sophie Gasperment, Body Shop CEO.

The Body Shop, a line of natural, ethically produced beauty products, first launched an anti-trafficking campaign in 2009 in 65 countries. The company has not only created awareness and raised funds, but it's also engaged with governments around the world.

Gasperment said that the company has presented national petitions to 26 governments and 15 have committed to taking action against trafficking.

She sees her company as more than just a product line.

"We use our stores and our teams to leverage a business model to create change," Gasperment said. "I just hope it will inspire other businesses to join us and do the same."

Alliance To Stop Slavery And End Trafficking

The Alliance To Stop Slavery And End Trafficking, founded by actress Julia Ormond, is an advocacy organization that works for systemic change. Ormond used her opportunity at CGI to call on the business community to help stop trafficking.

"This is a huge Pandora's box for businesses to be brave enough to open," Ormond said at CGI. "There is a piece of the solution that only business can do. The NGO community can't do it. It's up to them to bring the business ethic to the table and find it themselves.

She explained business leaders should take a hard look at their supply chain and limit contracts to slavery-free organizations.

Ormond's organization was instrumental in helping pass legislation in California that requires large businesses to go public with their trafficking policy.

"When you travel the world, as we've all done, you sit down with a trafficking victim,” Ormond noted. “You sit down with a boy who jumped ship while he was working in the fishing industry and floated on a barrel for days. After that, then, I find it hard to go into a meeting with a business leader…"

WATCH "mtvU Against Our Will Campaign" PSAs:

Source: The Huffington Post


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Thursday, September 22, 2011

Executive Summary · Human Trafficking Online

Human Trafficking Online
A Project of the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
University of Southern California

Executive Summary

This report presents a comprehensive examination of the role of social networking sites and online classified ads in facilitating human trafficking and delivers recommendations for developing technological innovations to monitor and combat trafficking.

Human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery, is a grim reality of the 21st century global landscape in developed as well as developing countries. While traditional channels of trafficking remain in place, online technologies give traffickers the unprecedented ability to exploit a greater number of victims and advertise their services across geographic boundaries.

Yet the extent to which online technologies are used in both sex and labor trafficking is unclear, and the current approach to the question is lacking. While online classified sites such as Craigslist have already been under intense scrutiny for being used by traffickers,1 little research is available on the role of online classified and social networking sites in human trafficking, and the issue has yet to be fully studied. Instead of singling out these technologies as a root cause of trafficking, this report poses the following question: Can online technologies be leveraged to provide actionable, data-driven information in real time to those positioned to help victims?

This study forwards the hypothesis that tools such as data mining, mapping, and advanced analytics can be used by governmental and nongovernmental organizations, law enforcement, academia, and the private sector to further the anti-trafficking goals of prevention, protection, and prosecution. Adapting these technologies and methods requires careful consideration of potential implications for civil liberties, such as privacy and freedom of expression. This report applies detailed methods to understanding the relationship between domestic human trafficking and online technologies through literature reviews, field research, and interviews. In addition, the report presents preliminary results from primary research in developing tools to assist law enforcement and anti-trafficking efforts. The report concludes with a set of recommendations and guidelines to inform future research and technological interventions in human trafficking.

The use of Internet technologies in people’s daily lives has dramatically increased in recent years. In 2010, the number of Internet users worldwide exceeded an estimated 2 billion people.2 Hundreds of millions of individuals use social networking sites,3 and approximately half of all online adults in America have used online classified advertising sites.4 In contrast to the many social benefits that Internet technologies provide, a darker narrative also has emerged. Social networks and online classified sites are being used by traffickers to market, recruit, sell, and exploit for criminal purposes. Many of these sites are explicit in nature and some are underground. Yet, evidence from legal cases demonstrates that mainstream sites such as Craigslist, Backpage, and Myspace have already been used for trafficking.5 Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites are susceptible to similar uses.

Because human trafficking is a crime recognized by international protocols and state laws, traffickers are traditionally forced to conduct their activities underground. But this report illustrates that online transactions leave behind traces of user activity, providing a rare window into criminal behavior, techniques, and patterns. Every online communication between traffickers, “johns,” and their victims reveals potentially actionable information for anti-trafficking investigators.

Until now, there has been a lack of data on the role of online technologies in human trafficking. Yury Fedotov, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, remarked: “We do not have an accurate picture of the scope and nature of [the misuse of technology] and cannot act as effectively as we should. Knowledge is essential for evidence-based policy, and we must fill the information gap.”6

The Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) at the University of Southern California launched an anti-trafficking initiative in response to a similar call for increased knowledge. The project began at a June 2010 meeting CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan convened in Washington, D.C., at the urging of Alec Ross, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s senior adviser for innovation, and Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, head of the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Justice, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the United Nations joined leaders from the technology field, nongovernmental organizations, and academia to discuss the use of technology to address trafficking.

The meeting set into motion research initiatives in the Mekong Subregion (including Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam), Haiti, and the United States. An absence of technological solutions for information sharing among anti-trafficking organizations inspired further study into potential uses of technology in this field. A partnership between the USC Information Sciences Institute and CCLP developed prototype software designed to detect possible cases of online sex trafficking activity, particularly cases involving underage victims. Together, the group conducted advanced research on data mining, computational linguistics, and mapping tools to monitor trafficking on social networking and online classified sites. Feedback from the Federal Bureau of Investigation was integral to this process.

This report indicates that immediate action is required to develop monitoring and prevention techniques to combat human trafficking online. The report recommends future research and proposes actions that stakeholders can undertake to address trafficking online. Comprehensive solutions to trafficking through online channels should involve proactive steps by governments to protect victims and support law enforcement in combating a new generation of tech-savvy traffickers. At the same time, this report urges private-sector technology firms to recognize the opportunity to address human trafficking on their networks and services. In addition, NGOs and academics bring needed expertise to technological interventions. This study also identifies technological innovations that can be used by actors and stakeholders involved in anti-trafficking efforts. To that end, the following principles are intended for those seeking to employ technology as a means to combat human trafficking:

Guiding Principles for Technological Interventions in Human Trafficking

  1. The ultimate beneficiaries of any technological intervention should be the victims and survivors of human trafficking.

    Throughout the technological design and implementation process, decisions should be guided by a single question: How will technology maximize the benefit and minimize the harm to victims and survivors of trafficking?

    Developers and users of anti-trafficking tools should examine the inherent risks that arise when technology is applied to complex social problems. While benefits may appear clear at first, experts should be consulted to evaluate whether tools have the potential to cause inadvertent harm.

  2. Successful implementation of anti-trafficking technologies requires cooperation among actors across government, nongovernmental, and private sectors, sharing information and communicating in a coordinated manner.

    Technological interventions in anti-trafficking efforts necessitate collaboration across sectors. Addressing trafficking online requires coordination of efforts to avoid inefficiencies, for example, when a proposed technology is already in use by parallel organizations or when existing technologies can readily be adapted to fit anti-trafficking needs. The private sector, academics, and the technology community can serve as valuable resources for creative innovations that can be tailored to anti-trafficking, including technologies to facilitate information sharing.

  3. Private-sector technology firms should recognize that their services and networks are being exploited by traffickers and take steps to innovate and develop anti-trafficking initiatives through their technologies and policies.

    Social networking sites, online classified sites, and technology firms provide Internet services that criminals are using to facilitate domestic and international trafficking in persons. These companies should consider their social responsibility and assume an active role in combating trafficking on their sites. Whether through practices such as establishing industry-wide codes of conduct or innovating technological solutions, the private sector can exercise considerable influence in anti-trafficking efforts.

  4. Continuous involvement is necessary to ensure that tools are user-centric and refined over time to most effectively respond to shifts in technology and trafficking.

    User-centered design principles should aim to improve functionality and usability by focusing on the particular needs of users of anti-trafficking technologies. Law enforcement, NGOs, service providers, and the public each have particular needs based on technological literacy, class, and language, among other factors.

    Furthermore, technological interventions must be supported by individuals committed to sustaining the technology over time. Both governmental and nongovernmental actors can play a key role in providing expertise and support for anti-trafficking innovations.

  5. Technological interventions should account for the range of human rights potentially impacted by the use of advanced technologies.

    Technologies used in anti-trafficking efforts should be carefully tailored to avoid recklessly encroaching upon fundamental rights such as privacy, security, and freedom of expression. Developers and users of the technology must reflect on the full range of rights implicated by any information-collecting activity, taking particular care to reduce the number of false positives associated with tracking and monitoring.

Notes

  1. Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: Hearings on H.R. 5575, Before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, 111th Cong. (2010).^
  2. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), The World in 2010, ICT Facts and Figures, 2010.^
  3. “Morgan Stanley estimates that there were about 830 million ‘unique’ users of social networking sites worldwide at the end of 2009.” ITU, “The rise of social networking,” ITU News, July-August 2010, http://www.itu.int/net/itunews/issues/2010/06/35.aspx.^
  4. Sydney Jones, Online Classifieds, Pew Internet & American Life Project, May 22, 2009.^
  5. For a Craigslist/Backpage example, see U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “Maryland man pleads guilty in sex trafficking conspiracy involving 3 minor girls,” news release, July 16, 2009, http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/0907/090716baltimore.htm. For a Myspace example, see Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sacramento, “Sacramento Man Sentenced to 12 Years and Seven Months for Sex Trafficking of a Minor,” Department of Justice press release, November 8, 2010, http://sacramento.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/sc110810.htm.^
  6. “Crime Commission to address protection of children from exploitation on the Web,” United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, April 11, 2011, http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2011/April/crime-commission-to-address-the-protection-of-children-from-exploitation-on-the-web.html.^

Executive Summary · Human Trafficking Online
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