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Sometimes the next thing after the smuggling into the country is that women are forced to become prostitutes to pay their debt to the coyotes. But human trafficking is not limited to sexual exploitation and it’s not limited to women; it involves any illegal trade of human beings for the purpose of forced labor.
Victims end up with scars in the body, the mind and the spirit.
Human trafficking is not limited to sexual exploitation and it’s not limited to women; it involves any illegal trade of human beings for the purpose of forced labor.
Human trafficking was a topic addressed by President Barak Obama on Sept 26 at the Clinton Global Initiative as one of the most pressing global challenges.
“It ought to concern every person, because it’s a debasement of our common humanity,” Obama said. “It ought to concern every community, because it tears at the social fabric. It ought to concern every business, because it distorts markets. It ought to concern every nation, because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime. I’m talking about the injustice, the outrage, of human trafficking, which must be called by its true name – modern slavery.”
The president also commended three brave women who attended the event and took stage at Manhattan’s Sheraton Hotel ballroom during the conference, in front of hundreds of businessmen, politics and philanthropists from across the planet.
Sheila White, sold for sexual services; Marie Godet Niyonyota, kidnapped by Congolese rebels and held prisoner for a long time; and Ima Matul, who came from Indonesia looking for work and ended up working 18 hour days for people who beat her – in one occasion, almost to death.
Scars in the body
Victims of human trafficking often suffer physical damage due to beatings, hard labor and poor nutrition. Common physical injuries caused by rape include bruises, inflammation of the vulvo-vaginal area and anal bleeding.
Fifteen years ago, in what could initially seemed an altruistic action, business owners Marie and Willie Pompee adopted a poor 9-year-old Haitian girl and brought her to live in their sumptuous home in Broward, FL. But instead of a bed, the girl was forced to sleep on the floor and when she was not in school, she had to do all kinds of domestic chores. During the time she was with the family, the couple’s son raped her continually.
In 2004, Marie Pompee was indicted by a federal grand jury while her husband and son fled the country.
Also a few years ago, Jose Tecum brought a Guatemalan girl to Florida where he kept her captive and he raped her repeatedly. When his wife called 911 after a domestic violence incident, the police discovered and rescued the girl. He was convicted for kidnapping, sale into involuntary servitude, bringing in and harboring aliens and fraud and misuse of visas and permits.
These cases are not isolated.
Victims of human trafficking often suffer physical damage due to beatings, hard labor and poor nutrition. Common physical injuries caused by rape include bruises, inflammation of the vulvo-vaginal area and anal bleeding. If the victim is a girl, rape can easily cause tears in the vaginal-rectal area. These injuries can affect their sexual life forever.
Scars of the mind
How can a human trafficking victim place trust again on another human being?
The symptoms vary according to the experience, the age of the victim, and support received, being the worst for victims who have been kept in captivity and raped repeatedly.
I’ve seen terror in the eyes of victims of slavery and witnessed their mistrust of everybody’s motives. Their minds are damaged from captivity and because they become trial witnesses, they know someone wants them dead and constantly fear retaliation on themselves and family members.
They feel guilty and ashamed; they constantly wonder what could they have done differently to escape their circumstances. In many cases, they can’t even trust their own judgment any more.
It’s not uncommon for people exposed to human trafficking to suffer symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder –PTSD- with common nightmares, intrusive thoughts and flashbacks.
It takes months for these people to be able to step out of the shelter where they are kept after being rescued. For some, the emotional effects of trauma can be persistent and devastating.
Mental health services should be provided to these victims.
Sometimes the next thing after the smuggling into the country is that women are forced to become prostitutes to pay their debt to the coyotes. (Shutterstock photos)
However, many of them avoid treatment because they feel ashamed and they don’t want to revisit what they experienced.
“For U.S. minor victims, barriers to accessing mental health services are linked primarily to the issues of confidentiality and concerns that someone will find out what has happened to them, lack of identification documents, lack of insurance, and system-related jurisdictional issues,” a2008 HHS report by Heather J. Clawson, Amy Salomon, and Lisa Goldblatt Grace says.
“If the abuse is not inflicted by a parent or legal guardian, the case is often seen as outside the jurisdiction of the [Child protection] system. In such cases the minors fall through the cracks and do not receive services they need.”
Referral sources for mental health treatment or counseling are even more limited for youth.
Scars of the soul
Tecum used his victim’s beliefs against her. He took a lock of the girl’s hair and one of her shoes, and then threatened her to use them in witchcraft ceremonies. She followed and obeyed him because she thought he controlled her soul.
Most victims of human trafficking are lured to their tragic destiny under false pretenses. Their spirit is crushed under the circumstances and they experience lack of faith, despair and isolation.
They’re offered fabulous jobs in the United States that turn to be picking tomatoes in fields that look like concentration camps or becoming a 30-guys-per-night prostitute in a trailer.
Most of the victims of human trafficking are smuggled into a foreign country and hence they are afraid of authorities, have no money, can’t communicate because of language barriers, and they can’t escape their circumstances because they are unaware that even if they don’t have papers, they still have human rights.
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