Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Gangs move into human trafficking - News - recordnet.com - Stockton, CA

Source: recordnet.com - Stockton, CA

By Jennie Rodriguez-Moore 

Tragically, it is happening across California. And Stockton, not only has been part of the circuit that underage girls, boys and women are passed through, it is an area where gangs are becoming increasingly involved in the trafficking of prostitutes and victims who are forced to work in the sex trade.
"It's a new phase in gang activity," said Deputy District Attorney Mark Dennings, a prosecutor in the gang unit. "They feel that prostitution and human trafficking is something law enforcement is not looking into.
Read Jennie Rodriguez's article here:

 http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140804/A_NEWS/408040312

Is your wardrobe human-trafficking free? - CSMonitor.com

Source: CSMonitor.com:

By , Correspondent

Many American shoppers make it a point to
 purchase certified organic, non-GMO, or fair trade products. 
And now, globally conscious consumers can add another
 label to the list. A new Freedom Seal will certify products 
that are made without forced labor or by victims of human
 trafficking.
The Freedom Seal was launched simultaneously in the United States
 andColombia on Wednesday, marking the first ever World Day 
Against Human Trafficking. It will eventually be used on
 products sold worldwide.
Continue here:
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin-America-Monitor/2014/0801/Is-your-wardrobe-human-trafficking-free

US attorneys host human trafficking forum in South Dakota

Source: bismarcktribune.com

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Law enforcement officials fighting human trafficking and sexual assault cases in the Dakotas want to increase the help they receive from medical professionals and the public in general to identify victims of those crimes.
The message was stressed Tuesday during the first day of a conference sponsored by U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson from South Dakota and U.S. Attorney Timothy Purdon from North Dakota that was meant to raise awareness.
Read here:

Recognize the potential victims of human trafficking

Source: KevinMD.com

By: Dr. Alberto Hazan

Given the prevalence of human trafficking, there is no doubt that we come across victims of sexual exploitation or forced labor in our everyday practice. Emergency physicians, advanced practice clinicians, and nurses are in a prime position to identify victims of human trafficking. According to the Family Violence Prevention Fund, 28% of trafficking survivors had contact with a health care provider, but the abuse wasn’t recognized.


Read Alberto Hazan's article here:
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2014/08/recognize-potential-victims-human-trafficking.html

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Interview: Ruchira Gupta | The Diplomat

Source: The Diplomat:


Interview: Ruchira Gupta

5 Things You Didn't Know About Human Trafficking | Rolling Stone

Source: Rolling Stone:


By  | 

Human trafficking is a travesty that many consider a problem of the past, or at least one limited to outside the United States. Unfortunately, in today's globalized society, the problems of human trafficking are embedded in aspects of Americans' daily lives in ways that many may not be aware of – taking on new forms and presenting new challenges for human-rights defenders worldwide.

President Obama has called the figt against human trafficking one of the great human-rights causes of our time. Though statistics vary widely, human trafficking is estimated to impact between 600,000 and 800,000 people worldwide; between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States annually. Next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the U.S., but freedom remains elusive for many. Here's why:


Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-human-trafficking-20140819#ixzz3B3HD2G5C

Sunday, August 17, 2014

World Fishing & Aquaculture - Slavery in fishing

World Fishing & Aquaculture - Slavery in fishing:

Although the Thai government has told The Guardian that "combating human trafficking is a national priority", the newspaper’s undercover investigation unearthed a lawless and unregulated industry run by criminals; assisted in no small measure by the Thai maffia as well as government officials and sustained by the brokers who supply cheap migrant labour to boat owners.

"The Thai authorities could get rid of the brokers and arrange legitimate employment," said one high-ranking Thai official tasked with investigating human trafficking cases on condition of anonymity. “As long as boat owners still depend on brokers, and not the government to supply workers, then the problem will never go away."

- See more at: http://www.worldfishing.net/news101/Comment/analysis/slavery-in-fishing#sthash.IfkSp1SS.dpuf

Related articles

Albany County DA establishes sex-trafficking website where patrons' faces will appear

Source: Daily Reporter

ALBANY, New York — Albany County's chief prosecutor has established a website about sex trafficking victims where he plans to post mug shots of patrons in an effort to dent the demand side of that illicit market.
Traffickers increasingly use the Internet to advertise and arrange sex between customers and sex workers, including young women from tough circumstances who are recruited and victimized, District Attorney P. David Soares said Tuesday. Online contacts establish another level of secrecy where customers may feel safer, he said.

Continue:
http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/ec587375c7ba4109a93e7cebf995f117/NY--Sex-Trafficking-Albany

Roskam: Fighting human trafficking in the foster care system | mySuburbanLife.com

Source:  mySuburbanLife.com:


For too many children in the foster care system, their lives have been filled with instability, abuse, and neglect. Often these children are passed from home to home not knowing how long they will stay in one place or who they can trust. The psychological toll of such an environment makes it all too easy for human trafficking rings to target vulnerable foster care youth and force them into what can only be described as modern day slavery. That is why lawmakers, community leaders and law enforcement agencies are joining forces to prevent the estimated 104,000 children in foster care from becoming victims of physical and psychological abuse.

Continue
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2014/08/04/roskam-fighting-human-trafficking-in-the-foster-care-system/a3lo5op/?page=1

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Cambodia Urges China Visa Restrictions

Source: VOA

PHNOM PENH—

Cambodia says it has asked China to restrict the number of visas it issues to single Cambodian women, to prevent the brokering of marriages to Chinese men.

The appeal comes as an increasing number of Cambodian women are finding their way into Chinese marriages and becoming victims of human trafficking.
Continue:
http://www.voanews.com/content/cambodia-urges-china-visa-restrictions/1971535.html

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Study Links Wildlife Decline to Human Trafficking, Other Social Problems - New America Media

Source: New America Media



A new report highlights a hidden social cost of fish declines: It drives up human trafficking and child labor. 

The conservation policy report, led by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley, appeared last week (July 25) in the journal Science.

Using data from the U.S. Department of Labor and the United Nations, researchers illustrate how decreasing fish stock fuels labor abuses.


Continue: 


http://newamericamedia.org/2014/08/study-links-wildlife-decline-to-human-trafficking-other-social-problems.php

Australia's 'hidden' abusive migrant marriages | Bangkok Post: news

Source:  Bangkok Post: news:

Thanks to

Jack Bear 

who alerted me to this article.

SYDNEY - Kanya thought she was starting a new life in Australia after arriving from India to marry her husband, but it quickly turned into a nightmare. 

She was barred from going out on her own, forced to cook and clean for her partner's family, and made to sleep outdoors if she did not complete her tasks.
The fate of the 18-year-old, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, mirrors that of others in "slave-like" relationships that Salvation Army worker Jenny Stanger has taken in at a Sydney refuge for trafficked people in recent years. Immigration figures show women in such situations come from Thailand, China, India, the Philippines and Vietnam among others.
Continue: