Trafficking Monitor

Lunar New Year/Chinese New Year/Vietnamese Tet

2012-01-16T08:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Colleagues,

Greetings! Trafficking Monitor is breaking for the Lunar New Year/Chinese New Year/Vietnamese Tet and will resume posting the week of February 5, 2012.

Gong See Fatt Chai!

SockFoon

Image via Wikipedia

US envoy: Myanmar weak against human trafficking - Boston.com

2012-01-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2012/01/11/us_envoy_myanmar_weak_against_human_trafficking/

BostonGlobe.com

January 11, 2012

YANGON, Myanmar—Myanmar's archaic laws that allow conscription of workers for public projects are the biggest obstacle impeding its fight against human trafficking, a top U.S. diplomat said Wednesday.

"As long as it is still legal for the governments to use forced labor, it will be very hard for there to be improvement" on meeting international standards, visiting U.S. ambassador for human trafficking Luis CdeBaca told reporters.

Forced labor, by local governments or unscrupulous employers, child labor and sex trafficking were also cited by CdeBaca as problems Myanmar needed to tackle better.

CdeBaca said those topics were discussed frankly and openly in his talks this week with Myanmar Home Minister Lt. Gen. Ko Ko and Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin.

"Challenges, of course, remain, given the unfortunate record on these issues, but we saw these initial discussions a recognition of a problem and an openess to act," he said.

An annual U.S. report on trafficking grouped Myanmar in the third, or worst, tier of countries last year for failure to comply with the minimum standards or make serious efforts to curb human trafficking. Others among the two dozen worst were North Korea, Venezuela and Iran.

CdeBaca, who arrived Monday along with U.S. special envoy and policy coordinator for Myanmar Derek Mitchell, acknowledged the country's efforts to combat human trafficking and welcomed its recent decision to stop detaining female trafficking victims involuntarily in a shelter.

Washington long shunned Myanmar under its repressive military government, but the Obama administration reversed policy to try to engage the Southeast Asian country's rulers.

The military-backed but elected government in office since March has made some mild reforms and promised more, and the pace of U.S. engagement has quickened, highlighted by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's visit in December. Several influential members of Congress are slated to visit in the next few weeks.

Myanmar seeks better relations so the United States and other nations ease economic and political sanctions holding back its development.

"We hope there will be more reforms that would be able to be taken into account as we look at the ranking in the coming year. We still have three months left. There is plenty of time for the government to continue to do positive steps towards compliance with these minimum standards," CdeBaca said.

Related articles

Can a Coin Help Stop Human Trafficking? | Coin Update

2012-01-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

http://news.coinupdate.com/can-a-coin-help-stop-human-trafficking-1156/

January 10, 2012 By Michael Alexander 1 Comment

The statistics of human trafficking are staggering, it affects the smallest village, town, and big city, and no continent is exempt. The figures are growing in terms of the number of women and men becoming victims of this horrific practice. But what can one person or group do to help combat this intolerable situation which still exists in the 21st century?

In the world of numismatics, an unusual and innovative approach is being launched by the United Future World Currency (UFWC) the global currency initiative which came to the forefront of international media attention during the G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy in 2009. Wanting to do their part to help combat human trafficking and modern day slavery, the UFWC have produced a prototype coin that carries the message of ending human trafficking prominently depicted on the obverse. The contemporary design carries the message “BREAK THE CHAINS OF BONDAGE” a direct reference to the intolerable circumstances.

Inspired by the Freedom Project, a year-long campaign launched by CNN international in 2011, the UFWC have developed this eye-opening campaign to be part of their world-wide initiative. Their prototype coin, the first of its kind to include this socially responsible message will be launched at the World Money Fair, Europe’s largest coin exhibition on the 3rd February in Berlin, Germany. As part of their unique approach to spreading this message, a challenge or invitation during the coin’s launch will be extended to attending world Mints at the WMF, inviting them to issue a legal tender circulating/collector coin with the message of ending human trafficking & modern-day slavery.

The coin is being struck at the world renowned Royal Mint UK in eco-silver, (a product developed by Cookson Precious Metals UK) a responsibly sourced product from a dedicated line of recycled silver, thus eliminating the need for further mining activities which are harmful to the environment. The specially commissioned design includes the silhouette images of a man and woman back to back with a broken chain of five links below them and the UFWC’s insignia above them both.

The idea behind the concept of the coin is to additionally focus attention on the monetary link & ill-gotten gain to the scourge of human trafficking and to prompt world Mints & Central Banks to carry the message on a legal tender coin. It is hoped that this project will result in an international campaign which will carry into 2013 and beyond, conveying this vital message in the most direct manner, far and wide to all members of the public and compelling everyone to take a stand! Ultimately, we hope the coin will speak for those who can’t.

For more information on this innovative project, for images of the prototype coin or to speak to the organizers of the UFWC about this initiative, please contact Firsthand PR at firsthand.pr@gmail.com or at: +44 90) 791 352 2565

Combat Human Trafficking with the Comic Creators for Freedom - Comic Book Resources

2012-01-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36049

Thu, December 22nd, 2011 at 10:58am PST

Lora Innes, creator of the Harvey-nominated IDW series "The Dreamer" sends out the call to comic creators this holiday season in a special guest editorial on Comic Creators for Freedom, an organization dedicated to stopping human trafficking in the United States.

Comic Creators for Freedom has raised over $15,000 to end human trafficking.

I remember my amazement the day I noticed that "Girls with Slingshots" creator Danielle Corsetto has twice as many Twitter followers as Adam Hughes. Having been a webcomic creator since 2007, I’ve seen the power of the medium. Unlike a book that you probably read once, webcomics are a part of a reader’s everyday life.

Five mornings a week Danielle Corsetto makes me laugh. And then all day long as I follow her on Twitter. I’d neverwish travel complications on her, but they sure do make for funny status updates. And when she’s sick in bed with her cats, I know about it and might even get an Instagram.

This is a powerful and instant connection that creators have with their audiences. When our computers break, our fans pay for a new one. When we want to attend a new convention, our fans donate the money for a plane ticket. And when we recommend a book or a service or a product, our fans go check it out.

In 2009, I had the idea to use this influence for something more important than a Kickstarter Campaign.

At the time I was mentoring a young girl through a program at Columbus City Public Schools. One morning near the end of the school year she was nearly abducted on her walk to the bus stop. Men threatened her at gunpoint and told her to get in the backseat of a car where several other teenagers were trapped, duct tape over their mouths. She decided to run instead and when a neighbor came out scaring the gunman away, that split second decision saved her life.

This happened less than five miles from my house. I’d heard enough about human trafficking to know that Toledo, Ohio, a few hours away, is one of the major hubs. But when it happens to someone you know, in a place you could walk to, it all becomes very real.

Human trafficking is a sanitized way of saying "slavery" and there are more people enslaved today then there ever were during the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Most of it is secret, hidden out of site. 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it is forced prostitution. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year.

The girl I knew got away. How many more don’t?

I didn’t know what I could do, but I did know that I had a special relationship with my readers. I planned to create an exclusive wallpaper featuring the girls in my webcomic and use it as a reward for a little fundraising drive on my website. I’d give all the money to Gracehaven, an organization in Ohio that was making renovations to a house in order to turn it into a rehabilitation center for survivors.

But how much could I really raise? Five hundred dollars? A thousand? It was better than nothing.

This year's "Snowball Fight" themed jam piece will be given as a desktop wallpaper to those who donate.

Then I thought about asking my friend Scott Sava ("Dreamland Chronicles") to participate. I bet Scott would help out. Or what about Sarah Ellerton ("Phoenix Requiem")? She has a huge readership and a big heart. In fact all of my colleagues had as much clout with their readerships as I did. So why not ask them all?

Comic Creators for Freedom was born.

The idea is simple: every participating creator donates a single drawing of a creator-owned female character and all of the drawings are assembled onto one wallpaper image. Participation is low-commitment: a drawing you can do on your lunch break, and the humble request that you mention the drive on your blog and other social media outlets.

We pull together the circles of influence we’ve established in our own corners of the internet and combined, the impact is far-reaching.

This is the third year for the CCF. We’ve had over 100 creators participate every year. Together we’ve raised $15,000 to fight Human Trafficking. 100% of the money is split between Gracehaven House and Love146, an organization that does work both domestically and abroad. And with a world-wide group of creators (and a world wide problem) that is important.

This year’s wallpaper theme is Snowball Fight. Imagine 100 comic book women in the most epic winter battle the world has ever seen. There’s still time to join. Final art is due December 31st, and the donations drive goes live Monday January 9th - 20th, for National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

One person alone won’t accomplish much, but together, we will make a difference.

Full details on how to participate can be found on the project tab of our website.

(And those creators I mentioned? Danielle Corsetto is a veteran and returning member of the CCF, and Adam Hughes was a 2010 participant.)

So let’s see what we can do in 2012!

Lora Innes is the writer/creator of the Harvey Award Nominated "The Dreamer," from IDW and founder of Comic Creators for Freedom.

Malibu Times: Working to change human trafficking

2012-01-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.malibutimes.com/articles/2012/01/04/malibu_life/art2.txt

Malibu filmmaker Chelo Alvarez-Stehle is producing a transmedia project that combines a documentary film and a computer game to educate young people about the dangers of human trafficking. Photo by Mette Lampcov.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012 4:34 PM PST

Malibu filmmaker launches entertainment-based campaign to stop 21st-century slavery

By Bibi Jordan / Special to The Malibu Times

Malibu filmmaker Chelo Alvarez-Stehle is bringing focus to a delicate, but all-too real problem that most Americans assume no longer exists: slavery. She is one of a group of Malibu activists determined to educate teens about human trafficking, the most pervasive modern form of slavery.

To this end, she is currently producing a transmedia project that combines a documentary film, “SANDS OF SILENCE: A Personal Journey Into the Trafficking of Women,” and a social impact, web-based game, “SOS_SLAVES: Changing the Trafficking Game.”

This is a timely campaign given that January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Evidence of this global problem can even be seen on the local level. The Los Angeles Times ran an article in December about the naturalization of a 22-year-old girl from Egypt who had been smuggled into the United States and enslaved in domestic servitude for ten years by a wealthy couple living in Irvine. In 2010, a Beverly Hills recruitment agency was indicted in the largest human trafficking case in U.S. history.

“My first encounter with sex trafficking took place fourteen years ago in the Himalayas,” Alvarez-Stehle said. There she met a young girl named Anu Chari Maya Tamang who, as a teenager, had been trafficked by fellow villagers to India. Dumped in a brothel and forced to work as a prostitute, she attempted to end her own life. Thankfully, she survived the suicide attempt and 22 tortuous months as a sex slave.

“Two weeks ago, I had the chance to visit Anu Chari Maya Tamang again in Kathmandu,” Alvarez-Stehle said. “She is no longer the shy girl that I interviewed in 1997, but a fearless woman.”

In June, Tamang received the 2011 Hero to End Modern-Day Slavery award from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Tamang was chosen from among thousands of other survivors because she became, in 1996, the first victim to personally file a police report against her traffickers.

Alvarez-Stehle's current project, “SANDS OF SILENCE,” is a film inspired by the filmmaker's own experiences and those of the many other women like Anu. One of only five documentaries chosen from hundreds of submissions in a competition by the PBS/CPB Producers Workshop, “SANDS OF SILENCE” is currently in post-production.

Alvarez-Stehle's documentaries concentrate on human slavery cases abroad, but this is also a national problem. The United States Department of Justice estimates that more than 300,000 American children are at risk of being recruited into the sex slavery trade.

“The Internet has changed the way we live, mostly for the better, but it has given criminals new means to prey on their victims,” said Chris Kelly, the Silicon Valley attorney who was previously Chief Privacy Officer of Facebook, in November. Kelly was one of the founding members of the 2012 ballot initiative Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act (CASE). The initiative was launched in Malibu this past October at an event hosted by actress Stephanie Romanov-Wechsler and producer Nick Wechsler.

While CASE seeks to curtail predators' abuse of online sites, Alvarez-Stehle is capitalizing on the popularity of computer games to educate the youth on this sensitive issue. SOS_SLAVES is a role-playing computer game in which players find ways to help victims escape a slavery situation/scenario. In the process, players become aware how, as consumers, they may be unknowingly abetting child slavery by buying chocolate from West African cocoa farms or T-shirts from sweat-shops in the U.S.

Given the sensitive subject of the game, Alvarez-Stehle relied on grants to develop this computer game. Game developers Codewalla committed to produce a prototype on a pro bono basis. Alvarez-Stehle hopes to raise enough money to bring the prototype to life in time to showcase it at the upcoming festivals in New York and Delhi, India.

“The beauty of a trans-media [documentary and game] project is that we can get this critical message to the youth,” Alvarez-Stehle said. “Let's all join together to break the silence and change the game of human trafficking.”

For more information, go to http://www.indiegogo/sands-of-silence.

How to End Sex Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery - Forbes

2012-01-09T12:26:00.000-08:00

Rahim Kanani, Contributor

Writer, Advocate, Strategist, & Entrepreneur for Global Social Change

+ Follow on Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rahimkanani/2012/01/08/how-to-end-sex-trafficking-and-modern-day-slavery-with-siddharth-kara/

In a recent interview with Siddharth Kara, fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and one of the world’s foremost experts on human trafficking and modern day slavery, we discussed the evolution of his effort, the current landscape of these issues, challenges and opportunities to making progress, and much more.

Kara is also the author of the award-winning book, “Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery,” the first of three books he is writing on the subjects of human trafficking and contemporary slavery. “Sex Trafficking” was named co-winner of the prestigious 2010 Frederick Douglass Award at Yale University for the best non-fiction book on slavery. The Award is generally regarded as the top prize in the field of slavery scholarship, and Kara’s is the first book on modern slavery to receive the award.

Kara currently advises the United Nations, the U.S. Government, and several other governments on antislavery research, policy and law. In addition to several nonprofit board positions, Kara serves on the committee founded by Kirk Douglas that is lobbying the US Congress to provide an official apology for pre-bellum slavery. In 2009, he was selected as a Fellow for the acclaimed TED India conference. Kara has also written an award winning feature film screenplay on human trafficking set for production in 2011. Kara’s ongoing research into slavery around the world has been covered regularly by CNN.

Rahim Kanani: How would you describe your first encounter with modern day slavery?

Siddharth Kara: I first came across child labourers and bonded labourers in various sectors, such as agriculture and brickmaking, when I was a child in India. These early encounters made an impression on me, but it was probably my encounters in a refugee camp in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990’s that catalyzed my efforts in this area as an adult. As an undergraduate, I spent one summer volunteering in a Bosnian refugee camp near the Slovenian-Croatian border and heard numerous tales of genocide and sex trafficking. A few years later I decided I needed to understand how and why these crimes were occurring, so I set aside my corporate career and commenced what has now become more than eleven years of almost entirely self-funded research into all forms of contemporary servitude around the world.

Rahim Kanani: As you survey the landscape of these issues, what does slavery and human trafficking look like today?

Siddharth Kara: Slavery today functions for the same purpose it has throughout history: to maximize profit my minimizing or eliminating the cost of labor. Having said this, there are several key differences with modern slavery that make it in many ways more expansive and pernicious than ever before. First, slaves today can be exploited in dozens of industries that are intricately woven into the global economy, as opposed to just agriculture and domestic servitude as centuries ago. The costs of acquiring a slave and/or the time of transporting him or her from the point of acquisition to the point of exploitation are miniscule today as compared to Old World slavery. These and other dynamics make slaves more accessible, expendable, exploitable and profitable than every before. Whereas the average slave two centuries ago could generate a 15% to 20% annual return on investment for his or her exploiters, that same “ROI” today is several hundred percent per year (over 900% per year for sex trafficking). This is perhaps the primary reason why there is such demand among exploiters today to acquire more slaves through the practice of human trafficking, or what we used to call “slave trading.”

Rahim Kanani: What are some of the biggest challenges to ending trafficking and other forms of contemporary slavery?

Siddharth Kara: A lack of detailed understanding of how and why slave-like exploitation functions in various sectors of the global economy is a primary barrier to a more effective response. Much effort in the field of combating modern slavery has focused more on anecdote and sensationalism than on actual analysis of the problem. A paucity of resources deployed to understanding and combating slavery is another primary barrier. The US government spends 350 times more money each year to combat drug trafficking than slavery. This does not mean that we will end slavery by simply throwing money at the problem, but it gives a sense of the anemic level of resources that have been allocated towards this issue. And by the way, the US government spends more money to combat slavery than most any other government in the world, so that gives you a real sense of how big the gap is globally. Another primary challenge has to do with the inability of activists in the field to catalyze a more unified grassroots movement to combat the issue. The antislavery movement remains highly fragmented, and as a result, its ability to mobilize social opinion and lawmakers on the issue has been hampered.

Rahim Kanani: Have we made any progress in the last decade and if so, what’s changed?

Siddharth Kara: Without question we have made progress. The primary area of progress relates to a massive increase in awareness of the issue. When I started my research in 2000, very few people knew about human trafficking and contemporary slavery. Since that time, there have been many films and TV shows about the issue, many new organizations created to combat slavery, many new laws passed around the world to do the same, and an overall increase in general knowledge of the issue. However, not all awareness is good awareness, and at times the awareness raised has been sensational, inaccurate, and more focused on personal or organizational gain. Another area of improvement has to do with the engagement of the commercial sector on the issue. More and more companies in several industries have become aware of human trafficking and have taken modest steps to understand and combat the issue. This is a good sign that, if continued, promises to be very beneficial to the field. Finally, charitable foundations and governments have been providing more funding to research and combat human trafficking, and while the gap between supply and demand of resources remains very wide, at least it has closed somewhat in the last decade.

Rahim Kanani: As one of the world’s foremost experts on modern day slavery and human trafficking, what are some of the leadership lessons you have learned over the years?

Siddharth Kara: The main task that I have taken upon myself has been to continue providing the best analysis I can of various aspects of contemporary human servitude. I believe that my work has helped shift the needle away from the anecdotal and towards the scholarly, which has been an important shift in the field as we try to move beyond general awareness and towards actual detailed analysis and understanding of how to combat these crimes more effectively. In particular, recognizing that sex trafficking is different from labor trafficking is different from debt bondage is different from organ trafficking, and analyzing how these sectors functions as businesses in the context of the global economy has provided interesting insights into the kinds of policies, laws, and tactics that can be more effective at combating each type of slave-like exploitation more effectively.

Rahim Kanani: With respect to influence and pressure, what have you learned about the world of advocacy?

Siddharth Kara: In a crowded global human rights agenda, the primary lesson for antislavery advocacy has been to base that advocacy on sound research and analysis. Anecdote is not sufficient to secure adequate resources and move high-level policy. Many governments that I have met with have expressed a keen interest to do more about the issue and have regretted that lack of reliable knowledge and analysis on which they can base persuasive arguments that certain laws needs to be passed or certain resources need to be allocated, especially during challenging economic times.

Rahim Kanani: If you could point to a few organizations that are truly making a difference and moving the needle on this issue, who would you point to as great case studies of impact?

Siddharth Kara: Some of the most exemplary organizations that operate with integrity and are making a genuine and unique impact on human trafficking and modern slavery include Apne Aap International (New Delhi), the American Himalayan Foundation, Humanity United, HopeNow International (Copenhagen), Maiti Nepal (Kathmandu), Bandhua Mukti Morcha (New Delhi), the New Life Center (Chiang Rai, Thailand), Nomi Network, the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, La Strada, The Cuff Road Project (Singapore), Girls Power Initiative (Nigeria), and a handful of other local organizations in several countries from Mexico to Malaysia that are doing tremendous work.

Rahim Kanani: Lastly, and looking ahead, what is the way forward, and how can ordinary people contribute to this cause?

Siddharth Kara: The first thing ordinary people can do is to inform themselves of the issue by reading as many books that focus on some level of actual analysis as possible (admittedly, there are not many). it is also important for ordinary citizens to understand that many products they purchase everyday may be tainted by slavery or child labor somewhere in their supply chains on the far side of the world. These products could be frozen shrimp and fish, rice, tea, coffee, electronic devices, apparel, salt, matches, cigarettes, sporting goods, and numerous other products. Catalyzing a consumer awareness campaign around tainted goods and demanding that companies do more to certify that their supply chains are untainted by slave-like labor exploitation are important steps individuals can take today.

Rahim Kanani is a writer, interviewer, advocate, strategist and entrepreneur for global social change. His articles, opinions, and interviews with global leaders can be found at www.rahimkanani.com. In addition, you can follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

AFP, Thailand investigate claims of fake rescue of children from sex slavery | The Australian

2012-01-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/foreign-affairs/afp-thailand-investigate-claims-of-fake-rescue-of-children-from-sex-slavery/story-fn59nm2j-1226239371208

ANDREW DRUMMOND AND ANDREW FRASER

From:The Australian

January 09, 2012 12:00AM

THAILAND'S Department of Special Investigations has begun an investigation into the alleged fake rescue last year of hill tribe children from sexual slavery by an Australian charityr.

At the request of the Australian Federal Police, they will also submit a letter through Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeking a parallel investigation in Australia that focuses on the alleged use of false advertising to solicit funds.

The move follows a meeting of representatives of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (DSI), Trafcord (the anti-trafficking co-ordination unit of Northern Thailand) and the National Committee on Trafficking, foreshadowed in The Weekend Australian.

AFP officers had been summoned to the meeting on Saturday at the DSI headquarters in Bangkok to hear the complaints. The AFP did not comment, but a source at the meeting said the AFP representative had asked the DSI to make the request formal through the normal channels.

The Grey Man's Brisbane-based president, John Curtis, said yesterday he had no difficulties with any investigation by either the Thai government or the AFP.

"We have no problem with any authority looking at our operation. Our major concern is for the children, and we stick with everything that we've done.

"We'll co-operate with any investigation, but we have no doubt that we'll be completely exonerated. We have no problems with the AFP looking at both our accounts and the basis upon what it was raised."

The move follows complaints that The Grey Man, which claims it is comprised of ex-police officers and special services veterans, faked the rescue of 21 Akha hill tribe children from the village of Baan Khun Suay in Chiang Rai province of northern Thailand last October.

The charity placed pictures of the children on their website and Facebook pages and began an appeal for funds.

But investigations by the Thai non-government organisation Trafcord and the DSI had found that the children had never left their homes, had continued to attend school and had suffered as a result of the publicity.

Mr Curtis said The Grey Man's activities seemed to be resented by Trafcord.

"The successes of The Grey Man seem to have raised sensitive issues with a Thai-based NGO, which unfortunately appears to have distracted them from their core activity while they pursue a vendetta against The Grey Man," he said.

Human Rights & Sex Trafficking: A Film Forum – 2012 | Boston Initiative to Advance Human Rights

2012-01-09T07:43:00.000-08:00

GO TO:

http://bitahrfilmforum.org/2012/

Maplecroft | Conflict and economic downturn cause global increase in reported child labour violations – 40% of countries now rated ‘extreme risk’ by Maplecroft

2012-01-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

http://maplecroft.com/about/news/child_labour_2012.html

Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and Philippines expose companies to high

levels of supply chain risk

05/01/2012

Human trafficking law seeks corporate transparency

2012-01-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/07/BUFG1MLTH5.DTL

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Paul Sakuma / AP

As governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act.

If you happen to be doing some online grocery shopping at Safeway.com, scroll down to the bottom of the home page and there you'll find a link called "Supply Chain Transparency."

Should you be interested in what Safeway is doing to combat forced labor, human trafficking or other egregious practices involving its 5,000-odd suppliers, the link will take you to a page describing how the Pleasanton supermarket chain is complying with the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act.

The what?

Indeed. The law, which went into effect last Sunday, has received little publicity. Although it was enacted in 2010, many California companies either don't know about it or are scratching their heads over how to deal with it.

Basically, the law says this: Any California company with $100 million or more in sales must disclose "on a conspicuous and easily understood link" on its website whether:

-- It is looking into the existence of such practices in its supply chain, and, if so, how.

-- Its suppliers conform to the company's code of conduct on labor practices, especially with regard to slavery and human trafficking - and if so, how compliance is verified.

-- It certifies that the gathering of materials used in the products complies with human trafficking and related laws.

-- It provides training for company managers on mitigating the risk of such practices within the supply chain.

The measure, signed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, was put together in part by advocacy groups in California. It was designed to raise awareness of issues such as forced labor and human trafficking and how they might contribute to the products we buy.

Signing the law, known as SB657, Schwarzenegger said it "will increase transparency, allow consumers to make better, more informed choices and motivate businesses to ensure humane practices throughout the supply chain."

Dos and don'ts: According to the International Labor Organization, 12.3 million people are victims of forced labor worldwide.

A 2011 U.S. Department of Labor report identified 130 goods from 71 countries that were produced, in part, by forced or child labor. Apparel, information technology, electronics and food are the chief sectors in which such practices occur.

"It's very important for companies to take note of this, especially companies with intricate global supply chains that reach down to the raw material level," said Patricia Jurewicz, director of the Responsible Sourcing Network, a project of As You Sow, a San Francisco corporate responsibility advocacy group.

Jurewicz was one of the speakers at a roundtable at the Bay Area Council in San Francisco on Friday that focused on the California law. Executives from several Bay Area companies were there, including Hewlett-Packard, McKesson, PG&E, Levi Strauss, Gap and Safeway.

So was Cynthia Jackson, a partner at in the San Francisco office of Baker & McKenzie, which has been advising clients on the new law. Her advice, apart from the need to be aware of it, is for companies to be careful what they claim they are doing in their disclosure statements, perhaps to burnish their brand.

One of the most common mistakes companies make is to "post a website policy without the underlying protocols to support it," she said. Without such support, a company could be legally liable for its failure to act.

In other words, you're not actually obliged to do anything, but don't promise what you can't deliver.

"Corporate social responsibility has moved beyond market fluff to a core function with legal implications," Jackson said.

Given that, companies may be faced with some tough questions, such as: How do you verify and certify that your suppliers are doing what they say they are doing? And how far down the supply chain do you have to go?

"We've got more than 5,000 direct suppliers," said Carl Graziani, Safeway's senior vice president overseeing the company's worldwide suppliers. "But there can be a million more links in the chain."

Many attending the roundtable were expecting more specific guidance on the law from the California attorney general's office, but they may be in for a long wait.

While it has just started a "Human Trafficking in California" website, the AG's office told me Friday afternoon that no guidance was being planned.

"We'll let the statute speak for itself," I was told.

RESOURCES

The law

-- Text of the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act: sfg.ly/AcfUD6.

-- "California requires supply chain disclosures," Baker & McKenzie: sfg.ly/xe3siq.

Company disclosures

-- Safeway: sfg.ly/xI0Boq.

-- Hewlett-Packard: sfg.ly/xFHjo5.

-- Gap: sfg.ly/xt8mmb.

Bay Area advocacy groups

-- Responsible Sourcing Network: www.sourcingnetwork.org.

-- Not for Sale (includes apps): free2work.org.

Blogging: www.sfgate.com/columns/bottomline. Facebook page: sfg.ly/doACKM. Tweeting: @andrewsross. E-mail: bottomline@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page D - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Trafficked teens go after broker | National news | The Phnom Penh Post - Cambodia's Newspaper of Record

2012-01-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012010553806/National-news/trafficked-teens-go-after-broker.html

Sen David

Thursday, 05 January 2012

Three teenage boys who were held as slaves on a Thai fishing boat for weeks have been returned to Cambodia and have filed a complaint with the Anti-Human Trafficking department in an attempt to seek out the broker who tricked them, Cambodian NGO Action Pour Les Enfants said yesterday.

The teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were repatriated with assistance from APLE on December 31 after their ordeal.

“From our research, we know that the boys were lured and cheated by masterminds to cross the border illegally in Thailand and then were tricked to work on a Thai fishing boat,” APLE country director Samleang Seila told the Post.

“It is a serious labour abuse to have these boys trafficked under-age,” Samleang Seila said.

“The victims crossed in the wilderness along the border at Poipet into Thailand where other brokers picked them up and took them to the fishing boat where they were held.”

Samleang Seila said the boys were forced to perform hard labour and work overtime until Thai authorities rescued them.

Human trafficking of young, and often under-age, males to fishing boats in Thailand made headlines last year as returnees described the horror and merciless conditions of their captivity aboard the boats. APLE often cooperated with Thai authorities to repatriate tricked and trafficked victims, Samleang Seila said.

In this instance, on December 12, when the families of the boys reported them missing after they had disappeared three days earlier, APLE contacted the Thai Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare to coordinate a rescue.

Keo Thea, director of the municipal Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection office, declined to comment in detail about the complaint for fear the brokers would take flight or go into hiding.

“We are investigating and we will continue our investigations until we catch the brokers,” Keo Thea said. Toek Salin, the 45-year-old father of one of the victims, said his son had been studying in grade 11 at school, but he had not realised his son had wanted to work.

“We never allowed our son to work, just to study only, but then one day, he did not come home from school, and we had no idea where he was or what had happened,” Toek Salin said.

Between December 6 and 12 last year, 60 Cambodian fishermen were rescued from boats in Indonesia and repatriated after being lured to Thailand supposedly to work in high-paying jobs.

Instead, the fishermen were subjected to abusive working conditions on the boats and were not paid, the Post reported.

Fair Trade Proving Anything But in Growing $6 Billion Market - Businessweek

2012-01-05T15:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-04/fair-trade-proving-anything-but-in-growing-6-billion-market.html
January 04, 2012, 7:11 PM EST

By Simon Clark and Heather Walsh

Combating Slavery in Coffee and Chocolate Production

2012-01-05T15:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.towardfreedom.com/home/labor/2673-combating-slavery-in-coffee-and-chocolate-production

Thursday, 05 January 2012 16:27 Jeff Nall

Mainstream media outlets and consumers have been understandably quick to take note of the benefits chocolate and coffee offer. Yet most American consumers are ignorant to the mounting evidence indicating that the laborers whom they have to thank for cultivating these products are being grossly exploited, live in spiraling poverty, and, in some cases, are modern-day slaves. Quite simply, much of the coffee and chocolate improving our health is simultaneously jeopardizing the freedom and lives of hundreds of thousands around the world including many children.

Farms in the West African nation, Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) are responsible for more than 40-percent of the world’s cocoa beans. Here cacao trees produce flowers that develop into pods filled with cocoa beans. Workers harvest the pods, and cut them open, usually with machetes, to collect the white coated cocoa beans within. The beans are then dried in the sun, bagged, then sold to an intermediary. The intermediary then sells the cocoa beans to national exporters who wash, pack, sell, and then ship them to chocolate manufacturers.[1]

Beginning in October of 2000,[2] multiple investigative reports by Knight Ridder Newspapers,[3] the BBC, and independent journalists have found that both child laborers and enslaved child laborers are routinely employed to work cocoa farms in Ivory Coast. Boys and girls, usually between the ages of 12 and 16 but some as young as 7 and 9, are smuggled from neighboring countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and sold to cocoa bean plantation owners. The children are often lured into slavery under the pretenses of paid work. Upon being sold to plantation owners, the children are forced to engage in grueling manual labor, carrying extremely heavy bags, working with machetes and pesticides. They often work long hours, as many as 80 a week, but they are rarely, if ever, paid. Those failing to work fast enough are beaten with branches and bicycle chains while those attempting escape have been bound with rope and beaten so severely scars remain.[4] One boy who managed to escape his enslavement, 15-year-old Zanga Traore said, “If you work slow or refuse to work, they will beat you.” Those who comply nevertheless suffer. A 2005 survey concluded that 92-percent of child workers engaged in work such as carrying heavy loads that caused open wounds.[5]

In 2010 the BBC broadcasted an investigative video report, “Chocolate: The Bitter Truth,” in which reporter, Paul Kenyon, documented continued evidence of human trafficking and child slave labor in the chocolate supply line.[6] Kenyon tells the story of Fatao, a 12-year-old boy, who was taken from Burkina Faso and sold into Ghana’s cocoa labor force by his uncle. The boy’s mother said she left her son in the care of his uncle while she was working. Upon being reunited with her as a result of the expose, Fatao said, “I don’t even find food as sweet as the joy I feel upon seeing my mother.”

In the 2010 documentary, The Dark Side of Chocolate, Miki Mistrati and U. Roberto Romano uncover ample evidence that the trafficking of children to work on cocoa plantations is unquestionably widespread. They meet a man in Mali who has documented his interception of literally hundreds of children who were being smuggled from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to the Ivory Coast. They also speak to a village chief who tells of more than 100 children being abducted by traffickers. According to a child, Mariam Marico, aged 12, whose smuggling was thwarted, her trafficker had lured her with promises of opportunities to make money. Such promises are almost always empty. Traffickers often prey upon children seeking to earn income for their desperate families. One boy who managed to escape his enslavement, 16-year-old Yaya Konate, says that traffickers trick children into going with them.

Mistrati and Romano’s film goes still further, speaking to and secretly recording those directly involved in the trafficking of children. One man says that plantation owners pay him and others to take children across the border to work. Later a plantation owner causally explains that his brother can get children from Burkina Faso to work cocoa plantations. Despite the chocolate industry’s efforts to downplay the issue of child labor and slavery in cocoa production, Mistrati and Romano also film a number of young children, ages 10 and up, working plantations where SAF-CACAO, one of the largest sellers of cocoa beans, purchases their product. Many of the children do not speak the local language and are from Burkina Faso. They are engaged in heavy manual labor, using machetes, and carrying large loads.

Participants in the chocolate industry can no longer honestly deny or plead ignorance to the prevalence of child labor and trafficked, slave child labor in its supply line. A U.S. government-backed study by Tulane University concluded, in March 2011, that more than 1.8 million children in West Africa continue to be involved in cultivating cocoa.[7] A November 2011 investigative piece by the BBC’s Humphrey Hawksley reports that it is commonplace to see “children carrying machetes or pesticide equipment,” and joylessly hard at work collecting and cutting open the cocoa pods that contain cocoa seeds. “There was no laughter or play. On their legs were scars from machete injuries. There was no first aid kit around or any protective clothing.”[8] Despite the chocolate industries assorted non-binding proclamations, the U.S. backed Tulane study concludes that fewer than 4-percent of the people in the cocoa producing regions of the Ivory Coast have been aided since the industry claimed it would take action.[9]

Unfortunately, the problem of child labor and forced labor is not confined to the cocoa industry. In October 2011 the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) issued a report, List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, indicating that 71 countries make 130 goods that are produced with child labor or forced labor. Agricultural crops most prominently utilize child labor. Both coffee and sugarcane are among a short list of common agricultural goods produced by children.[10]

According to the ILAB report, child labor occurs in the cultivation of coffee in Colombia and Guatemala, both leading exporters of coffee to the U.S.[11] The report also notes that both child labor and forced labor have been used to cultivate coffee Ivory Coast. As John Robbins reported, the Ivory Coast is responsible for a significant amount of Robusta coffee, which is used for espresso, instant coffees, and blended into Arabica beans to make ground coffees. Coffee is sometimes grown on the same farms where cacao pods, which produce cocoa beans, are grown.[12]

Even when coffee is not produced with child labor or slave labor, it is generally cultivated with exploited labor. Most of the world’s 25 million coffee growers receive less than one-percent of what most consumers pay for their daily cappuccino and only about 6-percent of the price paid for coffee in the supermarket.[13] In the early 1980s the average per-pound cost for coffee was $1.20, but as of 2003 it was just $0.50. The falling price of coffee has directly resulted in an increase in destitution and starvation in places such as Nicaragua and Ethiopia.[14]

Elsewhere the conditions are also perilous. According to Global Exchange, workers on coffee plantations are generally paid between $2 and 3 dollars a day. Guatemalan plantation workers must pick 100 pounds of coffee in order to get the minimum wage of just under $3 a day. Workers are often forced to bring their children to ensure they meet their quota. Meanwhile small family farmers earn between $500 and $1,000 a year. Family farmers’ low earnings are typically a result of their being forced to sell their product to middlemen at sometimes half the market value. [15]

The Fair Trade Option

The good news is that each of us can do something about this problem. In addition to educating ourselves and our family and friends, we can buy and guiltlessly consume chocolate that is “Fair-Trade” certified. When foods are certified fair-trade it means workers are paid fair wages, free from abusive, exploitative labor practices, work in healthy and safe conditions, and use environmentally sustainable methods.

According to Global Exchange, fair-trade certification benefits over 800,000 farmers that are organized into cooperatives and unions in 48 countries around the world. However, the demand for fair-trade products is still too low for such farmers to sell their entire crop at fair-trade prices.[16] By buying fair-trade chocolate we increase the demand for products free of abusive child labor and slavery.

In addition to buying fair-trade chocolate, we can also buy fair-trade certified sugar and coffee, two crops which are also significantly tainted by child labor according to an October 2011 report, List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor,released by the U.S. government.

Morality requires American consumers to purchase fair-trade products whenever possible. Whether one is a egalitarian, believing that people have an obligation to help others, or a libertarian, believing that people are only obligated to not coerce, harm or unjustifiably restrain innocent others, it seems clear that consumers have an obligation to ensure that the people who produce the goods they consume are both not enslaved and basically compensated. Just as a morally decent person understands that it is wrong to purchase cheap goods from a provider who is known to regularly sell stolen goods, so, too, is it wrong to purchase cheap chocolate, coffee, sugar, and other goods that are cultivated through stolen, forced, or exploited labor.

It is also important to point out that buying fair-trade products is not the same as donating to help others. When it comes to the moral uses of money people often think of donating funds to the needy or those who are suffering. While donating to the needy is an important component of a moral life, fewer donations would be necessary if people were justly rewarded for the often very hard work they do. Ideally, no one should purchase fair-trade products with the idea that they are donating to improve the lives of coffee and cocoa growers. Buying fair-trade products is not “donating” to a cause, it is merely doing the decent thing: paying people a reasonable sum for the work that they are doing for you.

Buyers should know, however, that not all fair-trade labels are created equally. At the end of 2011 a rift emerged between fair-trade organizations. The main American fair-trade organization, Fair Trade USA (formerly TransFair USA), announced that it would lower its standards allowing corporate coffee and chocolate companies product grown on estates and plantations to be eligible for certification. In the past only cooperatives could receive the seal.[17] In response, Fairtrade International (FLO), an organization comprised of 25 groups responsible for setting international Fairtrade standards and supporting Fairtrade producers, objected to these proposed changes. FLO states that the decision to allow coffee grown by corporate giants conflicts with salient principles of the fair-trade movement. “One of the strengths of the small producer organization is the promotion of independent, democratic decision-making, something that is difficult to promote among a transient workforce. Opening the Fairtrade system to plantations with large coffee volumes could also threaten small producer organizations that cannot operate on the same scale and all three of our producer networks recognize and voice the need for additional research.” As a result of the disagreement the two organizations have parted ways.

This means that individual American consumers have a few choices to make even if they have already chosen to buy fair-trade products. We can choose to buy products certified by Fair-Trade USA. These produces feature a certification mark showing a black and white person standing in front of a globe, holding two baskets. Conversely, we can choose to buy products certified with FLO’s fair-trade certification mark, the most recognizable throughout the world. This symbol features “a person with a raised arm, representing the optimism of producers,” along with a blue and green background, symbolizing the sky and growth.[18] The image looks something like a variation of the Chinese yin and yang symbol.

A strong case can be made in support of favoring FLO’s certification mark. Clearly corporate power exerts a deleterious, unfair influence in our political institutions and in civil society. This fosters plutocratic and oligarchic society wherein decisions are made by the rich and the few. Despite this criticism it seems profoundly clear that if one had to choose, buying products certified by Fair Trade USA over those that are not certified at all would bring about a great deal more happiness, and, as a result, would be the moral choice. The good news is that the FLO seal of approval is increasingly prevalent in stores such as Whole Foods.

Offering of fair-trade products varies from store-to-store. For some, ordering online may well be the best option. Organizations such as Global Exchange and Equal Exchange are leaders in the fair-trade movement, and they offer a wide assortment of products.

As a Floridian I have found that Publix grocery stores offer a growing assortment of fair-trade certified coffee including products from Newman’s Own, Seattle’s Best, and the Publix’s own Greenwise brand. Though there are a variety of powerful reasons to avoid the store, Wal-Mart,[19] it is worth noting, carries a variety of fair-trade certified coffee from Seattle’s Best, Newman’s Own, and Sam’s Choice coffee. Other than Whole Foods, however, few of my grocery stores carry fair-trade chocolate or cocoa.

For the contemporary American consumer our purchasing practices are moral proclamations. To the extent that we refuse to contemplate the people whose labor produces the foods we put in our bodies and the objects we use in our daily lives, we conveniently deny our moral obligation to consider the well being of not only those nearest to us, but also workers living in the shadows of production who also have the basic rights to living a decent life.

Jeff Nall holds a PhD in Comparative Studies: Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality from Florida Atlantic University. He teaches philosophy and gender studies. For more of his work or to contact him go to http://virtuedrivenlife.wordpress.com/

Photo via Flickr under a Creative Commons license from Nestlé

Notes:

[1] http://www.globalcocoaproject.org/about-the-project/about-chocolate/

[2] In October 2000, the BBC televised Brian Woods and Kate Blewett’s investigative documentary, Slavery: A Global Investigation.

[3] Sudarsan Raghavan and Sumana Chatterjee. 24 June 2001. “A Taste of Slavery.” Knight Ridder Newspapers

[4] Sudarsan Raghavan and Sumana Chatterjee. 24 June 2001. “A Taste of Slavery.” Knight Ridder Newspapers

[5] Marjie Sackett. “Forced Child Labor and Cocoa Production in West Africa.” Topical Research Digest: Human Rights and Contemporary Slavery. P.85

[6] BBC. 24 March 2010. “Tracing the bitter truth of chocolate and child labour”

[7] BBC. 28 Nov. 2011 . Nestle 'to act over child labour in cocoa industry'

[8] Humphrey Hawksley. 10 Nov. 2011. “Ivory Coast cocoa farms child labour: Little change.” BBC

[9] Humphrey Hawksley. 10 Nov. 2011. “Ivory Coast cocoa farms child labour: Little change.” BBC

[10] List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor. P. xi

[11] P.17 Thanks to Elizabeth Grossman for pointing this out in her work, “Why Your Morning Coffee Could Be the Product of Child Labor,” 5 Nov. 2011.

[12] John Robbins. 19 April 2010. “Is There Slavery In Your Chocolate?”

[13]David Hoyt and John McMillan. 19 February 2004. “The Global Coffee Trade.” Stanford Graduate School of Business.

[14]David Hoyt and John McMillan. 19 February 2004. “The Global Coffee Trade.” Stanford Graduate School of Business.

[15] http://globalexchange.org/fairtrade/coffee/faq#1

[16] http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/

[17] Tom Philpott. 29 Nov 2011. “Should Fair Trade Certify Giants Like Nestle and Folgers?” Mother Jones.

[18] FLO. “About the Mark.”

[19] See Stacy Mitchell’s article, “Eaters, bewar: Walmart is taking over our food system” (30 Dec 2011) on Grist.orghttp://www.grist.org/food/2011-12-30-eaters-beware-walmart-is-taking-over-our-food-system

Sex trafficking warning film to be shown in RB - Pomerado News | Pomerado News

2012-01-05T15:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.pomeradonews.com/2012/01/05/sex-trafficking-warning-film-to-be-shown-in-rb/

By Elizabeth Marie Himchak

A short film warning parents and their teenage daughters about the dangers of the girls becoming sex trafficking victims will be shown for free on Wednesday, Jan. 11 in Rancho Bernardo.

“Indoctrinated: The Grooming of our Children into Prostitution” is a locally made 33-minute documentary sponsored by the San Diego County Office of Education.

“It’s great,” said Judy Horning, who saw a preview of the film last month. “It is geared toward parents and teens, and shows how easily (teens) can get swept into (prostitution) without knowing what they are getting into.

“All parents and teenage girls should see it,” Horning said.

In conjunction with National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, the Rancho Bernardo and Poway chapters of Soroptimist International will host a free showing of the film and panel discussion.

It will be in The Church at Rancho Bernardo sanctuary, 11740 Bernardo Plaza Court, on Wednesday, Jan. 11. Doors will open at 6 p.m., with the film shown at 6:30 p.m. Immediately after, there will be a panel discussion with Marisa Ugarte, Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition’s executive director, and Kathi Hardy, Freedom from Exploitation’s founder. The free event will be over by 8 p.m.

Horning, a Rancho Bernardo Soroptimist and BSCC member, said so that enough brochures are available, attendees are asked to register in advance at http://stat.eventbrite.com or www.indoctrinated.org. However, walk-ins will be welcome.

According to Horning, authorities have identified the San Diego region as a “high intensity child prostitution area.” She said vulnerable teens are often recruited at shopping malls, schools, parks, concerts and beaches, and on the Internet.

“A runaway girl, 80 percent of the time, will be picked up within 48 hours (of leaving home) and end up involved in prostitution without (initially realizing it),” Horning said, adding teenage boys can also become victims.

She said parents should be interested in attending since there is little public awareness about the human trafficking and sex exploitation issue.

According to the documentary’s website, the film shows tactics used by pimps and gangs to recruit, groom, psychologically coerce and indoctrinate victims into a life of sexual exploitation and violence. It also teaches parents and teens how to avoid this situation.

Due to the subject matter, Horning said the event might not be appropriate for those under 13 years.

Horning said Soroptimist International made human trafficking one of its focuses several years ago and locally, eight clubs formed a coalition called Soroptimists Together Against Trafficking.

For event details, call Horning at 858-748-0069 or go to www.indoctrinated.org.

Technology, Business, and Anti-Human Trafficking Innovation - Forbes

2012-01-04T14:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.forbes.com/sites/csr/2012/01/04/technology-business-and-anti-human-trafficking-innovation/

1/04/2012

Nicole Skibola, Contributor

Could you have possibly imagined that there are 30 million slaves in the world today, more than any other point in human history? Slavery is not limited to the brothels of Thailand or Cambodia, either. A 2011 CNN article estimated that there are 100,000 to 300,000 children between 11 and 14 who are vulnerable to being sold for sex by pimp-captors every year in the United States, according to government statistics.

Earlier this week President Obama declared January 2012 human trafficking prevention month, marking the government’s continued attention on the issue. The government, however hasn’t been the only player in the eradication of trafficking. Businesses have increasingly taken action not only to safeguard their services from being used by traffickers but also to apply their core expertise toward the eradication of trafficking.

At one time, sex trafficking was confined to brothels and street corners; today the practice has been transformed through the ease of online transactions, communications and logistics. A recent framework developed by Microsoft Research Connections described the Internet as the number one platform for buying and selling women and children for sex in the United States: “Victims trafficked through pimp-controlled sex trafficking, escort services, in-call and out-call services, chat rooms, pornography, and brothels disguised as massage parlors are commonly marketed on websites such as Backpage.com, Eros.com, and others.”

While technology has undoubtedly exacerbated the problem, it has also worked in a plethora of ways to ameliorate the issue. For example, educating consumers on the demand side of trafficking has been dramatically assisted by media campaigns like the DNA Foundation’s Real Men Don’t Buy Girls campaign, featuring the likes of Justin Timberlake, NFL star players, and Ashton Kutcher, who can spread the campaign’s message to his 9 million plus twitter followers. Smartphone applications and interactive tools such as theInternational Centre for Missing & Exploited Children’s Guide to Online Safety make education and prevention accessible. And CNN’s Freedom Project, devoted to digitally broadcasting more than 200 stories and a half-dozen documentaries on the issue of human trafficking and modern-day slavery, has led to nearly 2,000 people coming out of slavery since February 2011.

The opportunities and risks associated with the technology industry put companies in the sector in a unique position to use their services to create major change. Google and Microsoft have both identified anti-trafficking research initiatives as areas of focus in 2012. Microsoft recently issued a $150,000 request for proposals on the role of technology in the advertising and selling of victims for exploitation and the purchase of victims by “johns.” Google announced that the search engine will be providing $11.5 million in grants to 10 organizations working to end modern-day slavery and human trafficking.

A smaller niche player in the tech world is also hoping to leave its mark this year. Digital innovation agency Sarkissian Mason is offering a $100,000 grantto a nonprofit working in the anti-trafficking space. Founder and chief executive Patrick Sarkissian decided to combine the agency’s creative and digital expertise with nonprofit grassroots knowledge and insight on the issue to create a technology innovation with major impact. “Trafficking is such a huge issue that preys upon people throughout the world, including an alarming amount in the U.S.,” Sarkissian explained. “Offering this service grant is an exciting way for us to work closely with the issue and to innovate a product that can create major impact on the ground.” The agency received major creative kudos for its interactive guerrilla style homeless awareness campaign in New York City last year, and Sarkissian hopes it will be able to develop a similar educational/fundraising multimedia platform or a mobile technology solution to be integrated into the NGO partner’s programmatic activities.

With the rapid growth of social networking and technology innovation, business is in many ways better suited to tackle the issue of trafficking than even specialized government agencies. The U.S. government has taken an important leadership role in the fight against sex trafficking in recent years; recent initiatives like USAID’s launch of the Stop Human Trafficking App Challenge, and the State Department’s leadership and tracking of country compliance with international anti-trafficking laws are just two ways that the government is pushing its agenda at the grassroots and international policy levels.

The growth of anti-trafficking business initiatives – from the big technology players to the smaller agency level marks an exciting public-private synergy. The huge amount of skills and resources that these players bring offers real hope for the 30 million modern-day slaves around the world.

Nix conference and meeting management company first to sign First ever meeting planner to sign the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct - eTurboNews.com

2012-01-03T16:42:00.000-08:00

http://www.eturbonews.com/27166/first-ever-meeting-planner-sign-tourism-child-protection-code-co

Jan 01, 2012

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI – Nix Conference & Meeting Management is leading the charge among meeting planners worldwide to help end child sex trafficking. Nix is initiating a first-ever Meeting Planners Code of Conduct in January, Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and encouraging industry peers and competitors, via The Code Quarterly International Newsletter, to join them in addressing the issue at every hotel where they do business.

“Child sex trafficking is widespread, occurring right now even at luxury hotels in the United States,” said Kimberly Ritter, Senior Account Manager and Coordinator of Nix's initiative to fight child sex trafficking, “Most hotel executives have no idea this exploitation of children exists at their properties. Once they become aware, however, they can establish policies and train staff to identify and take action against child sex trafficking.”

Nix is the first meeting planning company in the US to sign a Meeting Planner's Code of Conduct, which they developed in cooperation with ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking). They will sign the new code on Wednesday, January 11, 2012, during a Human Trafficking Awareness Day event at the Soulard Preservation Hall, 1921 South Ninth Street, from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Wednesday, January 11, is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

“As meeting and conference planners, we are using our close ties with hotel general managers and other professional resources to raise awareness and help end child sex trafficking,” said Molly Hackett, Principal at Nix. “This is a wonderful and groundbreaking way to address the issue of child protection in tourism,” said Michelle Guelbart, MSW, Private Sector Project Coordinator of ECPATUSA, “Working with Nix in the conference and meeting management sector is going to open doors that we did not have the resources or connections to access in the past.”

Nix has an extensive reach in the hotel industry, researching more than 700 hotels and visiting more than 50 hotels both within the US and internationally on behalf of their clients each year. As part of their commitment to end child sex trafficking, Nix recently added a clause to their standard Request for Proposal inquiring about hotel policies on human trafficking.

“One hotel responded to our question on human trafficking policies by saying they have pedestrian crosswalks in front of their entrance,” said Jane Quinn, Principal at Nix, “Traffickers, unfortunately, depend on that kind of naivety to carry out their operations.” Nix discusses child sex trafficking and exploitation in one-on-one meetings with hotel general managers, provides written materials, and encourages them to sign the ECPAT-USA Code of Conduct for hotels.

Nix Conference & Meeting Management first learned about the issue of child sex trafficking in hotels 3 years ago when a client, the Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph, asked them to inquire about hotel policies on human trafficking while researching sites for a conference. “This was a request and an issue we had not heard about before,” said Jane Quinn, “As we researched it, we realized we could have a real impact on this crisis.” In collaboration with the Sisters of St. Joseph, Nix successfully encouraged the Millennium Hotel St. Louis to sign the ECPAT-USA Code of Conduct for hotels in July 2011. That experience inspired Nix to develop a similar code of conduct for their own niche in the industry - meeting and conference planners.

“The bubble of people in our industry who are aware of child sex trafficking is growing every day,” said Molly Hackett, “Our goal is increase that awareness. We hope that one day soon, we'll be able to provide our clients with a choice of hotels that are proactive on this issue.”

Meeting planners who adopt the Meeting Planner's Code of Conduct agree to establish an internal social responsibility policy, implement an action plan with objectives and timeframes, and report annually.

For more information on The Code from Nix, contact Kimberly Ritter at (314) 645-1455 orkritter@nixassoc.com .

Source: thecode.org

Slave labor targeted in Calif. law, social media | ajc.com

2012-01-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/slave-labor-targeted-in-1282059.html

By BETH DUFF-BROWN

The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Justin Dillon's rock band was touring Eastern Europe when he met some college students who told him they were about to get work in the West. They were eager to begin what they were sure would be their new MTV-like lives.

In this photo taken Dec. 21, 2011, Justin Dillon is photographed at the Fair Trade office in Oakland, Calif. Dillon, a Bay Area rocker, has become a big name in the anti-slavery movement by working with the State Department in a new social media campaign against exploitation of workers. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

The legislation introduced by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg requires companies to audit and certify that their suppliers are complying with international labor standards, as well as provide training to supply-chain managers.

Dillon dug deeper and asked to see their documents. He warned the young women they likely were about to be trafficked into the sex trade or sweatshops.

They brushed him off. They wanted desperately to believe the $2,200 they had paid a facilitator to get them service industry jobs would make all their dreams come true.

"They immediately felt embarrassed, but then emboldened," he recalls of the 2003 exchange. "They said, 'I mean, look around. I'll take my chances on this. You think I'm going to stick around here?'"

That conversation changed his life — and his life's mission.

Today, the 42-year-old Berkeley rocker heads up a popular social media campaign to combat slavery. With a $200,000 grant from the State Department, he recently launched www.slaveryfootprint.org , which helps people identify the slave labor used for their own consumer goods. It is approaching 2 million hits.

He belongs to a coalition of anti-slave labor groups sharing an $11.5 million grant from Google's philanthropy arm.

And now — with the help of a groundbreaking anti-slavery retail law going into effect across California on New Year's Day — Dillon believes the movement is reaching that tipping point where the average consumer can make a difference.

"We need cultural critical mass on this," Dillon said in a recent interview. "Modern-day slavery and human trafficking is far too easy to execute, and far too profitable."

After that 2003 band tour, the singer and songwriter became a man obsessed. He learned there are an estimated 27 million modern-day slaves around the world. He wondered how he could fight the trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls, bonded labor and indentured sweatshop servitude.

Dillon started offering up his band for benefit concerts. He produced a 2008 documentary, "Call+Response," which included songs and interviews with the likes of Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd, Cornel West and Madeleine Albright.

His first website, www.chainstorereaction.com , which helps consumers send e-letters to companies, was cited by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and used in the research for the California law signed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010.

While some states already prohibit forced labor and criminalize trafficking, the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act is the first to tackle the global supply chain.

The law affects an estimated 3,200 companies with a presence in California, including Walmart and Macy's. It requires retailers and manufacturers with gross annual receipts of more than $100 million to disclose what they've done to eliminate slavery in the global supply chain of their goods.

Slavery can mean a sweatshop in India or a cotton field in Burkina Faso, where indentured slaves or child laborers dyed or picked the cotton for those cheap-but-chic garments that found their way under Christmas trees.

The legislation introduced by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg requires companies to audit and certify that their suppliers are complying with international labor standards, as well as provide training to supply-chain managers.

The California Chamber of Commerce and California Retailers Association were among those who argued the requirements would carry huge costs and that private businesses were being enlisted as de facto law enforcement agencies.

Supporters note the law simply requires companies to disclose their efforts — even if they've made none — to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from their supply chains. While there are no monetary penalties, the state tax board will provide the attorney general a list of those businesses that have not complied and the AG's office will determine what legal action to take.

Monica Richman, a New York partner with the law firm SNR Denton who represents large retailers and fashion brands, said some clients are concerned the law is too broad and the details too murky. But most companies want to do the right thing, she said, and view the law as a tool to benefit business and burnish their brands.

"There are so many really impressive companies in the fashion industry," Richman said. "And they don't want to be known for offering a $500 pocketbook made by a 9-year-old child."

Many big companies, such as GAP, Nike and Ford Motor Co, already adopted clean-labor policies after ugly reports about bonded, child or forced labor in their own supply chains.

Dillon insists Slavery Footprint is not about shaming businesses. It's about educating consumers and allowing them to determine where they will shop — then getting them to tell that story via social media.

"We let everyone know that we're not handing out torches and pitchforks," he said. "But we are developing very sharp carrots in the marketplace."

Slavery Footprint asks visitors to take an online survey about consumer products, clothing and food to determine how many slaves might have worked along the supply chain for those goods.

The online site uses data from several independent sources in compiling an individual consumer's footprint score, including reports from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Labor and international organizations. Its calculation is based in part on an analysis of hundreds of consumer products and the "likely number of forced laborers that have been involved in creating the product at some stage in the process of production," according to the website.

When women are asked about cosmetics, for example, a box notes: "Every day tens of thousands of American women buy makeup. Every day tens of thousands of Indian children mine mica, which is the little sparkles in the makeup."

The consumer can then share the total slave score on Twitter or Facebook, encourage others to take the survey and then get involved by sending ready-made electronic letters to retailers calling on them to be more diligent when sourcing supplies. A mobile app "Free World," allows you to find out more about your products at point of purchase.

"It allows you to mobilize your value set in a way that uses your free time to be able to free people," Dillon said. "We think the only brand that can really ever make sense is, 'Made in the Free World.'"

The State Department provided the Slavery Footprint grant so Dillon could try to replicate the highly successful "carbon footprint" campaign by environmentalists.

"He's on the cutting edge," said State Department Ambassador-at-Large Luis CdeBaca, who heads up the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and believes social media are key to fighting slavery.

CdeBaca recalls the case of an 8-year-old girl whose Egyptian parents sold her into slavery to a Cairo couple, who then smuggled her into Irvine, Calif. She was forced to work for years as a domestic, living in squalor and not allowed to go to school.

She was eventually rescued and in December, at 22, became a naturalized citizen who hopes to become federal agent.

"You see something like that and you realize that every one of those 27 million is an individual," CdeBaca said. "And we can save them. We can walk with them on their path to freedom, because these are all people who, if you just give them a chance, can do amazing things."

___

On the Internet:

Slavery Footprint: www.slaveryfootprint.org

State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons: http://www.state.gov/g/tip

___

December 30, 2011 03:21 PM EST

Vulnerabilities to trafficking in persons in the Pacific Islands | Australian Policy Online

2012-01-03T12:27:00.000-08:00

http://apo.org.au/research/vulnerabilities-trafficking-persons-pacific-islands

READ THE FULL TEXT

PDF	Vulnerabilities to trafficking in persons in the Pacific Islands

22 November 2011This paper provides a foundation for ongoing research on trafficking in persons in the Pacific Islands region and the identification of effective prevention strategies.

There is emerging evidence that the Pacific Island region is vulnerable to the crime of trafficking in persons. Using information from a range of Pacific Island stakeholder forums and consultations conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC), together with a review of the literature, key issues relevant to trafficking in persons in the Pacific Islands region are identified in this paper.

Existing patterns of people movement, weak border and immigration controls, states affected by poor governance, failing rule of law and corruption, the impact of cultural practices entwined with poverty and a limited capacity to respond to natural disasters are identified as key vulnerabilities to trafficking in persons.

It is noted that the factors that facilitate susceptibility to trafficking also provide focal areas for strategies to prevent and suppress trafficking in persons and to address transnational crime in the Pacific Islands region more generally. This paper provides a foundation for ongoing research on trafficking in persons in the Pacific Islands region and the identification of effective prevention strategies, which will be undertaken by the AIC in the future.

PUBLICATION TYPE	Report
PUBLISHER TYPE	Academic research centre, APO Member, Government or Gov agency
COVERAGE	Australia, Asia and the Pacific
PERMANENT URL	http://apo.org.au/node/27240
VIEWS	437

Landmark child trafficking case catches advocates' eyes | CTV British Columbia

2011-12-30T14:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20111223/bc_human_trafficking_reza_moazami_111223/20111223/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome a

CTV News Video
Lisa Rossinngton on human trafficking law

By: ctvbc.ca

Date: Friday Dec. 23, 2011 5:39 PM PT

Anti-human trafficking advocates say they're keeping a close watch on the case of a Vancouver man charged with pimping out four young girls.

Reza Moazami, 27, was released from custody Thursday night after two months in jail on 18 criminal counts including trafficking in underage persons, living on the avails of a juvenile, sexual interference and sexual exploitation.

The case marks the first time that the charge of trafficking in underage persons has been used in B.C. since it came into effect last year, and legal experts it signals a change in how prostitution cases are prosecuted.

"Police are no longer willing to look these cases as simply prostitution cases, which is historically how they have been dealt with and often dismissed by many people.... Now they're being recognized for what they are, which is serious allegations of child sex trafficking," UBC law professor Ben Perrin told CTV News after the charges were announced.

The trafficking charge carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison.

Advocates say that human trafficking can encompass crimes far beyond illegal trade in people.

"It's the exploitation, using people as property, as slaves, to some extent," said Rosalind Currie of the Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

She says human traffickers prey on the most vulnerable people in society.

"We believe aboriginal women and girls are often very vulnerable, runaways kids that are in trouble with the law.... We really need to protect them," she said.

The father of one of Moazami's alleged victims describes what happened to his daughter as abduction.

"They were lured into it. It's not like my daughter decided, ‘I want to be a prostitute.' It doesn't work that way. It was well planned," said the dad, whose identity is protected by law.

"She's a very, very confused kid. The damage is done."

Moazami is scheduled to make his next appearance in court in January.

With reports from CTV British Columbia's Mi-Jung Lee and Lisa Rossington

Related articles

Trafficking Victim’s Mother Seeks Redress

2011-12-30T10:54:00.000-08:00

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/trafficking-12292011173306.html

2011-12-29

A Uyghur woman says that local Han Chinese officials won’t investigate her case.

Photo courtesy of Nurgul Tohti

Nurgul Tohti and her son Abbas Tayir, Dec. 25, 2011.

A Uyghur woman in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region who believes her child was sexually abused by human traffickers is seeking intervention from the United Nations after she says she was discriminated against by local officials who would not take on her case.

Nurgul Tohti, 35, said she has been hiding in Beijing while police from her hometown in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region search for her in the attempt to bring her back with them.

“Two years ago, my child was the victim of human trafficking committed by an illegal group. This past summer, I was also the victim of ‘human trafficking’ committed by Aksu officials. I am now facing a similar fate, so I am hiding in Beijing,” Tohti told RFA in a phone interview on Monday.

She said that on Dec. 24, authorities from Aksu prefecture in mid-western Xinjiang had visited her sister and said they wanted Tohti to return “so that they can help me.”

“They told her that seven police officers from Aksu had already headed to Beijing to meet with me and they asked that I cooperate with them,” she said.

“I won’t do it because I already cooperated with them in the past and ended up spending 39 days in jail because of it.”

Tohti said she had traveled to Beijing for the second time since June to appeal to relevant central departments about her son Abbas Tayir’s situation, to demonstrate in front of the United Nations office at the Chinese capital as well as to highlight her case to the foreign media.

Caught by traffickers

Tohti, originally from Uchturpan county in Aksu prefecture, said she was living in Dalian city in China’s northeastern Liaoning province in September 2009 when her seven-year-old son Tayir was taken by traffickers.

Her husband had died six years earlier and she was forced to leave her son in the care of a neighbor while she traveled to her hometown to deal with a family emergency.

“Just three days after I went to Uchturpan, I received a call from my neighbor in Dalian who said that my child had not returned home eight hours after the end of school,” she said.

“I immediately called the police in Dalian and reported the situation, but I never got called back. Finally, I personally took action to rescue my child.”

Tohti said that “Uyghur and Han Chinese mafia groups” in Dalian had earlier approached her several times, offering as much as 10,000 yuan (U.S. $1,580) a month if she gave her son to them. But she rejected the offers.

When she learned that her son was missing, she suspected that he was abducted by one of those who made the offers, whom she identified as Shan Ye. On contacting him, she discovered that he had indeed abducted Tayir.

“As he picked up the phone I said to him, ‘Let me speak with my child.’ He put his hand over the phone, which led me to believe that my assumption had been correct,” she said.

“When he got back on, I told him, ‘Release my child and send him to my home within two hours or I will bring the police to you.”

Four hours later, and some 24 hours after he had been reported missing, Tohti was informed by her neighbor that her son had returned home. The next day she flew back to Dalian.

But she said that when she met with Tayir, something about him had changed.

“When I saw him after being held for 24 hours, he had become so quiet and nervous about everything. He wouldn’t even tell me what he experienced during his time with Shan Ye,” she said.

Seeking help

Eventually, Tayir told her that he had been warned by his captors on his release not to say anything about what had happened to him or his mother would be killed.

“I took my child to the doctor who said that he was suffering from anxiety. He told me that my son’s recovery only required time and good care, but I didn’t trust him,” she said.

“Not all doctors are independent in this country and he also was likely considering the issue of [social] stability as the patient was a minority. My guess is that my son endured sexual abuse during the 24-hour period.”

Tohti instead sought help from municipal officials in Dalian, demanding that they charge Shan Ye with human trafficking and seeking compensation for her child’s ordeal. But the authorities said that they were unable to charge the suspect.

Believing that she was being discriminated against as a minority Uyghur in a largely Han Chinese city, Tohti traveled to Beijing in June to appeal to the central authorities about her son’s case.

She also joined other Uyghur petitioners who held a demonstration in front of the UN office in the hopes of convincing the international community to pressure China over ethnic discrimination. Later, she gave interviews to the foreign media, including RFA.

Forcibly repatriated

In July, after returning to Dalian, Tohti was captured by police from her hometown in Aksu who sought to repatriate her, but she escaped overnight while the police officers slept on the train she was being held on.

Two days later, she was recaptured and taken to Uchturpan, where she was immediately jailed.

Eventually, during her detention, Tohti learned that she was held for demonstrating in front of the UN office in Beijing. She was also told that she was suspected of representing the World Uyghur Congress, a Uyghur exile group Beijing says is behind outbreaks of ethnic violence in Xinjiang.

“On the 39th day of my detention, I was released under police surveillance after my sister signed a document which said I wouldn’t travel to Beijing again to petition. I succeeded in escaping from Uchturpan on my fourth attempt,” she said.

“I don’t have any hope for winning my case, even if I spend the next 10 years fighting … I believe that destiny will land me in jail sooner or later. I want to tell the world that I am not proud of being a Chinese citizen, which has never once benefitted my life.”

Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur service. Translated by Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Minister chides security agents for abetting human trafficking

2011-12-29T10:59:00.000-08:00

NEXT.COM

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5750082-146/story.csp

Hindi Livinus

December 29, 2011 06:16PM

The minister for Foreign Affairs, Nurudeen Muhammed has accused the nation’s security agencies of culpability over the increasing rate of human trafficking in persons and child labour, by providing cover to perpetrators of these criminal acts through lax security checks, resulting in the easy passage of trafficked persons along Nigeria’s international borders.

Mr Muhammed, who spoke at a sensitization workshop organised in Yola at the Banquet Hall of the Government House on Wednesday, said trafficking in persons and other illicit trans-border crimes of human slavery tarnished the image of the country.

Mr Muhammed who is the minister of state II for Foreign Affairs, also attributed the porosity of the borders, illiteracy, poverty, greed and the insatiable zeal to get-rich quick among youth in the country as another factor that was responsible for trafficking in persons and child labour.

Muhammed told participants at the sensitization workshop that most of the time, those behind the heinous crimes are abetted by the activities of some unscrupulous security officers that make it easy for the traffickers to elude capture by offering them cover.

In some cases, he pointed the traffickers get to issue the security agents at the borders with fake documents which are neither properly checked nor verified thereby ensuring the easy passage of their victims along the international borders or checkpoints, adding that the consequences of the crime, whose proceeds are in millions of dollars, was however inimical to both national development and sub- regional integration efforts.

“It was in realization of this that the authority of heads of state and government of ECOWAS endorsed a plan of action against trafficking in persons,” Muhammed said.

In the minister words, “We are aware that Nigeria is a source, transit and destination country of trafficking in persons. Being a source country, Nigeria has witnessed the deceitful migration of virile youths to western countries in search of a seemingly non-existent greener pasture. Many of these trafficked persons especially women and children have been forced into prostitution which exposes them to social and health hazards. Others are equally forced to work in farm plantations and as house-helps with little or no wages. These victims of human trafficking are from most of the states in the federation of which Adamawa is inclusive”.

According to the minister, the plan provided policy and administrative guidelines to enable member states articulate and implement a robust national legislation against trafficking in persons.

It further emphasized the need to build the capacity of the law enforcement agencies, ensure security and judicial reform, encourage an extensive enlightenment programmes at the grassroots and promote international co-operation among others.

The minister reiterated that Nigeria has remained committed to the implementation of the sub-regional initiatives, even as the country has ratified the United Nations Protocol on Human Trafficking.

Dr Muhammed maintained that to further demonstrate Nigeria’s commitment to the implementation of the sub-regional initiatives, the country also enacted anti-human trafficking law, established a functional institution, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in persons and other related matters, sustained enlightenment campaigns and improved law enforcement.

Also the permanent secretary, ministry of foreign affairs. Ambassador Martins Uhumoibhi, said the ministry of foreign affairs attached great importance to the sensitization campaign against human trafficking and child labour because it viewed it as crime against humanity and “another form of modern day slavery” which the government is determined to eradicate.

According to him “the attendant human suffering, not only brings enormous consular problems to our missions abroad, but also negative image to the country.”

Furthermore, Uhumoibhi said that his ministry will not rest until it educates people about the evil of the crime on both the victims and the society at large. The measures being taken accordingly is to reach out to members of the society by persuading parents, community leaders, security agencies and potential victims to apply themselves more seriously to combating the crime.

Mickey Goodman: Actress Julia Ormond Speaks Out Against Human Slavery

2011-12-27T13:38:00.000-08:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/Mickey-goodman/actress-julia-ormond-speaks_b_1128100.html

12/26/11 06:21 PM ET

Mickey Goodman

Author and Journalist

On an unseasonably blustery day in Atlanta, actress Julia Ormond's dark hair is pulled back in a jagged ponytail and she's clutching a loose sweater around her slender frame. She leans forward in her chair at Porsche headquarters and talks about her speech the night before to a group of women associated with Womenetics. Though her appearance is completely un-Hollywood, there's something decidedly magnetic about the beautiful actress who dazzled audiences inLegends of the Fall, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and many more.

Once dubbed "the new Vivian Leigh," she portrays the famous actress in her current film, My Week with Marilyn. It is based on Colin Clark's memoirs, The Prince, The Showgirl and Me about Marilyn Monroe, Laurence Olivier and his real-life wife, Vivien Leigh.

But instead of dishing Hollywood gossip or talking about the new film, her topic was deadly serious -- human trafficking -- and the organization she founded, the Alliance to Stop Slavery and End Trafficking (ASSET) which is on a mission to find solutions. Thanks to Porsche's partnership withWomenetics, Ormond was brought to Atlanta to talk to women executives at the top rung of their corporate ladders, all associated with the organization founded by Elisabeth Marchant to empower women and their companies.

L to R: Elisabeth Marchant, founder of Womentics with actress Julia Ormond.
Photo by Paula Gould

"Do you want to know where human slavery is the worst?" Ormond asks. "It's in my own kitchen. The tomatoes on my counter were likely picked by people living in slave camps in Florida where 90 percent of the tomatoes are harvested. They end up in restaurant chains, grocery stores and our own tables."

According to Ormond, nearly all of the fresh foods we eat, the clothes we wear and the athletic gear we use are likely produced by slaves somewhere along the supply chain. "Without our knowledge, it's a problem that has received little, if any, scrutiny," she says. "If we don't deal with it now, the problem will only get bigger."

The statistics are appalling. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that there are 12 million victims of forced labor worldwide of which 2.5 are trafficking victims. Half of those are underage. "But for every person forced into the sex trade, nine are forced to work in agriculture and manufacturing," Ormond says. It's common to use children in mines and fields, a number estimated at 200 million worldwide by the International Labor Organization (ILO). Corporations benefit by being able to offer lower prices. Reform has been far too slow, and consumers are largely left in the dark.

Until now.

Thanks to the efforts of ASSET and other nonprofits, there's been a breakthrough. On January 1, 2012, California will become the first state to enact a bill requiring companies with revenues of more than $100 million to publicly report on their websites voluntary efforts to monitor their direct supply chains to eliminate exploitation.

Named the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010 (SB 657), it affects 3,200 different brands doing business in the state. By visiting company websites, consumers can use their buying power to convince corporations that human slavery is bad for business.

But why would a Hollywood actress who continues to land plum roles get involved?

"While working in Eastern Europe, the issue of human trafficking kept popping up," says Ormond, a long-time activist. She couldn't get the problem out of her mind and decided to talk with survivors. "Hearing their stories was like walking through a tunnel of horror. I also talked with experts who were struggling to find systemic solutions -- not just something reactive like setting up shelters and refugee centers."

Out of those conversations came ASSET and an effort to bring all the stakeholders together -- government, law enforcement, non-governmental organizations, corporations and consumers. Since those associated with Womenetics are in positions to think about best practices in their own companies and strive to eliminate the use of forced workers, they are the perfect audience to effect change.

Although stopping slavery, whether sexual, agricultural, manufacturing or mining is definitely part of their DNA and one of the main reasons Porsche signed on as a major sponsor of Womenetics, their main focus is empowering women. "Companies that have women at the top get better results," says Marchant, whose decision to become a virtual organization was to focus on women around the globe.

The reasons can be counted in dollars and cents. In 2009, women became the majority gender in the workforce, topping 51 percent. Many are the sole breadwinner. They make 90 percent of the buying decisions in the household, control $12 trillion of the $18.4 trillion total global spending, generate $1.3 trillion in revenue, own 8.1 million businesses that employ 7.7 million people, and control 51.3 percent of private wealth (www.womenetics.com).

Because Atlanta is home to Porsche's North American headquarters and the geographic center for human trafficking in the United States, the company wanted to reach out to women like those associated with Womenetics who could take action. By bringing Julia Ormond to the city, they hope to raise awareness of this issue on a local and national level.

OSCE Special Representative presents annual report, agenda for preventing trafficking for labour exploitation

2011-12-26T10:44:00.000-08:00

http://www.osce.org/cthb/86276

Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, presenting her annual report to the OSCE Permanent Council, Vienna, 15 December 2011. (OSCE/Ahmet Cinar)

Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, called on states to tackle the structural factors that increase the vulnerability of people to trafficking such as discrimination, violence, and lack of education and job opportunities, in her annual report to the Permanent Council on 15 December 2011.

“Addressing trafficking in human beings as a human rights violation implies not only a negative obligation of any state to abstain from direct violations of human rights, but also a positive obligation to put in place protective measures for potential, presumed and actual victims. Prevention also means long-term measures aimed at the economic and legal empowerment of people at risk,” said Giammarinaro.

She presented An Agenda for Prevention: Trafficking for Labour Exploitation - three expert papers that build on the outcomes of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons Conference on Decent Work and Social Justice.

Giammarinaro also highlighted the importance of the Declaration on Combating all Forms of Human Trafficking agreed by the OSCE foreign ministers at the recent Ministerial Conference in Vilnius.

“The Vilnius declaration is an important achievement for the OSCE as a whole, as it reconfirms the political commitment to fight trafficking as an integral part of OSCE efforts towards common and comprehensive security, which includes full respect of human rights,” she said.

She told the ambassadors of OSCE participating States the declaration could underpin efforts to “achieve more effective results in the fight against all forms of trafficking, including the least addressed, such as trafficking for the removal of organs, for forced begging and forced criminality, while continuing to develop innovative approaches to the prevention of and fight against trafficking for sexual exploitation, trafficking for labour exploitation including domestic servitude, and child trafficking".

The annual report for 2011 highlights work with the participating States, OSCE structures, Institutions and field operations, as well as with international and non-governmental organizations to make the anti-trafficking framework more effective.