INTERVIEW-Guatemala "closes its eyes" to rampant ...:
Corporate Counsel
February 27, 2013
Alexandra Wrage
Showing posts with label Guatemala. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guatemala. Show all posts
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Human Trafficking: a New Compliance Challenge
READ Alexandra Wrage's discussion of the the problem, the law, and the solution. GO TO:
http://www.law.com/corporatecounsel/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1202589741513&Human_Trafficking_a_New_Compliance_Challenge&slreturn=20130126175219
Source: Law.com
Compliance Insider
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
600 Guatemalan judges sharpen legal skills to prosecute human traffickers | WNN – Women News Network
This woman and child in Atiqua, Guatemala (2005) is part of Guatemalan society where poverty has contributed to a lack of human rights for women as well as children. Child labor and human trafficking has been high in Guatemala. As 600 judges receive specific training on how to succeed in the prosecution human trafficking, the IOM works toward a wide outreach with their programs to improve rights for indigenous migrants inside and outside the country. Image: Pedro Szekely
(WNN/IOM) Guatemala: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has started a series of refresher trainings on the prosecution of human trafficking cases for some 600 Guatemalan judges.
Read the full article:
http://womennewsnetwork.net/2012/05/07/guatemalan-judges-sharpen-legal-skills/
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Thursday, January 31, 2013
Ma’am Anna Rodriguez, champion against human trafficking
Anna Rodriguez said she’s passionate about her work and even when exhausted she feels she can’t walk away. Her experiences are shared in a memoir: Ma’am Anna: The Remarkable Story of a Human Trafficking Rescuer. (Submitted photo)
Founder of the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking (FCAHT) Anna Rodriguez, just returned home from Panama, a country that has become a source, transit and destination for women and children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.
A member of the training delegation of the Organization of American states (OAS), Rodriguez is packing bags again to go do another training, this time in Guatemala, Antigua, Uruguay, Bahamas.
Sponsored by the respective country, the training include the history of human trafficking; how to care for and protect victims; international law and exercises focused on human rights.
In exclusive interview for VOXXI, Rodriguez said the FCAHT, with headquarters in Clearwater, FL, has grown faster than she ever expected since she opened the first office in Naples, FL in 2004. Entirely volunteer-driven, the coalition has evolved into an international and domestic anti-trafficking agency.
Related articles
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Sex trafficking to Israel takes a detour... JPost - International
BY ARIEH O’SULLIVAN / THE MEDIA LINE
07/25/2011 14:25
Source: JPost - International
07/25/2011 14:25
They
answered an ad promising lucrative work as au pairs in Amman, but found
themselves caught up in the web of sex trafficking between Israel and Jordan.
Israeli border guards late Wednesday detected something was not quite right about three nervous women crossing the Allenby Bridge from Jordan. They told a story of being nurses who wanted to tour Jerusalem, but soon burst into tears.
RELATED:
US human trafficking report: Israel has room to improve
Knesset c'tee worried by disbandment of Sa'ar police unit
“They were hugging each other and crying hysterically. At once I understood that something traumatic was happening,” said Dana Koldron, shift manager at the border crossing.
The incident may point to new routes being established by gangs of trafficking in humans as Israel, under international pressure to do more to stop the trade in women used for sex, tightens other points of entry.
Once the three women understood they were in safe hands, their harrowing story came out. The three women, two sisters in their 50s and a daughter in her 30s, said they were from Guatemala and had answered an ad promising lucrative work as nannies in Amman, Jordan.
They flew to Jordan together with five other women, but immediately upon arrival, they were split into two groups of four and were held against their will in an apartment, Population, Immigration and Border Authority (PIBA) spokeswoman Sabin Hadad told The Media Line.
“After one day, a man came buy and took away one of the women, who was 18 years old and they never saw her again. A few days later a Jordanian and Palestinian appeared and informed them that they were going to cross the border. The Palestinian, who was the driver, briefed them to tell the Israeli border inspectors that they were nurses and coming to tour Jerusalem,” Hadad said.
Koldron told Israel Radio that the Jordanian had quickly abandoned them and the Palestinian was questioned but released. If there was someone waiting for them on the Israeli side, they quickly disappeared.
“We understood that this is trade in humans, for the purpose of slavery,” Koldron said.
The three women were allowed to enter Israel and handed over to the Guatemalan ambassador, who promised to return them to his country.
Hadad said they believed their destination was east Jerusalem, but also possibly the Palestinian Authority.
“We suspect that this was a case of human trafficking. We can’t say it’s exactly sex trafficking, but let’s just say we believe they were being used for ‘improper’ motives,” Hadad said.
“This has never happened to us along this border before that we are aware of. It’s very rare. But our inspectors go through courses in order to be able to detect suspicious behavior and their antennas pick this up,” Hadad added.
A recent US State Department report slammed Israel over its human trafficking record, saying it had not done enough to even reach minimum standards to stop it. Israel is seen at a destination country where foreign women are subjected to forced prostitution.
“The government of Israel does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking,” the report from June 27 read. “However, it is making significant efforts to do so.”
In 2006, Israel passed an anti-trafficking law which prescribes penalties of up to 16 years imprisonment for trafficking an adult or for slavery. Many women involved in sex trafficking slip into the country through Ben-Gurion International Airport. Others cross into Israeli from the Egyptian Sinai.
Last month saw a dramatic increase in the number of people who attempted to infiltrate into Israel illegally. According to the PIBA, some 1,200 people were caught trying to sneak into Israel, bringing the total number of illegal entrants to 3,500 so far this year. Approximately 14,000 crossed into Israel in 2010, compared with about 5,000 the year before.
But the increased patrols along the border as well as Israel’s current construction of a formidable barrier along the 150 mile frontier with Egypt may have caused traffickers of women to seek other routes, such as through Jordan.
Guatemala’s ambassador to Israel refused to return repeated telephone calls on the incident.
Israeli border guards late Wednesday detected something was not quite right about three nervous women crossing the Allenby Bridge from Jordan. They told a story of being nurses who wanted to tour Jerusalem, but soon burst into tears.
RELATED:
US human trafficking report: Israel has room to improve
Knesset c'tee worried by disbandment of Sa'ar police unit
“They were hugging each other and crying hysterically. At once I understood that something traumatic was happening,” said Dana Koldron, shift manager at the border crossing.
The incident may point to new routes being established by gangs of trafficking in humans as Israel, under international pressure to do more to stop the trade in women used for sex, tightens other points of entry.
Once the three women understood they were in safe hands, their harrowing story came out. The three women, two sisters in their 50s and a daughter in her 30s, said they were from Guatemala and had answered an ad promising lucrative work as nannies in Amman, Jordan.
They flew to Jordan together with five other women, but immediately upon arrival, they were split into two groups of four and were held against their will in an apartment, Population, Immigration and Border Authority (PIBA) spokeswoman Sabin Hadad told The Media Line.
“After one day, a man came buy and took away one of the women, who was 18 years old and they never saw her again. A few days later a Jordanian and Palestinian appeared and informed them that they were going to cross the border. The Palestinian, who was the driver, briefed them to tell the Israeli border inspectors that they were nurses and coming to tour Jerusalem,” Hadad said.
Koldron told Israel Radio that the Jordanian had quickly abandoned them and the Palestinian was questioned but released. If there was someone waiting for them on the Israeli side, they quickly disappeared.
“We understood that this is trade in humans, for the purpose of slavery,” Koldron said.
The three women were allowed to enter Israel and handed over to the Guatemalan ambassador, who promised to return them to his country.
Hadad said they believed their destination was east Jerusalem, but also possibly the Palestinian Authority.
“We suspect that this was a case of human trafficking. We can’t say it’s exactly sex trafficking, but let’s just say we believe they were being used for ‘improper’ motives,” Hadad said.
“This has never happened to us along this border before that we are aware of. It’s very rare. But our inspectors go through courses in order to be able to detect suspicious behavior and their antennas pick this up,” Hadad added.
A recent US State Department report slammed Israel over its human trafficking record, saying it had not done enough to even reach minimum standards to stop it. Israel is seen at a destination country where foreign women are subjected to forced prostitution.
“The government of Israel does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking,” the report from June 27 read. “However, it is making significant efforts to do so.”
In 2006, Israel passed an anti-trafficking law which prescribes penalties of up to 16 years imprisonment for trafficking an adult or for slavery. Many women involved in sex trafficking slip into the country through Ben-Gurion International Airport. Others cross into Israeli from the Egyptian Sinai.
Last month saw a dramatic increase in the number of people who attempted to infiltrate into Israel illegally. According to the PIBA, some 1,200 people were caught trying to sneak into Israel, bringing the total number of illegal entrants to 3,500 so far this year. Approximately 14,000 crossed into Israel in 2010, compared with about 5,000 the year before.
But the increased patrols along the border as well as Israel’s current construction of a formidable barrier along the 150 mile frontier with Egypt may have caused traffickers of women to seek other routes, such as through Jordan.
Guatemala’s ambassador to Israel refused to return repeated telephone calls on the incident.
Source: JPost - International
Friday, February 4, 2011
Human trafficking close to home - The Buffalo News
Published:January 30, 2011, 11:43 PM
Sheriff's deputy plays lead role as she works to help victims of all ages in local battle against atrocious crimes ranging from prostitution to slavery
Updated: January 30, 2011, 11:43 PM
When you hear the words "human trafficking," chances are good you think of underaged prostitutes in Malaysia or child laborers in Saudi Arabia or Guatemala.Elizabeth Fildes wants you to think instead of Amherst, Lancaster and Orchard Park.
"There is no place tonight where human trafficking will not be happening," said the 29-year Erie County sheriff's deputy.
Few know that better than Fildes, a key figure in nearly every local investigation into human trafficking the past five years.
And no one has been as close to the victims.
"My youngest victim was 12," she said. "My oldest was in her late 60s."
The horror stories are many and the details so brutal, some investigators find it hard hearing them.
"She's told me there are times when her male colleagues have to walk out of the room," said her husband, Gerald Fildes. "Somehow, she's able to keep her emotions in check. Of course later, when she's home, she'll let it out."
As head of the Western New York Human Trafficking Alliance, a task force of local, state and federal law enforcement officials, Fildes has gained a reputation strong enough to land her in Guatemala last year as an envoy for the U.S. State Department. Her pioneering work and leadership have earned her numerous awards and honors and, even more important, the respect of police, prosecutors and judges.
"She's the boots on the ground, as we like to say," said Undersheriff Mark N. Wipperman. "Where Liz is at her best is in interviewing victims. They're afraid. They don't know who to trust. And somehow, Liz can walk in that room and get them talking."
For five years, Fildes has been the law enforcement official in the room, gaining the trust of victims.
She, more than anyone else, knows that without a victim's cooperation, the chances of a successful prosecution are almost nil.
"They have to trust you," Fildes said. "They have to know you're there to help them."
And there's nothing easy about that.
Whether it's a prostitute terrified of her violent pimp or a migrant worker afraid of deportation, the emotional hurdles that stand between the victims and the people trying to help them are immense.
Talk to her for any length of time about her work and you understand why the terrified and forgotten trust Fildes.
"Her compassion and sincerity are her biggest assets," said Susan Darlak, a close friend and a former special assistant in the Sheriff's Office. "No matter what time, day or night, she is always available for the victims. She has so much motivation, and it all comes from the heart."
For Fildes, it's more than just a job.
She talks passionately and, yes, endlessly, but not about herself or her accomplishments. It's always about the victims and what they endure.
She will tell you, quite bluntly, of women who are beaten and raped and forced into modern-day slavery. And she will tell you that, even now, government and society are falling short in the mission to abolish human trafficking.
And on occasion, she too breaks down.
Back in November, she appeared before the Erie County Legislature to receive a proclamation honoring her service and, while talking about the frequent late-night cell phone calls seeking help, her voice faltered.
"We still don't see them for who they are, which is victims," Fildes said last week. "I mean a 16-year-old, a 14-year-old, a 12-year-old doesn't wake up one morning and say, 'Oh, this is a career I want to be in. I want to be a prostitute.'"
Even now, five years and 30 investigations later, she can recall every single victim. Some of them she helped.
Others fell through cracks.
One of them was a 23-year-old local woman, a U.S. Army veteran with a biker-boyfriend who eventually became her pimp.
At the time of her arrest, she was turning seven or eight tricks a day, always fearful of another beating at the hands of her boyfriend-turned-pimp. Fildes got her some help, but in the end, it wasn't enough, and she returned to the tricks and beatings.
"I didn't have enough to offer her," she said. "And that was not the first time. There have been many girls who have showed up, and I haven't been able to help."
One of the biggest reasons is what Fildes and others see as one of the great outrages of her work here.
Thanks to a federal grant and the work of the International Institute of Buffalo, a wide range of programs and services are available to foreign-born victims of human trafficking.
Unfortunately, the opposite is true of victims born here.
"It makes you angry," Fildes said. "It's pretty hard when you have a victim in front of you and you want do the right thing but you can't."
Not surprisingly, Fildes is part of a group trying to fill that need. The goal? Raising money to finance and open United Hands of Hope, the region's first safe house for U.S.-born victims of human trafficking.
"You have to have someplace here for them," she said. "It's like a victim of domestic violence. Somebody's got to be there for them."
There are some happy endings, and those are the men, women and children who keep her going, who get her up for work each morning.
"It tends to be a roller coaster," said her husband, Gerald. "When things are going well, she's on a high. But there are bad times too, and I can always tell."
Ask Fildes about the victories, and she'll reel off a list of cases, some of them high-profile investigations such as the massage parlor prostitution operation run by Len Wah "Lisa" Chong.
Chong, who admitted that she recruited the prostitutes, was sentenced to six years in prison. Prosecutors said that the women made $60 for sex acts but that Chong took $50 of it off the top.
Fildes said the Chong case was satisfying because of the close working relationship she developed with the
FBI and Border Patrol agents working on the case.
It also confirmed two little-known facts about human trafficking -- women, as well as men, can be traffickers, and each culture tends to exploit their own.
"Americans traffic Americans, Chinese traffic Chinese, and Mexicans traffic Mexicans," she said.
After five years, Fildes admits there is little that shocks her anymore. One of the few exceptions was her visit to Guatemala last year as a representative of the State Department.
She went there with the intention of meeting with judges, law enforcement officials and legislators but took time out to tour some of the country's poorer regions.
"It was worse than anything I could have imagined," she said. "To actually see little kids in child labor. That was a rough day for me. To actually watch four-year olds pounding rocks into blocks. That was horrible."
In some strange way, it's those brutal images that motivate Fildes.
Even now, you can sense the anger when she talks about the people she helped put behind bars. Near the top of the list is retired State Supreme Court Justice Ronald H. Tills of West Falls.
Tills was sentenced to 18 months in prison for transporting an illegal immigrant named Coco across state lines to serve as a prostitute at a Royal Order of Jesters convention in Kentucky.
"I will never forgive myself for the possible harm I've caused to the victims in this case," Tills told a packed courtroom.
Possible harm?
For Fildes, that was a chilling reminder of Tills' lack of remorse.
"I'll never forget that," she said. "I remember sitting in the back of the courtroom, completely numb."
As she looks ahead, Fildes admits that her time as an investigator is coming to an end but that she will leave confident others are there to pick up the slack.
"On the whole, it's the most satisfying work I've ever done," she said. "And I know I've made a difference."
pfairbanks@buffnews.com
Source: The Buffalo News
Human trafficking close to home - The Buffalo News
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Organization For Responsible Tourism (FACTS) | NowPublic News Coverage
Image via Wikipediaby bettyAphilips | August 13, 2010 at 11:50 amThe Organization For Responsible Tourism (FACTS)
International Attention through a Tourism Boycott.
Stopping corruption at Belize borders is the key to stopping human traffickers from using Belize as a human trafficking superhighway. The Campaign to Stop Human Trafficking in Belize is supported by the Organization for Responsible Tourism. Organization for Responsible Tourism President Vivian Trill has appealed on behalf of the Campaign for Belize to tighten its borders.
Thousands of human trafficking victims wind up in bars run by owners who profit form forced prostitution.
The Campaign to Stop Human Trafficking in Belize is supported by the Organization for Responsible Tourism. Organization for Responsible Tourism President Vivian Trill has called for strengthening and enforcing liquor laws so they provide penalties to bar owners profiting from prostitution.
The Campaign to Stop Human Trafficking in Belize has extended an invitation to work in partnership with Prime Minister Dean Barrow. The Campaign, through Organization for Responsible Tourism, has issued a number of Appeals to the Belize government urging immediate action to address human trafficking within and along its borders.
Organization for Responsible Tourism President Vivian Trill has issued the Appeals on behalf of the Campaign.
- Fines for bar owners, starting at $2,000 (Belize) for a first offence
- Suspension of liquor license for a period of six months for the first offence, up to two years for the second, and up to five years for subsequent violations
- Monitor police enforcement of liquor license laws.
You can help us grow our on-line community that demands an end to sexual enslavement of girls in the Human Trafficking system of Central America. Five minutes of your time three times a week can make an immediate change.
Using the power of the most democratic tool available today: Web, Email, Twit, blog and using your social networks to get the message out. The message? A community demanding a stop to sexual enslavement of girls in the human trafficking industries of Belize, Honduras and Guatemala.
- Appeal to Canadians: Stand On Guard Against Belize Human Trafficking
- Belize Child Sex Tourism "an emerging trend in Belize – Belize News
- Canadians "Shout No to Human Trafficking" Asks Betty Philips
- ORT Declares Worldwide Watch For Belizeans for Justice
- Herbert Gayle, Anthropologist Hattieville Prison A Human Rights Mess
- Human Trafficking Message To Judith Alpuche From Vivian Trill
- Betty Philips fights Human Trafficking from Vancouver
2010 Human Trafficking Report. (TIP REPORT)
The Trafficking in Persons report says it has evidence of poor children and young women being forced by their parents or carers to perform sexual favours for wealthier people in return for money.
This so-called "sugar daddy effect" was especially noted in Belize and is also said to be a problem in Barbados.
The El Cazador Campaign, driven by "THE ORGANIZATION FOR RESPONSIBLE TOURISM" was months in the making, has recruited, educated, and mobilized a social movement to take action and combat human trafficking in Central America.
A legion of supporters from around the world are now working via the Internet and social media on a specific and targeted set of key actions to stop human trafficking.
Here are the Vivian Trill's The Organization For Responsible Tourism Campaign’s key actions at this date:
- Action: Immigration – stop the corruption at the borders
- Action: Tourism – block tourism to resorts that tolerate trafficking
- Action: Belize – expose this major terminal for sex trafficking victims
The Organization For Responsible Tourism (FACTS) | NowPublic News Coverage
Monday, July 5, 2010
Appeal #4: Regulate Borders To Stop Belize Human Trafficking
Image via Wikipedia
| |
Recommitting to working in partnership with Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow, Trill said that tightening immigration protocol and practice at these two borders would require only simple and inexpensive measures to block human traffickers.
Melchor Border Crossing
The Melchor border crossing is an inadequate immigration and customs facility with a station and a check in. Immigration officers are paid off openly by human traffickers. It is very common for human trafficking victims to be driven across this border in the trunks of taxis. Between 350 and 600 human trafficking victims are transported through his border on a monthly basis.
Jalacte Border Crossing
The Jalacte border crossing is a completely unmanned Belize/Guatemala borderline. In this no-man’s-land, human traffickers easily transport their victims between the two countries, with no monitoring taking place. About 400 human trafficking victims are transported across this border monthly.
The basic problem is human traffickers count on a bribery system to keep the steady flow of trafficking victims moving across borders. As well, they count on unmanned or poorly staffed borderlines to maintain their human trafficking industry.
ORT recommends inexpensive and simple ways to address human trafficking all Belize border crossings:
· Improve the existing immigration computer system so that it accurately and reliably keeps track of who goes in and out of the country
· Cameras that monitor border staff
· Frequent immigration department inspections
· Training for border staff
· Penalties and enforcement of penalties, including criminal prosecution and conviction for all border staff who take bribes, including their superiors.
“Human traffickers count on bribery and sieve-like borders to conduct their business,” said Trill. “We urge Prime Minister Barrow to begin tightening immigration policy and enforcement of laws, starting at Belize’s Melchor and Jalacte borders.”
ORT invites all individuals and groups to submit Appeal #3 to the Government of Belize. Appeal #3 is a supplement to the preceding “Appeal to Stop Human Trafficking In Belize.”
ORT promotes traveling for a better world.
Appeal #4: Regulate Borders To Stop Belize Human Trafficking
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Police, feds investigate human trafficking in city - NJ.com
Image via Wikipedia
STAFF WRITER
TRENTON -- City police and federal agents have been investigating human trafficking in Trenton's Latino community since late last year, top police officials said yesterday.
Young women from Guatemala and Mexico have been brought into the city to be used in an illegal network of bars and social clubs as part of a trade that is spiking in urban areas across the county, said Police Director Irving Bradley Jr.
Bradley said the department and its federal partners are building a strong case against the traffickers and sex-club operators, both of whom may have connections to Latino street gangs.
"We don't want to do a Band-Aid approach," Bradley said. "We want to shut them down permanently."
The investigation began when an informant spoke up about high drink prices last fall, Special Operations commander Capt. Michael Flaherty said.
"We got a complaint that one of the bars was charging $20 for a beer," he said. "We found that when you paid $20 for a drink, you also got the company of a person."
From there, police followed the nexus of alcohol, money, and sex through the South and East Wards, Bradley said. They found violence was sometimes added to the mix.
In a home invasion on Third Street last October, the victims turned the tables and severely beat their two would-be attackers. Police now say the perpetrators were aware the victims were operating a brothel out of the house and had hoped to make off with the cash there.
The clubs' customers are Latino men, many of them separated from their families and some in the U.S. illegally. The combination of their immigration status and cash income makes them tempting targets for both johns and robbers, police say, as well as potentially being unwilling to report a crime.
The women, who may provide dancing, sexual favors, or simple companionship, are often deceived by the traffickers.
Police, feds investigate human trafficking in city - NJ.com
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009
“Breaking the Chains” of Modern Day Slavery | Catholic Exchange
Catholic Exchange
November 16th, 2009
By Emily Jacobs
Anna was born in La Libertadad, El Salvador. When she was 8 years old, a truck pulled up to her house. Two men got out and approached her father. The men handed him an unspecified amount of money. Her father instructed Anna to get into the back of the truck. The two men drove Anna across the border to Guatemala. They then dropped her off at a local brothel. For two weeks, Anna was savagely raped. After two weeks, the neighbor could no longer stand the little girl’s cries. He called the police and they raided the brothel. The courts placed Anna in the custody of The GOD’S CHILD Project. She was placed with a loving foster family, provided an education, given full medical care, and went through extensive psychological therapy. Not all victims’ stories end like Anna’s. Millions of people are still enslaved today.
On Black Friday groups across the United States will participate in a coordinated effort to raise awareness of modern day slavery and human trafficking. The event is being coordinated by The Institute for Trafficked, Exploited, and Missing Persons and will take place on November 27.
Modern day slavery, or human trafficking, is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit a person for profit. Human trafficking is the fastest growing industry in the world, with revenue totaling between $5 and $9 billion. Because of the hidden nature of trafficking, it is nearly impossible to generate an accurate number of victims; estimates range between 4 and 27 million people throughout the world according to the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report. The United States is principally a transit and destination country, meaning most victims are brought to the U.S. to serve as domestic or sexual servants. It is estimated that between 14,500 and 17,500 people, primarily women and children, are trafficked into the U.S. annually.
Victims of trafficking and exploitation are coerced through fear tactics, violence, and a lack of knowledge of the resources available to them. They are forced to provide labor, in often dangerous conditions, for little or no money, serve as soldiers and act as sexual servants. Approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across national borders every year. This number does not include the millions trafficked within their own countries. Of transnational victims, approximately 80% are women, and up to 50% are minors.
ITEMP is a program of The GOD’S CHILD Project, the international charity founded by Patrick Atkinson in 1991. The GOD’S CHILD Project has been working in Antigua, Guatemala since 1991 providing education, medical care, and other critical aid to children and families in Antigua and surrounding areas. Since its inception, the project has grown to serve more than 12,000 Guatemalans every year. ITEMP was founded in 2001 to deal primarily with issues of trafficking and exploitation, which are major problems in Guatemala.
“We believe that every person has the right to live their life free from slavery, coercion, and fear. Quite simply, this is why we do what we do” — Patrick Atkinson, Founder of ITEMP.
The goals of ITEMP are reflected by the mission of The GOD’S CHILD Project: to “break the bitter chains of poverty through education and formation.” By educating victims and providing the essential tools to build an independent life, ITEMP helps to disrupt the cycle of poverty and vulnerability to exploitation. ITEMP does this by working with local authorities and taking custody of minors after brothel and forced-labor raids. ITEMP assists adults as well as children after raids by providing shelter, medical care, counseling, and legal aid. ITEMP works with other programs/NGOs, as well as the Guatemalan government, to better aid victims and increase prosecution of offenders.
While assisting victims is crucial, long-term solutions include educating the general public. Community cooperation is essential in the battle against modern slavery, as prevention is a large part of combating trafficking. Awareness on the part of the public creates intolerance of such atrocities being committed to those who cannot, or do not know how to, defend themselves against exploitation.
The day after Thanksgiving, groups will gather in several major U.S. cities to simultaneously give a voice to those without one. People will take a stand together outside of major retailers before opening early Friday morning. Participants will dress in black and bind their hands to demonstrate the chains that still enslave millions of individuals worldwide. The social awareness event aims to educate people about the issues of human trafficking and give people a way to get involved.
“The beauty of this event is that it is something anyone, anywhere can do. Individuals of any age can participate; families can do it, and groups of friends” — Jason Schmitz, group leader in Boston.
Anyone interested in participating can organize groups in their city, or find existing groups in their area by coordinating with ITEMP. A call to action instruction kit can be downloaded at www.itemp.org/breakingthechains.html. Donations will not be accepted during the event. Those who wish to give can visit the website for more information and other ways to get involved.
Emily Jacobs is a long-term volunteer with The GOD’S CHILD Project in Guatemala. She graduated from North Dakota State University in 2007 with a B.A. in English. Originally from Minnesota, she currently lives in Antigua and works in the grant department.
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November 16th, 2009
By Emily Jacobs
Anna was born in La Libertadad, El Salvador. When she was 8 years old, a truck pulled up to her house. Two men got out and approached her father. The men handed him an unspecified amount of money. Her father instructed Anna to get into the back of the truck. The two men drove Anna across the border to Guatemala. They then dropped her off at a local brothel. For two weeks, Anna was savagely raped. After two weeks, the neighbor could no longer stand the little girl’s cries. He called the police and they raided the brothel. The courts placed Anna in the custody of The GOD’S CHILD Project. She was placed with a loving foster family, provided an education, given full medical care, and went through extensive psychological therapy. Not all victims’ stories end like Anna’s. Millions of people are still enslaved today.
On Black Friday groups across the United States will participate in a coordinated effort to raise awareness of modern day slavery and human trafficking. The event is being coordinated by The Institute for Trafficked, Exploited, and Missing Persons and will take place on November 27.
Modern day slavery, or human trafficking, is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit a person for profit. Human trafficking is the fastest growing industry in the world, with revenue totaling between $5 and $9 billion. Because of the hidden nature of trafficking, it is nearly impossible to generate an accurate number of victims; estimates range between 4 and 27 million people throughout the world according to the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report. The United States is principally a transit and destination country, meaning most victims are brought to the U.S. to serve as domestic or sexual servants. It is estimated that between 14,500 and 17,500 people, primarily women and children, are trafficked into the U.S. annually.
Victims of trafficking and exploitation are coerced through fear tactics, violence, and a lack of knowledge of the resources available to them. They are forced to provide labor, in often dangerous conditions, for little or no money, serve as soldiers and act as sexual servants. Approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across national borders every year. This number does not include the millions trafficked within their own countries. Of transnational victims, approximately 80% are women, and up to 50% are minors.
ITEMP is a program of The GOD’S CHILD Project, the international charity founded by Patrick Atkinson in 1991. The GOD’S CHILD Project has been working in Antigua, Guatemala since 1991 providing education, medical care, and other critical aid to children and families in Antigua and surrounding areas. Since its inception, the project has grown to serve more than 12,000 Guatemalans every year. ITEMP was founded in 2001 to deal primarily with issues of trafficking and exploitation, which are major problems in Guatemala.
“We believe that every person has the right to live their life free from slavery, coercion, and fear. Quite simply, this is why we do what we do” — Patrick Atkinson, Founder of ITEMP.
The goals of ITEMP are reflected by the mission of The GOD’S CHILD Project: to “break the bitter chains of poverty through education and formation.” By educating victims and providing the essential tools to build an independent life, ITEMP helps to disrupt the cycle of poverty and vulnerability to exploitation. ITEMP does this by working with local authorities and taking custody of minors after brothel and forced-labor raids. ITEMP assists adults as well as children after raids by providing shelter, medical care, counseling, and legal aid. ITEMP works with other programs/NGOs, as well as the Guatemalan government, to better aid victims and increase prosecution of offenders.
While assisting victims is crucial, long-term solutions include educating the general public. Community cooperation is essential in the battle against modern slavery, as prevention is a large part of combating trafficking. Awareness on the part of the public creates intolerance of such atrocities being committed to those who cannot, or do not know how to, defend themselves against exploitation.
The day after Thanksgiving, groups will gather in several major U.S. cities to simultaneously give a voice to those without one. People will take a stand together outside of major retailers before opening early Friday morning. Participants will dress in black and bind their hands to demonstrate the chains that still enslave millions of individuals worldwide. The social awareness event aims to educate people about the issues of human trafficking and give people a way to get involved.
“The beauty of this event is that it is something anyone, anywhere can do. Individuals of any age can participate; families can do it, and groups of friends” — Jason Schmitz, group leader in Boston.
Anyone interested in participating can organize groups in their city, or find existing groups in their area by coordinating with ITEMP. A call to action instruction kit can be downloaded at www.itemp.org/breakingthechains.html. Donations will not be accepted during the event. Those who wish to give can visit the website for more information and other ways to get involved.
Emily Jacobs is a long-term volunteer with The GOD’S CHILD Project in Guatemala. She graduated from North Dakota State University in 2007 with a B.A. in English. Originally from Minnesota, she currently lives in Antigua and works in the grant department.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
GUATEMALA: Only 10 Agents to Fight Human Trafficking Nationwide
By Danilo Valladares
GUATEMALA CITY, Oct 13 (IPS) - In spite of a new law against human trafficking in effect since March, little has been done in Guatemala to fight the trafficking of children, and child sex tourism has begun to flourish, experts warn.
"The office of the public prosecutor has only 10 agents (to fight human trafficking) throughout the entire country, and they have no telephone and just three or four computers," and "the police do not have the capacity to tackle the problem at a national level," said Sandra Gularte, an official with the ombudsman's office.
Activist Leonel Dubón, director of the Asociación El Refugio de la Niñez, which provides shelter for rescued children, told IPS that "they brought two girls from El Salvador to work in a cafeteria, and the day after the girls got here they were prostituted. Young girls are preferred, because they bring the biggest profits in the sexual exploitation market."
Dubón said trafficking of children occurs mainly in border areas, although he said it also exists in the capital, where underage girls are brought in by means of false job offers.
In this Central American country where corruption is so notorious that a U.N.-sponsored commission was set up to strengthen and purge the country's justice system and help identify and dismantle clandestine armed security groups, the impunity enjoyed by traffickers is so great that their business has diversified.
"We know tourists come to have sex with street kids and that a network of taxi drivers is involved," said Dubón.
After drug and arms dealing, human trafficking is the third largest organised crime industry in the world, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
At least 15,000 children under 18 are the victims of child sex trafficking networks in Guatemala, estimates Casa Alianza, the Latin American branch of the New York-based Covenant House, which stopped operating in Guatemala in January due to lack of funds.
In the capital alone, Casa Alianza identified more than 2,000 children sexually exploited in bars and massage parlours, most of whom came from Central American countries.
One of the biggest achievements in the fight against such crimes was the new Law against Sexual Violence, Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons, which entered into force in March.
The new law classified crimes related to sexual exploitation, created a Secretariat Against Sexual Violence, Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons, and put in place procedures for the repatriation of trafficking victims who have been taken out of the country.
But "the Secretariat has not been assigned the necessary resources for it to function, there is no training for the judges responsible for applying the law, and there has been no real interest in implementing the necessary actions on the part of state institutions," Dubón complained.
In the meantime, trafficking continues apace in border areas.
"In Malacatán and Tecún Umán (municipalities in the southwestern province of San Marcos, on the border with Mexico), owners of child care centres, and even parents and other relatives, are involved in the trafficking of children," José Maldonado, an official in the ombudsman's office in Coatepeque, in the neighbouring province of Quetzaltenango, told IPS.
The trafficking industry feeds on the vulnerability and desperate economic situation of the Central American migrants who pass through the area in large numbers on their way to the United States, and the sexual exploitation of mainly Guatemalan, Honduran and Salvadoran girls in that area is commonplace, the ombudsman's office reports.
"Because there are so many people involved in this illegal trade that undermines the integrity of girls and boys, it has been impossible to curb it," said Maldonado.
According to the World Bank, in Guatemala, one of the poorest countries in Latin America, around 75 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, defined as an income that is insufficient to purchase a basic basket of goods and services, while nearly 58 percent have incomes below the extreme poverty line, defined as the amount needed to purchase a basic basket of food.
Guatemalan girls, and to a lesser extent boys, are the victims of trafficking in border cities in southeastern Mexico, Guatemalan vice consul Estuardo Figueroa in the city of Tapachula, in the Mexican state of Chiapas, denounced last month.
At a meeting of the human rights department of the Tapachula city government, aimed at finding ways to rescue child victims of trafficking, the Guatemalan diplomat said the children are purchased in border areas of the two countries and subjected to labour or sexual exploitation in Chiapas.
Figueroa described how children can be seen in the streets of Tapachula and Tuxtla Gutiérrez hawking sweets, shining shoes, cleaning windshields or dressed up as clowns.
The ninth annual Trafficking in Persons Report on Guatemala, published by the U.S. State Department in June, put this country on the Tier 2 Watch List "for failing to show increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in terms of providing adequate assistance to victims and ensuring that trafficking offenders, including corrupt public officials, are appropriately prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced for their crimes."
The State Department trafficking in persons report places nations in one of four categories based on their efforts to curb human trafficking, prosecute those involved and support and assist victims. Countries doing the best job are in Tier 1; Tier 2 includes countries that are demonstrating a commitment to addressing the problem but have not yet met international standards; and the Tier 2 "Watch List" includes countries that show signs of digressing to Tier 3, the lowest level.
In Latin America, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Panama were put in Tier 2, while Nicaragua, Argentina, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela are on the Tier 2 Watch List, along with Guatemala, due to the large number of victims of trafficking, despite the efforts made.
The report mentions the "nascent child sex tourism" in certain areas such as Antigua and Guatemala City, and points out that young Guatemalan girls are often subject to forced labour within the country as domestic servants.
In addition, it says, "Guatemalan men, women, and children are trafficked within the country, as well as to Mexico and the United States, for forced labour, particularly in agriculture.
And "In the Mexican border area, Guatemalan children are exploited for forced begging on streets and forced labour in municipal dumps (and) Guatemalan men, women, and children are trafficked for forced agricultural work, particularly on coffee plantations," the State Department report adds.
It recommends that Guatemala "Implement and enforce the new anti-trafficking law; increase efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses, and convict and punish trafficking offenders, including public officials complicit with trafficking activity."
María Eugenia Villarreal, director of ECPAT International in Guatemala told IPS that the main concerns of her organisation – whose name stands for End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children – are the protection of children and adolescents and the prosecution of traffickers.
"There are many problems in terms of enforcing the law," she said. "Although the law is new, we should have had many more sentences. We have also observed an enormous weakness in investigations by prosecutors and in the failure of judges to classify crimes as trafficking."
Sandra Gularte, coordinator of trafficking issues in the ombudsman's office, told IPS that Guatemala's law is the most advanced of its kind in Latin America.
This year, the ombudsman's office received 41 complaints of trafficking from January to September, compared to 23 in 2008, which she said does not represent an increase in cases as much as a growing willingness to report trafficking-related crimes and seek assistance.
Nevertheless, she said "there is a greater vulnerability due to the economic crisis, which will prompt more Guatemalans to try to make the journey to other countries and to fall prey to organised crime networks."
Greater information and awareness-raising are essential, she said, because many people are unaware of what trafficking is and thus do not report it, and due to a long history of exploitation of poor, indigenous people in this country.
But in Gularte's view, the essential thing is to continue strengthening the office of the public prosecutor and the police. (END/2009)
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48850
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