Child sex trafficking victim seeks congressional action - Washington Times

Child sex trafficking victim seeks congressional action - Washington Times:

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Sol House is safe harbor for exploited children | Duluth News Tribune

“One of our major priority areas is the opportunity for self-reliance,” said Erik Torch, Northland Foundation director. “We realize youth who are homeless or fleeing abusive situations have unique needs not necessarily well-served by going to standard shelters.”

Read HERE


Sol House is safe harbor for exploited children | Duluth News Tribune:

U study documents juvenile sex trafficking in Minneapolis | Star Tribune

U study documents juvenile sex trafficking in Minneapolis | Star Tribune:

“I was surprised by how organized and strategic the use of violence in these trafficking operations really is,” said Lauren Martin, director of research at the university’s Urban Research Outreach/Engagement Center, one of the study’s authors. “It’s strategic and has a purpose in developing girls as a product for sale. … It degrades the girls’ sense of themselves and creates an objectification where girls devalue themselves.”

Read article:
http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/274559791.html?page=1&c=y

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Let’s Stop Using the Term 'Modern-Day Slavery' - Pacific Standard: The Science of Society

Source: Pacific Standard: The Science of Society

Last week, 59-year-old Tieu Tran, a former nail salon owner in Minnesota, pleaded guilty to human trafficking in U.S. District Court. According to court documents, in 2008, Tran recruited a woman from Vietnam to come work in the U.S., promising her a high-paying job and help immigrating into the country legally. She did not keep either of those promises.

Continue here
http://www.psmag.com/navigation/politics-and-law/lets-stop-using-term-modern-day-slavery-77776/

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Sex trafficking in Minnesota: why one case matters « The Advocates Post

http://theadvocatespost.org/2012/08/21/sex-trafficking-in-minnesota-why-one-case-matters/

Source:  The Advocates Post

August 21, 2012

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to observe portions of what I believe was the first sex trafficking case to go to trial in Hennepin County. Although the law has been in existence for some time, this case was the first time members of the general public–the jury–were asked to recognize sex trafficking as a crime and find the perpetrator culpable for this human rights violation.

Sex trafficking and prostitution are part of the same continuum of criminal activity– that is, the sexual exploitation of women and girls. Sex trafficking is a grave human rights violation and a violent crime that has devastating consequences for its victims.

Legal definitions of sex trafficking vary, but international, federal and state law all reflect the idea that sex trafficking involves individuals profiting from the commercial sexual exploitation of others. Under Minnesota law, sex trafficking does not require transportation across any border; it can involve United States citizens; and, unlike federal law, it does not require proof that the adult victim was lured into trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. Under Minnesota law, a victim may be trafficked “by any means.”  This means that in Minnesota sex trafficking is essentially prostitution that is controlled by a pimp or trafficker.

The Women’s Human Rights Program at The Advocates for Human Rights has been working to combat this human rights violation in Minnesota for years. In 2008 we published the Sex Trafficking Needs Assessment for the State of Minnesota which examined the government response to sex trafficking at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels. The report also identified facilities and services available to trafficking victims in Minnesota and assessed their effectiveness. Finally, the report made recommendations for coordinating services to better meet the needs of sex trafficking victims statewide.

Since the publication of the report, we have reached more than 2,000 individuals through more than 60 presentations and trainings throughout the state, including the first-ever prosecutor training. This week, Staff Attorney Beatríz Menanteau will be training hotel employees about sex trafficking and how they can help identify victims. Additionally, we’ve worked with the legislative committee of the statewide Human Trafficking Task Force. In 2009 we drafted amendments to the state law that increased penalties for traffickers and “johns.” Those amendments were signed into law and were the basis for some of the charges in the trial that I witnessed.

Most recently, we have been leading the Safe Harbor Initiative to change Minnesota law and clarify the state’s obligation to provide services and assistance to children who are sexually exploited, rather than to prosecute them criminally when they are purchased for sexual services. The Safe Harbor legislation was signed into law in July 2011 and will be fully implemented by 2014.

The Advocates, with our partners and the statewide Human Trafficking Task Force, continues to work to improve our law, government response to sex trafficking, and community awareness of sex trafficking in Minnesota. As a result of this work, Minnesota is a national leader among the states in combating sex trafficking. Polaris Project, a national organization, just released its Annual State Ratings that evaluate the laws and steps taken by each state to combat human trafficking.  Minnesota has been among the top ranking states for several years and was one of the first states to pass Safe Harbor legislation. Minnesota has, and continues to be, a leader on this issue.

Why does this one case matter?

This case is an important milestone in recognizing sex trafficking as a violation of human rights in Minnesota. While we have had many charges and convictions under the law, and we have a strong task force with committed advocates and legal professionals; a jury trial is a litmus test for how our community regards sex trafficking.  Does the general public recognize sex trafficking, as defined under our law, as a crime, and are they ready to prioritize victim safety and hold the perpetrators accountable?

I am happy to report that the jury found the defendant guilty on all charges — including two counts of sex trafficking and evidence of bodily harm to the victim. On August 20, 2012, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

And while this one case does not mark the end of sex trafficking in Minnesota — we still have a long way to go –- this jury sent a strong message to me and all of Minnesota that we are ready. We are ready to change our perception of prostituted women; we are ready to hold the perpetrators accountable; and we are ready to recognize this grave human rights violation.

For more information about sex trafficking, please visit www.stopvaw.org

Mary O’Brien is a Program Associate with the Women’s Human Rights Program of The Advocates for Human Rights.

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Sex Trafficking of Native Women Report Jarring - Native News Network

Source: http://www.nativenewsnetwork.com/sex-trafficking-of-native-women-report-jarring.html

Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Native Briefs. Discussion »

Prostitution and Trafficking

 

Native Brief: SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA - The "Garden of Truth: The Prostitution and Trafficking of Native Women in Minnesota" report released this afternoon is the excellent research work of the Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition and Prostitution Research & Education.

The report was released at a press conference at the William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul. US Senator Al Franken, D - Minnesota, commented to Native News Network Thursday morning. Senator Franken is a member of US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

"One-in-three American Indian women is raped or sexually assaulted in her lifetime.
Forty percent of American Indian women experience domestic violence.
And nearly one-in-five American Indian women is a victim of stalking.
These startling statistics underscore that the state of affairs is simply not acceptable,"

Stated Senator Franken.
"The Violence Against Women Act is up for reauthorization this year. And as a member of the Judiciary Committee and the Indian Affairs Committee, I am committed to making sure we update the law to more effectively address the needs of women in Indian Country." The Senator continued.

The "Garden of Truth: The Prostitution and Trafficking of Native Women in Minnesota" report is the first comprehensive study to detail the personal experiences of 105 Native women who have been prostituted and trafficked in the state, as well as the specific resources and support they need to escape prostitution and trafficking.

The report follows on earlier studies by Amnesty International and the US Justice Department which found that Native women experience the highest rates of sexual assault in the United States.

"Native women are at exceptionally high risk for poverty and sexual violence, which are both elements in the trafficking of women," says report co-author Nicole Matthews, Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition. "The specific needs of Native women are not being met. Our goal was to assess the life circumstances of Native women in prostitution in Minnesota, a group of women not previously studied in research such as this."

The report draws on both quantitative and qualitative surveys, with researchers spending approximately 1.5 hours with each woman interviewed and administering four questionnaires that asked about family history, experiences of sexual and physical violence, homelessness, symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and dissociation, and their use of available services such as domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, rape crisis centers, and substance abuse treatment. Researchers also asked about the extent to which women connected with their Native cultures and their personal experiences of racism.

Many of the women surveyed said they owed their survival to Native cultural practices, and most wanted access to Native healing approaches integrated with a range of mainstream services. Their most frequently stated needs were for housing, individual counseling, and job resources.

Several the findings contained within the report are disturbing and jarring:

• 79 percent of the women had been sexually abused as children by an average of four perpetrators;
• 92 percent had been raped;
• 48 percent had been used by more than 200 sex buyers during their lifetimes;
• 16 percent had been used by at least 900 sex buyers;
• 84 percent had been physically assaulted in prostitution.

“In order for a woman to have the real choice to exit prostitution, a range of services must be offered,”

says Nicole Matthews. "However, there are very few services especially designed for Native women in prostitution."

The report calls for increased state and federal funding for transitional and long-term housing for Native women and others seeking to escape prostitution, along with funding for Native women's programs, including physical and mental health care, job training and placement, and legal services. It also urges state, local, and tribal officials to reexamine policies toward victims of prostitution and trafficking - for example, arresting and prosecuting sex buyers rather than victims of prostitution.

posted October 27, 2011 3:01 pm edt

Feds Break Up Human Trafficking Ring in Minnesota, Tennessee

Nearly 30 Somali immigrants named in indictment

Updated: Monday, 08 Nov 2010, 9:44 PM CST
Published : Monday, 08 Nov 2010, 9:06 AM CST

by Tom Lyden / FOX 9 News

MINNEAPOLIS - In a series of arrests carried out Monday morning in the Twin Cities and Nashville, Tennessee, federal and local authorities broke up a human trafficking ring that provided underage prostitutes.

A federal indictment unsealed Monday morning in Nashville details the sex trafficking operations of 29 Somali men and women tied to the Somali Outlaws, Somali Mafia and Lady Outlaws gangs, which are all connected and based in Minneapolis. Of the 29 indicted, 12 were arrested Monday morning in the Twin Cities, eight in Nashville and six were already in jail in various locations. Three remain at-large and wanted.

Word of the activities of the ring first became public in September, when investigators sought the phone records of a 15-year-old girl who was a prostitute for the ring.

According to the indictment, one of the intentions of the three groups is to “identify, recruit and obtain” girls under 14 and girls under 18 for prostitution. The sex ring operated between 2000 and 2010 in Minneapolis, Nashville, and Columbus, Ohio.

“Trafficking children for sex is intolerable and the Department of Justice will aggressively enforce trafficking and other laws to eliminate these types of deplorable acts,” said U.S. Attorney Jerry Martin. “As shown here today, law enforcement agencies at every level will come together to bring the full force of justice to bear on individuals who choose to profit by victimizing innocent children.”

The indictment details the trafficking and sexual assault of four girls – two under the age of 18 and two aged 13 and under at the time of their recruitment. The girls were allegedly taken between Minneapolis and Nashville, where they were sold for sex and forced to have sex with gang members. One of the victims was also taken to an apartment in Seattle and to Columbus with other girls.

One of the victims detailed in the indictment was picked up from her high school several times and raped in a bathroom at Northtown Mall in Blaine, Minn. and inside an abandoned garage.

During a trip to Nashville, one of the gang members allegedly shot a cell phone video of a victim engaging in sex acts with someone else in the car. He then sent that video to other people.

Most of the prostitution transactions took place in apartments, homes and hotel room in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities metro or Nashville.

The sex trafficking offenses carry a penalty of 15 years to life in prison.

“Human traffickers abuse innocent people, undermine our public safety, and often use their illicit proceeds to fund sophisticated criminal organizations,” said ICE Director John Morton. “ICE is committed to bringing these criminals to justice and rescuing their victims from a life in the shadows. We will continue to fight the battle to end human trafficking both here in the United States and around the globe.”

Those charged in the indictment are identified as:

• Abdifitah Jama Adan, aka “Shorty” aka “Faleebo” aka “Kuzzo,” 28;
• Abdullahi Sade Afyare aka “Forehead,”19;
• Ahmad Abnulnasir Ahmad aka “Fabulous,”23;
• Yahya Jamal Ahmed, 23;
• Abdikarim Osman Ali, aka “Homer” aka “Big Abdi,” 22;
• Musse Ahmed Ali aka “Fat Boy,” 23;
• Hassan Ahmed Dahir aka “Mohamed Ali Hussein,” 21;
• Fadumo Mohamed Farah aka “Naana Naana” aka “Gangster Boo” aka “Barnie,” 25;
• Idris Ibrahim Fahra aka “Chi Town,” 22;
• Yasin Ahmed Farah, 19;
• Abdullahi Hashi aka “Kamal,” 24;
• Fatah Haji Hashi aka “Jerry” aka “Jr,” 23;
• Abdirahman Abdirazak Hersi aka “Biggie,” 20;
• Muhiyadin Hassan Hussein aka “CD,” 22;
• Dahir Nor Ibrahim aka “Dahir Lucky,” 38;
• Abdifatah Bashir Jama aka “Cash Money” aka “Ohio,” 23;
• Andrew Kayachith aka “AK,” 20;
• Abdigadir Ahmed Khalif aka “Awali,” 24;
• Bashir Yasin Mohamud aka “Br,” 26;
• Mustafa Ahmed Mohamed, 22;
• Fuad Faisal Nur aka “Hanjule,” 24;
• Abdifatah Sharif Omar aka “British” aka “Pinky,” 25;
• Liban Sharif Omar aka “Sunderra,” 21;
• Mohamed Sharif Omar aka “Moe D” aka “Mojo,” 26;
• Hamdi Ali Osman aka “Big Hamdi” aka “Boss Lady,” 22;
• Haji Osman Salad aka “Hollywood,” 20;
• Bibi Ahmed Said, 19;
• Ahmed Aweys Sheik aka “Rear Hammer” aka “Abdul,” 24; and
• Yassin Abdirahman Yusuf aka “Junior” aka “Black Cat Junior,” 21.

Feds Break Up Human Trafficking Ring in Minnesota, Tennessee
Source: MyFox Houston




 

Local stylist sets up Freedom Boutique to help slavery victims

3/12/2010 2:00:12 PM

By Matthew Stolle

The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

	To help What: Freedom Boutique to benefit people who have escaped human trafficking and slavery. Where: Cutting Loose Hair Salon, 162 17th Ave. N.W., Rochester. When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 26.

There are lots of stories in the news these days that chronicle the injustices and miseries of people in far-flung places of the world. They make interesting conversational topics, but rarely do people feel as if they are in a position to do anything about it.

Patti Brown feels differently.

The Rochester hairstylist plans to set up a Freedom Boutique at the Cutting Loose Hair Salon in Rochester later this month. The boutique will offer products either made by or benefiting people who have come out of human trafficking, slavery and abuse.

"I kind of felt after reading about the slavery issue and the human traffic problem, it's like, 'What can I do?'" Brown said. "I do think it's helping. We can end slavery by the way we purchase."

Brown said the problem of modern-day slavery afflicts 27 million women and children, and the problem is not confined to places outside of the United States. Minnesota is among the 13 most heavily sex and slavery trafficked states in the nation, according to the Minnesota Human Trafficking Watch.

Approximately 50 percent of all victims of trafficking are children.

Brown said the products she will be selling have been made by women in India and Cambodia who have escaped from forced prostitution. Others have been made by women in Swaziland and Uganda who are suffering with AIDS because of the abuse against them.

"(It's) helping people get on their feet," Brown said. "Iguess it's that after-care side that really spoke to me and made me think (that) if we're going to try and help them get out of this situation, we have to help them have an income."

Coffee, chocolate, jewelry and handbags will be sold at the boutique. The products, in a sense, have already been paid for. Brown and her husband purchased the products, and the person who made them has been paid as well. The boutique is a way of keeping that virtuous cycle of purchasing alive.

"It may not sound like much, but sometimes it is the most we can do, and it not only spreads awareness, but also helps people realize we can do something to stop slavery through our purchases."

Postbulletin.com: Rochester, MN

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