Panel Discussion - Human Trafficking Awareness Week - April 7th, 2010l on Vimeo

FROM THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING CLINIC

Leaders from various local anti-human trafficking organizations speak about their work, the importance of addressing human trafficking locally, and identifying best practices for community members to aid in the fight.

A question and answer section follows the discussion.

Featured Panelists:
· Pam Harvey, Colorado Regional Coordinator, Not For Sale Colorado notforsaleco.org
· Lauren Croucher, Human Trafficking Project Manager, Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance (COVA) coloradocrimevictims.org
· Mandy Shotts, Outreach Organizer, Prax(US) praxus.org
· Amanda Finger, Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking, combathumantrafficking.org
· Professor Claude d’Estrée, Director, The Human Trafficking Clinic du.edu/humantraffickingclinic
· Benjamin Skinner, Author of A Crime So Monstrous and Harvard Kennedy School Carr Center Fellow

Panel Moderator: Anya Cherneff, Associate Director, Human Trafficking Clinic

Panel Discussion - Human Trafficking Awareness Week - April 7th, 2010l from Human Trafficking Clinic on Vimeo.

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BBC News - People trafficking prosecution failure 'startling'

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Tuesday, 4 May 2010 15:07 UK

Scotland's failure to successfully prosecute anyone for people trafficking is "startling", a senior police officer has admitted.

Dep Ch Con Gordon Meldrum said there were at least 10 criminal gangs smuggling people into Scotland.

But no-one has ever been convicted of the offence, despite several successful prosecutions elsewhere in the UK.

Mr Meldrum was giving evidence to Holyrood's equal opportunities committee.

The committee is carrying out an inquiry into migration and trafficking in Scotland.

Mr Meldrum said he did not know why there had never been a successful prosecution for people trafficking in Scotland, and said there was a "startling" difference in the conviction rates between Scotland and England.

He told committee members that the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency had last year, for the first time, attempted to map the scale of serious organised crime in Scotland.

Why is there such a difference? I honestly don't know the answer to this
Dep Ch Con Gordon Meldrum

Its study found that in June of last year there were a minimum of 367 serious organised crime groups, with a total of about 4,066 named members, either active in Scotland, or whose activities directly impacted on Scotland.

Of these, at least 10 groups were thought to be actively involved in people smuggling, Mr Meldrum, whose portfolio with the Association of Chief Police Officers includes trafficking, said.

But he added: "In Scotland, to the best of my knowledge, we don't have a conviction for human trafficking. We had one case which was brought to court previously but was abandoned. My understanding is it was abandoned due to a lack of evidence, essentially.

"That does compare and contrast with the experience south of the border, where there have been a number of successful prosecutions in different part of the country.

"Why is there such a difference? I honestly don't know the answer to this."

He said that the legislation on human trafficking was "slightly different" elsewhere in the UK, but added: "Simply because the legislation is different, frankly, shouldn't mean there is such a marked difference from north to south.

"Certainly from speaking to colleagues at the Crown, their view is there is no debar in terms of the legislation in Scotland to a successful prosecution."

'Hidden crime'

A major UK-wide crackdown on people trafficking under the codename Pentameter 2, which was launched in 2007, saw police reports to the Crown for offences such as keeping brothels, but no-one was reported for human trafficking, Mr Meldrum said.

This was partly because a number of victims who were recovered during the operation vanished shortly afterwards, he explained.

Mr Meldrum added: "The other issue for us is actually to get victims to speak up, and not only to speak up in the first instance but to last the duration of any investigation and subsequent court case."

The committee was also told that no-one knows for sure the scale of human trafficking into Scotland.

Lorraine Cook, of Cosla's strategic migration partnership, described human trafficking as a "hidden crime" while the trafficking of children was "even more so hidden".

An ongoing pilot project by Glasgow City Council had identified eight cases of children being trafficked into the city - but officials believe these are only the tip of the iceberg, Ms Cook said.

BBC News - People trafficking prosecution failure 'startling'

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The Human Trafficking Project: Child Trafficking

Monday, May 03, 2010

Introduction: Trafficking in children takes many different forms worldwide, from child soldiers to child sex tourism to forced child labor in brick factories to child camel jockeys to child sex slaves to child pornography to child domestic slaves to forced child begging. Ending child slavery and child exploitation will take committed, strategic effort based on understandings of the myriad forms of child trafficking and their interconnections.

Elise: Before the TVPA was ever enacted in the U.S., a case out of Texas showed the complexity that is often overlooked when we talk about children and trafficking. Given Kachepa, along with other boys from Zambia were brought to the U.S. under false pretenses offered to them by a Baptist minister claiming the young boys would come to the U.S. to perform in a boys choir and earn money for themselves and for a new school in Zambia. The reality the boys faced included forced performances, the withholding food and medical care if the boys resisted and the constant threat of deportation among other coercive and traumatic tactics used by Keith Grimes to keep the boys in their trafficking situation. A more detailed account of the case is given in The Slave Next Door by Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter. Years after his trafficking situation ended, Given has taken to advocating on behalf of trafficking victims. He has appeared on national TV and print media delivering his message and his story, and has contributed to the development of state-level legislation.

Youngbee: Among the many different forms of child trafficking, a particularly terrible kind is child trafficking involving child pornography. In Japan, for instance, Jake Adelstein, a public relations representative in Polaris Project in Japan, describes child pornography as "evidence that a crime has been committed[;] that people can derive sexual pleasure from that or profit on that is horrifying." These children are not only sexually exploited but also their humiliation is likely to be publicized on the internet forever. What is worse is that the internet access makes this evil an average Joe's concern in the United States. In fact, a British internet watchdog says that over the past ten years, 51% of such illegal child pornography websites were hosted in the United States. Currently, in Japan, possession of child pornography is not illegal though distribution and production are criminalized. As Japanese government is sensitive to its reputation before the international world, perhaps, US citizens calling their state representatives would pressure the country to fix its legislative loophole further.

Meg: One child trafficking topic that seems to have received a lot of attention recently is trafficking and international adoptions. The issue came to the forefront after the Haiti disaster, when it became suspected that children disappearing from hospitals were being taken by traffickers and sold off as orphans. Learning about this form of trafficking was disheartening to me, because apparently even those trying to do something positive can inadvertently contribute to child exploitation and human trafficking. Although there does not appear to be much in the way of statistics on this issue yet, it is easy to see how traffickers could exploit situations such as the disaster in Haiti to make a profit off of vulnerable children, not only through international adoption, but for sex trafficking and other forms of trafficking as well. One interesting potential solution to the adoption problem is the idea of using DNA databases to reunify parents with missing children, which is something that has begun to be implemented in Haiti. If the Haiti situation prompts development of an international adoption DNA system that can be used to prevent future trafficking, this may be one positive result of a tragic disaster.

Jenn K.: According to the 2009 Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking report by Shared Hope International, over 100,000 US children are subjected to commercial sexual exploitation each year. The Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the United States Department of Justice reports that the average age for entering commercial sex in the US is 12-14. Despite progress in addressing this aspect of the United State's trafficking problem, such as programs targeting demand and increased attention to the issue, much remains to be done particularly in terms of services for victims and survivors. According to Gracehaven House, which will be opening a group home for child sex trafficking survivors in Ohio, there are only 39 shelter beds dedicated to minor sex trafficking victims in the US. Other organizations, such as Courtney's House in Washington DC, are also in the process of opening group homes for child victims. Both Gracehaven House and Courtney's House were founded by survivors of sex trafficking as minors, and plan to offer comprehensive services for survivors. Still, the shelter need greatly exceeds and is likely to continue to greatly exceed resources.

Posted by Buffalo Expat at 7:05 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Child Pornography, child slavery, Child Trafficking, CSEC, domestic minor trafficking, Haiti, United States, Zambia

The Human Trafficking Project

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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Attorney General Eric Holder at the National Conference on... -- ARLINGTON, Va., May 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

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ARLINGTON, Va., May 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following are the remarks as prepared for delivery by Attorney General Eric Holder at the National Conference on Human Trafficking:

Thank you, Laurie [Robinson]. It's an honor to join you in opening today's conference and in welcoming our participants. And I especially want to thank you, Mary Lou [Leary], and the entire Office of Justice Programs for organizing this important conference and bringing together so many law enforcement officers, victim service providers and agency partners.

Many of you have traveled from all across the country to be here. Let me thank each of you for your engagement, for your service to your communities and to human trafficking victims, and for your commitment to the principles that define who we are, and who we can be, as a people.

Nearly 150 years have passed since our nation abolished the abhorrent and repugnant practice of owning and enslaving others. Of course, there is no more basic human right than freedom from slavery. It is enshrined in the 13th Amendment of our Constitution. And it is the very first right recognized by international law. Yet, in its modern form of trafficking, this cruel practice persists on an enormous and alarming scale.

Today, human trafficking has become big business – generating billions of dollars each year through the entrapment and exploitation of millions. Almost every country in the world is affected, either as a source or destination for victims. Here in the United States, the problem is, unfortunately, growing.

But you already know this. All of you have read the reports and reviewed the data. And many of you have learned this truth in the hardest of ways – by experiencing it through working directly with victims. You've seen how, in too many of our communities and businesses, the poorest and most vulnerable among us are being robbed of basic rights to dignity, security and opportunity.

Instead of despair, you've responded with dedication – and with the resolve necessary to fight back. Since the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act passed in 2000, many of the people in this room have led the way in bringing human trafficking crimes to light and to justice. You've given voice to victims and helped to rescue thousands of them. And you've revealed the brutality that too many experience on their journeys toward freedom and equality. Not only have you helped to raise awareness about these crimes; you've also demanded our government's vigilance in combating them.

The stories you have heard – and some of the cases you will discuss throughout this conference – break our hearts and chill our souls. But they also guide and inspire the work we do every day, at every level of this Justice Department: to address and to end human trafficking. This morning, I want to talk to you about the department's latest work in this area. And I want to assure you all that I share your commitment to combating human trafficking crimes.

For today's Justice Department, our work to pursue human trafficking investigations and prosecutions and to support those who serve and assist victims is not simply a top priority. It's also a source of great pride. Much of this work is being led by our Civil Rights Division and its specialized Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. Three years ago, this unit was established to consolidate expertise and to improve coordination between the many critical partners needed to bring traffickers to justice and to protect and empower victims.

In a short time, this unit has achieved remarkable success in increasing both the number and impact of human trafficking prosecutions. It has dismantled organized human trafficking networks operating in multiple jurisdictions and across international borders. And it has achieved justice for many, including undocumented migrants who've seen their hopes of a better life destroyed; documented guest workers who've been deceived, threatened and frightened into captivity; women and children who've been forced into prostitution; and young Americans who've been exploited in their own county by traffickers preying on their vulnerabilities. These are extraordinary accomplishments.

But our Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit isn't working alone. It is supported and strengthened by our Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, our Office of International Affairs, our Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, our Office of Justice Programs and its Office for Victims of Crime, as well as the FBI. In addition, the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Attorneys' Offices across the country are providing critical leadership in bringing human traffickers to justice. Later in this conference, you'll be hearing from some of the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who were on the front lines of major human trafficking prosecutions.

As you all know, this fight must extend beyond the Justice Department. That's why, today, we're working in close collaboration with the Departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, State, Defense, and Labor. We've also strengthened coordination with state and local law enforcement officials who are critical in detecting human trafficking crimes, advancing prosecutions, and improving our ability to locate, rescue and assist victims. I'm pleased to see so many of these partners in the audience today, and I'm glad that you'll have the chance to hear from them throughout this conference. They'll be the first to tell you that, regardless of how their individual states and communities are affected, human trafficking is a global problem. And it demands a global solution.

Today, some of our most critical partnerships have been established beyond our nation's borders. We're working closely with authorities in other countries to extradite fugitive defendants, protect victims' families, obtain evidence of criminal activity, and combat trafficking networks that operate across international lines. A leading example of this is our recent work with Mexico. The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security have collaborated closely with our Mexican counterparts on a bilateral enforcement initiative aimed at dismantling the trafficking networks that operate across our Southwest border. Although this initiative is in its early stages, it has already produced promising results for both countries – including measurable increases in the number of defendants apprehended, cases prosecuted and victims rescued.

The benefits of such international partnerships are clear. By working with our foreign allies, we've succeeded in liberating Jamaican tree-cutters from shacks in New Hampshire; Filipino workers from chain motels in South Dakota; Eastern European women from strip clubs in Detroit; Vietnamese garment workers from American Samoa; Peruvian factory workers – including children – from traffickers on Long Island; and young girls from Togo and Ghana – some just 10 years old – from toiling around the clock without pay in hair salons in New Jersey.

But despite these achievements, there is much more work to be done. Meeting the civil rights challenges of the 21st century will require us to identify new enforcement strategies, to forge new partnerships, and to provide more support for victim service providers. But we should all be encouraged that the global movement to end human trafficking has received unprecedented attention and resources, as well as unprecedented political support.

At the beginning of this year, President Obama declared January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, calling on our nation to acknowledge modern-day slavery and to recommit ourselves to stopping and preventing human trafficking. The Department of Justice is committed to answering this call. But we can't do it alone. Today, our nation's struggle to ensure civil and human rights continues. And, unfortunately, our battle against slavery must endure. This fight – quite simply – will not be won without your continued help, hard work, leadership, and partnership. Together, I believe we can build on the progress that's been made in recent years. And I'm certain we can do more for those most in need of our intervention.

Slavery, in all its forms, is morally wrong. It is beyond that which is acceptable in any civilized nation. And I assure you that combating the entrapment, abuse, and exploitation of trafficking victims is one of this Justice Department's highest priorities. Those of us here today are bound together by an unrelenting commitment to eradicate the scourge of human suffering and involuntary servitude. And we are united in the recognition that there isn't a second to lose. We must seize the opportunity to be a leader in the global fight against human trafficking, and to ensure that the nation we love remains a beacon of freedom for all humankind.

Your presence here today reflects the best aspects of our nation's history. And your commitment to this work gives me great hope about its future. I look forward to what we can do, what we must do, and what we will accomplish together.

Thank you all.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

RELATED LINKS
http://www.justice.gov


Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Attorney General Eric Holder at the National Conference on... -- ARLINGTON, Va., May 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

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Business owners accused of trafficking in people | HeraldTribune.com

Published: Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 7:22 p.m.

By JEROME BURDI and ERIKA PESANTES
Sun Sentinel

FORT LAUDERDALE -- They came to America chasing a dream.
They were promised work as servers in Boca Raton's country clubs and hotels with the assurance of high wages and overtime.

They got the work but not the money, and the married couple who brought the 50 Filipinos to Boca Raton treated them as slaves, according to a federal indictment released last week.

Between July 2006 and June 2008 the victims were crammed into a house, then threatened with arrest and deportation should they try to leave. They were not given enough food or water, were kept from any outside communication, and were coaxed into believing there was no way out except working for measly wages, if any at all.

The suspects used false promises to entice the Filipinos to incur debts to pay upfront recruitment fees, and took away their passports, according to the indictment.

"The conspiracy was to recruit them to come work here and to force them into servitude," said Alejandro Miyar, a Department of Justice spokesman.

Sophia Manuel, 41, and Alfonso Baldonado Jr., 46, the married owners of Quality Staffing Services Corp., were arrested Wednesday on human trafficking charges. Manuel also is charged with visa fraud and making false statements to the government to procure foreign labor certifications and visas.

"They're living far away from me, so I have no idea about that," said Manuel's sister, Cynthia Cartwright, who lives in North Miami. She took custody of the couple's children ages 1, 5, 7 and 9.

The couple lived with many of the workers at the house west of Boca Raton. Their landlord said they had rented that home about four years. The workers slept on the floor throughout the house and garage, according to the indictment. There was another living quarters, though an address was not released.

Neighbors said that other home -- a lakefront one -- was in the Hidden Lakes development, just a block from the couple's home. Undercover police interviewed neighbors about the case last week, residents said.

"They seemed nice, they kind of kept to themselves and no more than said hi," neighbor Stacy Gonzalez said of her Filipino neighbors. "I figured they were illegal. They all seemed happy. They always waved at the baby and me with the dog. I'd be shocked if they were kept in bad conditions."

She said the Filipinos had one big work van and sometimes hung around the garage and shuffled between both house.

Gonzalez would see them carrying food trays and figured they had a cooking business, she said. She also noted that when she dragged out old furniture on the curb, the workers took it.

The workers had to sign in and out when they left their cramped living quarters, were told not to speak with any other Filipinos at church and fed a "diet of rotten vegetables, chicken innards and feet," the indictment said.

They were screamed at if they ate food from the refrigerator without permission, authorities said.

When one asked for more food, Baldonado became enraged, "demanding to know if she ate three meals a day in the Philippines," the indictment said.

When one worker complained that the drinking water was bad, the couple offered acid instead, according to the indictment.

They were denied adequate medical care, the indictment said. One worker broke his wrist and didn't see a doctor for 10 days. Another worker suffering from stomach pain spat up blood and was still kept from seeing a doctor.

Manuel said anyone wishing to leave had to pay up to $15,000, according to the indictment.

Thirteen workers escaped in February 2008. Attempting to cling to control, investigators said Baldonado called a meeting of the remaining workers. Manuel told them the ones who escaped would be sent home in handcuffs and would have to pay millions of dollars for destroying her reputation, the indictment said.

"Human traffickers target vulnerable victims, including minors, who desire a better life and end up being lured into a situation where they are deprived of their basic human rights," said Anthony Mangione, head of Miami's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "These vicious conditions will not be tolerated in this country."

But these allegations are untrue, said another of Manuel's sisters, Linda, who did not want her full name used.

"Helping people is sometimes not good," she said.

She was at the couple's home Wednesday afternoon gathering clothes for their children. Inside, the home was in shambles with stacked boxes and a strong stench of seafood.

In 2009, ICE had 566 human trafficking investigations nationally, a 31 percent increase over the previous year, records show.

The Florida Attorney General started a criminal investigation into Quality Staffing Services Corp. in February 2008. It later was referred to the Department of Justice.

Ten workers were sent to work at Boca Woods Country Club for seasonal labor needs. The club could not be reached for comment.

They're living far away from me, so I have no idea about that," said Manuel's sister, Cynthia Cartwright, who lives in North Miami. She took custody of the couple's children ages 1, 5, 7 and 9.

The couple lived with many of the workers at the house west of Boca Raton. Their landlord said they had rented that home about four years. The workers slept on the floor throughout the house and garage, according to the indictment. There was another living quarters, though an address was not released.

Neighbors said that other home -- a lakefront one -- was in the Hidden Lakes development, just a block from the couple's home. Undercover police interviewed neighbors about the case last week, residents said.

"They seemed nice, they kind of kept to themselves and no more than said hi," neighbor Stacy Gonzalez said of her Filipino neighbors. "I figured they were illegal. They all seemed happy. They always waved at the baby and me with the dog. I'd be shocked if they were kept in bad conditions."

She said the Filipinos had one big work van and sometimes hung around the garage and shuffled between both house.

Gonzalez would see them carrying food trays and figured they had a cooking business, she said. She also noted that when she dragged out old furniture on the curb, the workers took it.

The workers had to sign in and out when they left their cramped living quarters, were told not to speak with any other Filipinos at church and fed a "diet of rotten vegetables, chicken innards and feet," the indictment said.

They were screamed at if they ate food from the refrigerator without permission, authorities said.

When one asked for more food, Baldonado became enraged, "demanding to know if she ate three meals a day in the Philippines," the indictment said.

When one worker complained that the drinking water was bad, the couple offered acid instead, according to the indictment.

They were denied adequate medical care, the indictment said. One worker broke his wrist and didn't see a doctor for 10 days. Another worker suffering from stomach pain spat up blood and was still kept from seeing a doctor.

Manuel said anyone wishing to leave had to pay up to $15,000, according to the indictment.

Thirteen workers escaped in February 2008. Attempting to cling to control, investigators said Baldonado called a meeting of the remaining workers. Manuel told them the ones who escaped would be sent home in handcuffs and would have to pay millions of dollars for destroying her reputation, the indictment said.

"Human traffickers target vulnerable victims, including minors, who desire a better life and end up being lured into a situation where they are deprived of their basic human rights," said Anthony Mangione, head of Miami's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "These vicious conditions will not be tolerated in this country."

But these allegations are untrue, said another of Manuel's sisters, Linda, who did not want her full name used.

"Helping people is sometimes not good," she said.

She was at the couple's home Wednesday afternoon gathering clothes for their children. Inside, the home was in shambles with stacked boxes and a strong stench of seafood.

In 2009, ICE had 566 human trafficking investigations nationally, a 31 percent increase over the previous year, records show.

The Florida Attorney General started a criminal investigation into Quality Staffing Services Corp. in February 2008. It later was referred to the Department of Justice.

Ten workers were sent to work at Boca Woods Country Club for seasonal labor needs. The club could not be reached for comment.

Business owners accused of trafficking in people | HeraldTribune.com

Human Trafficking, There and Here - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

May 1, 2010, 11:54 am

By NICHOLAS KRISTOF

On Friday I was on a panel at Bay Path College along with Somaly Mam, my friend and hero. Somaly is a Cambodian who was trafficked into a brothel as a little girl but managed to escape — and then started an anti-trafficking organization to fight the brothels and help other girls escape. She has been extraordinarily courageous in keeping up the fight when the brothel-owners just want to kill her, and she seems so unbelievably poised when she speaks in English — her fourth language — before large audiences under a spotlight. But on Friday, I saw a reminder of how that past haunts her and anyone who went through such a trauma.

To get to the stage, we took a freight elevator, and it was vaguely like a dark cage. That terrified Somaly, because it reminded her of the cages in which she had been punished and tortured when she was in the brothel. Many of the Cambodian brothels have underground rooms in which they beat and terrorize girls who are considered insufficiently cooperative. Just entering that elevator was enough to bring back those hideous memories of torture for Somaly, and it left her shaken and rattled.

To me, that was a sobering reminder of just how traumatic those experiences are and how long-lasting the mental impact. Westerners who see the brothels in Cambodia or Malaysia or India or Pakistan see girls smiling and gesturing, and rarely appreciate the brutality that makes those operations work. To learn more about Somaly’s heroic work, check out her website.

But we shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that terrible abuses happen only on the other side of the world. Americans sometimes are willing to accept that girls are enslaved in Delhi, but can’t imagine that it happens in New York. In truth, the abuses tend to be worse in Asia, but they certainly happen in America as well. My take is that the worst exploitation and mistreatment is often directed not at foreign women trafficked into the U.S. but rather at American teenage girls who flee abusive homes, end up at the bus station — and then the only person there to “help” is a pimp.

The Houston Chronicle has an article looking at a 13-year-old girl who was arrested for the crime of prostitution, while her pimp apparently wasn’t even investigated. The article, by Dottie Lester, writes:

Pending before the Texas Supreme Court is In the Matter of B.W., a case in which a 13-year-old child was found to have engaged in delinquent conduct for agreeing to have sex for money. She was found to be in need of rehabilitation and placed on probation for 18 months in the custody of juvenile probation officials.

At the time B.W. was arrested by a Houston police officer, she was living with a “boyfriend” more than twice her age. According to briefs filed with the state Supreme Court, he was never investigated. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act states that any minor involved in commercial sex is a victim of trafficking and anyone prostituting a minor under 14 years of age can face a federal life sentence. To date, only B.W. has faced prosecution in this case. How is this possible?

Alas, that happens far too often. There is a bizarre misperception that pimps are business partners of prostitutes, even though the pimps beat the girls, sometimes brand them with tattoos, and take every penny they earn. Yes, they sometimes manipulate the girls emotionally and pretend to be their boyfriends, but in no way is it a partnership. And the way to end this kind of exploitation is to arrest the pimps and throw them in prison, not to go after the girls as criminals. There’s also some evidence that going after johns will help.

So there we have it. Two reminders of human trafficking both far away and at home, and of the toll of modern slavery in the 21st century.

Human Trafficking, There and Here - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog - NYTimes.com

Alabama Policy Institute :: The 2010 Winner Is Rep. Jack Williams and the Ban on Human Trafficking

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Viewpoints

The 2010 Winner Is Rep. Jack Williams and the Ban on Human Trafficking
Published: April 30, 2010

The 2010 regular session of the Alabama Legislature ended as it began: with three big issues looming over everything else. The bills were often accompanied by boisterous and contentious political posturing and the rhetoric was colorful and at times, way over the top. Weary legislators faced a final gambling vote (take care of special interests), ten-year road projects (special interests approving election year goodies), and a short-term solution to the Prepaid Affordable College Tuition shortfalls (44,000 PACT contract holders and well-organized grassroots lobbying efforts) in the final two days of the session.

The gambling bill and the gambling interests' hubris fizzled out in the House while the $1 billion road project bill passed and will be on the November ballot for voters to ratify. The PACT solution will take $547.6 million over 13 years from the Education Trust Fund budget in order to subsidize the faltering program and before the session ended, it was already being challenged by legislative opponents who see it leading to federal lawsuits.

Something significant happened on the last day and I want to make you aware of it.

Every year I like to give an informal award to the best legislation passed during the regular session of the Alabama Legislature. The bill I have in mind did not get high profile attention, it was not calculated to give one political party a leg up on the other and it did not try to pit groups against each other. Rather, this bill, which addressed the real tragedy of human trafficking, was passed quietly and resolutely on the last day. It was about time.

I became aware of human trafficking in 2008 as part of our work on illegal immigration. Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing industries in the world and is actually modern day slavery. Billions of dollars are generated each year by this exploitive practice. It was incomprehensible that this was going on in Alabama but we had some high-profile human-trafficking cases, such as the raid of a brothel at an Albertville mobile home. The problem, however, wasn't confined to the illegal immigrant communities.

Alabama is a source, conduit and destination state for trafficking of foreign nationals as well as the internal trafficking of U.S. citizens. Statistics are very hard to come by because this well-hidden crime has a fearful victim population. According to advocacy groups and law enforcement, there is no way to factually determine how many victims there are in Alabama. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline has received many calls from Alabama since December 2007.


Recently, law enforcement reported that Dmarcus Antwain Ward, 25, of Minden, La., brought two girls, age 16 and 17, from Atlanta to Birmingham and back on separate occasions between September and November 2009 for prostitution. Ward advertised one of the girls on a Web site and brought her to a Motel 6 in the area, authorities allege. This disheartening and maddening story was a real wake up call to state lawmakers. Until now, it had been relegated to the shadows of society.

Building upon earlier work by Rep. Merika Coleman, D-Birmingham, Rep. Jack Williams, R-Hoover, and Sen. Wendell Mitchell, D-Luverne, joined with advocacy groups against human trafficking and Barry Matson of the Alabama District Attorneys Association to craft legislation addressing the specifics of this particular crime and activity.

As explained by Barry Matson, Deputy Director of the Alabama District Attorneys Association, Alabama had no provision that made it unlawful for a person, by coercion or deception, to cause another person to perform sexual services/servitude or to work under conditions of labor servitude.

Even though it was an election year with all of its rhetoric, common sense prevailed. On the last day of the session, the Alabama Senate passed this landmark legislation to combat the exploiters of human trafficking.

It is now unlawful for a person by coercion or deception, to cause another person (individual) to work or perform services having financial value or require that person to perform certain sexual activities and this law provides appropriate penalties for these actions. Alabama's passage of this ban on human trafficking has added Alabama to the 43 states that have already passed a ban on human trafficking exploitation.

This comprehensive approach combats human trafficking in Alabama and defines 'coercion' and 'deception' with regard to how a child or adult may be forced into being a victim of human trafficking. The law creates new human trafficking crimes and penalties, punishing both sex and labor trafficking. In addition to other provisions, the bill also includes:

· mandatory restitution to victims;

· restitution to the law enforcement agency for the costly investigation of such crime: (the cost can be prohibitive in some situations with travel, interpreters and experts);

· a civil cause of action for victims; and

· asset seizure and forfeiture.

These provisions will collectively empower law enforcement, prosecutors, human trafficking victim service providers, and Alabama communities to identify and respond quickly to human trafficking by forcefully targeting this criminal activity.

There is another category of legislative "awards" and that is the best legislation that should have been passed but the legislative leadership, for reasons known only to themselves, failed to take up the bills. The awards for this particular category would be very long indeed. However, Rep. Greg Canfield's, R-Vestavia Hills, remarkable and transformational 21st century education budget reform, The Rolling Reserve Budget Act, is by far at the top of the list. Not to worry - next year it will pass.

It's easy enough, as armchair critics, to disparage the Alabama Legislature, but when they work together to address real down-to-earth problems, they deserve our approbation and thanks. The Jack Williams-Merika Coleman Ban on Human Trafficking Act wins my 2010 Best Legislation Award ... hands down.

Michael Ciamarra is vice president of the Alabama Policy Institute and Alabama chair for American Solutions. He can be reached at michaelc@alabamapolicy.org. The author wishes to thank Barry Matson, Deputy Director of the Alabama District Attorneys Association for his hard work, help and analysis of the bill.

Note: This column is a copyrighted feature distributed free of charge by the Alabama Policy Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and API are properly cited. For information or comments, contact Michael Ciamarra, Alabama Policy Institute, 402 Office Park Drive, Suite 300, Birmingham, Alabama 35223, 205.870.9900, or email michaelc@alabamapolicy.org.

© 2007 by Alabama Policy Institute. All rights reserved


Alabama Policy Institute :: The 2010 Winner Is Rep. Jack Williams and the Ban on Human Trafficking

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