TRAFFICKING
Prevention
Awareness Campaigns
The "Be Smart, Be Safe"
brochures describe the tactics criminal groups use to coerce and
traffic women, the risks of trafficking, what women can do to protect
themselves against illegitimate groups, what are victims' rights in the
U.S., and how women can get help while in the United States.
Through its Global TV Campaign on Human Trafficking,
the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP)
warns millions of potential victims about the dangers of trafficking.
Poverty and lack of economic opportunity make women and children
potential victims of traffickers associated with international criminal
organizations. They are vulnerable to false promises of job
opportunities in other countries. Many of those who accept these offers
from what appear to be legitimate sources find themselves in situations
where their documents are destroyed, their selves or their families
threatened with harm, or they are bonded by a debt that they have no
chance of repaying.
While women and children are particularly vulnerable to
trafficking for the sex trade, human trafficking is not limited to
sexual exploitation. It also includes persons who are trafficked into
'forced' marriages or into bonded labor markets, such as sweat shops,
agricultural plantations, or domestic service. The prevention of human
trafficking requires several types of interventions. Some are of low or
moderate cost and can have some immediate impact, such as awareness
campaigns that allow high risk individuals to make informed decisions.
Strong laws that are enforced are an effective deterrent. However,
serious law enforcement is expensive.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"
According to Family Health International, 1999, a number of programs
in Asia have already begun to address the causes of trafficking in
women. One of Thailand's responses was to focus on the source of demand
for trafficked services, such as the clients of underage sex workers.
Through the impetus and lobbying of the National Commission on Women's
Affairs (NCWA), Thailand is the first country in the region to pass
laws that impose greater penalties on customers than on sellers for
involvement in commercial sex with underage partners. Application of
the law has been light, but it is the basis for future enforcement. The
NCWA is also trying to change male sexual norms through a national
poster campaign with messages showing a child saying "my father does
not visit prostitutes."
In China, the State Council, local party commissions and government
agencies attach importance to combating human trafficking. In provinces
infested by the crime, leading functionaries from the police, the
office of the procurator, the courts, the civil departments, the media,
schools, women's federations, trade unions, and the Communist Youth
League each play their own role in combating trafficking. Women's
organizations help governmental agencies by creating awareness among
illiterate women who are most vulnerable to being trafficked. Seminars
and training courses are sponsored by these organizations to raise
awareness about laws and policies against trafficking. Printed
materials, such as the anti-trafficking manual prepared by the All
China Women's Federation and the Ministry of Justice, are also
distributed to women.
In Chiang Rai Thailand, a Thai NGO called Development and Education
Program for Daughters & Communities (DEPDC) aims to prevent women
and children from being forced into the illegal sex trade or child
labor due to outside pressures, lack of education, and limited
employment alternatives. The NGO utilizes a mix of strategies to
convince parents about the dangers of the illegal sex trade.
Information about HIV and AIDS, brothel conditions, legal penalties,
and potential dangers is used to support their arguments. In many
successful cases the decision of the child to continue her education
overrides the parent's desire for money.
In the Philippines, GABRIELA, which is the National Alliance of
Women's Organizations, is actively involved in massive awareness
campaigns to prevent the trafficking of women and girls from the
Philippines. Its strategies consist of seminars and information
dissemination to NGOs and Government Agencies and awareness campaigns
at the community level.
In Cambodia, the Human Rights Commission has taken the lead to raise
awareness on the subject of trafficking at the community level. The
Commission has conducted extensive and valuable research throughout the
country, organized a national workshop, and proactively contributed to
interpretations and implementation of the trafficking law. The
Government also provides shelters and schooling for orphans and street
children to keep them away from traffickers.
Adapted from: Vitit Muntarbhorn in The Nation. Bangkok; Section: Editorial/Opinion Date:1/7/98
Source: Gabriela Web site
Source: ARIAT Conference papers
Source: HumanTrafficking.org
Education
Human Trafficking is the recruitment
and or the transportation of persons by others using violence
or the threat of violence, abuse of authority or domination
position, deception or other forms of coercion, for the purpose
of exploiting them sexually or economically for the profit
or advantage of others, such as recruiters, traffickers,
intermediaries, employers, customers or crime syndicates.
The victims, (often economically
disadvantaged young girls and women) are lured with false
promises of good-paying jobs, job training, education and
better lives in the civilized western countries, as well
as, other developing nations.
The traffickers do procure documents/entry
visas for the victims.
Upon arrival at the final destinations,
the traffickers confiscate the documents.
Victims are often subjected to physical
and psychological torture. In addition, in many instances,
there is a threat of physical harm to their relatives in
their country of origin. Effectively trapped, they are forced
to work under brutal and inhuman conditions.
Most victims who are trafficked
are isolated and remain undetected by the public because:
- The strategies used by the perpetrators
isolate and prevent them from coming forward, and
- The public and the victim service
providers have only recently become aware of human trafficking
and may not be familiar with how to recognize or respond
to trafficking victims.
The practice is common at the moment
among some immigrant communities.
Publicly known jobs performed by
victims include:
- Unpaid domestic/household work
- Forced
prostitution
- Sex tourism and entertainment
- Pornography
- Unpaid Sweatshop/factory labor
- Illegal labor, bonded labor
- Begging
- Illegal/false adoption
- Forced/servile marriage
- Use in criminal activities
Source: http://www.aiainc.org/a/p/m/bsumht.html
Human Trafficking in the U.S.
Human Trafficking is a highly complex issue that affects potentially thousands of foreign and domestic
men, women, and children in the United States. No one is certain how
many people are trafficked in the United States every year. The US
Government, state agencies, and various non-governmental organizations
throughout the US are committed to preventing trafficking, protecting
victims of trafficking and prosecuting traffickers.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE A VICTIM OF TRAFFICKING
RED FLAGS TO LOOK OUT FOR A TRAFFICKING VICTIM:
- Living with Employer
- Poor Living Conditions
- Multiple People in Cramped Space
- Inability to Speak to an Individual Alone
- Employer Holding Identity Documents
- Signs of Physical Abuse
- Submissive or Fearful
- Unpaid or Paid Very Little
- Under 18 and in Prostitution
- Heavy
security at the commercial establishment including barred windows,
locked doors, isolated location, electronic surveillance. Women are
never seen leaving the premises unless escorted.
- Victims
live at the same premises as the brothel or work site or are driven
between quarters and "work" by a guard. For labor trafficking, victims
are often prohibited from leaving the work site, which may look like a
guarded compound from the outside.
- Victims are kept
under surveillance when taken to a doctor, hospital or clinic for
treatment; trafficker may act as a translator.
- High foot
traffic especially for brothels where there may be trafficked women
indicated often by a stream of men arriving and leaving the premises.
Trafficking victims are kept in bondage through a combination of
fear, intimidation, abuse, and psychological controls. While each
victim will have a different experience, they share common threads.
Trafficking victims live a life marked by abuse, betrayal of their
basic human rights, and control under their trafficker. The following
indicators in and of themselves may not be enough to meet the legal
standard for trafficking, but they indicate that a victim is controlled
by someone else and, accordingly, the situation should be further
investigated.
IF YOU ARE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS OF A PERSON YOU THINK HAS BEEN TRAFFICKED, THESE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK:
- Can You Leave Your Job if You Want?
- Can You Come and Go as You Please?
- Have You Been Hurt or Threatened if You Tried to Leave?
- Has Your Family Been Threatened?
- Do You Live With Your Employer?
- Where Do You Sleep and Eat?
- Are You in Debt to Your Employer?
- How did you arrive at this destination?
- Do You Have Your Passport/ID? If Not, Who Has It?
Very Important: You do not want to create a
situation of greater danger for this person. Ask questions with great
care and sensitivity. The person may be traumatized and not be able to
speak about his/her experience. Most trafficking victims will not
readily volunteer information about their status because of fear and
abuse they have suffered at the hands of their trafficker. They may
also be reluctant to come forward with information from despair,
discouragement, and a sense that there are no viable options to escape
their situation. Even if pressed, they may not identify themselves
as someone held in bondage for fear of retribution to themselves or
family members.
Anyone can report suspected trafficking cases. If the victim is
under 18, U.S. professionals who work in law enforcement, healthcare,
social care, mental health, and education are mandated to report such
cases. Through a grass-roots community-wide effort and public awareness
campaign, more professionals on the front line can readily identify the
trafficking victim and have him/her treated accordingly.
INDICATORS THAT OFTEN POINT TO A PERSON HELD IN A TRAFFICKING CONDITION
Health Characteristics of a Trafficked Person
Some of the health problems that may be evident in a victim include:
- Malnutrition, dehydration or poor personal hygiene
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Signs of rape or sexual abuse
- Bruising, broken bones, or other signs of untreated medical problems
- Critical illnesses including diabetes, cancer or heart disease
- Post-traumatic stress or psychological disorders
Other Important Signs
In addition to some of the obvious
physical and mental indicators of trafficking, there are other signs
that an individual is being controlled by someone else. Red flags
should go up for police or aid workers who notice any of the following
during an intake. The individual:
- Does not hold his/her own identity or travel documents
- Suffers from verbal or psychological abuse designed to intimidate, degrade and frighten the individual
- Has a trafficker or pimp who controls all the money, victim will have very little or no pocket money
Rescue For Human Trafficking Victims.
If you suspect someone has been trafficked, call the:
Department of Health and Human Services-sponsored, toll-free, 24 hour
NATIONAL HOTLINE: +1-888-3737-888
or
Department of Justice-sponsored, toll-free, 24 hour
Trafficking in Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force Complaint Line
+1-888-428-7581
These hotlines will help you determine if you have encountered
victims of human trafficking, will identify local resources available
in your community to help victims, and will help you coordinate with
local social service organizations.
You may also call:
Are you interested in helping combat human trafficking?
*Some information is taken from HumanTrafficking.org
