Wednesday 10/28/09

Indiana University's Campus Coalition Against Trafficking blog is now back. While the website has been out of commission for some time, the group itself has been holding regular meetings and spreading awareness.

On awareness, Jonathan Dillon (CCAT co-president) gave a presentation on his study abroad experience in Ghana. While some students were taking tours in the Louvre or at Big Ben, Jonathan was learning about modern-day slavery.

Ghana only gained complete independence in 1957. As a small, new country, it is still struggling with old issues. Despite laws specifically prohibiting abduction and slavery, communities still observe a religious practice, Trokosi, which translates to "God slave". Families hoping to atone for sins (from murder to petty theft) will take part in this practice by sending a young virgin daughter to work for the priests of a local shrine. Once at the shrine, the girls are at the will of the priest and are often beaten, denied education, and raped upon menstruation. Since these girls are part of a well-known practice, it is difficult for them to escape, and practically impossible to rejoin their community after they finish their servitude at the shrine.

Along with the problems of Trokosi, Ghana has another problem with its fishing industry. Due to poverty and inadequacies of the education system (expensive supplies for an impoverished community, highly inaccessible schools) many of the youth are lured to Lake Volta. There, they are abducted by fishermen who use the children for cheap and expendable labor. Some of the children are small enough that the fishermen will use them to dive underwater and untangle nets which will sometimes snag and drown them. Like the girls at the Trokosi shrines, these children are denied an education, and have little life skills other than fishing when they grow up; and in turn, become fishermen who eventually utilize slavery themselves.

Despite the magnitude of the situation, something can, and is, being done. Non-profit organizations like International Needs and Challenging Heights make it their mission to fight slavery in Ghana. International Needs is trying to address the issues of Trokosi, and with some success. Members of the organization go directly to shrines and explain to the priests that what they are doing is wrong. In some cases, girls have even been released. Challenging Heights attempts to stop the slavery at Lake Volta by offering education in the cities. As an ex-slave, the president of Challenging Heights understands that schools, life-skills, and education on trafficking itself are the most effective tools.

While Ghana might be across the Atlantic, we can still do something about it here. Simply by spreading awareness, one person takes part in refusing this crime against humanity.

CCAT will be having a movie showing in Woodburn Hall Room 120 on Wednesday, November 11 at 8pm. We'll be watching the film Trade and serving all sorts of snacks. If you're into movies, and fighting slavery, try to make it out there.

Human Trafficking in Africa

When describing human trafficking across different regions of the world, the thought of Africa harkens images of child soldiers, specifically those kidnapped into the ranks of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) in Uganda. To be sure, the abduction of children into forced military and personal servitude is one of the foremost issues plaguing the people of African nations. In fact, it is estimated that as much as 80% of the LRA’s ranks are abductees. In the LRA, young boys are taken from their families (who are often killed and mutilated by other “soldiers”) and forced to commit heinous acts of violence under the threat of death. Young girls are kidnapped to serve as concubines. However, the problem of human trafficking is not confined to the forced conscription of children, nor is it confined to Uganda. Trafficking has been reported in all 53 African nations for the purposes of forced military service, forced labor—industrial and domestic, as well as forced sexual exploitation. Children are particularly vulnerable, often be sold by parents and relatives and a sacrifice for alleviating the economic burden on the rest of the family. In Nigeria, the International Labor Organization estimates that over 12 million children, ages 10-14, are employed in strenuous labor conditions. These conditions included forces prostitution, which is one of the Africa’s major health and social problems. It is estimated by the United Nations that as much as 80% of trafficking in Africa is for the purposes of sexual exploitation, either in Africa or abroad. Given the high rates of sexually transmitted diseases and lack of access to prophylactics, traffickers have begun selling girls as young as 8 years old to ensure their “purity.”

The battle against human trafficking is a long and complicated one, because its root causes are deeply rooted in Africa’s long history of social, political, and violent struggle. The United Nations cites a primary impediment in the fight against trafficking as the lack of effective legal instruments for pursuing and punishing traffickers. In fact, a UN study notes that of the 125 countries that have signed onto the UN Protocol Against Trafficking in Persons, over a third are yet to make any convictions. It is difficult to force governments to be accountable, but one way to generate political momentum is to contact local representatives. Though an indirect approach, it is a crucial step in generating support for the implementation of long-term solutions.

Much trafficking is the result of economic hardships—lack of opportunity for pursue alternatives and lack of resources to combat traffickers. Donations to relief organizations or in the form of micro-loans will help build and sustain local communities in a way that empowers individuals to make their own decisions regarding their lives and their children’s.

Additional Links to Related Articles and Websites:

· http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/trafficking.htm#africa

· http://appablog.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/south-africa-protecting-victims-of-human-trafficking-in-southern-africa/

· http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/13/content_10810642.htm

· http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3652021.stm

· http://www.stopdemand.org/afawcs0112878/ID=180/newsdetails.html

· http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/328/7447/1036-b

· http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/443460

Video: this is a very informative video about the South African sex industry. It is very graphic in some places, however, so be advised.

· http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWSCBBMYMSg&NR=1

Literature:

International Law and the Use of Force

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199239150/ref=s9_cpic_c2_t3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0Y9A2B901KXGVBVH6E6J&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383371&pf_rd_i=507846


Not For Sale

http://www.amazon.com/Not-Sale-Return-Global-Trade/dp/0061206717/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c

Understanding Global Slavery

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Global-Slavery-Kevin-Bales/dp/0520245075/ref=pd_sim_b_5

Indiana Daily Student

Slavery in the News

Southeast Asia

Modern human trafficking in mainland Southeast Asia began in the 1960s in connection with the occupation of U.S. soldiers in Indochina, with the male American soldiers being the main clients of the forced prostitution at the time. When the U.S. forces were withdrawn, the business continued with predominantly male tourists as the clients. The ongoing economic changes occurring in Southeast Asia make it a prime area for the human trafficking industry to boom and thrive. Furthermore, some women actually choose to become involved in prostitution, but they are unaware of the conditions that they will be forced to endure. Other women are lured into trafficking by coercion and deception. Thailand especially is a destination for many women that are involved in trafficking, both willing and deceived. The main methods used to lure the women into the business are done by well-organized gangs that use common techniques. Furthermore, 80% of those enslaved in Southeast Asia are women, while 50% are children. Southeast Asia is an area that needs a lot of help, although in the more recent years the government has started to turn its attention towards this issue. However, things such as the economic situation in this area have diverted this necessary attention away from it.

(The image is of a girl from Timor-Leste who gained independence in 2002.)

Below are several links and interesting articles that I found. Also, the first link talks about addressing the situation in Southeast Asia as well as causes of the trafficking in that region.

http://timmatsui.com/blog/2007/03/01/overview-the-causes-of-and-methods-for-addressing-human-trafficking-in-the-mekong-region-of-south-east-asia/

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WDP/is_2001_Jan_15/ai_70385916

http://kyotoreview.cseas.kyoto-u.ac.jp/issue/issue3/article_282.html

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=82744

Below is a link for a video that gives some brief information on the issue in this region as well as some images.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVnvECAEvxQ

Also, an organization that focuses on human trafficking in Southeast Asia is the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, which helps the children of Vietnam to escape the poorest economic situations. This organization can be found at the following website:

http://www.bdcf.org/

Trafficking in Russia

It's estimated that about 1 million people are working under forced labor in Russia. Trafficking is controlled by large criminal organizations in Russia, as opposed to smaller and more independent organizations that control it in many other places in the world. Russia is pivotal in Eastern Europe, not only because of the high volume of people trafficked there but the amount of people trafficking into, out of, and through Russia. Many of the surrounding poorer countries in Eastern Europe send men, women, and children into Russia, mostly for sexual exploitation and slavery purposes, but many of the men are also forced to do construction or agricultural labor as well. Many people, especially unemployed women and young children (mostly homeless children or children from orphanages) are also taken out of Russia to countries all over the world, from Asian to South America. St. Petersburg and Moscow in Russia are the two main cities in which trafficking is prominent. These cities are large transit cities, which hold trafficking vitims until they go on somewhere else in the world. These two cities are also fairly known for having a high number of children slaves. I found a few articles that give first-hand accounts and a lot more statistics and logistical information about Eastern Europe:

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/feb2007/gb20070223_311905.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily

http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/traffickingrussia.htm#sergey

http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Russia.htm

I also found a news story about a Russian man who escaped human trafficking, after being a domestic slave in Georgia for 4 years:

CCAT's Chocolate Campaign

This Valentine's Day, CCAT is planning to hold a Fair Trade Chocolate Campaign that will raise awareness of slavery in the cocoa industry.

Chocolate Action Pack


An estimated 284,000 children are working on cocoa farms in hazardous tasks such as using machetes and applying pesticides and insecticides without the necessary protective equipment. Many of these children work on family farms, the children of cocoa farmers who are so trapped in poverty they have to make the hard choice to keep their children out of school to work. The IITA also reported that about 12,500 children working on cocoa farms had no relatives in the area, a warning sign for trafficking. Moreover, while not all of these children are slaves, at least 15,000 are estimated to be enslaved in the Ivory Coast, and that is not including adult bonded laborers.












Many NGOs are currently operating Cocoa-specific campaigns:
Global Exchange
Stop the Traffik
The International Cocoa Initiative (a truly fantastic collaborative effort)

While Fair Trade products cost more than regular products, it is clear why there is a markup when you think about the promise of a bottom price that Fair Trade organizations promise farmer, and the requirement that any farm participating in the fair trade agreement will not utilize slavery, child labor, or exploitative labor practices.

We will have more updates and details on the sales come in!

More on Europe

British PSA:

Human Trafficking in South Asia

South Asia: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives

     

The first video is a collaborative effort by members of the Indian film industry and the UN to promote awareness on the issue of human trafficking in South Asia, specifically. The second video validates the need for the first by revealing the lack of awareness and concern. Some that seem to know about the issue of human trafficking have accepted it to be a flaw of their society. One such person already having accepted that it's an issue to be addressed, but not to be solved anytime soon..."maybe in 100 or 200 years". It is this attitude that plagues much of the world--a belief that we cannot do anything personally, that someone else should and will pick up the responsibility eventually. 

Corruption within governmental institutions combined with a lack of education and poverty create the ideal environment for criminals of the trafficking industry. South Asian countries are home to some of the most corrupt policemen and inefficient governments. India, being the world's largest democracy, is incapable of attending to all the people that must be heard. Government officials and policemen are easily bribed. In fact, it would be of little surprise to see these government workers taking part in the crimes. This, of course, is not an isolated situation to South Asia. Nevertheless, government officials have little to fear because their actions would not be judged as one may think. In South Asian countries--particularly in more rural, conservative areas--victims are treated as though they are accomplices to the crimes. Sexual violence seems to bring more dishonor to the victim and the victim's family, instead of to the perpetrator. For this reason, families & communities are less likely to report trafficking crimes or even welcome rescued victims when they return home. These backwards beliefs need to go because rehabilitation efforts will be hindered if victims are rejected by their own society. In the meantime, rehabilitation centers are focused on providing victims with skills that will help them get jobs and prosper as individuals without relying on anyone else. There are good efforts and initiatives being taken that we can learn from (See Link #4 below). The UN has a branch dedicated to fighting human trafficking and is a great resource to learn more from. UNICEF is another organization whose goals coincide with ours. Natural disasters like tsunamis have brought great imbalance to cities and societies, leaving orphaned children to be taken advantage of. This has been witnessed numerous times following the relatively recent Indo-Pak earthquakes and Sri Lankan tsunami, for instance. 

Ending human slavery is a daunting task, especially when our natural and societal environments seem to help propagate the crimes. But that is precisely why we have to try. Human trafficking is NOT a well-hidden enterprise. It is a booming business that has managed to flourish in our ignorance. A time has come when underaged children are advertised on Craigslist. "Domestic workers" are brought into America from foreign countries and are exploited. The fact that these transactions can take place online, is highly disturbing. America's criticism of India & Pakistan's governmental policies regarding trafficking has definitely caused an uproar. Aside from upsetting those that are already dedicated to the cause, American criticism has definitely helped open the eyes of many. America plays a crucial role in the world and has a great amount of power in influencing action. By reminding our own government to enforce strict laws in relation to trafficking crimes, the whole world benefits by our example. When America labels countries as more dangerous or at-risk for human trafficking, these countries have much to lose in terms of global respect, tourism, exchange programs, and even their place in the international market. We have a great responsibility that is often underestimated when it is actually the most important. 

Interested?

Read Jan Heeswijk's "Combating Trafficking of Women and Children in South Asia," an in-depth analysis of the legal framework in South Asia, as well as contributing factors to slavery and other vulnerabilities within the region.

Recent Updates on Trafficking in India

The UN Initiative to Fight Trafficking in Delhi, India in 2007

Related Links:

UNODC: What is Human Trafficking?

Trafficked from Nepal into India: Video Documentary

An Assessment of Trafficking in Bangladesh, Pakistan & Afghanistan

Slavery Within Nepal

A Great Resource on Child Labor Initiatives & Issues

Craigslist: Report Exploitation of Minors 

Save the Children

Human Trafficking in Western Europe

Western Europe serves mainly as a region of destination for slaves from Russia, Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond. It is estimated that 700,000 humans are trafficked into Western Europe, destined for work in the brothels, bonded labor factories, or domestic servitude. However, it's always likely that these numbers are higher, as the nature of the industry requires discrepancy.






Here's a very recent article (December 2008) about brothel raids in Ireland:
Raids in Ireland

One especially interesting point surrounds the debate over the legalization of prostitution, which is argued to be an avenue of empowerment for sex workers and a way to ally law enforment with sex workers. Unfortunately, recent studies have found that foreigners (most of then African women) make up some 70 percent of people in Germany's sex trade, with the same pattern repeating in other Western European countries. Women are tricked into moving to Europe on promises of work or marriage (a typical case is that a trafficker will 'woo' a woman and invite her to travel abroad with him, where he sells her). Once sold into the industry, women are physically and emotionally threatened in order to prevent them from trying to escape, either by way of brutal beatings, threatening her family, or even by performing 'voodoo' ceremonies' (in most cultures people put a lot of faith on spirituality, and these ceremonies can be terrifying and damaging). All of this considered, Europe is struggling to find ways to legally and practically distinguish between legal, voluntary prostitution and forced prostitution. Even more importantly, they are working on liberating and rehabilitating ex-slaves in such a way that does not criminalize them for a life they did not choose.



More information on the link between prostitution and sex slavery:

Here is an interesting article that seems to treat the sex slave trade as a problem only Europe is dealing with, when in reality their problems are surely mirrored in the US, as proven by experience and facts: Trouble in Europe

Dreams of a better life often end in a brothel for the victims of human trafficking, with the people smugglers and slave traders who bring them there making a lucrative living from their misery. Protecting trafficking victims' human rights in destination countries before and after they get away is one of the topics the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is looking at during a human trafficking conference beginning in Helsinki on Thursday. In the US as well, anti-trafficking intiative must be collaborative with initiatives to fight poverty, corruption, and exploitation.

Reccomendations for further reading:

Selling Olga: Stories of Human Trafficking by Louisa Waugh

"Following three years of in-depth research, award-winning author and journalist Louisa Waugh has produced a vivid, unflinching account of how this immoral commerce operates and why it thrives. Throughout Eastern Europe, a combination of war and poverty has led to women being sold in bars, confined, and coerced into sex work. And while Waugh focuses especially on one woman, Olga, who tells her own story in angry, heartbreaking detail, she also introduces us to many others across Europe including Nigerian women in Italy and migrants trapped in other forms of forced labor. She helps us understand why, in spite of global awareness, relentless anti-trafficking campaigns, and increasing numbers of imprisonments, this type of crime hasn’t disappeared…and why, in spite of everything, there is hope for change."

Further Information and Helpful Links:

Human trafficking- a problem Europe can't ignore

Slaves at the Heart of Europe
Helping Victims of Human Trafficking