#humantraffickingnews
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Visit Tumblr Blog
Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.
Last Seen Tumblr Blogs
Fun Fact
Mobile US users spent an average of 115.8 minutes on Tumblr app monthly.
Text
Operation Broken Arrow nets 3 more online child predators, human trafficking
VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) — The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office says three more suspects have been arrested in Operation Broken Arrow, a sting operation targeting online child predators and child traffickers. This leg of Operation Broken Arrow was a four-day proactive effort centered in Valdosta. Investigators say the arrestees, ranging in age from 20 to 57, traveled from areas around South Georgia with the intent to meet a child for sex. Investigators say the men believed they were talking to a child under the age of 16 during the operation. Timothy Thompson was arrested on March 2, Joe Bueno was arrested on February 20 and Hunter Casey was arrrested February 28, by the sheriff’s office. To read more: https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/operation-broken-arrow-nets-3-more-online-child-predators-human-trafficking?fbclid=IwAR0VbEsmeqG9WERktq6JQq2vUBRzFSZyily7LKRoEPHtD-FCjh5P0ZV_2Uw
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/operation-broken-arrow-nets-3-more-online-child-predators-human-trafficking/
0 notes
Photo
Newport Navy Base Civilian Employee Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornographyhttps://t.co/0dMNFkIRTy
— HumanTraffickingNews (@TraffickingBot) August 21, 2020
0 notes
Text
Red Sand event raises awareness of human trafficking
The sidewalks in front of the Rimrock Mall were lined with red sand Saturday as members of the Yellowstone County Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness Taskforce and volunteers from the Zonta Club of Billings and others participated in the day-long event to raise awareness of human trafficking and to promote the group’s event coming up in April. The April 16th event is scheduled to be at MSU Billings’ Peaks to Plains Park, but the location could be changed due to the university’s coronavirus-related closures. In addition to spreading sand, volunteers handed out small plastic bags of sand for the public to spread in their community, and staffed a table in Rimrock Mall to educate the public on signs of human trafficking and how to prevent it. To read more: https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/photos-red-sand-event-raises-awareness-of-human-trafficking/collection_8e9d7948-5b16-5612-9c7e-a830ecaf7d38.html?fbclid=IwAR3r-kdHa9h6UVFtcItlwLx_a-Hx5DSGRLQPUHUSLf7c5YsyuUsG6jkWi3I
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/photos-red-sand-event-raises-awareness-of-human-trafficking/
0 notes
Text
Tip leads to arrest of 2 on human trafficking charge
JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) -Police arrested two people after receiving a tip of suspected human trafficking. Officers arrested Tyler Sowell, 26, of Brookland and Olivia Deroeck, 26, of Jonesboro on March 10 on suspicion of trafficking of persons, a Class Y felony. According to a probable cause affidavit, the two were in contact “making sales and setting up timing with a minor.” The court documents provided no further details. Sally Smith, public information specialist with the Jonesboro Police Department, said it was still considered an “active undisclosed investigation.” On Monday, March 16, a judge set bond for each suspect at $1 million cash or surety. Sowell and Deroeck are both scheduled to appear in circuit court on April 24. To read more: https://www.kait8.com/2020/03/17/two-arrested-trafficking-case-after-police-receive-tip/?fbclid=IwAR1TW1wp4NXiPmRVRBSj0fJZYuk3CsO8hiD2nhvr75-tzlUzNZWxq45M_Qk
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/tip-leads-to-arrest-of-2-on-human-trafficking-charge/
0 notes
Text
Missouri trucker pleads guilty to transporting minors for sex
A Republic, Missouri, truck driver pleaded guilty in federal court to transporting two Missouri teenagers across state lines and sexually assaulting them. Cleveland Lee Crumsey, 37, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity. By pleading guilty, Crumsey admitted that he transported two child victims across state lines from Missouri to Iowa in his truck. Crumsey also admitted that he had sexual intercourse with both of the child victims. Under federal statutes, Crumsey is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office. To read more: https://www.kttn.com/missouri-trucker-pleads-guilty-to-transporting-minors-for-sex/?fbclid=IwAR0GVv0wIzz9LlAEZ8uOq63nqFGc5Pj-3XOhxt9yaNgTTA0ED9unSM7uEwI
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/missouri-trucker-pleads-guilty-to-transporting-minors-for-sex/
0 notes
Text
State-level Guidance Relating to COVID-19 and Foster Care
Human Trafficking Search’s research found that at least fifty percent of child sex trafficking victims lived in foster care or a group home run by the state at one point. There are many reasons a child ends up in foster care, the most common according to our research are parental substance abuse, alcohol abuse, domestic violence or neglect. Experts are warning that we are likely to see an increase in domestic violence and child abuse since people are being asked to stay at home as much as possible and many people are coming under economic hardship. Social distancing required to keep the coronavirus at bay has required states to alert their regular procedures with respect to child welfare. This page provides information on actions states are taking. We will continue to update this page, adding information on all states. If you are aware of state level action that is not listed here, please email us (infohumantraffickingsearch.net) and we will add it to this page. New York:
The New York state government create a page to consolidate information on COVID-19. On March 20, guidance for foster care and preventive staff was issued.
New Jersey:
No information
California:
The County Welfare Directors Association of California is compiling COVID-19 guidance, including child welfare and foster care materials.
Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services issued guidance on March 19.
Washington:
Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families create a COVID-19 page. Information on foster care emergency license waivers can be found here. The state also has guidance for foster care group home facilities.
Michigan:
No information
Illinois:
Illinois Department of Children & Family Services issued a letter to foster care parents
Florida:
Florida has currently not provided guidance on child welfare and COVID-19. Please check here for updates.
Louisiana:
Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services created a page providing COVID-19 guidance for foster parents.
Georgia:
No information
Massachusetts: Texas:
No information
Colorado:
The Office of the Child’s Representative has a page providing guidance on COVID-19, including guidance for those who are aging out of foster care.
Pennsylvania:
No information
Connecticut: Ohio:
Ohio’s Department of Jobs and Family Services developed a Frequently Asked Questions document that includes questions about foster care.
Indiana:
The Indiana government’s website directs those interested in updates relating to COVID-19 and foster care to visit Indian Foster Care’s COVID page.
Tennessee:
The Department of Children’s Service has developed a page to provide COVID-19 related information, including a section for foster parents.
Maryland:
No information
North Carolina:
No information
Wisconsin:
The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families has issued guidance for foster care parents and child welfare workers. This page is being updated as new guidance is developed.
Arizona:
Arizona’s Department of Child Safety has provided information on a range of issues relating to foster care, which can be found here.
Nevada:
No information
Missouri:
Missouri’s Department of Social Services has a COVID-19 providing updated information, including guidance on parent, child visitation for children in foster care.
Virginia:
Voices for Virginia’s Children issued Virginia foster care policy recommendations
Alabama:
Jefferson County issued a standing order regarding visitation for children in foster care.
South Carolina:
No information
Mississippi:
Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services issued guidance here.
Utah: Oregon:
Oregon’s Department of Human Services provided information on their operating status during the coronavirus pandemic.
Minnesota:
Minnesota’s Department of Human Services provided information on changes to licensing of foster care providers as a result of COVID-19, and will provide further updates on this page.
Arkansas:
Governor Hutchinson developed a proposal which included increased support for foster families.
Kentucky:
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services issued guidance, including for social workers on home visits.
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/state-level-guidance-relating-to-covid-19-and-foster-care/
0 notes
Text
Sheriff’s investigator: Children increasingly victims of cyber sex trafficking
Richmond County Sheriff’s Investigator Terry Gore pulled out his phone, and stated how many people currently have Bluetooth activated phones.
He then showed his phone, using a cheap, easy to download app that would help him hack into a person’s phone via Bluetooth. This is part of how millions of children get captured and thrown into sex trafficking every year via technology.
Gore gave several tips like this at his session on cyber sex trafficking at Broken Outreach Ministries on Thursday. As a sheriff’s investigator, a former FBI agent and a specialist in this area, he has had plenty experience on this topic .
“I receive more than 30 cases a month from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, through the GBI, through Richmond County,” Gore said. “Children are being targeted by adults. No matter who they are, they’re going to be targeted by an adult if they’re online for any extended period of time.”
To continue reading: https://www.augustachronicle.com/news/20200228/sheriffrsquos-investigator-children-increasingly-victims-of-cyber-sex-trafficking?fbclid=IwAR2onx76xGq1_-Vt01XIx0hY12Zz4AcZN4F16vrkb7zHnjauCDatgy7XfGE
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/sheriffs-investigator-children-increasingly-victims-of-cyber-sex-trafficking/
0 notes
Text
8 men seeking to buy sex via internet arrested in human trafficking sting in Trumbull County
WARREN, Ohio — Eight men who were trying to purchase sex over the internet were arrested and charged in a human trafficking sting in Trumbull County, according to a news release from the office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. Trumbull County Sheriff Paul Monroe said a few months ago, his office received a crime tip about an illegal prostitution operation taking place in Trumbull County. “We reached out to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, which assisted in planning this operation. This operation was conducted to show those people who participate in this type of activity that they are not welcome in Trumbull County. The Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all of the agencies who participated in this operation. This was a true team effort,” Monroe said. Over the course of one day, multiple law enforcement agencies arrested eight people seeking to buy sex via the internet. To continue reading: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/8-men-seeking-to-buy-sex-via-internet-arrested-in-human-trafficking-sting-in-trumbull-county?fbclid=IwAR15YcK_Lz-y06-mTMRa3gdOszgfUZibcdDm364HOaEsMS1i2j_Sy8qyzi4
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/8-men-seeking-to-buy-sex-via-internet-arrested-in-human-trafficking-sting-in-trumbull-county/
0 notes
Text
Political Balancing of Anti-Trafficking Initiatives: 2019 TIP Report
By Emma Parker, Research Project Assistant The 2019 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report was released in June by the U.S. Department of State (DOS). As mandated by the U.S. Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, the TIP Report is an annual publication by the DOS. The DOS prepares this annual report by using information from U.S. embassies, government officials, NGOs and international organizations, as well as numerous written reports of human trafficking globally. Each country is placed into one of four tiers: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 2 Watch List, and Tier 3. Additionally, there are a few countries exempt from ranking and are instead in a category titled Special Cases. If a country is ranked in Tier 1, their government fully meets the TVPA’s minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking. If in Tier 2, a country’s government does not fully meet the standards, but are making efforts to follow those standards. If in Tier 2 Watch List, the governments do not fully meet the standards, yet they are trying to bring themselves into compliance. However, countries on the Watch List are marked by a lack of improvement in addressing their human trafficking situations. Countries that fall in the Tier 3 category do not fully meet the standards and are not making significant efforts to do so. The 2019 reporting period which covered April 2018 through March 2019 revealed that 22 countries improved their rankings while 26 countries worsened in their rankings. The DOS stated the focus of this year’s report is Domestic Trafficking, which involves trafficking orchestrated under a government’s watch within their own borders. This highlight comes as response to a startling statistic from the International Labour Organization which states that 77% of victims were trafficked in their own country. This report calls on governments to implement and enforce their own domestic laws to hold violators accountable and support victims. The following examples are some notable changes in rankings from the 2019 TIP report.
Afghanistan: Downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List
Since 2018, Afghanistan was added to the Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) List which identifies governments that supported armed forces that participated in the use and recruitment of child soldiers. Largely for this reason, Afghanistan dropped from a Tier 2 ranking in 2018 to a Tier 2 Watch List ranking in 2019. Additionally, the Afghan government has not been able to properly identify the difference between trafficking and smuggling. This has created difficulty in identifying and providing adequate resources for trafficking victims. Therefore, the government has allocated these responsibilities to NGOs. For Afghanistan to improve their ranking in coming years, the government must cease the unlawful recruitment and use of children by Afghan security forces and demobilize all children currently involved in armed groups. Furthermore, the information gathered from Afghanistan for the 2019 report was contradictory and not comprehensive. To improve ranking, the data and statistics coming from Afghanistan must be cohesive, reliable, and consistent.
Germany: Downgraded to Tier 2
This year marks the first year since the TIP report began in 2012 that Germany has not held a Tier 1 ranking. This year, Germany dropped to Tier 2. Only 36% of convicted sex traffickers in 2017 were serving prison time, therefore Germany did not meet the TVPA’s minimum standard requiring incarceration for convicted traffickers. Additionally, Germany’s law enforcement data has shown a decline in convictions for trafficking since 2009. By neglecting to prosecute human traffickers within their borders, the focus for 2019’s TIP report, Germany has fallen from Tier 1 to Tier 2 and will remain there until they improve efforts to hold human traffickers accountable.
Haiti: Upgraded to Tier 2
This year, Haiti received the highest ranking it ever has by becoming a Tier 2 country. Prior to this year, Haiti had fallen on either the Tier 2 Watch List or Tier 3. Haiti’s improvement in ranking comes from the government’s increased efforts of investigating, prosecuting, and convicting more traffickers. Though there is still much to be improved upon, Haiti has enacted increasingly effective measures to decrease trafficking and hold traffickers responsible.
Saudi Arabia: Downgraded to Tier 3
After holding a Tier 2 Watch List status for the past 4 years, Saudi Arabia has reverted to its previous ranking as a Tier 3 country. Saudi Arabia has consistently failed to make efforts to effectively combat human trafficking and hold traffickers legally accountable. In fact, Saudi Arabia has continued to fine, jail, or deport migrant workers for prostitution or immigration violations, even if the migrants were identified trafficking victims. Though it is significant that the United States downgraded Saudi Arabia for failure to combat human trafficking, the report may have not gone far enough. The DOS failed to list Saudi Arabia on the CSPA, though the state is reported to be using child soldiers in their military. By evading the list, Saudi Arabia still qualifies to get military assistance from the United States. By overlooking countries’ human trafficking abuses in cases like this, the United States shows that the standards are not objective or ubiquitous.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the TIP report fails to properly combat human trafficking by contributing to the politicization of human rights abuses. Scrutinizing these violations through the lens of political alliances only perpetuates human trafficking and the systems that bolster it worldwide. In order to effectively rank, legislate, and enforce anti-trafficking measures, the standards by which nations and laws are judged must be universal and not subject to biased political maneuvers. Edited by Haven Campbell, Director of Communications Photo Credit: Department of State
About the Human Trafficking Center
The Human Trafficking Center, housed in the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, is the only two-year, graduate-level, professional-training degree in human trafficking in the United States. One way graduate students contribute to the study of human trafficking is by publishing research-based blogs. The HTC was founded in 2002 to apply sound research and reliable methodology to the field of human trafficking research and advocacy. Founded in 1964, the Josef Korbel School of International Studies is one of the world’s leading schools for the study of international relations. The School offers degree programs in international affairs and is named in honor of its founder and first dean, Josef Korbel.
Print This Post
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/political-balancing-of-anti-trafficking-initiatives-2019-tip-report/
0 notes
Text
Two suspects arrested for human trafficking of an 18-year-old
ELKRIDGE (WBFF) — Howard County police have charged a man and a woman from Baltimore with human trafficking at a hotel in Elkridge.
Norman Hightower, 39, and Nicole Marie Riley, 28, both without a fixed address, are charged with prostitution and sex trafficking and are currently being held without bond at the Howard County Detention Center.
During the course of an undercover operation targeting human traffickers, on Feb. 24, police learned of possible prostitution activity in the county.
With cooperation from a hotel in Elkridge, detectives determined that human trafficking activity was occurring.
To read more: https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/two-suspects-arrested-for-human-trafficking-of-an-18-year-old?fbclid=IwAR14VfYglKmfSqhEXO_uVrnhxbO8Ljm7OS58ldvOEzEARIeqi_TXS_n251w
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/two-suspects-arrested-for-human-trafficking-of-an-18-year-old/
0 notes
Text
Hidden Crimes: From the eyes of a trooper
PEORIA, Ill. — Trooper Zachary Heard with the Illinois State Police said human trafficking is something that he has come across in his career. He said when he went through the academy, there were no classes dedicated to human trafficking, but now there is a law that requires training of investigations for trafficking for Illinois State Troopers. Heard said he received additional training from Truckers Against Trafficking. “It was impactful on me because along with the deputy director of the program, a survivor is brought along. That personal account, just the unique inside knowledge that a survivor has is invaluable for us,” Heard said. Heard said after that experience, he has been trying to get more training to field officers on the subject. Finding victims of human trafficking takes active policing, according to Heard. To read more: https://www.1470wmbd.com/2020/02/18/hidden-crimes-from-the-eyes-of-a-trooper/?fbclid=IwAR2s-seuup4V0iNYEkfAE8fxev0JhZUwsQih2bcIurKhMjlnmt6gkCrb5Lo
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/hidden-crimes-from-the-eyes-of-a-trooper/
0 notes
Text
Walnut Creek arrest reveals secret world of child sex trafficking; girls as young as 9 allegedly being bought and sold in the Bay Area
WALNUT CREEK — It started with a bizarre nighttime incident, in a dimly lit area by an office building’s dumpsters, where a man allegedly drove up, attempted to pull a custodian into the car, and offered $30,000 to buy her two prepubescent daughters, there by her side. What began as an attempted kidnapping case has mushroomed into something that horrified even seasoned sex-crime investigators. According to court records, police have uncovered evidence that girls as young as 9 are being bought for sexual servitude in the Bay Area and linked a suspect to a cache of child pornography, evidence of overseas sex tourism, and a stash of hidden video cameras disguised as everyday household objects. That suspect is an Oakland man named Cassidy Lavorini-Doyle, 36, an oral surgeon who currently sits in a Contra Costa County jail awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, child porn possession, and attempted kidnapping. After his arrest, the state Attorney General’s office moved to revoke Lavorini-Doyle’s dental license, saying the allegations gave state prosecutors “grave concerns” about him interacting with children. To read more: https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/26/walnut-creek-arrest-reveals-secret-world-of-child-sex-trafficking-girls-as-young-as-9-allegedly-being-bought-and-sold-in-the-bay-area/?fbclid=IwAR0Q6rcXGgC0L5S1zF4xuIP7onofC1iXZGq5DenV6H8v_G_dOftBPdeU7fE
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/walnut-creek-arrest-reveals-secret-world-of-child-sex-trafficking-girls-as-young-as-9-allegedly-being-bought-and-sold-in-the-bay-area/
0 notes
Text
What We Know About How Child Sex Trafficking Happens
What most people think they know about child sex trafficking generally involves stories – young girls and boys being kidnapped by strangers, forced into windowless vans, then driven to another city or state where they are kept drugged and chained in a brothel. While situations like these do exist, they are more of an exception than the rule. A study analyzing press releases and online media reports from over a nine year period found that fewer than 10 percent of cases involved kidnapping. The rest were far more complicated, far less “Hollywood.” The danger of these misconceptions is that while we are on high alert for windowless vans and teaching our children about stranger danger, we may well be missing out on what is really going on. There is still a tremendous amount to learn about human trafficking in the United States and far more data and research is needed. But what we do know is a great deal about how victims – particularly young people – are lured into trafficking situations. The information below summarizes some of the best available research about how trafficking actually happens, so you can help to keep your families and communities safe. Traffickers tend to prey on people who are economically or socially vulnerable such as youth who are living in poverty, or on the streets, or experience physical or sexual abuse, or addiction. They pose as a friend, offering to meals, gifts, or just a sympathetic ear. In some cases, traffickers may use another young person to befriend and recruit their victims. This recruitment can happen in public places such as malls or sporting events, as well as online, through social media sites, or through false advertisements or promises about job opportunities that might appeal to young people, such as modeling or acting. Although runaway and homeless youth are particularly vulnerable, there are also several examples of victims who were groomed and recruited while living at home and even attending school. Using these methods, over time the trafficker is no longer a stranger, but someone the victim knows and even trusts. With this trust in place, traffickers don’t need to kidnap their victims. They can convince them to show up willingly. This perceived choice in the beginning often results in feelings of shame, guilt, or self-blame for victims and survivors who later try to leave their traffickers. It is also not uncommon for parents and family members to sell children for sex in exchange for money, drugs, or something of value. In these situations, the trafficker is already someone with proximity to the victim and knows enough about the victim to even isolate and manipulate them. Being aware of and focusing on the ways in which traffickers gradually lure their victims is critical in recognizing and even preventing situations of sex trafficking. Below are some suggestions for ways you can help protect your child or a child you may know:
Educate yourself and your child on what human trafficking looks like and common grooming tactics.
Learn about online safety and the risks of sharing personal information with strangers who may not be who they say they are online.
Establish open lines of communication early on with your child so they feel comfortable enough to talk to you about what is going on in their lives. Discuss how they can recognize and remove themselves from uncomfortable situations before they become urgent or dangerous.
Talk to your child about human trafficking. There are different strategies for talking to children of every age.
Understand the vulnerabilities of children in your community and what makes them a high risk to human trafficking.
Support your local organizations that are working to help prevent child sex trafficking and support survivors.
References
Deshpandre, N., & Nour, N. (2013). Sex trafficking of women and girls. Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 6, pp. 22-27.
Horn, K., Woods, S. (2013). Trauma and its aftermath for commercially sexually exploited women as told by front-line service providers. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 34, pp. 75-81.
Kotrla, K. (2010). Domestic minor sex trafficking in the United States. Social Work, 55, pp. 181-187.
Kotrla, K. & Wommack, B. A. (2011). Sex trafficking of minors in the US: Implications for policy, prevention, and research. Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, 2(1, 5). Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1189039.pdf.
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/what-we-know-about-how-child-sex-trafficking-happens/
0 notes
Text
Human Trafficking and Prison Labor
Most people assume that the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution wholly abolished legal slavery in the United States in any form. The reality, however, is that the Thirteenth Amendment contained one important exception: Prison labor. Those who have been “duly convicted” of a crime can still, legally, be forced to work in this country, and that exception has been a driving force for how our prison system looks today and the mass incarceration of Black Americans. Increasingly, formerly incarcerated people are speaking out about their experiences and asking the anti-trafficking movement to join the fight to improve working conditions and pay, and end forced labor in prisons and detention centers. Beginning in 2019, Polaris began hosting listening sessions with advocates in the criminal justice reform and immigrant rights movements to deepen our own understanding and identify ways the anti-trafficking movement can support the criminal justice reform and immigrant rights movements to address exploitation in prisons and detention centers. The United States defines labor trafficking as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. Prison labor often fits this description. All prison labor has some financial benefit to the entity – private or governmental – running the prison. The most common type of prison labor is institutional. These are the jobs that support the operations of the prison or detention facility. They may include cooking, cleaning, laundry, landscaping, and other jobs. Most of this work is for low pay, on average $0.14-$0.63 an hour, or no pay at all. In many of these jobs, without the use of this free or heavily discounted labor, the facility would need to hire a civilian employee to do the work at market rate. This difference in pay translates into a profit for the state or private company that is incarcerating individuals, creating an incentive to continue incarcerating more and more people. The second type of labor incarcerated individuals typically perform is working for either a state or federal government correctional industry – businesses or corporations run by the government in question that operate in correctional facilities and utilize incarcerated individuals as free or cheap laborers. The type of work can include manufacturing, furniture building, agriculture, making license plates or signs, and making uniforms or apparel. Most products from correctional industries can only be sold to government agencies and non-profits within the state. The exception is for agricultural goods, which can be sold to anyone, including directly to consumers. The third type of labor incarcerated individuals perform affects only a small number of incarcerated individuals (approximately 5,000 nationwide) who work for private companies through a program called the Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP). This program allows private companies to contract with state governments to hire incarcerated individuals to work for them. Large companies such as Victoria’s Secret, Walmart, Microsoft, Starbucks, and Whole Foods have or had products produced with prison labor in their supply chains (typically through subcontractors’ use of incarcerated individuals’ work).
Why is prison labor a problem?
In many cases, incarcerated individuals have no choice but to participate in work programs that enrich the private prison companies or the state or local governments operating the facility. They are mandated to work unless medically unable. The average wage per hour for incarcerated individuals is typically less than a dollar an hour and in several states inmates are not paid at all but still required to work. With criminal justice fees, fines, and paycheck deductions for room, board, and medical facilities, most people who get out of prison wind up owing the government money for their incarceration, making imprisonment a revenue generator. In other cases, prison work programs are “voluntary,” meaning that incarcerated people can choose not to participate. But the choice looks a lot like coercion to people who are in dire financial need or who are threatened with physical harm if they do not perform the work. In prison, for example, a person without any outside source of income would not have the means to put money into their commissary accounts to purchase food, hygiene products, pay for medical visits, or make phone calls. Story after story has emerged from immigrant detention centers where detainees who have not been convicted of crimes have been forced to work to support the operations of the detention center. Under the threat of solitary confinement, relocation into more violent dormitories, withholding of food or essential supplies like sanitary pads, or other coercive tactics, detainees acquiesce to “voluntary” work. Increasingly, we are learning that the ways in which prison labor is being done by for-profit prison businesses is exploitative, with little consideration given to the exploitation of the incarcerated workers themselves. A number of lawsuits against GEO Group and CoreCivic, the two largest private prison corporations, are now emerging alleging forced labor and human trafficking. In a lawsuit against GEO Group, more than 62,000 complainants have joined a class action suit alleging forced labor in the Aurora Detention Center in violation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. In a lawsuit filed by Project South and the Southern Poverty Law Center against the Stewart Correctional Facility in Lumpkin, GA, CoreCivic is accused of similar violations. Incarcerated and detained individuals’ communication is monitored and this means that it is difficult for them to report abuses or violation of their rights. Even if they could report exploitative working conditions, many protections are unavailable for them as they are not considered “employees” in the traditional and legal sense and therefore are not protected by the Equal Pay Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the National Labor Relations Act, or the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
What can be done?
There is some hope on the horizon that things could improve. A recent court decision by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act covers the conduct of private contractors operating federal immigration detention facilities. This ruling is a good foundational step but a great deal more work is necessary to uphold the protections afforded by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act to incarcerated individuals in prisons, jails, and immigration detention facilities. State and federal oversight agencies need to ensure that all labor programs within detention facilities, prisons or jails are truly voluntary – that is free from coercion or force. Incarcerated or detained workers should be paid adequately for their work so as to not undermine local employment markets. Proper safety protocols and worker protections should be put into place to decrease the risk of contracting COVID-19, workplace injury, or death. The United States demonstrates its leadership by condemning regimes and nations that condone or perpetuate forced labor. The U.S. State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report considers state-sanctioned forced labor and prison labor within its grading of anti-trafficking efforts. And the Department of Homeland Security refuses to allow the import of products into the United States that are the result of forced labor. As we hold other countries to these standards, we should also look to our own actions, and make the changes we need to at home. To learn more about prison labor:
Fact Sheet: Human Trafficking & Forced Labor in For-Profit Detention Facilities by Human Trafficking Legal Center
Institutional Maintenance in Private Prisons: A Case of Labor Exploitation report by OL Pathy Family Foundation
Prison Labor in the United States: An Investor Perspective report by NorthStar Asset Management
The Kill Line feature by Southern Poverty Law Center on incarcerated individuals working in poultry processing facilities
Prison By Any Other Name: A Report on South Florida Detention Facilities by Southern Poverty Law Center
IMPRISONED JUSTICE: Inside Two Georgia Immigrant Detention Centers report by Project South and Penn State Law’s Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic
Prison Legal News: a monthly magazine that reviews prisoners’ rights, court rulings, and news on criminal justice issues. Some of the areas covered include prison labor, the private prison industry, medical and mental health care for prisoners, misconduct, and abuse by prison and jail staff, and settlements and verdicts in lawsuits against detention facilities.
American Prison: A Reporter’s Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Shane Bauer
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/human-trafficking-and-prison-labor/
0 notes
Text
Barcelona Trafficking Network is Dismantled
Written by STOPP Website Staff (08/08/2020) In mid-July, police arrested 12 human traffickers and identified almost 1,000 trafficking survivors in Spain. The Mossos d’Esquadra (the police force of the region of Catalonia, headquartered in Barcelona, in northeastern Spain) dismantled a major international human trafficking ring in Barcelona. Most of the 12 arrested individuals were of Sub-Saharan and Moroccan nationality. They were smuggling Africans into Europe and exploiting them for labor.
Twelve Arrested in Trafficking Network euroweeklynews.com
Police investigated in other countries as well to break up this international ring. There were three searches in Portugal, two in Germany, and one in the Netherlands. Almost 1,000 victims were found including mothers, pregnant women, and children who were recruited to work. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were also discovered, along with two kilos of marijuana.
This investigative operation has been ongoing since 2018 when police identified a criminal gang that was transporting undocumented migrants into France. The victims were transferred from Spain to France, Belgium, and Germany. The traffickers charged the victims at least 500 euros ($566 U.S.) to be transported for the labor, and then often abandoned women and minors in various countries if they, including children, could not pay the full amount that the traffickers said that the victims owed them. This two year operation located almost 1,000 victims.
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/barcelona-trafficking-network-is-dismantled-2/
0 notes
Text
Polaris CTO Testifies on the Role of Technology in Countering Trafficking in Persons
Technology plays a role in almost every aspect of human trafficking, including recruiting victims and carrying out trafficking operations. At the same time, technology can also be used to combat human trafficking, aiding in investigating and prosecuting traffickers and providing services and support to victims and survivors. On July 28, 2020, Polaris Chief Technology Officer Anjana Rajan had the opportunity to explore these issues with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in a hearing on The Role of Technology in Countering Trafficking in Persons. Timed to coincide with World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the Committee hearing examined the role of existing and emerging technologies to prevent and combat human trafficking and to fill gaps in research and data, and how the U.S. government might support these efforts. In her testimony, Anjana brought together data and lessons learned from Polaris’s 13 years operating the National Human Trafficking Hotline and her professional expertise applying cryptography to human rights and national security issues. She emphasized the use of technology as one tool in a broader strategy to change the systems that make people vulnerable to sex and labor trafficking, and the opportunity to use technology to rebalance power back in the hands of victims and survivors. In order to best support, fund, and regulate technologies, members of Congress must have an accurate understanding how relevant technologies actually work – how and who they can help, and how they might harm. This understanding will allow for an innovative and nuanced application so that technologies, like encryption, can be used to protect and support victims and survivors while also being used to prosecute traffickers. Below are key points from Anjana’s testimony that Polaris hopes members of Congress will take into account as they consider how technology can be applied to prevent and combat human trafficking. Her full testimony, which looks more in-depth at these technologies, is also available.
Human trafficking is about people with power exploiting and controlling vulnerable people for their own profit. Survivors tell us that restoring their sense of control – including choosing when law enforcement intervenes – is paramount to their healing. Technology should not only enable law enforcement to identify traffickers; it should also be used to put power back in the hands of victims and survivors. To pass meaningful and effective legislation, it is imperative for legislators to fully understand how these technologies work. One of the technologies that has recently been discussed in this space is encryption. In the public debate around encryption, we often only see two sides represented: one side that says we should identify and apprehend perpetrators at all costs, even if that means we break encryption to do it, and the other side that says we should protect encryption at all costs, even if that means victims and survivors get hurt. This is a false dichotomy. There is a third way that can optimize for both virtues because encryption protects victims and survivors. In fact, we can hold perpetrators (and the platforms that enable them) accountable for their abuse and exploitation using advanced cryptography. But doing so will require innovative thinking and an accurate understanding of how these technologies work. To honor the exploratory nature of this committee hearing, I am proposing three possible ideas on how encryption could be used to help fight human trafficking and support victims and survivors. First, victims and survivors need safe, trauma-informed reporting channels. Cryptographic reporting escrows are examples of systems where they can learn about their options and have the power to take the action that is best for them. The underlying technology pinning these escrows is called secure multiparty computation. Second, human trafficking is, inherently, a commercial enterprise. Financial system intervention in human trafficking has the potential to increase the risk for traffickers and reduce a community’s vulnerability to trafficking. Homomorphic encryption could allow human trafficking researchers to run analytical functions directly on a financial institution’s encrypted data without ever seeing the sensitive plaintext. And third, since human traffickers have eagerly adopted the use of cryptocurrencies, law enforcement could leverage the fact that these transactions are permanently stored on a public, decentralized blockchain ledger. With known wallet addresses and their corresponding public transactions, law enforcement agencies can build an open-source dataset of human trafficking buyers and sellers, and ultimately map out the entire network of a human trafficking ring. In conclusion, human trafficking is a complex problem that requires nuanced solutions. It is the result of social, policy, and market failures. Technology, at its best, can help rebalance power. However, it is not a panacea. The unchecked use of advanced technologies have the potential to suppress freedom, rather than restore freedom to survivors. We need to design and deploy technology with the best interests of victims and survivors at the center. Anjana Rajan, Chief Technology of Polaris, Excerpt from her Testimony before the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
https://www.humantraffickingproject.com/polaris-cto-testifies-on-the-role-of-technology-in-countering-trafficking-in-persons/
0 notes