Kenya: Sex-trafficked women and girls also vulnerable to organ trafficking

From Women News Network:

By Gitonga Njeru

With the highest rate of human trafficking in East and Central Africa, several nongovernmental organizations in Kenya are now under investigation by INTERPOL , the world’s largest international police organization, with 188 member countries. The Interpol Sub-regional Bureau for Eastern Africa is based in Kenya’s capital in Nairobi.

Young women as well as girls who are trafficked can also become a living supply for human body organ transplants.

“Trafficking in human beings for the purpose of using their organs, in particular kidneys, is a rapidly growing field of criminal activity,” says INTERPOL. “In many countries waiting lists for transplants are very long, and criminals have seized this opportunity to exploit the desperation of patients and potential donors,” continues Interpol.

The trail of corruption in Kenya may also reveal human trafficker’s collusion with Kenyan authorities which may include the police and intelligence, as well as the judiciary. This alleged collusion may enable the illegal industry to grow as it goes ‘unchecked’ inside the country.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most prevalent destinations for trafficked organs is Western Europe and the United States. These destinations have the highest number of patients waiting for a new kidney, liver, heart or pancreas.

Organizations currently under investigation are based in Kenya’s capital Nairobi and in Kisumu, Kenya’s third largest city. For legal reasons the organizations cannot be named since investigations are ongoing and there are pending court cases.

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The Business of Human Trafficking

Picture by Kay Chernush for the U.S State Department

Introduction: While law enforcement, government, and non-governmental organizations may be more obvious actors in the movement to end slavery, businesses and corporations have a vital role that is often overlooked. Slavery and labor exploitation flourish because we tolerate them and even benefit from them in the form of artificially cheap products. Corporations thus are in a unique position; some, due to their egregious actions or negligence promote slavery; others, due to their commitment to social responsibility, human rights, and fair-labor practices are actively combating slavery.

Jennifer K.: Though the chocolate industry has garnered a great deal of attention for the use of child labor and forced labor, it's far from the only tainted food. The Solidarity Center released a report in 2008 detailing the True Cost of Shrimp and the ways that workers are exploited to keep prices low. In the Department of Labor's report on goods made with forced labor and/or child labor, the shrimp industry was indicted for the use of both. Ambassador Mark Lagon, former Ambassador-at-Large for the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, described the conditions endured by a slave laborer in the shrimp industry in Southeast Asia, "Aye Aye tried to escape this labor camp, but she was caught, dragged back, beaten, tied to a stake in the middle of the common yard, refused food and water, and had her head shaved. All this to demonstrate to her colleagues what would happen to those who tried to escape." Thailand's shrimp industry is particularly horrifying, utilizing children and teenagers, keeping workers locked to avoid escape, and using threats and violence. Moreover, "Thailand is the world’s largest seafood exporter and the United States is its largest buyer. One third of America’s shrimp is imported from Thailand."

Youngbee: Wal-Mart's notoriety with labor exploitation and child labor is widely known. Even an average Joe who isn't familiar with human trafficking remembers the news report on its child exploitation with the Mary-Kate clothing line. The company was caught multiple times for child labor violation since the early 2000. In year 2000, The New York Times reported on an internal Wal-Mart audit "pointed to extensive violation of child labor regulations." The children missed 60,767 breaks and 15,705 meal times. In 2005, the company once again was caught in violation of child labor regulations in Connecticut, where the labor department found 11 violations in three Wal-Mart stores. The good news is that Wal-Mart seems to respond to the bad publicity. In 2008, it told the suppliers to stop buying cottons from Uzbekistan, where children are exploited. But, this does not mean that it no longer relies on child labor and other forms of exploitation. It just means that at least, it began to recognize the gravity of the problem.

Shreya Exploitation and forced labor are widespread problems in today's society. In November 2009, International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) released their 2010 Sweatshop Hall of Shame report, which apparel and textile companies that employ inhumane and exploitative labor practices in the name of providing cheap consumer goods. Many of these companies force laborers to work in dangerous conditions and pay them below poverty to poverty wages. If the workers attempted to protest or organize, some of the companies have used illegal practices, such has threatening and beating the workers, to prevent them from voicing their concerns. The official 2010 Sweatshop Hall of Shame inductees are:

1. Abercrombie and Fitch
   
2. Gymboree
3. Hanes
4. Ikea
5. Kohl’s
6. LL Bean
7. Pier 1 Imports
8. Propper International
9. Walmart.
   

Many of these companies project a different image and seem to have inconsistent policies. For example, a recent article talked about how Ikea is working with Unicef to help fight child labor. However, according to the report, Ikea has been purchasing linen from a factory where four workers died as a result of unsafe working conditions. We are part of this problem and we can be part of the solution. There are many ways to support non-sweatshop products in the apparel industry. For more information on buying clothing made under ethical and just conditions, visit www.Sweatfree.org/shoppingguide.

Meg: Nike is a good example of how consumer pressure can be used to improve the labor practices of businesses. Many of us can remember the negative publicity and boycotting of Nike during the nineties, when it came under fire for slave labor conditions in its factories. In response to the negative exposure, Nike admitted to its mistakes, specifically with regards to children, and started taking steps to improve conditions. Although opinions seem to vary about whether Nike has sufficiently improved conditions in its factories, it is clear that public opinion is important to the company and has had an effect on its actions. However, these days it seems that so many large companies have been linked to slave labor that it has become almost commonplace. If we avoid becoming desensitized, I think we can do a lot of good in influencing labor practices just by using our power as consumers to discourage businesses with poor labor practices, and encourage businesses that are taking positive steps. For a great first step, check out change.org's weekly Red Light Special.

UN Peacekeepers punished for sex scandal: a literal slap on the wrist

By Youngbee Kim

December 2nd was the International abolition day of slavery. Remembering all the victims of modern day slavery around the world and sexual abuse, I am searching for the reports on whether the authorities have brought the remedies for the victims of child molestation and sexual assault by the UN peacekeepers in Haiti, Congo, and many other countries. So far, they are nowhere to be found.

How the victims were abused

In Haiti, a Jordanian UN peacekeeper raped and sodomized a Haitian mother of five children in 2005.[1] In 2007, 13 years and older girls are having sex with UN peacekeeping soldiers for $1 dollar. In Congo, the UN reported in 2004 that the peacekeepers and bureaucrats have been exploited women and children for quite a few years. [2]

The remedies executed so far

In November 6th, 2009, Associate Press released a report on the disciplinary actions against the UN peacekeepers for molesting children on the missions. According to the report, at least 50 UN peacekeepers punished and prosecuted by the state authorities of their origins. The punishment varied from "reduction in military rank to eight months' imprisonment for committing sexual abuses on missions since 2007." [3] The report also stated that the UN can only investigate allegations of misconduct, but is not able to prosecute the individual offenders. Rather, the each state has the power to prosecute the peacekeepers of their won nationals.

A slap on the wrist

In many places around the world, child molesters serve much longer jail term than what some of the UN peacekeepers had to face, which is only 8 months in jail. In New Jersey, a 61 years old pedophile was sentenced nearly 20 years in jail for molesting children in Thailand.[4] In Florida, a man was sentenced life in prison for molesting his step daughters as well as nieces. [5] In Australia, a 61 years old man was sentenced for 12 years in jail for molesting 12 children. [6] What is worse is that some of the soldiers were never prosecuted by their own state authorities upon their dismissal from the mission by the UN. [7]

The victims: stuck with a life long trauma

The children who are molested in their young age have to face various symptoms caused by the sexual abuse. Socially, they experience the fear of losing control in a relationship and have hard time trusting other people. They also face challenges in their sexual relationship with the partners as some of the remarks or touch by the partners would likely bring them back to the memories of the abuse. Physically, the victims suffer all kinds of chronic pain including abdominal pain, menstrual pain, intestinal complaints, stomach ache, nausea, back pain, etc. [8]

So the case is closed?

A human rights lawyer in Haiti reports as follows: [9]

In 2009, the UN sent 112 requests for action taken concerning all forms of misconduct, including but not limited to sexual exploitation and abuse, and received 14 responses as of 3 November. By comparison, she noted, the UN sent 192 such requests in 2008 and received six responses on action taken, while 146 requests were made and nine responses received in 2007.

It is not only disturbing to hear that these victims are left with no remedies for their trauma but also that only a few out of many UN peacekeepers faced a lighter punishment than what they actually deserve in committing such a horrendous crime like mentioned above. Currently, the UN still has not obtained the full right to discipline their soldiers and aid workers when they commit a crime during the mission. Some people say that such scandal only proves its inability to retain its own soldiers. Others argue that the UN must be granted more binding power to retain its system. But again, in either case, the victims are left with a life long trauma with no assistance for rehabilitation so far.

Diplomatic Immunity

In an earlier post on civil litigation on behalf of human trafficking survivors, I briefly mentioned the ways that diplomatic immunity complicates work to help trafficking victims. After spending a summer in DC and a conversation where someone told me that she flat out refused to believe that a diplomat or someone involved with government could be a trafficker, this is an issue that has been on my mind again.

Diplomatic immunity protects diplomats from lawsuit or prosecution under their host country's laws. In the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations in 1961 it was agreed as international law. The official's home country can waive immunity, though many countries refuse to waive immunity in any circumstance. Countries that do waive immunity only do so for serious crimes unrelated to the official's role as a diplomat. Home countries can also choose to prosecute under their own laws. Thus, it is possible for diplomats to be punished for trafficking.

However, it is extremely difficult, partially because law enforcement are reluctant to investigate such cases given the low-likelihood of successful prosecution and potential repercussions. According to Ambassador Mark Lagon of Polaris Project and formerly the Ambassador-at-Large assigned by Congress to combat human trafficking, diplomatic immunity can become "diplomatic impunity," often shielding officials who are simply withdrawn from the host country if the country requests to waive immunity because of a trafficking case. Lagon argues that "The reflexive desire not to rock the boat in our relations with other countries given misplaced concerns about constant whining from their ambassadors or fear of backlash against U.S. diplomats must end."

A recent article in the Washington Examiner notes that exploitative labor conditions under diplomatic officials can make their employees vulnerable to trafficking, even if the diplomats are not the traffickers. Soripada Lubis, who entered a plea agreement in a trafficking ring case in February of 2009, utilized women's vulnerability because of their employment by diplomats, where they faced poor pay and horrible working conditions. The Examiner piece states that "According to court documents, the women enticed into Lubis' network came to the United States as domestic servants for diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen and other countries. . . Prosecutors believe Lubis found the women by using contacts at the Indonesian Embassy, where he was once a driver."

Cases are certainly not confined to the US. In early August, the Independent reported on a case in the UK, where a 23-year-old woman came to London to work for a diplomat and his wife, with the impression that she would be a paid nanny with the ability to leave. The woman states "They made me get up at six to cook, clean and care for them and their children; I didn't get to bed until one in the morning. They treated me like dirt, throwing things at me, shouting at me and hitting me ... If I didn't do what they asked they would beat me and smash my head against the wall. Every time I asked to go home they threatened me. They said they would destroy my passport and harm my family. I was terrified because I knew they could; they have power in my country."

Their power extends to make them immune to repercussions. According to the article, "Although the woman reported her allegations to police, they advised her that the couple could not be prosecuted because of their diplomatic status. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) contacted their embassy but were told that since they have returned to their home country they cannot be chased for the compensation payments ordered in January."

Some cases on behalf of trafficking survivors are making headway. In a recent New York case, a federal judge denied immunity to a Ambassador Lauro Liboon Baja, Jr., a former representative of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations. The Baja family is being sued on 15 counts of violations, including slavery and forced labor, by a woman they allegedly brought to the United States with false offers that she could find work as a nurse. Instead, according to an article at In These Times, "she was forced to work 126 hours per week for three months. Moreover, she was banished to the basement and fed only leftovers, and only paid $100." Judge Marreo denied Baja's claim to immunity, stating that under legal precedent this was a private act, not an official act; had the act been an official act, it is likely nothing could have been done.

Last summer the Government Accountability Office issued a report entitled "U.S. Government’s Efforts to Address Alleged Abuse of Household Workers by Foreign Diplomats with Immunity Could Be Strengthened" detailing the situation, challenges, and potential directions for addressing this issue. The report identified three main challenges in these particular cases: immunity, which poses constraints for investigations, increased vulnerability of employees because of the power diplomats have, and the red-tape involved in these cases that can slow down and ultimately stymie investigative attempts. The report also suggested a number of ways that U.S. Government can strengthen its efforts to address abuse, including increase oversight, cooperation between agency, and training and technical assistance.

For any of these measures to succeed, though, I would argue that we must join Ambassador Lagon in advocating for an end to immunity as impunity.

The picture is a map of embassies in DC.

Slavery Listed as Factor for Worst Places for Refugees in USCRI's World Refugee Survey

Last month, the United States Committee for Immigrants and Refugees (USCRI) released its annual World Refugee Survey. This is one of the most comprehensive sources of information on the situation facing refugees worldwide, including statistical and qualitative data on the number of refugees, where they are currently located and where they are from. The report also includes a section on "Best & Worst Places for Refugees", which discusses places that have made significant changes to accomodate refugees and their familes and places where refugees suffer from serious discrimination, lack of protection and/or physical violence.

In this year's report, Malaysia is listed as one of the worst places for refugees specifically because there is evidence that refugees are often turned away and sold into slavery:

"Malaysian immigration officials continued to sell deportees to gangs that operate along the Malaysia-Thailand border. The gang members extort bribes from the deportees in exchange for smuggling them back into Malaysia, and sell those who cannot pay into slavery. Men frequently end up on Thai fishing boats, women in brothels, and children with gangs who exploit child beggars. At least 1,000 refugees and asylum seekers were among the deportees in 2008. Malaysia’s RELA, a volunteer immigration enforcement militia, continued to engage in violent raids against undocumented foreigners in the country, and immigration officials caned at least six refugees—one of them a minor—for immigration violations."

Refugees are sometimes a population that receives less attention, particularly in the media, when it comes to discussing victims of human trafficking. Their vulnerability and struggle to survive make them perfect targets for traffickers, who exploit the isolation and desperation faced by refugees to gain profits. This is not a problem that is only specific to Malaysia; however without proper protection and, worse in this situation, with the sanction of government and law enforcement officials, refugees will continue to fall prey to slavery.

You can find more information about UNHCR and their resources related to refugees and human trafficking here.

Sex Trade of Minors in India

Cohen Milstein Files Human Trafficking Victims Lawsuit Against U.S. Military Contractors in Iraq

From Market Watch:

Aug 27, 2008

LOS ANGELES- Cohen Milstein, representing victims of human trafficking and their survivors, filed suit today in the United States District Court for the Central District of California against a prominent U.S. military contractor, Kellogg Brown & Root, Inc. ("KBR"), and its Jordanian subcontractor, Daoud & Partners ("Daoud"). During the relevant time period, KBR was the largest military contractor for the United States in Iraq.

According to the lawsuit, the trafficking victims include 13 Nepali men who were taken to Iraq against their will to provide menial labor at a United States military facility.

The men, ages 18-27, were recruited in Nepal to work as kitchen staff in hotels and restaurants in Amman, Jordan. Their families went deep into debt to arrange the jobs, which they hoped would lift them out of poverty. Once they arrived in Jordan, however, they were not provided the expected employment. Instead, their passports were seized, they were held against their will, and they were told that they were being sent to work at a military facility in Iraq, the United States Al Asad Airbase.

The men allege that the illicit trafficking scheme--from their recruitment in Nepal to their eventual employment in Iraq--was engineered by KBR and its subcontractor Daoud.

Tragically, as the men were being transported to Iraq, a car containing twelve of the men was stopped by members of the Ansar al-Sunna Army, an insurgent group. The 12 men in the car were taken hostage and executed by the insurgents. The executions were filmed and posted on the Internet.

The Inspector General for the United States Department of Defense investigated and confirmed the facts related to the fate of the 12 men, which led to increased enforcement of anti-trafficking measures by the United States.

The 13th trafficking victim, Buddi Prasad Gurung, was not kidnapped with the others and arrived at the U.S. military facility in August 2004. He was assigned to work as a loader/unloader in a warehouse, supervised by KBR.

For 15 months, Mr. Gurung was held in Iraq against his will, before KBR and Daoud allowed him to return home to Nepal. Mr. Gurung has joined with the family members of the 12 deceased victims to file claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and the Alien Tort Claims Act.

They are represented by Agnieszka Fryszman, Matthew Handley, and Molly McOwen of Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll P.L.L.C. (Washington, D.C.) Cohen Milstein's International Human Rights practice group has earned a stellar reputation for its work representing victims of forced and slave labor and other violations of international law.

A copy of the human trafficking complaint is available on the firm's website, www.cmht.com, as are copies of relevant Department of Defense documents. Ms. Fryszman and Mr. Handley are available for comment.

Sex Slaves in Argentina

Human Rights Watch Urges Guinea to Rein in Security Forces

Ahmed Tidiane Souare

From AFP:

Human Rights Watch called on Guinea's Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare to put the country's "chronic human rights problems at the top of his agenda", in a statement released Friday."

The government's continuing inaction in the face of gross human rights abuses really hurts ordinary Guineans," said Dustin Sharp a researcher with the movement.

"If prime minister Souare is to break with the past, he needs to insist that security forces responsible for murder, rape and torture are brought to justice," he added.

The security forces have been an important pillar for the regime of President Lansana Conte, 74, who has ruled the West African nation since 1984.

Human Rights Watch said it had written to Soaure on August 7 calling on him to "exercise bold leadership."

It urged him to tackle Guinea's most acute human rights problems, which it listed as: impunity for unlawful killings, torture, prison conditions, child labor and child trafficking.

Guinea had been rocked by civil unrest in the last few years which "has typically been met with brutal and excessive use of force by government security forces," said the group.

Souare was appointed prime minister on May 20, having previously served as mines, and then education minister.

Philippines: Government Steps Up Anti-Trafficking Campaign

The Manila Times:

By Anthony A. Vargas
August 10,2008

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will strengthen local and international efforts in curbing illegal recruitment and human trafficking in all forms, following the release of a report from a non-government organization indicating an increase in human trafficking activities in the Philippines.

Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque, also chair of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Board, made this assurance as he bared that the government has consolidated all its resources and focal agencies into one Task Force to directly address the problem of illegal recruitment and human trafficking.

Roque said through Executive Order (EO) 548-A issued recently by President Gloria Arroyo, the role of the POEA, an attached agency of the DOLE, was defined and strengthened by R.A 8042, or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.

EO 548-A amended and superseded a previous EO and created a task force against illegal recruitment under the supervision of the Commission of Filipino Overseas (CFO), that is also in charge of the Task Force Against Human Trafficking (TFHT) as provided for by EO 548-A.

”This [EO 548-A] shall enable the POEA in coordination with the regional offices of the Department of Labor and Employment to ensure greater focus in fighting illegal recruiters down to the local level,” he said.

Roque said that the executive order underscored the on-going campaign of POEA to involve local government units (LGUs) in the fight against illegal recruiters.

He said that the agency has forged agreements with LGUs in Metro Manila late last year, particularly with the city governments of Taguig, Valen­zuela, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa and Quezon City.

The agreements, he said, called for the active participation of the concerned local government units LGUs in the surveillance and investigation of establishments and entities suspected of illegal recruitment acts in their respective jurisdiction.

The labor chief said that POEA is set to forge similar agreements with other LGUs in Metro Manila and other regions this year, in line with Executive Order No. 548-A and RA 8042.

As TFHT chair, the CFO shall recommend to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) policies, programs, and services aimed at eliminating trafficking in persons. The IACAT is the primary body tasked to coordinate, monitor and oversee the implementation of programs against trafficking in persons as provided for by RA No. 9208, otherwise known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

“We always believe that the best way to prevent or minimize illegal recruitment or human trafficking is for would be overseas workers to check and verify first with the authorities, particularly with POEA, any offer of overseas job by individuals or entities engaged in overseas employment before dealing with them,” Roque said.

The Labor secretary added that among the safety nets and measures established by the DOLE to mitigate if not totally eradicate or prevent illegal recruitment and human trafficking is the conduct of Pre-Departure Orientation Seminars, the establishment of Public Employment Service Offices in cities and municipalities nationwide to assist workers seeking local or overseas employment; and building linkages with various agencies of government charged with migration and travel.

Overseas, Roque said the 34 Philippine Overseas Labor Offices of the DOLE established worldwide help trace, shelter, assist and repatriate victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking. Aside from DOLE’s initiatives, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has installed cellular phones signal jammers as added security measure and to strengthen measures against human trafficking and irregular facilitation and escort of passenger at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the country’s premiere international gateway.

BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said that 12 units of cellular phone signal jammers and dampers will be installed at the NAIA’s arrival and departure area of the premier airport. The cellphone jammers are only going to block signals near the immigration area. Some BI personnel allegedly used cell phones to communicate with persons involved in human trafficking and irregular facilitation and escort of passengers. Libanan said that he had endorsed the purchase and installation of said electronic equipment to strengthen the ban on immigration personnel from using cell phones while still on duty at the NAIA. “Apparently, there were still other immigration officers disregarding the rule,” Libanan said in a statement issued on Monday.

The Immigration commissioner said that there’s a need to strictly implement the cell phone ban at the NAIA to strengthen the bureau’s drive against human trafficking and it also prevents corruption. The installation of cell phone jammers and dampers were proposed by NAIA-BI Operations chief, Ferdinand Sampol who said that cell phone use by immigration personnel leaves a bad impression to the public. ”It gives the public the impression that they are the contact persons of those seeking irregular facilitation,” Sampol said in the same statement.

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Kosher Meats Firm Cited for Child Labor Violations

From Yahoo:

DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa labor officials said Tuesday that they had uncovered dozens of child labor violations at the nation's biggest supplier of kosher meat.

Officials from the state's Labor Commissioner's Office said their investigation, which spanned several months, uncovered 57 cases of child labor law violations at the Agriprocessors kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, where nearly 400 workers were arrested this spring in the largest immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history.

The types of violations included minors working in prohibited occupations, exceeding allowable hours for youth to work, failure to obtain work permits, exposure to hazardous chemicals and working with prohibited tools.

"The investigation brings to light egregious violations of virtually every aspect of Iowa's child labor laws," Dave Neil, Iowa Labor Commissioner, said in a statement. "It is my recommendation that the attorney general's office prosecute these violations to the fullest extent of the law."

Juda Engelmayer, an Agriprocessors spokesman, declined to comment.

Federal immigration agents arrested 389 illegal-immigrant workers, mostly Guatemalans, in a May 12 raid at the Agriprocessors plant. Most of the arrested workers pleaded guilty within a week and are serving sentences in federal prisons outside Iowa before being deported. Allegations of child labor violations were included in an initial affidavit and a search warrant that led to the raid at Agriprocessors, which also operates a plant near Gordon, Neb.

Kerry Koonce, a spokeswoman for Iowa Workforce Development, the agency that oversees the labor commission, said Iowa's child labor investigation into Agriprocessors began before the federal immigration raid and was independent of the raid.

Under Iowa law, it is illegal for children under the age of 18 to work in meatpacking plants. Koonce said the number of violations is much larger than what is typically found in the state of Iowa.

"Typically, when we have child labor issues it's an issue of one or two individuals," she said. "From our point of view, with this investigation, it's a large-scale violation of the law."

Koonce said the full report was not being made public because it is a part of a criminal investigation but she confirmed that 57 children were involved.

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Prostitution Inc.: Brazil

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Diplomats Abuse their Workers, Invoke Immunity

From Newsday.com:

By Anthony M. Destefano
July 28, 2008

Federal investigators have uncovered numerous cases of foreign diplomats - mostly in New York and Washington, D.C. - who abused their domestic workers without fear of prosecution because of diplomatic immunity, according to a government report to be released tomorrow.

The level of cruelty of some of the allegations appears similar to those recently uncovered in the human trafficking prosecution of Varsha and Mahender Sabhnani, the Muttontown business couple convicted of abusing two Indonesian maids. At the federal trial in Central Islip the maids, who have sued the Sabhnanis, said they were tortured and beaten, sometimes resorting to foraging for food in garbage pails.

At least 42 cases of suspected abuse by diplomats - including allegations of forced labor, human trafficking and physical abuse - have been uncovered in the past eight years, the Government Accountability Office study found, according to people who have seen summaries of the document.

GAO officials wouldn't release the report in advance of its scheduled unveiling tomorrow. But congressional staffers familiar with the report's contents said the diplomats suspected of the abuses were assigned to various embassies and United Nations missions. In some instances the officials were involved with agencies like the World Bank, said the staffers, who added that the report doesn't identify specific countries involved.

Juhu Thukral, an attorney with the Urban Justice Center in Manhattan who helps trafficking victims, said domestic workers represent the largest number of victims in trafficking cases and their plight is exacerbated by physical and language isolation.

But while the victims in the Sabhnani case saw their employers prosecuted and were able to file lawsuits, foreign diplomats who abuse domestic workers are insulated from criminal prosecution and most lawsuits under the Vienna Convention, the international treaty ratified here in 1961 that provides diplomatic immunity.

Earlier this month, Marichu Suarez Baoanan, 39, sued the former chief of the Philippines mission to the United Nations, Lauro Liboon Baja, Jr., in federal court in Manhattan. In her complaint, Baoanan said Baja and his family lured her from the Philippines and subjected her to forced labor at the official residence. But in court papers, Baja's attorneys argue that he is protected from the lawsuit by the Vienna Convention.

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Former Philippine Diplomat Argues Trafficking Charge is False

From ABS-CBN:

Lauro Baja Jr., the Philippines' former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said Tuesday that the Philippine consulate general in New York has yet to call him up regarding the human trafficking case filed against him by a former housemaid.

"Being summoned by a judicial authority in the States is a serious matter. And if it's against a colleague in the service, out of courtesy and camaraderie, [someone should have called me up]," said Baja, who now works as a foreign affairs consultant of Senate President Manuel Villar.

Baja said he is also puzzled at the silence of retired Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., the current Philippine representative to the UN.

"I have not [heard] a word, nothing," Baja told a radio dzMM interview when asked if Davide has contacted him about the charges filed by Marichu Suarez Baoanan.

With regard to his plans of filing a counter-suit, Baja said he still studying his options.

"I'm thinking about that. You do know that I advocate human rights in all of my foreign postings," he said.

Baja said it is clear at this point that he and his family were double-crossed by the same person they helped land a job.

He said that Baoanan was recommended to his wife by a friend in Manila.

Baoanan, a registered nurse, came to the US in January 2006 holding a red Philippine passport, the travel document usually given to employees of Philippine diplomats.

"It cannot be human trafficking because their recruitment was in accordance with rules and regulations. It was because of [the Department of Foreign Affairs] that she was given red passport...," he said.

Baja added that Baoanan had a room to herself on the same floor of the Philippine consulate's building in New York.

"She was sleeping on the second floor, she was eating the same food," he said.

He said Baoanan's duties included washing clothes, cleaning dishes and vacuum-cleaning the floor.

Search in vain
Two months after her arrival, Baoanan disappeared, Baja said.

"We asked around because we didn't have the means to scout the whole of New York. Besides, we had our jobs to attend to," he said.

Baja added that when the search failed, he thought then that Baoanan may have found a more lucrative source of livelihood.

"She was treated fairly. We went to the motion of trying to locate her."

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Philippines: Ex-Diplomat Implicated in Human Trafficking

From Gulf News:

By Gilbert Felongco

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has expressed concern over the alleged involvement of a former envoy in a human trafficking ring. In a statement, the foreign office said the DFA's position against human trafficking, slavery and forced labour had been consistent.

The statement came in reaction to reports implicating former Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations, Lauro Baja, in the racket. A civil case was filed before the New York Southern District Court against Baja, his wife Norma, daughter Elizabeth Baja-Facundo, as well as the envoy's travel agency Labaire International.

The suit stemmed from complaints of trafficking, forced labour, and racketeering by their maid, Marichu Suarez Baoanan.

In the civil case she filed against the Bajas and their travel agency, Baoanan, a registered nurse, said she had paid P250,000 to her recruiters so that she could enter the US legally.

While serving as maid to the family that facilitated her entry to the US, she said she was to serve them 16 hours a day and was paid only $100 for three months of work.

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National Anti-Human Trafficking Day in Thailand

From the Bangkok Post:

There were no banner-waving social militants on the march or high-profile campaign launches. Nothing, in fact, to make the first Thursday of this month stand out as a special day. The only clue lay in the show of diligence by police busily checking the ID cards of youthful passengers on long-distance trains. That was how the country marked its first-ever National Anti-Human Trafficking Day.

This date, June 5, was when our tough new law to combat traffickers came into effect and extended its protection to all those in danger of becoming victims of prostitution, pornography, sexual abuse, forced labour or the trade in human organs. It increases the punishment meted out to traffickers, spares victims from prosecution and conceals their identities. It also spares high-ranking police officers from having to obtain search warrants when actively in pursuit of suspected human traffickers and while rescuing their victims.

There are other provisions too, but the new law will only be of value if police actually enforce it. Too often in the past they have shown little inclination to get involved and Thailand has had to suffer the shame of being branded an international human trafficking hub as a result. Lax attitudes have to change before anything else will. This means breaking up cosy working relationships between the corrupt influential figures behind the trafficking and their equally corrupt state counterparts and throwing both in jail. It is not an exaggeration to say that the world is watching and there will be further damage to our reputation if complacency sets in.

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Investigation of India Govt Officials Accused of Human Trafficking Moves Forward

From Sify News:

NEW DELHI, India- The Privileges Committee of the Lok Sabha has granted permission to Delhi Police to examine original documents related to recent foreign trips made by five MPs who are facing charges of human trafficking.

The MPs against whom the Crime Branch of Delhi Police has filed a case of human trafficking are Babubhai K Katara, Mitrasen Yadav, Mohammad Tahir Khan, Ashok Kumar Rawat and Ramswaroop Koli.

A report of the Privileges Committee chaired by V Kishore Chandra S Deo was presented in the house on Wednesday. It said: “Forensic and handwriting experts will photograph the original documents like letters, application forms, and permission submitted to the Lok Sabha secretariat about their foreign visits since 2000.”

The experts will photograph “documents within the precincts of the Lok Sabha Secretariat in the presence of the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Crime and Railways, Delhi, or any other designated police officers and concerned officers of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.” The anti-extortion cell of the Crime Branch was investigating the case.

In May 2007, J S Malik, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Anti-Extortion Cell, had written to Lok Sabha Secretary General P D T Achary, and had sought the original documents regarding the five MPs’ foreign visits since 2000. The matter was referred to the Privileges Committee, which held two meetings with Madhup Kumar Tiwari, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime and Railways, Delhi Police, before granting the permission.

Delhi Police arrested Katara, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Dahod in Gujarat, whom the party suspended later, at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on April 18, 2007 for trying to take a woman and a teenage boy to Canada on the diplomatic passports of his family.

After further investigations and interrogation of Sunderlal Yadav, an alleged conduit, the names of other four MPs also cropped up.

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Three Women Accuse Owner of the City of Hope of Selling Their Babies

From Gulf News:

Three young women of different nationalities are accusing the owner of the City of Hope shelter, Sharla Musabih, of selling their new-born babies to families in the UAE.

The women claim they were forced to give up their babies without compensation.

Irina Guseynova, a 25-year-old Russian woman, arrived in the UAE through Sharjah airport on June 3, 2003, on a tourist visa.

She is currently being detained at Dubai Central Jail for staying illegally in the country after being arrested in Abu Dhabi. She told Gulf News that she came here when she was only 20 with another Russian woman, to work as a prostitute.

"The moment I landed at the airport my boss seized my passport. I worked as a prostitute for a year just to pay back my boss the cost of bringing me here, and then I started to work on my own," Irina said. "Later I met an Emirati man from Fujairah. He told me we were married in the Muslim way, and I believed him," she said.

She added when she was six months pregnant the man ran away, leaving her with no money, no food and expecting a child.

"An Uzbekistani human rights activist took me to Sharla. I stayed in her villa in Jumeirah from August 19, 2005 until November 9 when I gave birth to my baby boy at Al Oasis Hospital in Al Ain," she said.

Irina claimed Musabih promised to help her get her passport back and help her with a ticket home, but she did not do it. "The day I went to Sharla an American woman married to an Emirati, identified as Linda, took me to Fujairah Hospital for a health check-up," she said.

Irina said during her stay Sharlah tried to convince her to give her baby to Linda, because Linda had no children and in return Irina would be given a ticket home. "Sharlah threatened to pass my info on to the the police if I refused to give them my baby," she said.

"On the day of the delivery an Ethiopian woman, identified as Zahra, took me to Al Ain and at 11pm on February 9, 2005, I gave birth to my baby boy, whom I have never seen," she said. "I was not allowed to touch or to look at my baby. When we went back to Dubai from Al Ain the next day, Zahra held my baby in her arms and at Sharla's villa the baby was kept away from me in a hall. I tried to enter the hall to see the baby but Sharla did not allow me," she said.

Irina added she was scared and decided to escape that same day at midnight. "After some time, while I was in Abu Dhabi staying with friends, I received a phone call on my mobile from Linda who asked me to go for a full medical check-up, but I did not go. A few days later Linda contacted me again, but I said I had no money."

"Linda was outraged and said she had paid Sharla a huge amount of money in return for my baby," Irina said. Irina said she never received a single dirham from Sharla or from any one else in return for her baby.

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Filipina Accuses Shelter of Selling Her Child

From the Philippines Star:

A Filipina has accused the owner of a shelter for selling her baby to a family in the United Arab Emirates.

Gulf News reported that the Filipina, who refused to divulge her name, said she has given birth to a baby boy in 2005 with the aid of Sharla Musanih of the City of Hope shelter.

The baby was soon sold to an American woman identified as Layla who is married to a Saudi man living in Dubai.

The Filipina is one of three victims including a Russian and Uzbekistani by Musabih who earlier said that she never had pregnant women in her shelter. Musanih has yet to reply to the accusations.

Dr. Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and head of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking said the "UAE government is keen to fight international human trafficking."

Organ Trafficking: a Fast-Expanding Black Market

From Jane's Information Group:

As global demand for live transplants keeps growing, the shadowy organ trading business is rapidly expanding, dominated by unscrupulous brokers and facilitated by inadequate national legislations, widespread corrupt practices and a general lack of public awareness on the extent of the trade.

The illegal trade in body parts is largely dominated by kidneys because they are in greatest demand and they are the only major organs that can be wholly transplanted with relatively few risks for the living donor.

Organ trafficking accounts for around 10 per cent of the nearly 70,000 kidney transplants performed worldwide annually, although as many as 15,000 kidneys could be trafficked each year.

China, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Brazil, the Philippines, Moldova, and Romania are among the world's leading providers of trafficked organs. If China is known for harvesting and selling organs from executed prisoners, the other countries have been dealing essentially with living donors, becoming stakeholders in the fast-growing human trafficking web.

Trafficked organs are either sold domestically, or exported to be transplanted into patients from the US, Europe, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and especially Israel.

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