Welcome to Our Newest Contributor: Shreya Amin

We are happy to introduce Shreya Amin, the newest member of the HTP team!



A little about Shreya in her own words:

My name is Shreya Amin. My background is in Mathematics; however, I am currently switching fields and am starting a study on human trafficking. I hope to study this problem both from a qualitative and a quantitative/modeling perspective. My current goal is to gain first-hand experience in understanding the problem as well as getting involved in the anti-trafficking movements in the U.S. and globally.

In February, a friend and I started a study to understand the water crisis in a place in India (Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh) and its impact on the community. There has been an increase in migration in the area over the last decade or so. Due to the poor economic opportunities, the people are exploited by the money lenders. This has forced the people to migrate to a neighboring state of Gujarat, where they are under-paid and over-worked. Recently, we found out that the women and the girls may be sexual exploited while they migrate. We started out trying to understand water-related problems and it turned out that these problems are directly linked with exploitation. Modern-day slavery and exploitation really is present everywhere.

I plan to audit courses and meet with researchers as well as representatives from various organizations to better understand trafficking and the economic as well as social factors that are driving this problem. I will post my findings here and look forward to your feedback.

Look out for Shreya's posts coming soon.

New Documentary on Trafficking to be Screened in New York City

I was first drawn to the film Fatal Promises by the outstanding outreach effort of Anneliese Rohrer, who contacted HTP about posting information about the film's upcoming screenings in New York City. Upon taking a look on the film's website, I noticed a host of familiar faces and stories from both Ukraine and New York State in the film's preview. Last night, I had the privilege of speaking with Kat Rohrer about the making and upcoming screening of Fatal Promises, which Kat directed. The film provides a "comprehensive look at the realities of human trafficking versus the rhetoric of politicians and pundits who claim to be making significant strides in combating this horrific crime against humanity." The title, according to Rohrer, represents the fatal promises made by traffickers to their victims and the seemingly empty promises made by the international community to stop the crime and assist victims.

The synopsis of the film does not exaggerate when it states that the film is comprehensive: it covers the crime as it exists in both sex and labor trafficking with the stories of both male and female victims, a defining reality of trafficking that is often overlooked. When asked about how this film will make its own unique mark in the anti-trafficking media and film, Ms. Rohrer referred to this aspect of the film, and of the film's additional focus on the "hypocrisy on every level in every country "often put forward by lawmakers who lack the political will to put pen to paper when it comes to drafting effective anti-trafficking laws.

This is Rohrer's first feature film, and is the culmination of over four years of research and collaborative efforts. Her inspiration from the film started from a New York Times article in 2005, and she decided to do something through film, her expertise. This was followed by fact-finding missions to Ukraine and other areas of Europe and around the United States where Rohrer interviewed victims, stakeholders and activists like Emma Thompson and Gloria Steinem. Rohrer even utilized tools like Google Alerts on "human trafficking" to receive news about upcoming events in the counter-trafficking field that helped her connect with activists in the US. Some of the activists and organization are now featured on the film's website (a great idea for other individuals looking for continuously updated news on human trafficking).

I was particularly moved by Rohrer's description of the interviews that she and her crew conducted with a victim by the name of Katja, who was victimized in a suburban US neighborhood and now speaks about her experiences on major news networks and even testified to Congress. Rohrer credits Katja for being instrumental to the creation of the film through her strength and courage to work with the crew and share her story.

Today (Sep. 15) kicks off a week of screenings in New York City at the School of the Visual Arts Theater. This will then be followed by a week of screenings at Cinema Village and trafficking related events including panel discussions featuring activists and NGO representatives. Rohrer continues to work closely with Emma Thompson and the unique art installation "Journey." We will hopefully be seeing the two unique media displays together in several cities around the US. Rohrer stated there are several follow-up actions being planned for after the NYC screenings, including the possibility of an amended film for the European market to include more information on the destination countries in Europe.

For individuals looking to get involved, the film's website offers numerous outlets for people who want to contribute to the cause. Some of them include:

Attend the screenings! All participants will receive tools to help them report trafficking and create awareness. TIckets for the Cinema Village screening can be purchased here.

Purchase handmade jewelry from Justice Juels. Proceeds will benefit Faith, Hope, Love, a victim services agency in Odessa, Ukraine. This is an organization from which Rohrer and the film's crew gained a lot of valuable insight and information. They provide comprehensive victim services, and their efforts have been recognized by multiple international organizations.

Listen to the new song by Felicia Alima featuring Chino called "Trade."

To receive regular updates on how you can get involved or attend related events, please sign up for their newsletter (Contact: fp@greenkatproductions.com) and Facebook page.

The preview at the beginning of the post was embedded from Kat Rohrer's blog and is also available on the website of Fatal Promises.

"Be the Change" on Gandhi's Birthday

Here's a great chance to "be the change you wish to see in the world": the Kids with Cameras Foundation is looking for volunteers to host "House Parties for Hope" on October 2 - Gandhi's 140th birthday. Kids with Cameras is the foundation that grew out of the award-winning documentary Born into Brothels, which follows the lives of several children of prostitutes in Calcutta's red-light district who are given video cameras and taught how to use them. Through a partnership with the Buntain Foundation, Kids with Cameras is now working to build "Hope House," which is a "landmark endeavor to house up to 100 girls who are daughters of prostitutes from the same red-light district featured in the film. Hope House will give them access to on-site physical and psychological care, as well as formal mentorship from nursing students from an adjacent College of Nursing, all on a quiet, rustic campus on the city's outskirts. Each girl will have a full scholarship for private school education through high school, as well as access to computer labs, English language instruction and art, film and photography classes."

To complete the project, Hope House needs to raise the remaining $690,000 of its $1.2 million goal--and that's where you can help, by joining others from all over the world in hosting or attending a screening of Born into Brothels at a House Party for Hope. All proceeds from the house parties will go directly to Hope House's Capital Campaign.

Says Ross Kauffman, co-director and producer of Born into Brothels: "I hope all of the film's fans and our past supporters will join us in this unprecedented effort to raise the completion funds to build Hope House. It was a dream of ours as we made the film to have a place for these children to learn and grow. The dream is close to becoming a reality. There is no better way for anyone that watches the film and falls in love with these kids, just as we did, to make a difference in their future."

To learn more about hosting or attending a House Party for Hope, please visit http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/. For more information on Hope House, visit http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/school.

Riz Khan interview with Kevin Bales, Ron Soodalter and Ambassador Luis CdeBaca

"It's all about people trying to find better lives. Almost everyone who ends up enslaved in the U.S. comes here because they are hoping to make a better life for themselves and their children. They are really doing what you or I would do if we were in their shoes and in a tough, insecure situation of poverty in the developing world."

- Kevin Bales

Part I:


Part II:

Domestic Sex Trafficking in the U.S.

From OrlandoSentinel.com:

A 15-year-old Orange County girl who ran away from home after an argument with her mother in 2007 was kidnapped and held captive in an underground world of drugs and forced prostitution.

Now, more than two years after the teen's harrowing, three-week ordeal, an Orange County husband and wife are charged in a child trafficking case, one that highlights a growing state problem, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said.

Aleisea N. Smith, 22, and Timothy L. Smith, 39, are accused of kidnapping the teen at gunpoint and demanding she turn tricks for them. They remain at the Orange County Jail without bail.

The case came to light this week after Aleisea Smith's Aug. 7 arrest on numerous charges, including sex trafficking, forcing/coercing another person into prostitution and kidnapping.

Oakland police learned Smith's identity and discovered an outstanding warrant while investigating her for an unrelated incident. She was in court Thursday to face new charges of child neglect and providing false information to police in that other case.

Timothy L. Smith already was in jail in an unrelated child-support case when he was charged in the 2007 case, records show. He faces nine counts, including sex trafficking, kidnapping and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Investigators worked for several months with the State Attorney's Office to press charges against the Smiths, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

The teen's allegations against the couple illustrate a "huge problem" confronting teens in Florida, FDLE special-agent supervisor Lee Condon said.

"We're seeing it more and more," he said. "What a horrible life for a child to end up that way."

Earlier this year, the federal government documented more than 1,200 allegations of human trafficking that occurred between January 2007 and September.

Nearly 85 percent of the incidents involved sex trafficking, the Department of Justice said. Nearly one-third of the 1,229 alleged incidents involved sex trafficking of children.

U.S. citizens accounted for about 65 percent of sex-trafficking victims.

Police reports show the teen, whom the Orlando Sentinel is not identifying, was missing for 21 days, a tortuous period during which she was beaten, raped and forced to work as a prostitute.

On April 8, 2007, the girl ran away from home after an argument with her mother. The girl quickly agreed come back, reports show.

But as she walked near the Silver Oaks Apartments at Silver Star Road and Powers Drive, a man forced her into a van at gunpoint, reports show.

The man later was identified as Timothy Smith. Eventually, he picked up his wife, Aleisea Smith, at a strip club on Orange Blossom Trail.

Aleisea Smith put a towel over the girl's head and told her, "If you move, you are dead," according to an arrest affidavit. The teen later was told "she belonged to them now and would be making a lot of money."

Hours later, while the teen and Aleisea Smith waited at a hotel, Timothy Smith was arrested on a probation violation.

For the remaining 20 days, the teen told investigators, Aleisea Smith forced her to have sex with more than a dozen men at a trailer park and at a home in Minneola in exchange for money and rent, according to the affidavit.

Aleisea Smith often beat the teen, reports show. The girl's mother finally located her after receiving a call from Jatosha Battle, a woman with whom Smith and the teen were staying. The mother showed up at the house and called authorities. Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said the scenario of the alleged kidnapping is relatively rare.

"It's certainly not unheard of," he said. But, "It is far more likely that the kid would be tricked or seduced or lured into a situation like this."

Full Article
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Just like the citizens in Thailand or a country in Eastern Europe, the U.S. citizens are not immune to becoming human trafficking victims. Too many teenagers in the United States run away from their own abusive homes and find themselves entrapped by the false affection and promises of the pimps. Pimps usually play roles of the victims' boyfriends or caregivers to the victims who are desperate for love and attention.

Once the pimps earn the loyalty and trust of the victims, they forcefully or deceitfully place the victims into the prostitution. According to the research of Shared Hope International, these girls are not allowed to come home to the pimps until the daily quota is met. [i] Otherwise, they will inevitably face the consequences of verbal or even physical abuse by the pimps. [ii]

Indeed, sex trafficking of teenagers in the U.S. may sound so foreign to some of you. But, the statics shows that the domestic minor trafficking in the U.S. urges our serious attention. In fact, the U.S. Department of Justice reported in 2007 that 63% of the victims of human trafficking within the United States are U.S. citizens. [iii] If you would like to find out more about this issue, please visit Share Hope International.

U.S. Labor Department issues reports on international child labor and forced labor

From Reuters:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) today released three
reports on child labor and/or forced labor in countries around the globe. The documents include the initial "List of Goods Produced
by Child or Forced Labor" required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (TVPRA List). 

"It is my strong hope that consumers, firms, governments, labor unions and other stakeholders will use this information to translate
their economic power into a force for good that ultimately will eliminate abusive child labor and forced labor," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

The TVPRA List informs the public about 122 goods from 58 countries that ILAB has reason to believe are produced by forced
labor, child labor or both in violation of international standards. ILAB also has released a proposed update to the "List of Products Produced
by Forced or Indentured Child Labor" (EO List) pursuant to Executive Order 13126 of 1999. The list includes 29 products from 21 countries
and will be available for public comment beginning Sept. 11. In addition, ILAB has published its 8th annual "Findings on theWorst Forms of Child Labor" as mandated by the Trade and Development Act of 2000 on the efforts of 141 countries and territories to combat exploitive child labor. 

The countries with products included on the TVPRA List span every region of the world. The most common items listed include cotton,
sugar cane, tobacco, coffee, rice and cocoa in agriculture; bricks, garments, carpets and footwear in manufacturing; and gold and coal in
mined and quarried goods.

The primary purpose of the TVPRA List is to raise public awareness about the incidence of child labor and forced labor in the production of
goods in the countries listed and to promote efforts to eliminate such practices. Today's release is an initial list that will be updated periodically.

The bureau's Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (OCFT) prepared the three reports and collected data from U.S. embassies, foreign governments, international and nongovernmental organizations, technical assistance and field research projects, academic research and the media.

OCFT has funded more than $720 million in programs to help officials in more than 80 countries combat the worst forms of child labor. ILAB
conducts research on and formulates international economic, trade and labor policies in collaboration with other U.S. government agencies, and provides international technical assistance in support of U.S. foreign-labor policy objectives. 

Copies of the reports are available at http://www.dol.gov/ilab. For a printed version, contact the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking, Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. N.W., Room S-5317, Washington, D.C. 20210; telephone 202-693-4843; fax 202-693-4830; e-mail GlobalKids@dol.gov.

U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made
available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755. 

The Labor Department is committed to providing America's employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit http://www.dol.gov/compliance. 

SOURCE U.S. Department of Labor 

Clarisse Young of U.S. Department of Labor Office of Public Affairs, 

+1-202-693-5051 

For a copy of the report, please click here.

Getting to know you: Megan McGill

I am a recent graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School, and have had a growing interest in human rights for several years. I have been impressed by the Human Trafficking Project, and am excited for the opportunity to be involved. The more I learn about human trafficking specifically, the more I am struck by the enormity and frequently horrific nature of the problem, and the more I feel compelled to do something.

I think I first began to pay attention to the human trafficking problem in 2006, when I was studying public international law in Geneva. It was during the World Cup, and I met someone who worked for the British government in anti-human trafficking. He told me how tens of thousands of females were expected to be trafficked into Germany for the games. Referring to the huge number of sex trafficking “patrons” that number implied, he said that “people assume that it isn’t their husband or it isn’t their brother, but with that many females being trafficked into the country, it IS somebody’s husband and it IS somebody’s brother.”

I was stunned—I'd had no clue what a vast problem human trafficking is before that conversation. But I think that he struck on an important point—the sheer numbers expected for that event alone is just one example which makes me suspect that one reason the human trafficking industry, in particular the sex trafficking industry, is so successful is that those spending the money that support it may not always realize that there is a chance that the person with whom they are engaging is a less-than-willing victim. For this reason, I think that promoting education and awareness is a vital first step in fighting human trafficking, and I believe that HTP can play an important role.

I am very excited to be joining HTP as a contributor, and to take my first step into the world of blogging. I hope to learn a lot as part of this experience, and to contribute in some small way to raising awareness about this widespread and urgent problem.

Picture source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/letsbook/3826733702/