Human Trafficking: 2009 In Review

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Myanmar increases its anti-human trafficking efforts

Myanmar has been making efforts in combating human trafficking, claiming that it has rescued over 1,000 trafficked victims in four years' period since 2005 when the country's anti-human trafficking law was introduced.

More than 1,100 traffickers were also exposed in connection with 400 cases of its kind, according to the Home Ministry's Central Committee for combating human trafficking.

Those who were repatriated from Thailand are the majority, followed by those from China, Malaysia, Japan, Bangladesh, Jamaica and Singapore as well as China's Macao and Chinese Taiwan, the home ministry's figures showed.

The government has so far built eight rehabilitation centers offering educational programs and vocational skill training for the returned victims.

In 2008 alone, the Myanmar authorities reportedly rescued 203 victims, punishing 342 traffickers in connection with 134 related cases.

Meanwhile, Myanmar in cooperation with non-governmental organizations has developed information networks at highway terminals in Myanmar second largest city Mandalay to curb human trafficking undertakings centered in the city.

Mandalay has been exposed as the country's internal human trafficking point and used as a transit center to reach border areas along the trafficking route of Mandalay-Pyin Oo Lwin-Lashio-Muse to other countries.

To facilitate the repatriated victims, Myanmar is also planning to set up temporary care center for them in Muse with the help of GGA organization of Japan.


>Full Article


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According to the report above, the country has demonstrated its sincere efforts to fight against human trafficking, including victims' assistance. Earlier this year, China and Burma announced their joint anti-human trafficking effort through a film shooting. Burma also closed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Thai government in an effort to decrease the country's rampant human trafficking to Thailand.

On the other hand, the military junta increased the number of child solider in an efforts of securing public order before the upcoming election to be held in 2010. [1] The family of child soldiers receive food and money at the expense of their children's military service.[2]

Urge Secretary Clinton to End Child Trafficking

Plan International USA, Inc. has created a petition urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to work to end child trafficking in 2010. The petition thanks Secretary Clinton for her support of anti-trafficking work to date, and aims to encourage her to continue to make ending slavery a priority. The petition, which has already gathered over 20,000 signatures, will close on January 31st.

Plan International is a child-centered NGO that operates in 48 countries around the world. According to Plan International, "This year 1.2 million girls and boys were victims of child trafficking. That means they were taken from their families. Sold into slavery. Forced to work 7 days a week with dangerous equipment. They endured beatings, malnutrition, and other abuse. Girls are especially exploited: sold as “mail order brides,” forced into prostitution, and brutalized and raped by their “employers.”

As Plan International notes, Secretary Clinton has expressed support for anti-trafficking work. The petition urges Secretary Clinton to "continue [her] important work to protect children from human trafficking by; spreading awareness of human trafficking by including it as a key part of upcoming speeches and responding to tragedies in the news, encouraging the work of organizations and countries that are making progress in ending human trafficking, discussing this issue with key leaders of countries who are known for human trafficking violations and insisting that these leaders follow the recommendations in the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report."

Upon the release of the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report, Secretary Clinton wrote in a piece published by the Washington Post, "Human trafficking flourishes in the shadows and demands attention, commitment and passion from all of us. We are determined to build on our past success and advance progress in the weeks, months and years ahead. Together, we must hold a light to every corner of the globe and help build a world in which no one is enslaved." Plan International's petition aims to encourage Secretary Clinton to continue her commitment and strengthen her leadership in shining this light.

Al-Qaeda's New Business Model: Cocaine & Human Trafficking

From Forbes:

By Nathan Vardi

Arrests show terror group's growing dependence on organized crime for funding.

Osama Bin Laden's terrorist organization has become increasingly reliant on organized crime, including cocaine smuggling, human trafficking and kidnapping, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday in Manhattan's federal court. The charges filed against three alleged al-Qaeda associates by the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan is the latest chilling evidence of a convergence between terrorism and organized crime.

Oumar Issa, Harouna Touré and Idriss Abelrahman were snatched in Ghana on Wednesday [December 16th] by a Drug Enforcement Administration sting and shipped to New York, where they arrived on Friday to face charges of conspiracy to commit acts of narco-terrorism and providing material support to al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization. The arrests mark the first time that al-Qaeda associates have been charged with narco-terrorism offenses.

Read the full article

Changing views: Government promises action

From the Kansas City Star:

By Mark Morris, Mike McGraw and Laura Bauer

The Obama administration is weeks away from announcing a new surge — this one aimed at escalating the war on human trafficking in America.

“In January we are going to be announcing a major set of initiatives,” Janet Napolitano, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told The Kansas City Star.

Napolitano disclosed the administration’s plans at the conclusion of The Star’s six-month investigation exposing numerous failures in America’s anti-trafficking battle.

Although details of the plan were not released, advocates and other experts said they’re cautiously optimistic that this is the best chance in years to address many of the problems revealed in the newspaper’s five-part series. They’re also hopeful that the administration, which has reached out to them and asked what changes are needed, will correct structural flaws in the broken system.

“It is time to go back to the drawing board and promote a more seamless, coordinated plan,” said Florrie Burke, a nationally known advocate for trafficking victims.

Other experts said it’s also time for congressional oversight hearings on the flagging decade-long struggle, and time to centralize an anti-trafficking effort that is thinly spread across a vast bureaucracy plagued by inter-agency wrangling and a lack of coordination.

Others contend what’s also needed is a top-to-bottom overhaul of ineffective immigration policies that infuriate those on both sides of the politically charged debate.

“The series that ran this week in The Star is a horrible reminder of the price of codes without compassion or common sense,” said U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat. “In our quest to make our borders unbreakable and our laws unforgiving we have driven some of the most poor and desperate seeking the promise of America into unthinkable situations.”

Kansas state Rep. Mike Slattery, a Mission Democrat, said reading the series convinced him that changes across the system are desperately needed. “It has been on people’s radar on the federal level,” Slattery said. “Yet there seems to be no coordinated effort to make things better…I think it’s about making this a priority.”

Read the full article

Read the Kansas City Star's Human Trafficking in America Series

Happy Holidays from HTP

If you are currently busy with last minute shopping or struggling to find something for that hard-to-shop-for person on your list, consider one of the following ways to support anti-trafficking work with your purchases.

The Nomi Network has launched the "Buy Her Bag, Not Her Body" campaign. You can order a tote and help raise money for survivors of sex trafficking, while raising awareness about sexual slavery.

Made By Survivors offers a variety of products, from jewelry to holiday items to clothing. A special line of products also helps support the NGO GEMS, which works with minor survivors of sex trafficking in New York. Made By Survivors sells products made by survivors of trafficking and people at high risk for trafficking, in order to provide them with a stable, sustainable, living wage and fair working conditions. While Made By Survivors has stopped shipping for the year, you can order items to be shipped on January 4th or gift certificates.

You can also give the gift of awareness and education. Books about trafficking include Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter's The Slave Next Door, Ben Skinner's A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery, David Batstone's Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade and How We Can Fight It, and Somaly Mam's autobiographical book The Road of Lost Innocence.

For the people who are really impossible to shop for, you can make a donation to an anti-trafficking organization in their name. The Somaly Mam Foundation, Free the Slaves, and Polaris Project are just a few of the many worthy organizations available.

Finally, as you are preparing holiday cookies and other goodies, consider purchasing chocolate, sugar, and other supplies from Equal Exchange or a local, organic source.

Thanks for reading and supporting the Human Trafficking Project in 2009. We look forward to an exciting year with you in 2010!

Senator Wyden Hosts Briefing on Sex Trafficking

What:
On Monday, December 14, 2009 Senator Wyden held a briefing with leading experts on the issue of human sex trafficking to inform Congressional staff and media on the issue as he works to develop legislation. The legislation focuses on providing resources and training for law enforcement, providing shelters, counseling, legal services and educational assistance for victims, working with communities to raise awareness on how to deter sex trafficking, rehabilitating the johns who engage in prostitution and finally strengthening reporting requirements for missing children, especially those who runaway repeatedly and are at the greatest risk of being lured into prostitution.

Who:

• Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the State Department, and Chair of the inter-agency human trafficking Senior Policy Operating Group
• Libby Spears, filmmaker Director of Playground documentary film on sex trafficking
• Rachel Lloyd, Executive Director, Girls Educational and Mentoring Services
• Bradley Myles, Deputy Director, Polaris Project
• Sgt. Byron Fassett, Dallas Police Department, High Risk Victims and Trafficking squad
• Dave Johnson, FBI Section Chief, Violent Crimes Section, Innocence Lost project

Length: 1 hour 16 minutes