Owning People
How slavery continues to thrive in modern AmericaBy Margo Pierce
When people consider human trafficking or modern slavery, many conjure images of teenage girls held captive in brothels in Thailand. Kevin Bales, president of Free the Slaves (http://www.freetheslaves.net/) who’s an authority in human trafficking, has interviewed young women there. He previously described to CityBeat how he secured the “services” of two sex slaves in Thailand (see “Of Human Bondage,” issue of Feb. 13, 2008). He wanted to learn more about their situation but would never be permitted to conduct an interview. Bales worked through a local aid worker trusted by the brothel owner to get permission to take two girls off-site, ostensibly to have sex with him and his wife at their hotel. The “wife,” another researcher fluent in the local language and customs, was able to explain to the girls that all they really wanted to do was talk.
After getting over their initial fear, the girls asked to go to a temple so they could pray that they wouldn’t get AIDS. Later, the girls talked about their bondage in great detail, which made it hard for Bales to return them.
He had no choice, however — the aid worker who vouched for him would be killed if the girls weren’t returned at the prescribed time.
Though not as dramatic as the Thailand story, slavery also exists in the United States. Bales attempts to define and understand it in his new book, The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today, co-authored by Ron Soodalter.
“The simple truth is humans keep slaves; we always have,” the authors write. “To understand this, we must know what it is in the human heart that makes slavery possible.” The authors interviewed slaves, slave masters, rescuers, counselors, doctors, police and government officials.
“Some of these stories broke our hearts, sometimes the excuses and rationalizations made us boil with anger and sometimes we met real unsung heroes who gave us hope that America can put an end to slavery once and for all,” Bales and Soodalter write. They examine the kinds of slavery most commonly found in the U.S.: domestic servitude (maids, nannies), agriculture labor and forced prostitution. Sometimes slavery is motivated by saving money — not paying a housekeeper, for example — and there are big profits in exploiting people in industries such as agriculture. “The buyers — fast-food giants such as McDonald’s, Subway, Taco Bell and Burger King and market corporations like Ship Rite, Wal-Mart and Costco — are dictating the prices they are willing to pay for tomatoes and other crops,” the authors write. “The buyers have turned their corporate backs on the small growers who supplied them faithfully for years. … These mega-buyers have decided to work with large suppliers, who can provide them ready, uniform, year-round supplies of product.”
Related contentThe Slaves Next DoorCheryl MeadowsUp (Review)Couple That Plays and Prays TogetherGrease (Review)De-criminalizing Victims
Related to:slaverybaleshumanthemgirlssoodalteramericaauthorsThese companies often ignore the human cost of meeting their profit and product needs.
Detailing cases of farmers subcontracted to provide fresh produce, Bales and Soodalter explain how foreign-born nationals living in poverty are lured to the U.S. with the promise of good wages. Upon arrival, the workers frequently are brutalized by traffickers in order to break their will, confuse them and convince them that running away means death for them or their family members. Locked in barracks, held under armed guard, deprived of food and medical care, these people have no control over their lives. “Most Americans’ idea of slavery comes right out of Roots — the chains, the whip in the overseer’s hand, the crack of the auctioneer’s gavel,” Bales and Soodalter write. “That was one form of bondage. The slavery plaguing America today takes a different form, but make no mistake: It is real slavery. “What do acrobats, naked gardeners, hair braiding, boys’ choirs, deaf Mexicans and the shirt on your back all have in common? In a word: slavery…There is no lack of ingenuity on the part of traffickers in exploiting their victims.”
The authors give a “conservative estimate” of 50,000 U.S. citizens in bondage, calling the phenomenon “America’s dirty little secret.”
Bales and Soodalter make no allowance for blaming the victims. Law enforcement officials looking at people within the context of a perceived crime — prostitution or panhandling — usually ignore the circumstances.
“In many individual states, the victims are seen as criminals,” the authors write.
And many people who dismiss the possibility of slavery claim that slaves could seek help or run away if they really wanted out.
“If the safety of your own family back home is on the line or you already know the beating you’ll get, you keep quiet,” the authors write. “To see the slave next door, we have to look past the silence and offer that hand or word that could be the key to someone’s freedom.
“We have to be just as observant and imaginative as the criminals if we are going to recognize the slave next door, singing to us in the choir, selling us trinkets for a dollar or braiding our hair.”
That process begins with learning what slavery looks like today. Know the warning signs. Question what doesn’t look quite right. Buy goods that are certified “Free Trade” to ensure that slave labor wasn’t used in their manufacture. Challenge local law enforcement to care about slavery. Support organizations fighting to free slaves.
“If we want to eliminate slavery from this country, we must do it ourselves, one citizen at a time and working together,” Bales and Soodalter write. “It is within our grasp to end slavery in America once and for all, but each of us has to reach for it; if we wait for it to be handed to us, people will live and die in slavery for many years to come.” Australian Broadcast CorporationMay 25th, 2009Pregnant women being trafficked for their babiesFirst world demand to adopt very young babies is driving a new twist in people smuggling, particularly in Asia.One of Australia's senior law officers says more and more, smugglers are trading in pregnant women - the perfect incubators - for access to their newborns. Australia's Chief Federal Magistrate John Pascoe is presenting a paper on the issue to the LawAsia conference in Singapore, which is looking at children and the law.He says that among the measures needed to fight the insidious trade should be a new system of children's rights. To illustrate the shift in focus for the smugglers, Mr Pascoe describes a 2003 case that happened off Indonesia.Presenter: Linda MottramSpeaker: Australia's Chief Federal Magistrate John Pascoe.
Listen:
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JOHN PASCOE: There were eight babies in the boat. They were packed in styrofoam fish boxes, that were punctured in order to enable them to breathe and put very crudely, this is seen by traffickers as not a particularly good way of moving children because there are health consequences and it is seen as both safer for the child and safer in terms of detection for them to move the pregnant mother across the national boundary. LINDA MOTTRAM: Do you have any idea about the extent of the problem, what sort of numbers we're talking about? JOHN PASCOE: Sadly this is a crime which is very hidden, trafficking generally is very much a hidden crime, but there are increasing numbers of reports, there are fortunately an increasing number of arrests in this area, so we believe that it's increasing and that the numbers are probably in the thousands rather than in tens or hundreds. LINDA MOTTRAM: So why is this growing? Is it just because the trafficking progress is evolving? The traffickers are finding new and better ways, if you like, to move the people they want to move or are there other factors there? JOHN PASCOE: We believe that trafficking is always motivated by economics, but also there is significant demand for children for adoption apart from anything else. I believe that most newly born children end up in some sort of illegal adoption process. There's huge demand from first world countries for very young children for adoption purposes. LINDA MOTTRAM: Well, what can be done about this? There are international conventions on the rights and protection of children but clearly that's inadequate? JOHN PASCOE: Yes, I think we need to encourage countries throughout the Asia Pacific region to become signatories to the various conventions that protect the rights of the child. and that is not universal across the region. And I am also putting forward that I think we need to move to a system that actually gives a child rights which crystallise the moment it is born and those rights should include a right to know its nationality, to know who its parents are and generally to be properly cared for.MOTTRAM: But, is that sort of thing going to really do anything to stop traffickers who clearly are willing to go to any lengths to make money out of humans?PASCOE: I think where there is money, human ingenuity will often find a way to get it. But I think this is really all about making it as difficult as possible. We also need to increase border protection, so that when somebody moves across a national boundary with a child that was not on their passport, for example, when they entered the country, that questions are asked and that officials don't turn a blind eye for whatever reason that they may choose to do that.MOTTRAM: Do you think or have any sense of whether those adopting parents in the first world with sufficient money have any idea of where these babies are coming from?PASCOE: Broadly speaking, I think no. I think many of them are genuinely motivated by the desire to give a child a better life and I think they would be horrified if they knew, for example, that the child had been stolen as sometimes occurred or that the mother actually had no idea what was really happening to her child.HURRYETDAILYNEWS.COMMay 25th 2009Aegean coasts: A passage for lifeİZMİR - The Aegean coastline acts as a point of exit for thousands of people who take a risk by illegally migrating to developed countries for better living. Statistics show that almost 80 percent of illegal migrants using Turkey as a gateway prefer the Aegean region's coastal districts
Every year, thousands of people around the world take a risk by illegally immigrating to developed countries, many dying at sea, becoming human trafficking victims, or getting caught at the borders.Turkey is the path between Europe and the Middle East, bridging a gap for illegal immigrants. Statistics show that almost 80 percent of illegal immigrants using Turkey as a road to developed European countries prefer the Aegean region's coastal districts, such as Kuşadası, Çeşme, Bodrum, Ayvalık and Marmaris, because of the close proximity to the Greek islands.But many are caught by coast guards before they reach the European Union country. According to the Turkish Coast Guard’s Web site, in 2008 a total of 7,570 people attempting to illegally migrate to Europe were caught by coast guards off the Turkish coasts.In the first four months of 2009, 1,056 illegal immigrants were caught at sea. Speaking to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Professor Ercan Tatlıdil, from Aegean University’s department of sociology, said that illegal immigration is often for economic reasons and to obtain higher standards of living. "Developed countries are the ’gates of hope’ for the citizens of third world or poor countries. Between the years 1957 to 1974, European countries received immigrants with a ’cheap manpower’ understanding. After 1974, European countries closed their doors to immigrants. This situation brought the new understanding of illegal immigration," said Tatlıdil."Also, we began to see that no poor families migrated. A typical immigrant family is one step higher on the economic ladder. Families from this economic level take the risk because they can support themselves financially in another country during the transition period." he said. Emergence of ’human tradesmen’
"After Europe's doors closed to immigrants, 'human tradesmen' appeared. These people began accepting large amounts of money to smuggle those wishing to migrate to Europe or America," said Tatlıdil. "Large illegal organizations are behind these operations, and it is all well-organized. A lot of money is circulating in that ’industry.’ Plus, the penalty for this crime is not much. For example, if somebody was caught smuggling drugs, he would spend decades in prison. But the penalty for smuggling humans is practically nothing. And human smuggling is more profitable then drug smuggling," he said.Tatlıdil also said that most of the immigrants attempting to sneak into countries via sea floating out into open water in flimsy boats. "There are a lot of solitary coves in the Aegean region, plus, the Greek islands and Italy are close. For that reason, they prefer sea ways," he said. Stating that Turkey will open seven refugee camps for those caught attempting to illegally migrate to other countries, Tatlıdil said that one of the seven refugee camps would be in
İzmir.Tatlıdil said a new organization should be created through the United Nations to solve the problem. "This is very well-organized crime. For that reason, there should be a new unit under the U.N. to fight this crime. Plus, the U.N. should implement social policies to eliminate the reasons that push these people to illegally emigrate." An official from
Izmir’s Security Administration said attempts to illegally migrate increased during summer. "In winter, the sea can create problems due to storms and giant waves. It is highly probable that the vessels would capsize. In summer, the sea can be calm. It is easy. Plus there are fewer people in Aegean coastal towns in the winter; the immigrants cannot hide themselves. When the tourism season opens, these tourist towns are crowded and it becomes easier to hide," said the official.
Spanish police arrest Voodoo extortion gang
The Associated Press Saturday, May 23, 2009
MADRID — Ringleaders of ahuman trafficking ring that brought Nigerian women to Spain and forced them into prostitution by threatening them with Voodoo curses were brought before a judge on Saturday.
Many of the 23 suspects were charged with human trafficking and extortion at the court in the southwestern city of Huelva, police said.
The arrests occurred during nationwide raids that began Thursday and were continuing, police said.
The crackdown was triggered by a woman who told police in February of the gang's intimidation tactics.
The gang tempted young Nigerian women to travel to Europe with promises of prosperity and later extorted money and controlled them through intimidation, police said in a statement.
The victims, aged 25 to 35, were forced to pay large sums of money to the gang members, who told the women they would go mad or have their souls destroyed if they disobeyed orders given during Voodoo rituals that were held in Nigeria involving pieces of their fingernails or hair.
Voodoo is a religion practiced primarily in Haiti and parts of Africa.
___
May 23, 2009 - 1:55 p.m. EDT
Copyright 2009, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.UN expert on trafficking in humans goes to Belarus and Poland
18 May 09
From OHCHR Geneva:The United Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, will undertake country visits to Belarus from 18 to 24 May 2009, and to Poland from 25 to 29 May 2009, at the invitation of each Government.
The Special Rapporteur will meet with Government officials, civil society members and representatives of UN agencies, and may also conduct visits outside of the capital cities.
At the end of each country visit, the Special Rapporteur will hold a press conference to share her preliminary findings with representatives of the media. Based on the information obtained during each visit, the Special Rapporteur will present a report containing her conclusions and recommendations to a forthcoming session of the Human Rights Council.
Ms. Ezeilo, a Nigerian national, assumed her functions as Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children on 1 August 2008. Ms. Ezeilo is a human rights lawyer and professor at the University of Nigeria. She has also served in various governmental capacities, including as Honourable Commissioner for Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Development in Enugu State and as a Delegate to the National Political Reform Conference. She has consulted for various international organizations and is also involved in several NGOs, particularly working on women’s rights. She has published extensively on a variety of topics, including human rights, women’s rights, and Shari’a law.
Posted: Monday, May 18, 2009 at 1657 hrs IST
Toronto:
An Indian-origin couple was sentenced to prison by a court in Seattle for conspiring to smuggle people from Canada into the US.
Forty-eight-year-old Jas Binning and his 32-year-old wife Jagdeep Binning were caught last December, while trying to smuggle an undercover police officer across the border, the Vancouver Sun reported.
The couple, residents of Peace Arch Park on the US-Canadian border in South Surrey, had charged the undercover officer USD 5,000.
He was the second officer the Binnings had arranged to smuggle into the US within four months, according to the US court, the daily said.
The Binnings charged USD 4,500 from the first undercover officer in August 2008 to be smuggled into the US.
Jas was sentenced to six months in prison and two years of supervised release, while Jagdeep was sentenced to 50 days in prison and two years of supervised release.
Malaysia: Humans as CommoditiesPosted By Daniel Chandranayagam On 2009-04-30 @ 14:58 pm In Diaspora, East Asia, English, Feature, Human Rights, International Relations, Labor, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Refugees, Thailand, Weblog
2 CommentsIn early 2009, Malaysia had the dubious privilege of being investigated by the US senate for the trafficking of humans. News reports
stated [1] that the migrants involved were mostly from Myanmar, but other foreigners were also allegedly taken by the government officials to the Malaysian-Thai border, where they were extorted or sold to human trafficking syndicates.
According to AFP reports, a senate official stated:
US Senate foreign relations committee staff are reviewing reports of extortion and human trafficking from Burmese and other migrants in Malaysia, allegedly at the hands of Malaysia government officials… The allegations include assertions that Burmese and other migrants - whether or not they have UNHCR documentation– are taken from Malaysian government detention facilities and transported to the Thailand-Malaysia border.
According to the allegations, money is demanded from them at the border, or they are turned over to human traffickers in southern Thailand. However, that Malaysia might be a hotspot of human trafficking is not a new development. Veteran opposition leader, Mr Lim Kit Siang, posted
on his blog [2] that Malaysia was included in the United States Government’s 2007 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report in the Tier 3 list of the worst human trafficking offenders in June 2007
Mr Charles Santiago, Opposition politician,
stated on his blog The recent news report stating that the US Senate is investigating allegations of Malaysian officials extorting money from foreign migrants are linked to human trafficking comes as no surprise.
I had raised this issue in Parliament last year with regards to the Burmese refugees, together with human rights organisations like Tenaganita and the Migration Working Group. But the Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar had only glossed over the matter… responding in a typical fashion, Syed Hamid in a reply to my question in Parliament said that a special committee formed by the Immigration Department to investigate claims contained in the programme had found that immigration officials were not involved in trafficking of the Burmese or other refugees.
Either Syed Hamid is naive enough to buy the story dished out by the Immigration Department, which had set-up a special team to investigate its own officers. Or he is desperate to ensure Malaysia does not receive bad press worldwide.
Santiago went on to say:
The refugees live in fear of being caught by the immigration authorities and being deported to their countries of origin, to face political persecution, despite holding UNHCR cards.
They are constantly harassed by Rela* officers, a volunteer force, who are known to constantly be on the prowl for migrants and refugees. They even burn down make-shift homes of refugees in jungles.
If arrested, the migrants and asylum-seekers are lumped together in tiny immigration detention cells where flogging is the main form of punishment. In short refugees live in a limbo in the country as Malaysia is yet to ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention. This means, the government does not need to officially recognise the refugees or the UNHCR documents that they carry.
It also, unfortunately, means that the government can shut a blind eye to allegations of abuse of power by immigration officers who make quick bucks extorting money from the refugees. Those who cannot pay off the extortionists are sold to brothels, fishing boats or as bonded labourers.
Meanwhile the refugees and migrants who are still in the country live in appalling conditions without proper sanitation facilities, housing, food and medicine. They and their children depend on handouts and the goodwill of others.
‘Miniaturz', on
the Star newspapers' blog facility stated:
It is to my personal hope that the US will be able to prove that the Malaysian Immigration personnels are involved in human trafficking. Although I do not approve of illegal immigrants in Malaysia, but the alleged modus operandi of the Malaysian Immigration is deliberate in nature to allow the abuse of subsequently detained illegal immigrants…
So, once again - the hypocrisy of the Malaysian Government is exposed big time. They talk about aiding the people from certain countries but right in our own country, fellow human beings are being treated like slaves for monetary purposes.
That Myanmar refugees and undocumented migrant workers face hardship is well known among Malaysians. Most urbanites, or at least those involved in civil society, are also aware of
the allegations of abuse and torture in Malaysia's detention camps [7]. That Malaysia is a ‘hotspot' for human trafficking appears to be the logical next-step in the unfortunate sequence.
In response to the investigation, the Home Ministry typically responded that Malaysia was not liable for any wrongdoing in the matter.
Santiago stated on his blog… Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar had responded in ‘typical fashion’ in Parliament on the matter by announcing the formation of a special committee to investigate the claims, which were first exposed last year by private television network NTV7.
As predicted, it was “found” that immigration officials were not involved in trafficking of the Burmese or other refugees.
This came despite testimonials to the contrary from numerous migrant rights’ non-governmental organisations as well as the victims themselves.
“Either Syed Hamid is naive enough to buy the story dished out by the Immigration Department, which had set-up a special team to investigate its own officers or he is desperate to ensure Malaysia does not receive bad press worldwide,” Santiago told
Malaysiakini.
Now, on April 24th, 2009,
it has been reported [11] that top Republican on the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, handed to the Malaysian government a report “Trafficking and Extortion of Burmese Migrants in Malaysia and Southern Thailand.” The report alleges that “illegal Myanmar migrants deported from Malaysia were often turned over to human traffickers and forced to work in brothels, fishing boats and restaurants in Thailand if they had no money to purchase their freedom.”
The US Senate report, now commonly called “the Lugar Report”, was based on a year-long review by committee staff who interviewed migrants and human rights activists. According to the report:
Myanmar migrants in recent years might have become victims of extortion and trafficking once they were deported to Malaysia's northern border with Thailand. Upon arrival at the Malaysia-Thailand border, human traffickers reportedly take possession of the migrants. Migrants state that those unable to pay (the traffickers) are turned over to human peddlers in Thailand, representing a variety of business interests ranging from fishing boats to brothels.
Through the report, the US Senate Committee called on Malaysia to investigate and prosecute “the trafficking, selling and slavery of Burmese and other migrants.”
Opposition veteran, Lim,
noted on his blog:
The Senate investigators also received multiple reports of Burmese women being sexually abused by traffickers, including some in front of their husbands because, as one NGO employee cited in the report put it, “no one dares to intervene as they would be shot or stabbed to death in the jungle’’.
“[Burmese women] are sold at a brothel if they look good,” recounted one refugee. “If they are not beautiful, they [the traffickers] might sell them at a restaurant or house-keeping job.”
The committee launched the investigation in 2007 after hearing allegations about the trafficking of Burmese migrants “with the knowledge, if not participation” of Malaysian officials.
“The prospect that Burmese migrants, having fled the heavy hand of the Burmese junta, only to find themselves in harms’ way in Malaysia seemed beyond belief,” said the report.
Lim called on newly minted Prime Minister, Mr Najib Razak, to “respond with instant government action in keeping with his “Performance Now” motto on the Lugar Report which accused Malaysian officials of complicity in the human trafficking of Burmese refugees who have been sold into prostitution and other kinds of forced labour in recent years.”
Santiago, in response to the report, stated on his blog:
Let’s get this straight. The refugees are not coming to Malaysia seeking better economic opportunities. They simply have no choice. They run into Malaysia, leaving behind families and children, to stay alive.
Their woes do not stop once they get to Malaysia. Here they are hunted down like animals by RELA, a bully group consisting of citizens who turn ad-hoc policemen.
Their refugee cards issued by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees or UNHCR is useless as Malaysia does not recognise their refugee status. Therefore the refugees are trapped in a situation where they cannot work and are constantly under the threat of being arrested by immigration and RELA officers.
But the government is only interested in business transactions with the military junta. Malaysian state oil company, Petronas, does business amounting to millions of US dollars with Burma.
ASEAN, on the other hand, pretend they are limousine liberals while in reality, turn a blind eye to the gross violations of human rights by the military. Instead, the leaders shake hands and exchange diplomatic niceties with the Burmese army officers during ASEAN meetings.
The 10-member bloc’s non-interference policy further cushions the Burmese military from the need to be accountable to the killings and disappearances of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas, Karens, Chins and other minority clans.
I call upon the newly minted Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein to open a new investigation on the matter and consider the 10 proposal of the Lugar report including implementation the country’s Anti-trafficking Law, ASEAN’s Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers and the immediate ratification of the UN 1967 Refugee Convention - with a view to protect and promote the rights of migrants and refugees in the country and region.
Aside from the opposition's call for action, Suhakam commissioner, Mr N. Siva Subramaniam, was
reported [15] to have said that Suhakam (Malaysia's Human Rights Commission) has received several complaints about human trafficking in the past two years. He was quoted as saying, “The issue has even been raised at international forums but it is difficult to compile the evidence.” Mr Siva also called on the relevant authorities “to investigate and take action against those responsible.”
The report and the calls for action has stirred the sentiments of some bloggers.
Bob writes :
Today in the 21st Century, in an era of globalisation, development and technology, one would think that the human race is advancing in the areas of freedom, peace and human dignity. Unfortunately this is not so. … there are more slaves TODAY than were seized from Africa in 4 centuries of trans-Atlantic slave trade. The horror is back. Buying a slave is cheaper than ever before.
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS HAS BECOME THE FASTEST GROWING TRADE ACROSS OUR WORLD. SOME 2.4 MILLION PEOPLE ARE TRAFFICKED EACH YEAR; 1.2 MILLION OF THEM ARE CHILDREN.
Every minute, every day, men, women and children are being transported, used or sold against their will. These are the victims of trafficking. They get herded across borders, across continents, sometimes in groups but they are often trafficked alone. They live in terror. Others watch their every move. They are treated like cattle. But the truth is, they’re not just a statistic. These are people – someone’s mother, someone’s child – and they’re dreaming of freedom.
Min Li states :
Most people here are unaware of what exactly defines human trafficking, and that is happening right here in Malaysia. What we usually notice is the amount of foreign workers; be it Chinese, Indonesians or Bangladeshis brought here for labour… but what we don't notice is that some of them have been brought here on false promises and later forced into involuntary servitude due to debt and threats. They have no way out.
The issue of human trafficking and migrant mistreatment is an issue which many Malaysians feel strongly about. Activist and former detainee-without-trial, Nat Tan, wrote on
his blog [18]:
The cycle of arrest, detention and deportation that the Burmese refugees in Malaysia experience is a vicious one. The experiences they face along the way, often riddled with violence and abuse, is a complete and utter violation of basic human rights.
Realizing the need for stronger advocacy, and a space for the refugees themselves to share their stories, Tenaganita has compiled stories from refugees who’ve been put through this cycle of arrest-detention-deportation and return to Malaysia. This book, The Revolving Door, highlights the status and situation of refugees in Malaysia, and the need for all parties to play a stronger role in supporting the refugees who live among us.
The Fifty Refugees Website
In fact, for Aris, a 37 year-old Malaysian, the issue was such a passion that the former doctor put together a website, recounting tales of fifty refugees, entitled simply “
Fifty Refugees [19]“. The website states:
Theirs [the refugees] is a heartwrenching story of detention, abuse, fear, neglect, and humiliation. But these are stories of resilience, courage, hope and love as well… People who are of your age, or of your children's age, or your parents'. Normal human beings, of flesh and blood, hopes and dreams, like you and me.
Ironically, the Lugar report comes almost a year after Malaysia's
Anti-Trafficking in Persons law [20] came into force. According to
news reports [21], thirty-three suspected victims of human trafficking were rescued within the first four months of its enforcement.
In response to the Lugar Report, Malaysia's Prime Minister, Mr Najib, was
reported [22] to have said, “We will take appropriate action… We do not want Malaysia to be used as a point for human trafficking … but we need to know more facts.”
* the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela)** an alternative news portalPhotos courtesy of
Adli Ghazali [23] and
M.A.M09 [5]
Article printed from Global Voices Online: http://globalvoicesonline.org
URL to article: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/04/30/malaysia-humans-as-commodities/
URLs in this post:
[1] stated: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/96470
[2] on his blog: http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/06/18/malaysia-worst-human-trafficking-offender-notice-for-urgent-motion/
[3] Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adlighazali/3432661819/in/set-72157616646639052/
[4] stated on his blog: http://votecharles.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/end-the-refugee-for-sale-cover-up/
[5] Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35262124@N04/
[6] the Star newspapers' blog facility: http://blog.thestar.com.my/permalink.asp?id=21200
[7] the allegations of abuse and torture in Malaysia's detention camps: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com.my/index.php/opinion/alice-nah/24334-unnecessary-deaths-in-detention
[8] Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adlighazali/3432668661/in/set-72157616646639052/
[9] Santiago stated on his blog: http://votecharles.wordpress.com/?s=human+trafficking
[10] Malaysiakini: http://malaysiakini.com/
[11] it has been reported: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090424/ap_on_re_as/as_malaysia_myanmar_trafficking_1
[12] Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adlighazali/3432680983/in/set-72157616646639052/
[13] noted on his blog: http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2009/04/24/lugar-report-on-complicity-of-malaysian-officials-in-human-trafficking-of-burmese-refugees-for-prostitutionforced-labour-najib-must-act-now/
[14] Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adlighazali/3003984997/in/set-72157616646639052/
[15] reported: http://nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/2542178/Article/index_html
[16] Bob writes: http://www.bobjots.org/2007/04/21st-century-slavery-in-malaysia-1/
[17] Min Li states: http://miniminli.blogspot.com/2009/02/rights-of-humans.html
[18] his blog: http://jelas.info/2008/09/26/the-revolving-door-of-refugees/
[19] Fifty Refugees: http://fiftyrefugees.wordpress.com/
[20] Anti-Trafficking in Persons law: http://www.digitalibrary.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=854
[21] news reports: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=337062
[22] reported: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/burma/abuse-04242009141550.html
[23] Adli Ghazali: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adlighazali/sets/72157616646639052/
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Express-News editorial -May 8, 2009
Texas is endowed with attributes that make it a concourse for trade with Mexico and Latin America. It shares a large border, sits at the crossroads of multiple North-South and East-West interstates and has a history and culture that welcome tourism and commerce.
The same attributes, however, also make Texas an avenue for illicit traffic between the United States and its southern neighbors. Rolling up and down the same roads as produce and maquiladora parts are contraband goods — drugs, guns and, increasingly, people.
Human trafficking is the dirty secret of a porous border with spotty immigration enforcement.
The story of poor laborers looking for better lives is understood, if underappreciated. But the lives of young women and girls forced into prostitution or workers held as captives in slave-like conditions in this country are poorly comprehended.
In Houston last month, a federal court sentenced the leader of a human smuggling ring to 13 years in prison. The Department of Justice says Maximino Mondragon “lured young women from Central America to Texas on false promises of a better life and then betrayed that promise by holding these women in a condition of forced servitude.”
The Houston Chronicle reports more than 120 women were liberated after the 2005 raid that nabbed Mondragon and his co-conspirators. That's 120 women in a state of forced servitude in one raid in Texas in the 21st century.
A bill sponsored by state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, would devote more state resources to combating human trafficking in Texas.
Her measure, drawing on recommendations from Attorney General Gregg Abbott, would establish a state task force to assist law enforcement in developing policies to identify and help human trafficking victims and prosecute perpetrators.
Unauthorized immigration is usually viewed as a victimless crime. Human trafficking, by definition, is the exploitation of the weak and vulnerable — too often in Texas.
Van de Putte's bill will help state and local law enforcement agencies make that distinction.
DEPAHagar’s Hope helping human trafficking victims
Monday, May 04, 2009
Trilla Cook
When several members of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Kingwood heard about the need for prayer and support of efforts to help victims of human trafficking, it really tugged at their heartstrings.
They formed a new Life Group and named it “Hagar’s Hope” from the story of Hagar in the Bible. That story demonstrates survival is possible even under the harshest conditions. This compassionate group wants to “get in the way” of human trafficking.
“Hagar’s Hope Life Group is an example of how God leads people to follow Jesus and serve others according to their passion,” said Pastor Al Doering. “What we’re discovering as a church is that God’s vision is a lot bigger than what we could strategize or plan.”
According to tournament organizer Jan Adelman, nearly $1,000 raised at a recent charity golf tournament sponsored by Christ the King has been designated for use by Hagar’s Hope for their human trafficking mission.
Members of Hagar’s Hope recently participated in an Awareness Walk in Houston sponsored by The Coalition Against Human Trafficking during National Crime Victim’s Rights Week in Memorial Park. The purpose of the walk was to distribute information about human trafficking to raise public awareness of the issue.
Human trafficking is described as the recruiting, transporting, obtaining or holding of an individual through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery and its victims are young children, teenagers, men and women.
Hagar’s Hope spokesperson Mark Johnson said approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide and nearly 20,000 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year. Houston is considered one of the key entry points.
Johnson said trafficking of humans is tied with arms dealing as the second largest criminal industry in the world, after drug dealing, and is the fastest growing.
Many victims of human trafficking are forced to work in prostitution or the sex entertainment industry. Trafficking also occurs in forms of labor exploitation, such as domestic servitude, and restaurant, janitorial, sweatshop/factory and migrant agricultural work.
Some even worse results of human trafficking can be forced marriage, organ harvesting and ritual killings. Traffickers use various techniques to instill fear in victims and to keep them enslaved. Surprisingly, many of the perpetrators in human trafficking are women.
A representative from YMCA International in Houston recently spoke to Hagar’s Hope Life Group about ways the Trafficked Persons Assistance Program provides help for victims as a free program working to assist victims regardless of legal status.
Hagar’s Hope plans to partner with Houston Rescue and Restore, which is an organization promoting awareness about human trafficking, assisting in identifying victims and improving victim services. This is done through projects that assist in either rescuing or restoring human trafficking victims in the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area.
To get involved with the work of Hagar’s Hope e-mail HagarsHope@yahoo.com. For more information regarding human trafficking, visit www.cahthouston.org and
http://www.houstonrr.org/.
Photo: Jan Adelman, Christ the King Lutheran Golf Scramble Tournament organizer, and Mark Johnson, spokesperson for Hagar’s Hope, discuss plans to designate tournament proceeds to Hagar’s Hope. Photo by Trilla Cook© 2008 Ourtribune.com
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, FEBRUARY 12, 2009
A federal jury in Los Angeles last night returned a guilty verdict against five members of an organized crime family that brought young Central American Girls and women into the United States and forced them to engage in prostitution in the Los Angeles area. The jury’s verdict will result in prison sentences of a mandatory minimum of 15 years for four of the defendants, and up to life imprisonment for all five of the defendants. Four co-defendants had previously entered guilty pleas prior to the trial. Sentencing will occur later this year.
The details of the case are described in the press release below. But what the press release can’t describe is the years of work on this case by a team of dedicated members of law enforcement, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Human Trafficking, the U.S. Attorneys Office, the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit of DOJ's Civil Rights Division, and non-governmental victim service organizations who stabilized the victims, provided for their humanitarian needs, and vindicated their legal rights following their rescue. The results of this six-week trial were built on years of teamwork in victim services, thorough investigation, and hard-fought litigation. Because of the tireless efforts of the dozens of dedicated individuals, the young women and girls exploited by these sex traffickers have had their freedom restored, and the sex traffickers have been decisively brought to justice and prevented from victimizing others.
April 25, 2009
More than 17,000 people were smuggled or trafficked into the United States last year. Some were duped into believing that jobs awaited them and instead were forced into debt peonage, required to work in orchards and fields or as housemaids to reimburse the cost of their transport. Others, mostly women and children, were trafficked into sex slavery, and still others were shipped in by boat or brought across the Mexican border by organized smuggling rings. Even those who come voluntarily in search of work can find themselves in the hands of sophisticated criminal enterprises, with guides who are just as likely to rob, assault or hold them for ransom if full payment isn't made as they are to lead them north. The tales of smugglers' heartlessness are well known. The worst case occurred in 2003, when a truck driver abandoned 70 immigrants from Mexico, Central America and the Dominican Republic, leaving them sealed inside a trailer in south Texas; 19 died of dehydration, overheating and suffocation.
Although the fatalities in that case led to a life sentence for the truck driver, human smugglers in more routine cases can get off with a year or two behind bars, as the crime, incredibly, is only a misdemeanor. This leaves international networks of transporters, recruiters, guides and boat captains free to move human cargo with only the risk of a judicial slap on the wrist from the United States. With sentences that do not jibe with the crime, it's no wonder that global smuggling has become a multibillion-dollar market. A bill sponsored by Rep. Baron P. Hill (D-Ind.), the Alien Smuggling and Terrorism Prevention Act, would stiffen the penalties for smuggling, raising it from a misdemeanor to a felony and setting a five-year minimum sentence for many offenses. Longer terms would be imposed on smugglers who expose their victims to risk of death, kidnapping or rape, or whose offense is related to terrorism. The bill passed the House unanimously last year but lost momentum in the Senate. Hill reintroduced it, and last month it again passed the House unanimously. The Senate Judiciary Committee has it now and must not let it languish. The United States dismantled much of its human smuggling apparatus more than a century ago. But in recent years, with the creation of an anti-slavery office in the Justice Department and tougher anti-trafficking laws, we have recognized the unfortunate need to reassemble that machinery. As a destination for some of the world's least fortunate people, the U.S. must assert itself in the global effort to halt human smuggling, and Hill's legislation would help.
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