Human Trafficking in the United States

Human Trafficking is the world's fastest growing criminal enterprise and the United States has a part in it. The third largest international crime industry (after drug trafficking and arms trafficking) is human trafficking. With an annual profit of 32 billion, 15.5 billion of that is made in industrialized countries...nearly half!
The US government has been proactive in fighting against trafficking. In 1994 they began monitoring trafficking in the states.  At first, monitoring was only of sex trafficking of women and girls, but since then they have broadened to monitor all forms of forced labor and also the men and boys involved in such enslavement as well.
The US is a tier 1 country for trafficking, which means we are in full compliance with the Trafficking Violence Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000.  The US recognizes the need to sustain and improve efforts achieve the goals of the TVPA of 2000 and this act was also reauthorized and signed into effect in 2006.  The US assists other countries in enacting anti-trafficking legislation and is responsible for assigning a rating for their level of compliance to the TVPA.  See this map that rates each country according to their compliance/accomplishments in dealing with trafficking.  
However, regardless of our efforts, trafficking is an issue here. The US Justice Department estimates that 17,500 people are trafficked into the country every year, but the number could be much higher because of the amount of undocumented immigrants.  The number of people trafficked in is a separate number than the actual incidents of trafficking that occur.  A portion of that number will be for forced labor and some for sexual exploitation but 80% of trafficking involves the sex trafficking. Also 80% of children trafficked in the US are US citizens. Some people may think that children are usually abducted for this purpose, but in reality only 1% of children are abducted and the rest are recruited through cohersion.  
The number of children and youth that were at risk for specifically sex trafficking every year in the US was 244,000 in 2000 and is likely higher now.  38,600 of these originated as runaways. The average age for a teen to enter the sex trade is 12 to 14 years and children who are runaways are usually approached or recruited within the first 48 hours of being on the streets.  Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego are 3 of the 13 highest sex trafficking areas in the country.  To read a recent story on what is being done in The L.A./Hollywood area, see this article.
Because many individuals and organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the problem, and the shocking rise of its occurrence, there are many programs and ministries working tirelessly to end the trafficking in our country.  Even unaffected teens need to be aware of the issue so that they are able to recognize when this could be happening to a friend or classmate. There is some great material out there for educating teens and youth. 
I look forward to writing about some of the organizations that exist and that are passionate about eradicating the problem next time.

Pray for the United States:  That our land would be healed.

That women, children, men and boys would be rescued from this darkness.

That there would be wisdom on the part of the authorities to tell who is being forced and who is forcing...this all becomes very muddled when children are recruiting children!

That organizations standing up against this would receive favor and support from citizens and government.

www.humantrafficking.org
www.wikipedia.com
www.state.gov
www.huffingtonpost.com
www.dosomething.org
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/46003680@N04/8431438320">Billboard</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/54497431@N05/5650382450">Big Links</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">(license)</a>

India...4th in the series of 5 countries to pray for

I had started out wanting to write about 10 countries, but have decided to change it to five.  The human trafficking problem is so saturated worldwide that there are just so many stories to tell.  I've decided to narrow down the focus to 5, with the 5th one being the US.  The countries I have already written about are countries with a widespread trafficking issue and especially the country we come to today...India...the largest destination, source and transit country for men, women and children to be trafficked.

In India, 22 people are trafficked every hour.  The United Nations says that India is the most dangerous place in the world for a woman or girl.  Back in 1998 the average age of those trafficked was 18 and a few years later, 15.  Now that average age has dropped to 11-13.  
“Trafficking for sex and other purposes has always existed in India, but trafficking children for domestic slavery is a relatively new development,” says HS Phoolka, a senior advocate at India’s supreme court and a human rights lawyer and activist. “This is due to rising demand for domestic maids due to rising income in urban areas and widescale poverty … in rural areas. This trafficking shows the rise of massive inequality in India.” (theguardian.com) 

The problem there is growing.  There is also a growing recognition of the problem as many ministries and safe houses have been started there to rescue and restore victims.  However, the need remains great.
The number of children that are disappearing from remote villages is beginning to cause alarm and while they disappear, the number of "employment placing agencies" is growing.  These are known to be a source for supplying "help" to wealthy families.  
There is low priority placed on trafficking among law enforcement and there is a lack of funds to address it.  There is not alot of fear of consequences for being involved in trafficking crime circles.  As a matter of fact, it is projected that it will soon become the #1 criminal enterprise...even over drug trafficking. In poor areas, where traffickers earn alot of money, they have influence and power and it is a very attractive enterprise to become involved in.  

Dasra, a Strategic Philanthropy Foundation did a study on trafficking in India and this was a quote from their results (profound and disturbing):

"The reason why sex trafficking persists is straightforward: immense profitability with minimal risk. A net profit margin of over 70 per cent makes sex trafficking one of the most profitable businesses in the world. It is becoming increasingly easy and inexpensive to procure, move and exploit vulnerable girls…Moreover, the average price of a sex act has been decreasing over time…These decreasing prices open up the market to consumers who could not previously afford the service." 

(asianphilanthropyforum.org)

This causes me to ponder the moral vacuums in our world that just cause other moral vacuums....the devaluation of humans through the caste system allows people to even operate in this trade without a conscience.  Selective sex abortions in India have made it impossible for men to find a bride in several areas of the country causing them (not justifiably) to seek out the services of trafficking...etc.

Pray for the country of India:

• That children from poor areas can obtain an education through many of the services that are being started there.
• Law enforcement where police are given consequences for turning a blind eye.
• Breakdown of the caste system
• The poverty problem
• More ministries (and support for those ministries) that can bring the good news of Christ, which brings value to all people.

sources: www.air1.com, www.thegaurdian.com, www.foxnews.com, www.gvnet.com, www.nytimes.com, www.asianphilanthropyforum.org

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photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64924693@N00/6559175903">Intricate!</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>

Haiti..3rd in the series of 5 countries to pray for

Haiti has been ranked as the second country in the world for prevalence of slavery among a population. The difficult thing about this country's situation is that many mothers are willingly sending their children to wealthier or middle class families in exchange for care of the child's basic needs. It is often agreed that the child will go to school and then this promise is not always carried out.  

Many of these children, primarily female, are working 10-14 hours per day without pay. Perhaps even knowing this information, impoverished mothers would still be sending their children to serve in such homes so that at least they will be fed.  And this being the case, the slavery problem in this country is complex. After all, domestic servitude with no pay is better than prostitution or begging on the streets, they would reason.

The estimated 200,000 to 230,000 slaves in Haiti are mostly women and children, with many of the children being orphans. Because of the high level of orphans, most trafficking cases consist of children in domestic servitude, but these children are subjected to all kinds of abuses in the places where they serve. Women and children living in IDP (internally displaced persons) camps that were established as a result of the 2010 earthquake, have been at an increased risk of sex trafficking and forced labor.

There are a set of standards that have been set forth in the US to grade each country on its efforts to end trafficking and help the victims.  It is called the "Trafficking Victims Protection Act".  Standards are given for each country to meet and each country has been graded on their progress or efforts to improve. There are 4 tiers: 1) The country fully complies 2) Not fully, but making significant efforts 3) Watch list: There are a significant number of victims and there is no evidence to improve conditions based on commitments for the next year 4) Do not comply and are not making efforts to do so. Haiti is a tier 2 country.

On a positive note, Haiti enacted legislation recently (in 2014) to criminalize human trafficking. However, the government has not increased efforts to address the problem and so they remain in tier 2.  They would have gone down to the level of tier 3 if not for the plan that the government has in place (even if it has not been implemented.) Despite the large number of victims identified each year, the government has not convicted any perpetrators. They have closed several businesses, where children are being trafficked. Prayer is needed that these baby steps will turn into larger steps to end trafficking in Haiti. 

Please pray:  That the new laws will be enforced and that there will be resources to do so. 
For the poverty of this country and that there will be donors to this cause and that money will be used without corruption.
For all who are currently enslaved in Haiti...for their lives and redemption. 

sources:
http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2014/226735.htm
http://www.businessinsider.com/flawed-arrangement-turns-haitian-restaveks-into-slaves-2014-8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Haiti
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48858041@N05/12835794533">Ile-a-Vache Birdseye View Oceanshore Cove - Haiti</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>
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Nepal....2nd in the series of 5 countries to pray for

Nepal....2nd in the series of 5 countries to pray for

Update before publishing: I had typed this post out yesterday, all ready to publish for today when I heard that yet another earthquake hit Nepal early today (centered east of Kathmandu). With a magnitude of 7.3, (as compared to the 7.8 of April 25th's earthquake), it was no small tremor.  There are more deaths and further destruction because of it and YES, this country does need our prayers (and donations):
  
The next country on my list was Nepal...even before the disastrous earthquake hit.  Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and has been filled for years with political turmoil, which has limited it's economic progress and growth. The death toll yesterday was listed at barely over 8,000 people and there are remote areas still to be reached.  
Human trafficking was a problem in Nepal before the earthquake, of course.  An estimated 15,000-20,000 women and children ages 12-25 cross the porous border from Nepal into India to be trafficked each year.  It is considered the busiest route of human trafficking in the world.

Right now, there is an increased effort by traffickers to enslave vulnerable young women.  Many individuals are left with fewer options than they had prior to the disaster and the destruction allows for less constraint and protection. In this case, the moving of individuals can be portrayed as an act of charity in order to seduce an individual to come to a new location for a job or to get a roof over their heads.  It is possible that displacement camps set up after the earthquake are already being targeted.  Trafficking agents may be posing as aid workers. Witnesses have seen people, in the name of relief, offering jobs to children and adolescent girls.

As I explained in a previous post, but just to reiterate: There are a set of standards that have been set forth in the US to grade each country on its efforts to end trafficking and help the victims.  It is called the "Trafficking Victims Protection Act".  Standards are given for each country to meet and each country has been graded on their progress or efforts to improve. There are 4 tiers: 1) The country fully complies 2) Not fully, but making significant efforts 3) Watch list: There are a significant number of victims and there is no evidence to improve conditions based on commitments for the next year 4) Do not comply and are not making efforts to do so.  

Nepal is listed as a 2. So, despite the fact that the country has a significant problem with numbers of individuals being trafficked, this means the government is making an effort to discuss solutions and implement changes. They do not fully comply with the minimum standards for trafficking elimination, but they are making efforts to bring themselves to that point.  
Currently, much of the country's security personnel is involved with rescue and relief so there is nobody available to monitor trafficking at the borders. The government however, is calling on individual ministries to help with this in an effort to protect women, so that is definitely to their credit. 

Prayer points:

• For the recovery of this country and its precious people after the earthquake.
• For evil to be stopped in its tracks where there are traffickers trying to take advantage of the vulnerability of the situation.  
• For all of the recovery aid workers and ministries who are tirelessly building, gathering supplies, making calls to see what is needed, monitoring the borders for traffickers etc.
• These are the words from a friend of mine's facebook page.  She lives in Nepal.  Her home was not affected by the quake, but destruction is not far from them:  

Please pray for the social and political situation in Nepal right now. The government is confiscating relief materials and funds saying it has to go through them first, they are turning away aid workers saying 'there's nothing for them to do' because the government is so incompetent in delegating the efforts........while thousands of people sit in their villages SIX days after the earthquake with still no help. Clinics are turning away victims who can't pay. People are being arrested for spreading rumors about another bigger earthquake coming. Groups are demonstrating in Kathmandu out of frustration of the government's gross lack of management of this crisis, which just further blocks the already jammed traffic throughout the city. It's an absolute mess! This country needs your prayer!

Sources:listdose.com, thegaurdian.com, news.sky.com, bangkokpost.com, 3angelsnepal.com

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28577026@N02/17349507036">2015-03-30 04-15 Nepal 673 Pokhara, Phewa Lake</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a> photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/56796376@N00/497618592">Nepal - Sagamartha Trek - 061 - Ama Dablam</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>

China...1st of the series of 5 countries to pray for

China...1st of the series of 5 countries to pray for

1.357 Billion people is a number hard to fathom!  All uniquely created, all loved by their creator!  This is one fifth of the entire planet's population in one country!  I've never been there, so I am writing partially on mere facts that I have read and learned. I am overwhelmed, even from a distance at the enormous expanse of this land and its people.

Because of its population, labor is cheap and traffickers take advantage of this by luring people into jobs that offer false promises and eventually force them (once they have moved them and there no way of return) to work in situations that pay little or nothing. 

China is a transit country for victims going to Thailand and Malaysia and is a destination from countries such as Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia, Russia, North Korea, Romania, and Zimbabwe.  An imbalanced sex ratio has been created because of the government's population planning policies and the cultural preference for sons. This contributes to sexual trafficking along with trafficking for forced marriage purposes. As far as forced labor in brick making and factory or farming, fishing etc, the extent and numbers for labor trafficking is not clear because the government does not freely release information on this topic. 

There are a set of standards that have been set forth in the US to grade each country on its efforts to end trafficking and help the victims.  It is called the "Trafficking Victims Protection Act".  Standards are given for each country to meet and each country has been graded on their progress or efforts to improve. There are 4 tiers: 1)The country fully complies 2)Not fully, but making significant efforts 3)Watch list:  There are a significant number of victims and there is no evidence to improve conditions based on commitments for the next year 4)Do not comply and are not making efforts to do so.  China ranks as #3 (on the watch list).  They were at one point listed as a 4, but government officials claim to be working on drafting a National plan of action for improving the trafficking problem.  They have not yet made the details public.

In China, victims of trafficking are not protected from punishments for the acts they have committed as a direct result of being trafficked.  For example, an immigrant may be punished for being there when they were forcibly brought. Or, they may be punished for forced prostitution.

Prayer Points:

• For China's government to act on the completion of a National Plan for prevention of trafficking.
• For laws to be passed that will protect and help victims.
• For the economic situation in general (which makes China's people vulnerable).
• Chinese people are the second most common ethnicity being trafficked in the US! (second to Mexicans)...pray for recognition where this is occurring.
• Revival: Hearts turning to Jesus so that Human Life is valued and respected.

Thanks for praying along with me. 
Jeannine


Sources:  listdose.com, polarisproject.com, humantrafficking.org
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/13818951@N08/14512568993">Great Wall of China</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)</a>
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Praying for Highly Impacted Nations

One of my goals in this endeavor, as I state on the page about this blog, is to learn more about human trafficking worldwide and here in the U.S. and to relay what I learn to my readers as I go along.  As I prayed about how to do that…I questioned what my first step should be in the learning process.  I felt that my very first step is just to pray.  Many revolutions of all kinds have been birthed out of prayer.  Prayer can ignite our hearts to action and I know that my hope is to have some part in taking action against trafficking.  Prayer in itself is an action and the first step on this journey!

Will you pray with me as I share over the next months about countries all over the world that have large trafficking industries?  in the next months, I will do some posts on different countries.  While I will be investigating statistics and numbers, each number represents a person, a soul.  I hope to be able to relay specific prayer requests for each region and lastly will do the same for our own country, the United States.  I would like to address five countries around the world, not necessarily in order of trafficking prevalence.  Hope you’ll learn along with me and say a short prayer each time you read about a different area.

Leaders have prayed to end slavery before:

"...I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side." The Inner Life of Abraham Lincoln: Six Months at the White House by Francis B. Carpenter (Lincoln, Nebraska, University of Nebraska Press, 1995), p. 282. Also, Recollections of Abraham Lincoln by Ward Hill Lamon (Lincoln, Nebraska, University of Nebraska Press, 1994), p. 91.

"In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free - honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. Other means may succeed; this could not fail. The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just - a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless." Lincoln's Second Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862. (http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln78.html)

And a famous prayer by Harriet Tubman:

The North Star leads and guides my way.
O Lord show me favor now I pray,
For I’m walking to freedom day by day.
It’s more than a fight, more than a dream,
It’s the fact we’re all created equal, so let freedom ring.
So I’m not giving up, I’ll keep fighting still
I’ll die for this cause if that is Your will.
It is my hope for the next generation to see,
What it’s like to truly be free.
So there’s no time for worry, no time for fear, 
For the light of independence is far too near!

(http://www.teenink.com/poetry/free_verse/article/302982/Harriet-Tubmans-Prayer/)

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photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22714323@N06/4762013603">Old Barney and the North Star</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>