The Crossroads of Humans & Slavery

China

2009-06-05T18:13:00.002-07:00

China or the People’s Republic of China is one of the largest countries in the world. Situated between North Korea and Vietnam it is most recently known best for hosting the 2008 Olympics and their corrupt government overthrowing Tibet, China is a place of extreme interest. Since it is part of Asia sex workers are commonly seen to be taken from China and brought to China as a result of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is an interesting term to be used when talking about the issue in Asia because in their culture there is not direct translation. Human trafficking is a Westernized word that really only makes sense to English speakers. As for immigrants of Asian decent they understand the word slavery much better. It should be completely understood that human trafficking is modern day slavery.

It is estimated that 10,000-20,000 women, men, and children are forced into trafficking/slavery in China every year. The Chinese government rescues 3,000 victims, mostly women and children, on average annually. Many of the adults are coerced into slavery by promises of a better life and many children are kidnapped. Women in poorer regions of China are forced into marriages with older men and women in richer regions are forced into sex work. Most men are forced into laboring, such as farming and factory work, but some are also forced into sex.

In a news story released today (June 4, 2009) the Chinese government has issued a wanted list for suspects of human trafficking/slavery. The government is offering a reward for anyone who can give them information pertaining to the arrests. From the months of April to the end of May Chinese police rescued 447 children from 360 human trafficking cases. The reward for giving the government information is 50,000 yuan, which is a little over $7,500 US.

The Chinese government is taking a strong stance on human trafficking/slavery and implementing ways to prevent it. The vast amount of people who live in China and migrate in and out yearly shows that combating this will be no easy task. It is important for the government to inform the citizens of China as well as the people who migrate to China about the choices they have within the country and what to do if they are victims of human trafficking. With putting together an education system it will allow victims the opportunity to get information about their rights.

Trafficking/slavery is normally seen as immigration but it is really a issue of labor exploitation. Until this is completely understood the governement can do all that they want to combat the issue but they won't get very far without looking at the source of the issue. The source lies in labor standards (according to the video below). The Chinese government should be acknowledged for their significant work they are doing to fight human trafficking/slavery and rescue victims, but there should also be a push forward to help implement programs to educate migrants and citizens about their rights and alternate choices.

Sources

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/04/content_11488536.htm

http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/china

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html

(photo) http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/04Cm5g0f9Y7dM/610x.jpg

Human Trafficking - Part 1

2009-06-05T18:13:00.001-07:00

Analysis of human trafficking.

more about "Human Trafficking - Part 1", posted with vodpod

India

2009-05-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

India is the second most populated country in the world. It is home to some of the most destitute people, 26% percent of the population, who are striving to make money, and a large part of these people are children under the age of 18. India is a country that has a huge amount of people involved in forced labor, an estimated 100 million people. In a recent report by CNN it was estimated that over 1.2 million children are forced in prostitution rings across India. Recent studies and surveys have shown that there are over 3 million prostitutes in India, and 40% of these are children.

Authorities say that it is extremely hard to track trafficking rings in India because one the nature of the crime is extremely secret and kept quiet because of legal and religious standards, and second many of the rings are operating purely within India. This means that people who are forced into trafficking are staying in India and mostly from Indian decent. This allows for the rings to be more difficult to track because there is no crossing the borders.

The Indian police and government has taken steps towards realize that human trafficking is one of the largest and most serious organized crime operating within the country. CBI Chief Ashwani Kumar said in report this past week, “The approach of the government in attacking the social scourge is essentially two fold: first, to frame policy and enact legislation, and, second, to involve NGO’s and social groups in rescue and rehabilitation of victims.”

The root cause of the problem has been deemed as the high amount of people affected by poverty in India. The underdevelopment and unemployment that effects the country is cause human trafficking rings to take over. The rings have seen the weak points in the society and have taken hold of the most vulnerable. Hopefully, with the new studies and research that have emerged the government will indeed enforce their two-fold policy and begin to rescue many of the victims of human trafficking.

Sources

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/11/india.prostitution.children/index.html

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Human-trafficking-a-serious-organised-crime-CBI-chief/articleshow/4511706.cms

http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/India.htm

(photo) http://www.indiadaily.org/images/human-trafficking11_26.jpg

Playing for Change

2009-05-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Playing for Change has nothing to do with the issue of human trafficking but I think that it is a great cause and idea that should be shared. The idea behind Playing for Change is peace through music. Check out the website and the music videos on YouTube.

Thanks!

http://www.playingforchange.com/

Significant News this Week - 4/27-5/1

2009-04-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

In a report released this week the Malaysian government will be investigating reports that thousands of Myanmar refugees were given to human traffickers. This was a result of refugees escaping to Malaysia only to be deported. However, rather than being deported they were put in the hands of human traffickers who forced them into brothels, restaurants, and fishing boats in Thailand if they were unable to pay the traffickers the price for their freedom.

The U.S. Senate on Foreign Relations is the investigator of this and the ones who are encouraging the Malaysian government to take action. Another group in the U.S. called Human Rights Watch based out of New York said, “The Malaysian government should act on this U.S. Senate report to protect the rights of refugees and victims of human trafficking,” (The Associated Press).

In a report released by The Associated Press on April 24 they said, “The U.N. refugee agency has registered 47,600 refugees living in Malaysia as of the end of March, of whom 42,300 were from Myanmar.” This account makes it extremely important to get the issue of Myanmar refugees who are deported safe from the hands of human traffickers.

Not only is the Malaysian prime minister and government becoming involved in the investigation but the Thai government also signed an anti-human trafficking vow to stop the trafficking on Myanmar refugees to Thailand. There is also a known anti-human trafficking advocacy group in Malaysia called Tenaganita fighting to help Myanmar refugees.

The Associated Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iGg8-PM4-oFBiLLwBJmif5CaCoXQD97P6Q5O1.

The Irrawaddy. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=15536.

Mizzima. http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/2019-thailand-malaysia-to-act-on-trafficking-of-burmese-migrants.html.

Photo. http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=9646.

Significant News this Week - 4/13-4/17

2009-04-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, located in the UAE, will be holding a two day conference next week focusing on human trafficking. The conference is being put on by the countries new Human Rights Department, which was founded in December 2008. The department is inviting ministries, institutions, associations and human rights activists from around the country, as well as representatives from the United Nations.

Col Ahmad Mohammed Nekhaira is the human rights director for the Abu Dhabi police. He said, “This is the department’s first activity to stamp out human trafficking. The [conference] is two-fold: it will explore the nature of human trafficking and its dimensions, and explore the role of national institutions in fighting the issue,” (The National).

This is a very important and impressive step forward for the UAE in its fight against human trafficking within their borders. The country has been implementing policies against human trafficking for years, specifically in 2006 with the first law prosecuting human trafficking violators with a minimum of five years in prison. With the rapid growth of neighbor city Dubai it is especially important for the government to take steps forward to decrease human trafficking before it is too late.

The UN representative, Abdul Aziz, praised the UAE in its efforts to combat human trafficking within their own borders and across. He said, “’The UAE came ahead of many countries in the legislative and institutional fields and is setting laws to eliminate this cross-continent crime against humanity’. He expressed his admiration of the UAE’s experience in setting up shelters for human trafficking victims and the medical, psychological, and legal services offered by these centers to victims” (GulfNews).

More to follow in the upcoming days on this conference being held in Abu Dhabi.

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090416/NATIONAL/453349309/1010

http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Society/10304260.html

(photo) http://www.centralbank.ae/images/images/uae-Map-small.gif

Russia

2009-04-15T22:11:00.001-07:00

Russia is the largest country in Europe, extending over 6,591,100 square miles. The mere fact that Russia borders numerous countries makes it a hot spot for human trafficking. Russia is among the top 10 countries for human trafficking. This list also includes: Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Lithuania, Nigeria, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Thailand, and the Ukraine, (businessweek.com).

According to a report by Business Week it says that the large difference in wages between poor countries and prosperous countries is what lures people into human trafficking rings. Traffickers realize that young people, especially girls, are willing to take a chance to become successful to help themselves and their families. Traffickers put up posters and ads in newspapers promising high salaries for jobs in other countries, and when these young people see this and take the bait they are forced into labor or prostitution rings with no one to help.

In 2000 there was an estimated 60 million people, or 40 percent of the population, living under the poverty line in Russia. In 1997 there was an estimated 100,000 people trafficked in and out of Russia, (International Organization for Migration). This number most likely has only increased with the economic changes across the globe in the past decade, and significantly in the past year.

“Various studies indicate that women make up between 60 and 80 percent of the registered unemployment [in Russia], and in some regions over 90 percent. Moreover, the appearance of highly educated Russian women in sex industries abroad has been one of the unique phenomena of trafficking in women from Russia. Elsewhere, trafficked women are usually far less educated,” (International Organization for Migration).

Also, there is not only a large amount of women and children whom are trafficked for sexual exploitation in Russia but in “2007, the number of Belarusian men trafficked to Moscow increased for purposes of forced labor in the construction, textile and food industries. The ILO (International Labor Organization) reported that an estimated one million illegal migrant workers may be victims of labor trafficking in Russia,” (gvnet.com).

Human trafficking in Russia is a very serious issue that is affecting thousands of people every day. In 2006 there were stories stating that the Russian government had plans to implement a policy to combat human trafficking. However, in my research for this posting I was unable to discover any evidence of how they are implementing this into their system of fighting organized crime. Hopefully, this is just a fault of my search and that the government is enforcing laws to help the people being trafficked.

http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Russia.htm

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/feb2007/gb20070223_311905.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/russia.pdf

(photo) http://www.russiatoday.com/Top_News/2009-03-27/Intelligence_colonel_accused_of_selling_130_women.html

Russia report trafficking of women

2009-04-14T14:46:00.001-07:00

Video account of human trafficking for sexual exploitation in Russia. More to come about human trafficking in Russia.

more about "Russia report trafficking of women", posted with vodpod

Reality – Humans Traffickers Making More Money that Drug Traffickers

2009-04-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

In a report put out today by the Epoch Times entitled “Human Trafficking in Europe Outweighs Drug Smuggling”, it gives information, from the European Commission, that human trafficking is more prevalent than the smuggling and spreading of drugs. The European Commission is a subgroup of the European Union. The Vice President of the European Commission said, “We want to build an EU that is truly able to protect the most vulnerable citizens against the most terrible crimes.”

The article states that “People from developing countries like Moldova and Bulgaria are especially vulnerable to human trafficking. Both countries are considered among the poorest in Europe, with job opportunities hard to come by.” In relation to Moldova directly it says, “25 percent of young working Moldovans are employed abroad, and the average monthly domestic salary is $130.”

Moldova’s government is very corrupt and many of their officials are taking part in the trafficking of humans. This same corruptness is being seen in Bulgaria as well. The U.S. Deputy Ambassador to Bulgaria said, “Bulgaria has not done enough in the fight against the legalization of funds from this type of criminal activity. Over 80 percent of Bulgarians have no trust in the judicial system and believe that it is dependent on political and business formations.” The Bulgarian Deputy Internal Minister also said that “the combat of trafficking in human beings is not at the expected level.”

The European Commission will be putting into place a new system that will hopefully lessen the amount of people trafficked from and to European countries. There will be “better protection and car for victims, and stricter sanctions against trafficking.” The areas of focus will be on prosecuting criminals (people who sell and who buy victims), protecting victims, and implementing programs to prevent offenses.

With the implementation of the European Commissions program to combat human trafficking, hopefully they will gain support from political officials within European countries, specially Moldova and Bulgaria. The only way that this program will work is if they have full support from all government officials and people in power. If there are people who are not on board there will be loop holes that smugglers will get through. Hopefully people will become aware of how serious this issue is in Europe and will get involved with this system to help eliminate human trafficking.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/15305/

(photo) http://www.terroristplanet.com/humantrafficking.jpg

Map of Moldova

2009-04-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

Moldova

2009-04-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

Moldova, formerly known as Moldavia, is located between Romania and the Ukraine. Moldova is Europe's poorest country and leading provider of underage girls for sexual exploitation. According to an article from 2007, "Moldovan women are trafficked all over the world, with the list of destinations including: Turkey, Israel, the U.A.E., Ukraine, Russia, Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Portugal, and Austria."

It is estimated that "slightly more than 1% of the approximately 750,000 Moldovans working abroad are trafficking victims," (gvnet.com). Unfortunately, Moldova's government refuses to comply with the minimum standards to help alleviate the amount of people trafficked from their country. More than 80% of the people trafficked from Moldova are women and half of those are children. According to the Norwich Evening Post the Moldovan government is highly corrupt and is involved in the act of trafficking people. "Specific reports surfaced of officials' complicity in trafficking, involving senior government officials, as well as border guards and police officers."

http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Moldova.htm
http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/node/1745
(photo) http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/05/080505fa_fact_finnegan