Human Trafficking

Human trafficking may be loosely defined as, "modern-day slavery." This is a topic of personal note; one of my very good friends lost his fiancee 2 years ago to this act, and I have been intrigued by the notion ever since. Like most Americans, I had no idea that such a thing could go on in our modern world- let alone the United States; I thought we had that figured out after the Civil War, right? In a recent lecture on the topic, I learned that 80% of modern slavery is comprised of women ages 15-30; this statistic is astonishing, yet believable. Most often, captives are of the same race as the victim as well.

Although seemingly sounding like an urban legend, I personally assure this scenario to be true: my friend's fiancee left her bachelorette party with her best friend- through a series of events and a fight, the best friend got out of the bachelorette's convertible at a rural gas station, and hitched a ride home with another friend. Several men pulled into the gas station in a pick up truck and taunted the girl until she drove off; they followed her. That is the last anyone saw her and security cameras offer no other evidence. The abandoned car was found a few miles from the gas station. Beside himself, my friend and his sister combed the area, fruitlessly seeking the bachelorette, until they met a pair of local prostitutes- they encouraged my friends to leave, as driving around the white ghetto in a Corvette, was asking for trouble. They said they knew her- they had seen her, but to turn back and make no mention of them, or else both they and the bachelorette would be killed.

Alabama State Police explained that there are hundreds of brothels in the US- they may be run from homes and generally contain nothing but a few mattresses. These women are virtually untraceable, as they are rarely in the same state or town for more than a few days. They are not flown on air planes or chained to the back seat of a car; they are shoved into dog crates and shipped to the next destination. Literally, these women live like caged animals- forced to obey the most degrading and damaging commands, before being locked up. In addition, the heads of such organizations often use drug dependency as a strong hold. They inject the victims with drugs until fully addicted, as a means for control.

These sex slaves are not always the victims of kidnapping. Often, teenage slaves come in the form of runaways. They may meet a man who is initially very good to them- offering love, care, and understanding they had not previously experienced at home. Eventually, their young minds are manipulated and through a series of lies, force, and coercion, are pushed into prostitution.

Another example was given about a 20 year old Russian woman who was forced into slavery after she came to America with a 2 week VISA; she was befriended by another Russian woman, who seemed to thrive financially since becoming a US resident. The woman suggested that they take a trip to Disney World and to mingle with other Russian- Americans in the Orlando area. The Russian girl said the other woman started her physical strong hold on her by simply pinching her arm to get her attention. While still visiting Orlando, the woman secured a very nice apartment in the Russian girl's name and set up housekeeping. One night, the Russian woman invited 3 men to the apartment; they had drinks and appetizers, until the Russian woman left the apartment- leaving the girl with the 3 strangers. From 9pm that vening until 11pm the following night, the men brutally raped her- they "gang banged" her (*side note: this is how the girl lost her virginity). Through physical and mental force, the girl became a prisoner, forced to sexually gratify for 4 months. One night, the Russian woman intructed the girl to kneel on the bathroom floor and not to move, or else she would be beaten. In the morning, the girl was found lying on the tile and was kicked nearly dead; she was beaten with a cooking pot until the handle broke off and then stabbed in the eye, sides, and stomach with the sharp end of the handle. Within hours, the girl was sold to a businessman for 48 hours. Over her 4 months in slavery, the girls earned well over $20,000 for the Russian woman, who was later caught and convicted.

Another form of slavery comes in the form of orphaned children. Highly popular in 3rd world countries, hundreds of people travel each year to adopt or buy these orphans; they are not selected for rescue, but rather to live in household slavery. They are not allowed to attend school or to play like other children. They may have but one purpose, such as scrubbing toilets, preparing dinner, or even looking after he household's children who may be 2-3 years older than the enslaved! Rarely are these children brought into the public, as they may be ethnically different looking than the "parents."

The coyote (people who smuggle others into the US) are largely responsible for another aspect of slavery; outside sources often home in the form of large-scale farm owners, who pay the debt per person (about $2,000), and thus "own" the workers; they provide food and housing for the workers, but at a highly inflated price. For example, a single roll of toilet paper may cost $5, while a box of tampons costs $20, and so on. Unable to get our of debt and without legal documentation, these people become prisoners to wealthy farm owners.

Who else could be in on this? Although previously funded by guns and drugs, the Mafia and other organized crime groups, facilitate a large portion of this problem. Drug sales has a one time turnover, while women may be used hundreds- or thousands of times! Organized crime groups have much financial wealth to gain from this new interest.

So what do we look for? Apparently, there are a LOT of common warning signs that I personally, have seen.
1. Nail Salons: women who do not look you in the eye, nor answer questions. If you notice a "house mama" yanking a girl from her position when spoken to, only to have another girl finish your salon service, this is a red flag. In addition, nail salons or massage parlors which offer a "happy ending" (this means sexual massage) to a salon service, are generally harboring sex slaves. Does this all sound terribly familiar?
2. Churches: for some reason, captives are often allowed to attend worship. A warning sign may be a van driven by a male and a female couple, filled with generally Hispanic, female passengers. They are instructed to go in and to immediately reenter the van upon the service's completion.
3. Mail Order Brides: although not usually requested as such, these brides may be forced into slavery over time.
4. Craigslist.com, shockingly enough is filled with such candidates! They often offer "companionship" or "a good time" for traveling businessmen, or visitors to certain areas. The posters of such ads agree to deliver a girl to a hotel room or a designated destination, to be rented for an hour- or even a weekend!

Should you suspect such danger, contact the police immediately! You could be saving the quality and actuality of someones life; these victims are most often killed once the captors have run our of use for them.

President Bush addressed the issue at the United Nations General Assembly, in 2003. He stated: "There's a special evil in the abuse and exploitation of the most innocent and vulnerable. The victims of sex trade see little of life before they see the worst of life- an underground of brutality and lonely fear. Those who create these victims and profit from their suffering must be severely punished. Those who patronize this industry debase themselves and deepen the misery of others. And governments who tolerate this trade are tolerating a form of slavery."

In addition, Hillary Clinton actively works to end this abuse; John McCain has vowed if elected, to put more government funding into the research and understanding of this topic. Barack Obama has agreed that the act is wrong, but has made no focus on the issue.

While I do feel we should help Haitian, Russian, and Asian people in slavery- I would like to focus on my own country. Do not misunderstand my thinking; I do not mean to suggest that any nationality is fair to be captive. However, I feel that because we are a superpower, American society reaches out to other countries, ignoring ways our own country may be at risk. I literally cannot think of any more unjust an issue or act. Upon leaving this lecture, I vomited in my car.