Global Human Trafficking Roundup

Monday, January 24, 2011

Global human trafficking roundup ( January 22-24, 2011)

NORTH AMERICA

Wisconsin: A Milwaukee man was sentenced 14 years in jail for pimping on a 14 year old girl. He admitted in court that he found the victim working the street last May. Though his lawyer argued that the man didn't realized that she was an underage girl and that she was already prostituting herself, the judge wanted to send a warning to other men who might be tempted to follow the man's example.

Washington: Seattle and Portland crack down on child prostitution. Though the two cities are labeled as a hub of sex trafficking, one report states that the actual problem of human trafficking in the two cities are not any worse than other cities. Meanwhile, Seattle has consistently shown the most juveniles rounded up in prostitution crackdowns for three years running now.

Oregon: The major of Portland city says that imperfect data on human trafficking in Portland does not diminish the crime of human trafficking. He also argues that because sex trafficking is hard to track, because victims often are afraid of come forward to report the crime. However, instead of an inaction, he argues that Portland should redouble its effort to fight human trafficking.

Vermont: According to a report released last week, Vermont should join 41 states with anti-human trafficking law. The Vermont Attorney General's office reported that though report suggests small number of human trafficking cases, the problem is likely to be much larger because of lack of awareness among public.

New York: Key federal, state, and local authorities launched anti-human trafficking task force in Westchester last month. According to the founder of task force, there have been major human trafficking cases in Westchester county, and the task force will further shed lights on more human trafficking cases in the area. There are many factors that make Westchester county as a prime location for human trafficking, including high immigration population, living circumstances requiring the presence of all types of workers.

LATIN AMERICA

Haiti: U.S. government announced additional $4.75 million to fight human trafficking in Haiti. The grant was distributed among the US organizations fighting against human trafficking. In 2010, Trafficking in Person estimated that over 200,000 children were enslaved before the massive earthquake

EUROPE

UK: Birmingham is a hub of child prostitution, police says. Children as young as 12 are pimped out of Birmingham by foreign gangs for as little as 10 pounds. A nonprofit representative says that last year, there were 100 girl and five boy victims, but this does not mean that there were only 105 children who were at risk.

ASIA

China: The authority announced that Chinese women are increasingly trafficked for forced marriage or prostitution abroad. Majority of victims are trafficked to Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa, according to the authority. Also, many victims are lured into leaving China and end up being forced into prostitution by criminal organizations that offer high paying job opportunities to them.

UAE: Prosecutor seeks a life sentence for three people who trafficked a woman from Bangladesh. The female victim came to UAE with a promise of a maid job by her brother. But, upon arrival, she was forced into prostitution.