- McMahan Scandal BombshellEx-Wife's "Pay or Die" Note: It Was Extortion All Along thedailycannibal.com
- Win With SamsungCelebrate The Africa Cup Of Nations & Win Amazing Prizes With Samsung! Samsung.com/AfricaCupOfNations
Adding even more credence to this tragic reality, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels just signed into law tougher penalties on sex traffickers. The new law makes it a felony to recruit, transport or harbor anyone under the age of 16 for prostitution or other sexual conduct, punishable by 20 to 50 years in prison. The magnitude of the punishment speaks to the horror of the crime.
Sex trafficking is tragic because it is imprisonment and oppression that devastates its victims. Mostly young women and children, the victims are subject to gross human rights violations, including rape, torture, forced abortions, starvation, and threats of torture or murder. Many of these victims have been imported from poverty conditions in foreign countries, duped with promises of good jobs in the U.S. Others were purchased like possessions or kidnapped outright. And some are American runaways whose lives have hit bottom.
The numbers of victims involved are staggering. The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking estimates that it is a $16 billion business in the U.S. In addition, the U.S. State Department reports that 14,500 to 18,000 victims are trafficked into this country annually for prostitution, forced labor or other forms of exploitation. The population of victims in this hidden illegal subculture is huge, but unverifiable. Nevertheless, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center reports that it responded to more than 19,400 phone calls on its hotline in 2011.
In a letter published in the State Department's "Trafficking in Persons Report 2011," Ambassador Luis CdeBaca clearly states the undeniable conclusion: "The responsibility of governments to prosecute traffickers and provide justice to the trafficking victims cannot be outsourced to (non-governmental organizations). The systemic and structural steps needed to prevent human trafficking must reflect a cultural change that rejects modern slavery, addresses the demand that fuels this crime, and requires personal responsibility. But the foundations of such efforts must be found in government action."
In Indiana, the state's Transportation Safety Administration, its attorney general's office, the Indianapolis Police Department and the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, among other government agencies, are trained not only for the traffickers coming to Sunday's Super Bowl, but for the daily commercial sex business that invades unsuspecting communities.
In addition, there are international and country-specific organizations making significant inroads, like End Child Prostitution and Trafficking — USA, a network of organizations and individuals working to eliminate exploitation of children.
For the lodging industry, ECPAT developed a code of conduct where hotels commit to:
1) train their employees to recognize signs of trafficking on their premises;
2) provide a process for employees to document and report possible incidences of trafficking; and
3) make anti-trafficking information available to guests. Some hotels that have signed the code are Hilton Worldwide, Wyndham Worldwide, Radisson Hotels & Resorts and Country Inn & Suites.
Nobody — except perhaps, users — wants human trafficking in their community.
And when we see such a tragic wrong, as compassionate human beings, we have to be compelled to right it.
Sister Pat Bergen is a team leader of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in La Grange Park.
No comments:
Post a Comment