Global Human Traffiking Watch

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Sea Rescue Operation for 450 Stranded Migrants

SPUTNIK

12:30 02.01.2015(updated 15:28 03.01.2015)

5510

Italian helicopters have been scrambled and rescuers are on board an abandoned people smuggling ship on the Mediterranean Sea.One of the migrants on board the livestock vessel used the ship's radio to call the Italian coast guards for help saying: "We're without crew, we're heading toward the Italian coast and we have no one to steer".
According to the ANSA news agency the ship was 40 miles off Italy's southeastern tip with as many as 450 people on board. Most passengers are believed to be from Syria.
Record numbers of people from Africa, Asia and the Middle East attempted the same perilous journey last year. During the summer, traffickers transporting human cargo use fishing boats and dinghies and the rough winter seas are seen as no deterrent. The boats are just bigger; the migrants are just as desperate.
"Freight boats departing from Turkey are now being used which is a new trend", according to Izabella Cooper, from the European border protection agency Frontex. "The smugglers buy old boats from scrap yards and put the migrants on them. They go to different countries to take more migrants in order to transport them to Italy".
Earlier this week, almost 1,000 migrants had to be rescued from another boat that had been abandoned by the captain and crew. Children and pregnant women, believed to be Syrian were on board.
Record numbers of men women and children died last year trying to reach the Italian coast on boats that are put to sea and then abandoned.
More than 170,000 had to be rescued by Italy in the last 14 months — and there now appears to be a new route, says Cooper "The Black Sea route from Turkey into Romania".
But since last October, Britain has withdrawn any support for any search and rescue operation to prevent mass drowning of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean Sea. Foreign Office ministers claim rescue operations encourage more people to risk their lives and subsequently more profit for traffickers.
However, the Home Office confirmed that the UK contributes a ‘de-briefer' who interviews migrants and refugees in order to help build a picture of the criminal networks involved in the human trafficking.
"Information gathered by a de-briefer who conducts voluntary interviews with the migrants is very important, it can definitely save lives," says Izabella Cooper.
"We can't conduct investigations but we do pass the information on to the migrant-receiving countries and Europol so that they can take action on the criminal networks. For every boatload of 400 people, the smugglers make a clear profit of one million euros,"
The people rescued at sea often admit that they know the dangers but are so desperate to flee that they are prepared to take the risks.
Izabella Cooper says pressure will remain high on the central Mediterranean route, with the situation in Libya crucial to that: about 87% of the Mediterranean crossings begin in Libya, where the trafficking gangs can work with almost complete impunity.
In 2014, more than 207,000 migrants and refugees made the risky Mediterranean crossing to get to Europe — nearly three times the previous highest figure of 70,000 in 2011. Of those, some 3,400 died.
Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), believes that 2015 is "a time of real need in the world. Conflict and displacement are on the rise, so we're heading into 2015 looking at difficult asylum environments with more people in flight".
Refugee and human rights organisations say Britain's decision to withdraw rescue support will contribute to more people dying in what's become a Mediterranean graveyard on Europe's doorstep.

http://uk.sputniknews.com/world/20150102/1013336986.html

Winning The War On Terror

SPUTNIK

14:36 28.12.2014(updated 15:21 29.12.2014)

11300

The threat from home-grown extremists radicalised in Britain are as realistic as the threats posed from other terrorist groups including Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant terrorist group, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda and Al Shabab.

In 2014, more than 207 people were arrested in Britain for terror related offences. In August, the terror threat level was raised from ‘substantial' to ‘severe' by the Home Secretary, Theresa May.

The decision was made primarily because of developments in Syria and Iraq where security services believe more than 500 British-born Muslims have been radicalised and travelled to the Middle East to join ISIL.

However, that figure, according to researcher and Syrian political activist Danni Maki could be three times greater. ISIL and other terrorist groups in the region are still using the internet to coax and convince many young people to leave Britain and become terrorists, and the greatest threat that remains to people in the UK is when those that have been radicalised return.

No one is born a terrorist, because terrorism is a process, not an event, according to counter terrorism expert Hamed El-Said. Therefore he believes it can be reversed. However El-Said believes the process of countering radicalisation has been ignored and current counter terrorism programmes in place are, in his view, inadequate.

His book, 'New Approaches to Countering Terrorism', is dedicated to the theory of counter radicalisation and de-radicalisation. "My concern is that countering radicalisation was deliberately ignored. Anti-Americanism, anti-Western sentiments have been on the rise since 9/11. My fear and disappointment is that we in the West did not want to assume any responsibility for our policies in the region," he said.

The book states that terrorism is a crime like all other crimes. However violent extremism, according to El-Said, is confined to a small minority of fringe groups and individuals who take matters into their own hands and who are radical enough to commit acts of terrorism.

The rhetoric surrounding the so-called war on terror in the wake of attacks in Britain and America has, according to Hamed El-Said, Professor in International Business and Political Economy at Manchester Metropolitan University, led to the stigmatisation and negative labelling of Muslim communities, which has backfired in the fight to counter violent extremism.

"This only contributes further to the marginalisation of Muslim communities in the West. As long as we keep neglecting the root cause we will never defeat terrorism. So far we haven't been able to win the war on terror and it continues.

"In many cases it's actually got worse, there are more radicalised individuals around the world and there is more violent extremism in different parts of the world. We need to shift gears and change our policies and focus more on discrediting their approach and defeating their strategy. We need to be able to convince their followers that theirs is the wrong approach".

Professor El-Said believes that: "as long as there are injustices in the world, there is imbalance in the world and we need to deal with that if we are really genuine about undermining terrorism".

But it's not just about addressing inequality, imbalances and injustices. To truly counter terrorism and violence extremism, individuals who have been radicalised must know that there is an exit strategy.

"We need to encourage individuals to leave terrorism behind, we need to give them an opportunity to get out of terrorism and go back into real life — and we're not really doing that.

"If we don't provide them with an alternative path to leave terrorism I'm afraid we won't be able solve terrorism. Counter terrorism and de-radicalisation needs to become part of a larger reform of packages that deals with the reasons, if not we're going to talk about this subject for a long time to come".

In response to the number of British Muslims who have left Britain to join ISIL, the rhetoric surrounding countering extremism has ramped up in Britain and led to further scrutiny of the British Government's counter extremism strategy, 'Prevent', which has been in place for ten years.

Hamad El-Siad's book ‘New Approaches to Countering Terrorism' is to be published in January.

http://uk.sputniknews.com/uk/20141228/1013325383.html

Two women jailed for human trafficking

Accused of luring victim to Dubai on pretext of working in salon

By Razmig Bedirian, Staff Reporter
Published: 19:58 December 29, 2014

Dubai: Two women on Monday received jail sentences after being found guilty of forcing a Moroccan woman into prostitution.

The suspects had lured the victim to Dubai under the pretence of securing her legitimate work.

Moroccan suspect A.A., 22, was sentenced to three years in jail while Syrian R.A., 28, was given a two-year jail term. Both suspects will be deported following their sentences.

According to court documents, the victim was rescued by her first customer.

“I met with a Saudi customer, who paid A.A. Dh1,500,” the victim told prosecutors. “When we were left alone, I broke into tears and told him my story. He felt sorry for me and bought me a ticket home and even drove me to the airport.”

In an earlier hearing, A.A. denied human trafficking charges, including locking up the victim and forcing her into prostitution. R.A. denied charges of running a brothel.

According to court documents, the victim was approached by a woman in Morocco, who offered her a job at a beauty salon in Dubai.

“I called A.A. when I arrived to the country on January,” the victim told prosecutors. “I took a taxi to a flat in the Al Nahda area. I was surprised to see about half-a-dozen other Moroccan women in the flat.”

The victim said A.A. took her passport.

“She told me that I would be working a prostitute,” she told prosecutors. “I was soon taken to a hotel in Dubai with the other women. The men would come and choose from among us. They were paying Dh1,500 for six hours with each of the women. I was not picked for a week and therefore did not have sex with anyone. My first customer was the Saudi man who helped me escape.”

She told prosecutors that she was not allowed to leave the country as her employment contract had not been cancelled.

“I went to the airport police and told them what had happened,” she said.

Authorities then arrested A.A. and R.A.

A police witness told prosecutors that the suspects had initially denied the claims.

“However, when we found the birth control pills and other evidence, R.A. confessed to prostituting women for Dh700,” he said.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/courts/two-women-jailed-for-human-trafficking-1.1433749

Two who forced woman into prostitution convicted of human trafficking at Dubai court

UAE

Salam Al Amir

December 29, 2014 Updated: December 29, 2014 11:41 PM

DUBAI // Two women who lured a Moroccan to Dubai with fake promises of a job before forcing her to work as a prostitute have been convicted of human trafficking by Dubai Criminal Court.
A A, 22, from Morocco, was sentenced to three years in jail, while Syrian R A, 28, was sentenced to two years. Both will be deported after completing their prison terms.
Records showed that the victim did not work as a prostitute because her first customer took pity on her.
In court in October this year, A A denied a charge of human trafficking, locking up the victim and forcing her to prostitute herself. R A denied a charge of running a brothel.
The victim told prosecutors she was approached by a woman in her home country who told her about a job in a beauty salon in Dubai.
“I was provided with A A’s phone number and arrived in Dubai on January 24 this year. I called A A who gave me directions where to go,” said the victim.
She arrived at a flat in Al Nahda and was surprised to see seven other Moroccan women there.
“A A took my passport right away then told me I will be working in prostitution,” said the victim.
She said she was taken along with the other women to a hotel in Dubai where they were shown to men. “They were paying Dh1,500 in return for 6 hours with each of the women,” said the victim, who added that after seven days she had not been chosen by any of the men and had not had sex with anyone.
A A then took the victim to a hotel where staff demanded her passport to allow her entry. “She handed them my passport then I met with a Saudi customer who paid A A Dh1,500, then she left. I sat with him and cried so hard and told him my story. He felt compassionate and booked me a ticket back to Morocco and even drove me to the airport,” she said.
At the airport, the woman was not allowed to leave the country because her employment contract had not been cancelled, so she headed to the airport’s police station and told officers what had happened to her.
A A and R A were later arrested.
Policeman S A, 35, testified that when questioned, both defendants denied all charges but after they were confronted by the victim and had evidence seized from their flat, they confessed.
“R A confessed she was prostituting women from Morocco and Syria for Dh700. We found birth control pills and other contraceptive means in her flat,” said S A.
salamir@thenational.ae

Related

Woman forced into prostitution in Dubai has flight home bought by her first customer

Topics:

http://www.thenational.ae/uae/two-who-forced-woman-into-prostitution-convicted-of-human-trafficking-at-dubai-court

Child abuse images must be removed from the internet before viewing them becomes an acceptable part of home life, says NSPCC chief

Peter Wanless wants all online child sex abuse images removed in 5 years
NSPCC chief said it is important to ensure existence of the images do not slide into the dark corners of the acceptable and become part of life
He said we should all feel guilty while abuse images still exist online

By Claire Carter for MailOnline

Published: 15:24 GMT, 1 January 2015 | Updated: 15:50 GMT, 1 January 2015

The chief executive of the NSPCC has called for all child abuse images to be removed from the internet in five years to ensure the 'dark corners' of the internet do not slide into being acceptable.

Peter Wanless said while the task may be huge it was important to act now to avoid it being seen as a part of life to view child abuse images on the internet.

He said all of us as a society should feel guilty while images of children being abused still exist on the internet and said he would like to see them all wiped from the web.

Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, has called for all child abuse images to be removed from the internet in five years to ensure online child sexual exploitation does not come an acceptable part of society

Dozens of child abuse images exist on the internet, with four in every five featuring a child under the age of 11 being abused - some tortured or raped by an adult.

Mr Wanless told the Daily Mirror: 'Do we want to blindly slide into a situation where, a few years down the line, there are endless pictures in existence and so many offenders viewing them that it becomes an almost acceptable part of the downside of life, like burglary or fraud?

'Is that the kind of tainted legacy we want to pass on? It may take time to achieve but we have to commit now.'

He said he wanted police, councils and the government to work together to tackle the issue - months after the children's charity warned that forces were struggling to cope with the number of child sexual abuse images being discovered online.

In 2013 almost 5,000 computers were seized by just over a third of the 43 forces in England and Wales. But most forces have just six officers available to analyse often hundreds, or even thousands, of images.

There were 2,393 arrests for possessing, downloading, distributing child abuse images in 2013-14, according to data from 30 police forces and charities have warned that with the increased popularity of the internet the problem is a growing one.

Mr Wanless said as a society we should feel guilty that child sex abuse images still exist on the internet

It is a crime that is also becoming more difficult to detect with criminals using sophisticated techniques to hide their identities and encrypt images online and share them.

Last month David Cameron told a child abuse summit that online child sexual exploitation exists on an almost industrial scale throughout the world.

He announced new laws to stop adults sending children sexual images. He also said a new joint specialist unit run by the National Crime Agency and GCHQ will aim to target offenders who do this to hide images on the 'dark net.' He said the same efforts would be made to tackle these criminals as is made to detect terrorists and international criminals.

Mr Wanless said it was important to remember that the images were not just random pictures, but crimes had to have taken place for them to be created.

He added: 'Any society that allows such an evil scenario to play out uninterrupted must surely be demeaned and every one of us should feel at least a little guilty while it persists.'

Police struggling to cope with soaring number of child abuse... Teacher at Prince Charles’ old school is banned from the...

Share this article

In a year, POCSO child abuse cases go up from 50 to 260

HomeBangaloreCover story

By Chaitanya Swamy H M, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jan 2, 2015, 04.00 AM IST

comments

Share More

In a year, POCSO child abuse cases go up from 50 to 260

A protest in the city against increasing sexual attacks on women and children

Police allowing even weak complaints to be filed to blame for the rapid rise

In what seems to be a shocker, more than 150 rape cases against children have been reported this year - the highest ever in Bengaluru's history. Fear, confusion and desperation to prevent future cases have played an active role in the spiralling rise from a mere 15 cases of rape under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) last year, according to experts. According to statistics available with the Bangalore City Police, 260 cases have been registered under POCSO Act in 2014 alone. Of the 260 cases registered under the act, over 130 cases pertain to rape charges. In 2013, while 50 complaints were registered under the POCSO act, only 15 attracted rape charges.

The city police records say that this year, so far, 15 cases of rape on minors under IPC section 376 have been registered, which takes the total number of cases registered for rape to about 150. The POCSO Act came into effect from 2012. According to the police, north, east and south Bengaluru are at the top respectively in POCSO Act cases.

Additional commissioner of police (law and order) Alok Kumar said, "After POCSO Act came into effect, the sheer definition of rape has changed. Although POCSO Act came into effect in 2012, awareness came in force only after the 2014 Marathalli school rape. In the coming days the awareness may increase and most cases will be registered under POCSO Act."

Even lesser privileged in the society are becoming aware of the act and the law; so they too are coming forward to file complaints of sexual abuse on children whenever suspected. Earlier, social repercussions on the child and the stigma attached inhibited them from filingpolice complaints, Kumar said

The police have also faced the heat in the recent past for trying to fend off complaints - especially after the Frazer Town rape incident in which the case was booked for mere molestation. "Now, the police don't want to take chances and are registering the cases.

Totally the society and the situations have changed," he said while explaining the sudden increase in the number of cases.

Former chairperson of child welfare committee, Meena Jain, said, "The police are promptly registering cases. Earlier, the case was booked under IPC section; now any crime against children is booked under the POCSO Act."

But, she says, the reason for the number of cases of rape on children is rising because the sections are not well-defined by police. "They have to specifically mention the offence. There are seven offences in POCSO Act, besides 'penetrative sex' and 'aggravated sex' or any other kind of sexual assault. This has to be clearly defined in the case, the charges of rape may come down, she said.

The experts have also blamed children being over-bombarded with information, although with a well-intended aim to fortify them with knowledge and awareness so they can sense what is right and what is wrong.

However, the experts say, it may have led to the number of cases going up - many of them based on mere suspicion.

"Educating the child about the POCSO Act or 'good touch' and 'bad touch' is a major mistake committed after the Act came into effect," says Meera Jain. "Allow the child to grow naturally...The awareness has to be among the teachers and other staff."

Jain is critical of NGOs and the police visiting schools to spread such awareness among the children.

"If these are taught to children, they get confused and it will affect their mind. We should immediately stop teaching about good touch and bad touch to children. My friend's eight-year-old daughter went home from school complaining of headache. When her mother asked what happened the girl demanded an explanation on what rape is? The mother was not able to tell her anything."

Jain feels that only parents have to teach their children about what is good and bad. "Nimhans should release a book on what needs to be taught to a child and at what age," she feels.

Alok Kumar admitted to Jain's point, saying "Instead of us (the police) and a few NGO's going to schools educating children about the POCSO Act, we should actually educate the adults - the teachers, school staff, and people in residential areas. We should stop teaching the children about these things as it affects their mind.

IN PUBLIC DOMAIN

In July, a six-year-old girl studying in the school was sexually abused by two gym instructors in an international school in Marathalli. The gym instructors Lalgiri, 21, and Waseem Pasha, 28, along with the chairman Rusthum Kerilwala were arrested for not bringing the incident to the notice of the police.

In September, a 10-year old girl was allegedly sexually abused by the tuition teacher Biju, 31, in HSR Layout. He was arrested.

In October, a three-yearold girl complained of being sexual assaulted in another international school in Jalahalli. The attender Gundappa, 45, was arrested in the case.

In November, a Hindi teacher was alleged to have sexually abused a six-year-old girl in a school in Indiranagar.

In December, a three-yearold girl was raped twice by the attender. This incident occurred in the premises of an upscale school on Old Madras Road. The attender Nagaraj, 27, was arrested by the police.

'Educating kids on good touch, bad touch is a major mistake'

Educating the child about the POCSO Act or 'good touch' and 'bad touch' is a major mistake committed after the Act came into effect," says Meera Jain, former chairperson of child welfare committee. "Allow the child to grow naturally...The awareness has to be among the teachers and other staff."

Jain is critical of NGOs and the police visiting schools to spread such awareness among the children. "If these are taught to children, they get confused and it will affect their mind. We should immediately stop teaching about good touch and bad touch to children. My friend's eight-year-old daughter went home from school complaining of headache. When her mother asked what happened the girl demanded an explanation on what rape is? The mother was not able to tell her anything."

Jain feels that only parents have to teach their children about what is good and bad. Nimhans should release a book on what needs to be taught to a child and at what age," she feels.

http://www.bangaloremirror.com/Bangalore/Cover-story/In-a-year-POCSO-child-abuse-cases-go-up-from-50-to-260/articleshow/45721889.cms

Lebanon's Domestic Workers Move to Protect Rights

Middle East

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSJAN. 2, 2015, 7:13 A.M. E.S.T.

BEIRUT — Migrant domestic workers in Lebanon are set to protect their rights under a trade union — the first such syndicate in the Arab world where more than 2.4 million foreign domestic workers labor under often harsh conditions.

The Labor Ministry said Monday they received a proposal from the National Federation of Labor Unions to form the syndicate in Lebanon. Migrant workers in Lebanon — mostly from Ethiopia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines — have fallen victim to unpaid wages, forced labor and even physical and sexual abuse.

At the root of the problem is the "kafala" system, or employee sponsorship arrangement inspired by Gulf Arab countries. Those systems hold the employer legally responsible for their migrant employee. Under this arrangement, domestic workers must rely on employers for their right to live and work in the country.

"We are trying to change the 'kafala' system so we can have steady salaries and fixed work hours," said Sujana Rana, a 36-year-old domestic worker from Nepal.

An amateur video showing a suicidal Ethiopian maid jumping from the fourth-floor balcony of her employer's apartment last November highlighted the level of desperation of some domestic workers in Lebanon.

"They are trapped by the 'kafala' system," said Nadim Houry of Human Rights Watch. "In this case it was someone who tried to kill herself and in other cases people are falling to their deaths because they are trying to escape from apartments."

The Labor Ministry will study the proposal determine whether the union's status is covered by the law, said Marlene Atallah, head of the ministry's foreign workers division.

"We are trying to help these women but there are obstacles," she said.

According to the Lebanese labor code, foreign workers cannot create their own union. However, domestic workers may belong to a new housekeepers union as long as it includes some Lebanese members.

"It's a big step forward," said Lily Jacqueline, a 49-year-old maid from Madagascar. "Maybe we could have a common contract for all domestic workers and force employers to abide by it."

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/01/02/world/middleeast/ap-ml-lebanon-domestic-workers.html?_r=0