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The Fight Against Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation

Human Trafficking is defined as the illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor: a modern-day form of slavery.

The Trafficking Protocol as adopted by the United Nations, entered into force on 25 December 2003 and is an international set of diplomatic guidelines established by the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime. The Protocol is the first global legally binding instrument with an agreed definition on trafficking in persons. The intention behind this definition is to facilitate convergence in national cooperation in investigating and prosecuting trafficking in persons cases. An additional objective of the Protocol is to protect and assist the victims of trafficking in persons with full respect for their human rights. The Trafficking Protocol defines human trafficking as:

The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. The consent of a victim of trafficking in persons to the intended exploitation set forth [above] shall be irrelevant where any of the means set forth [above] have been used.

As of June 2010, the Trafficking Protocol has been signed by 117 countries and 137 parties but enforcement of the initiative is difficult because of the vast number of victims invloved.

“Wherever drugs are being sold, children are being sold.”
(FBI Special Agent - Eileen Jacobs)

Child prostitution is on the rise not just in other countries around the world, but right here in America. The Department of Justice says, on any given day, tens of thousands of children across America are involved in prostitution. But what is being done to stop it? There are ways that YOU can help!

HUMAN TRAFFICKING STATISTICS

The following is a list of available statistics estimating the scope of Human Trafficking around the world and within the United States. Actual statistics are often unavailable, and some may be contradictory due to the covert nature of the crime, the invisibility of victims and high levels of under-reporting. Further obstacles include inconsistent definitions, reluctance to share data, and a lack of funding for and standardization of data collection. Particularly lacking are estimates on the number of American citizens trafficked within the U.S.

Human Trafficking Worldwide
• 27 million – Number of people in modern-day slavery across the world.

SOURCE: Kevin Bales of Free the Slaves.

• According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report), estimates vary from 4 to 27 million.
• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that 2.4 million people were victims of human trafficking from 1995-2005. This estimate uses the United Nations Trafficking Protocol definition of human trafficking, and includes both transnational and internal data.
• 1 million – Number of children exploited by the global commercial sex trade, every year.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of State, The Facts About Child Sex Tourism: 2005.
• 800,000 – Number of people trafficked across international borders every year.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report: 2007
• 32 billion – Total yearly profits generated by the human trafficking industry.

SOURCE: ILO, global alliance against forced labor: 2005.
Foreign Nationals Trafficked into the U.S.      (Photo: Chang Thy Mean - rescued former child prostitute)
• 14,500 - 17,500 – Number of foreign nationals trafficked into the United States every year.

SOURCE: DOJ, HHS, DOS, DOL, DHS, and USAID. Assessment of U.S. Government Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons: June, 2004.
Human Trafficking of U.S. citizens within the United States
• 244,000 – Number of American children and youth estimated to be at risk of child sexual exploitation, including commercial sexual exploitation, in 2000.

SOURCE: Estes, Richard J. and Neil A. Weiner. The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work: 2001.
• 38,600 – Estimated number out of an approximate 1.6 million runaway/thrownaway youths at risk of sexual endangerment or exploitation in 1999. Study funded by the Department of Justice.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Runaway/Thrownaway Children: National Estimates and Characteristics. NISMART Series: 2002.
• Up to 90% of runaway youth become involved in the commercial sex trade industry.
  SOURCE: Estes, Richard J. and Neil A. Weiner. The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico (2001); Shared Hope International, Demand: A Comparative Examination of Sex Tourism and Trafficking in Jamaica, Japan, The Netherlands, and the United States; and the U.S. Department of Justice.
• 12-14 years old – Average age of entry into prostitution and commercial sex trade industry.
  SOURCE: Estes, Richard J. and Neil A. Weiner. The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico (2001); and The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work: 2001.

Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation

Sex trafficking is nothing less than slavery. When an offender takes a woman or girl against her will and forces her to engage in prostitution, that offender has stolen her freedom and her dignity. Much sex trafficking is international, with victims being taken from places such as South and Southeast Asia, the former Soviet Union, Central and South America, and other less-developed areas to more developed places including Asia, the Middle East, Western Europe, and North America.

The international tourism industry is also booming. Since the 1960's, international travel has increased seven-fold. As tourists eagerly travel to distant lands to enjoy new landscapes and cultures, economically developing countries have welcomed the expansion of the international tourism industry as a much-needed source of income within their own nations. With the exponential rise in this industry, however, comes the growth of a darker, more clandestine phenomenon: Child Sex Tourism.

Child sex tourism makes its profits from the exploitation of child prostitutes in developing countries. Many children are trafficked into the sex trade. Child prostitutes live in constant fear; they live in fear of sadistic acts by clients, fear of being beaten by pimps who control the sex trade, and fear of being apprehended by the police. It comes as no surprise that victims often suffer from depression, low self-esteem, and feelings of hopelessness.

While some "child sex tourists" are pedophiles that preferentially seek out children for sexual relationships, most are "situational abusers." These are individuals who do not consistently seek out children as sexual partners, but do occasionally engage in sexual acts with children when the opportunity presents itself.

The Sex Industry is Booming in Brazil - Global economic hardships seem to have bypassed the country, but at what cost? Aside from its beautiful beaches attracting record numbers of tourists, there is a more erotic business that keeps the country booming... literally - "Sex Tourism". Thousands of European singles pour into the country on charted flights each week looking for cheap sex. Brazil has recently topped Thailand as the world's most popular sex-tourist destination. The legal age for prostitution in this region is 18, but many of the workers are much younger.  (From: It's On Bad- Sex Industry Booming in Brazil -by Nikki Ferringo -28 August 2010)

There are now also well over 650,000 prostitutes in Indonesia. Back in 1998 alone there were 150,000 registered prostitutes, of which thirty percent (30%) are children. These numbers have climbed to staggering levels today. (From: Yogyakarta Free Children Society- Indonesian Economic Crisis Boosts Prostitution -Reuters, 26 July 1998). UNICEF estimates that there are around one million child prostitutes in Southeast Asia - mostly in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Studies show that around half of underage prostitutes in Asia are also HIV positive.

Photo (Left): Ms. Saleemah Ismail, United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Singapore's president, with footage of child prostitute "Serene" on her laptop. Serene (alias used for fear of her Traffickers) had been a prostitute for two years in Indonesia, and had sex with over 300 men, some of whom were Singaporeans. She was only 14 years old at the time.

Many of the girls in Semarang, Indonesia who are homeless for example, are forced into prostitution for survival. One girl who was sold into prostitution by her family was locked up, starved and then threatened by her captors. She tried to later commit suicide, but the wounds were bandaged by her captors so she would not die.  (From: University Diponegoro study- Asian Crisis Deals Setbacks to Women -by Nicholas D. Kristof)

Other young people are recruited into prostitution through forced abduction, pressure from parents, or through deceptive agreements between parents and traffickers.  (From: Francis T. Miko & Grace Park- Trafficking in Women and Children: The U.S. and International Response)

The Human Trafficking Industry Today Accounts for Over $32 Billion Dollars Worldwide.

Once these children become involved in prostitution they are often forced to travel far from their homes and as a result are isolated from their friends and family. Few children in this situation are able to develop new relationships with peers or adults other than the person who is victimizing them. The lifestyle of such children revolves around violence, forced drug use and constant threats.

Here in the United States, the involvement in commercial sex activity among
children and teens living on the streets is a problem of epidemic proportion.
Approximately 55% of street girls engage in formal prostitution.

Many victims of child sexual exploitation also suffer from physical ailments, including exhaustion, tuberculosis, infections, and other abuses like physical injuries resulting from the violence inflicted upon them. Venereal diseases and HIV (AIDS) run rampant among these children and they rarely receive medical treatment until they are either seriously or terminally ill.

Can We Stop a Child Pornography Epidemic in Our Own Country?

Although little research exists into the connections between forced prostitution and existing “sex markets” in the United States, it stands to reason that these markets may encourage forced prostitution and the commercial sexual exploitation of children. These markets comprise a variety of activities including prostitution, pornography, striptease and erotic dancing, and peep shows, and they sometimes are under the control of organized crime networks.

The Georgia Baptist Convention - Ethics and Public Affairs Ministry, under the leadership of H. Ray Newman, hosted a meeting on sexual exploitation, pornography, and the adult entertainment industry - July 30, 2009. Phil Burress, executive director and president of Citizens for Community Values, was the keynote speaker for the event and admitted that he had emerged from the life of a pornography addict.

Phil Burress declared: “We have up to 370,000 victims of human trafficking who are Americans. These poor people are without love and are victims of modern day slavery. We have become a profoundly exploitive culture – a society that chews people up and spits them out."

"You might wonder where all these people come from that would dare to pay to have sex with a child. They are coming from the epidemic of pornography. That epidemic is creating the demand."

"In 4 out of 5 cases when kids are missing it takes a week or more for the police to be notified. Theses kids are not run-away kids; they are throwaway kids. If kids are abused at home, they often become promiscuous. They are love-starved."

"Many of them are posting their loveless condition on MySpace or Facebook. They make contacts there and are offered the love they are not getting at home. From that point the predators start the psychological manipulation followed by the personal contact, the alcohol and drugs, and then the sexual exploitation.”

Phil Burress lives in Cincinnati, the hometown of Larry Flynt, one of America’s infamous pornography publishers. At one time Cincinnati had more porn stores than most anywhere else in the country. After his conversion however, Burress set out on a crusade to rid the city of its venues of sexual exploitation. He now proclaims, “There are no strip bars and no adult stores within 35 miles of Cincinnati.”

What happened to cause the remarkable transformation in Cincinnati, Ohio?

How can we make a positive difference in our cities and across the United States?

Abductions and Prostituted Children in the U.S.

Nearly 75% of the Parents Surveyed in the United States
Fear that Their Children might become Victims of Abduction (-and rightly so!).

Almost 800,000 children are reported missing every year in the U.S. alone. That is about two children every day. Over half of these cases include runaways, throwaways, or lost children, and even abductions by family members such as in custody disputes. Around 260,000 of them however, are actual abductions and are a result of non-family members or kidnappers who may even be acquaintances to the victims. About 115 of these child abductions eventually result in very serious consequences, like injury or death.

You Might Ask - WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL THE OTHERS?

Child Abduction for Rape and Sexual Exploitation

The internet has become both a danger and an aid in the subject of child abductions, especially in the United States. It is a place where online predators have more opportunities to find and communicate with potential victims. It is estimated that 1 in 25 youths get "aggressive" sexual solicitations that include attempts to contact the youth offline. These are the episodes most likely to result in actual victimizations. About one-quarter of these aggressive solicitations came from people the youth already knew in person.

There have been many reported incidents from rescued victims, who have stated that they had been drugged after meeting with a friend or acquaintance in a public location, only to later find that they had been transported to an undisclosed location and are being held against their will. This is quite often a tactic used by people who deal with Human Traffickers, resulting in the youth being placed in bondage and then subjugated in the sex trade industry. They are forced to prostitute themselves under threat of bodily harm or other serious repercussions which prevent their escape.

Many children and especially teens are also lured into slavery under the disguise of ways to earn great deals of money and promises of expensive items or gifts. They then become trapped in a realm of drug addiction and sexual servitude and are either too embarrassed or too scared to even attempt an escape. There are ways however that YOU can help fight this plague: -> SEE How Can I Help?

The Trap of Teenage Sex Trafficking

U.S. City is a New Hotbed for Child Sex Trafficking - A look into how suburban American girls get trapped into prostitution. Portland, Oregon, voted one of America's most beautiful and livable cities, has a dark secret. But now as ABC News reports, thanks to the numerous strip joints and message parlors, Portland has earned the nickname "Pornland" and is also an epicenter for child prostitution.
From: ABCNews-NIGHTLINE: Season: 2010 Episode: 70 Release: Sep 21, 2010.

Our Children are in Eminent Danger of Exploitation!

"It could NEVER happen to ME..." (-or "MY children") = Imfamous last words spoken by every victim's parents and by most every person that has ever been entrapped in a life of corruption and servitude.

Data from the U.S. Department of Justice indicates that prostitution is the sector in which the largest amount of forced labor occurs in the United States. It appears that the trafficking of women for prostitution and the enslavement of children for sexual exploitation are highly profitable activities that are often tied to organized crime and driven by a demand for cheap sex services including child sex.

Identifying someone who has been victimized can be very difficult. They usually don’t trust anyone, can be moved frequently and will often avoid law enforcement in fear. Most victims also very often suffer from Stockholm Syndrome and don’t even consider or refer to themselves as victims.

Progressive Signs of Sexual Exploitation
• Unidentifiable source of income, new clothing and personal items.
• Secrecy or vagueness about their whereabouts and unexplained absences.
• Gaps in life story or defensiveness in response to questions or concerns.
• Isolation from family, friends or other social networks.
• Disassociation or lack of connection to the outside world.
• Highly controlled or restricted schedule, money or communications.
• Malnourishment or untreated health and dental problems.
• Bruises or other unexplained physical signs of abuse.
• Self-blame or feelings of humiliation or shame.
• Paranoia or lack of trust.
• A tattoo that the young person is reluctant to talk about (for instance, being "marked" as property by the exploiter on the neck, chest or arms) or unusually shaped burns (“branded”).

How Do We Stop Our Youth from Becoming Prostituted?

Former Child Prostitute Tells Her Story
From: FOX News -Las Vegas- June 22, 2009

The Nevada Legislature unanimously voted to strengthen penalties for those who traffic children in the sex trade, and it became law. The idea is that jail means nothing to pimps, who consider it a part of the cost of doing business. Pimps often serve about 60 days and then get out and still have a lot of money from exploiting girls. This bill goes after that money.

"At 12 years old, and it was a really horrible experience for me. But after that first time, I was so degraded, I was like, ‘Whatever, I did it once, might as well do it again'," said Dettrea King.

Dettrea said she had worked as prostitute for five years. She said she experienced horrors that no child should ever have to.

“I’ve been kidnapped, beat up, raped. I had my hair cut off”, King said. “He told me to say goodbye to my family because he was going to kill me.”

King said every day she had to hand over $1,000 to her pimp. “He took everything. You don’t keep anything. He makes sure you have nice clothes, hair and nails done so you look the part, but as far as you having anything in your pocket -- maybe $20, $40. But other than that, you don’t get anything."

After five years and thousands of johns, she said she finally wound up in jail.
“By me going to jail and getting locked up - it saved my life”, King said.

The NOW Show on PBS visited Atlanta, Georgia to see how one American city is handling the tragic phenomenon of child prostitution. It is one of 27 American cities where the problem seems to be spinning out of control. You would think that fighting child prostitution is a cause everyone could get behind. But the battle against this epidemic in Atlanta has been difficult, and the more NOW on PBS dug into the story, the more challenges they discovered.   PBS-NOW Show originally broadcast on July 31, 2009.

MORE: from the PBS-NOW Show - Stories from the Sex Trade - Week of 5-30-08.

Related Links:

Hidden in Plain View: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls in Atlanta.
Atlanta's "Dear John Campaign".
Prostitution Research & Education: How Prostitution Works.
Juvenile Justice Fund.
Department of Justice: Child Exploitation and Obscenity.

“Men fly into Atlanta, Georgia from all over the U.S.
to have sex with children they have purchased online."

"In a small, affluent, local golf community, the elementary school superintendent
and local bookstore clerk are arrested on the same day in a sting operation
by law enforcement officials seeking sex predators of children via the Internet.”

We need YOUR help and support to become proactive and take a moral stand against these issues.
We can help YOU to learn precautions and other preventative measures to ensure the protection of YOUR OWN children and become good stewards towards others. Learn what YOU CAN DO NOW!