We were not paid at all, we were forced. If anyone refused to work, they would be beaten, some people were beaten to death.

Charles Lee, former prison inmate

(Source: http://player.vimeo.com/)

The travel industry is inadvertently contributing to “internal human trafficking” in Cambodia by developing a view of responsible tourism which encourages travellers to visit and donate to orphanages. Michael Horton, founder of Cambodian non-profit organisation ConCERT, launched a stinging rebuke on a day of debates about Responsible Tourism opened by Fairtrade Foundation executive director Harriet Lamb. Horton said tourist visits to orphanages in Siem Reap were exacerbating the problem of child poverty, with some owners keeping children dirty and malnourished to encourage donations. He also said that 72% of children in orphanages were not orphans but merely came from poor families, and described the movement of children across the country to institutions where tourists visit as “simply internal child trafficking”. (Travel Weekly)

Travel ‘contributing to human trafficking’ in Cambodia

10 Ways to Fight Human Trafficking: Day 4: Lobby Politicians

4. LOBBY POLITICIANS

Often times adjusting laws and policies surrounding the issue of human trafficking can help make it easier to identify and convict traffickers in a court of law. For more information on how to inform your elected officials, check out www.polarisproject.org.

What can I say?  The Polaris Project is in Washington, D.C., and they know the system.  Check up with them on what they may need help with.  Calling your congressperson does make a difference.  On top of that, many politicians have recently taken up their cross on this issue – show them you support their work, or tell your representative that they should join forces with those already doing so.

[based on The A21 Campaign’s “21 Ways to Help” List]

Dozens of respected global leaders from the world’s of business, law, arts, design, media and human resources recently convened with Not For Sale for a serious brainstorming session at the Montara Circle Amsterdam. The Montara Circle is an innovative think-tank summit that challenges powerful individuals to work together to develop real solutions to prevent vulnerable communities from exploitive practices, and also create better futures for survivors through new employment opportunities. As 70 percent of prostituted women in Europe come from Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, the groundbreaking event was organized to develop a tangible solution to stop trafficking of young girls from Romania into the Netherlands sex industry. (Not for Sale)

FROM AMSTERDAM: MONTARA CIRCLE REPORT

Mrs Marcia Pires, founder of WiA, says: “Young people need to be aware of ‘false promises’ which could lure them away from home. Offers of modelling contracts or opportunities in foreign countries are often traps.” Mrs Dhlamini warned everyone to be aware of simple tips to avoid falling into human traffickers’ traps: When applying for a job, ensure the company really exists. Beware of adverts only showing cell phone contacts. Check that the employer is registered with a physical address and place of business. Be careful of accepting overseas jobs without checking the costs and conditions. Young people have been told when they arrived in foreign countries that they owed money for travelling expenses and are then “sold” to pay off such expenses. Never allow anyone to take your passport away from you. Be careful about giving too much personal information on social media sites. Traffickers can use such information to lure you away from home. Parents should always know where their children are and who their friends are. (Universal Church of The Kingdom of God via Biz Community)

“Fragrance of Freedom” campaign creates awareness of human trafficking

The study finds that the number of trafficked persons in the area significantly exceeds official estimates. The report estimates that private service providers in the New York City metropolitan area have interacted with at least 11,268 survivors of trafficking since 2000 and at least 1,606 over the last year. According to Dr. Gregory Maney, Associate Professor of Sociology at Hofstra, “The findings underscore not only the pervasiveness of the problem, but the scope of this tragedy; for every person trafficked has experienced extreme suffering, hardship and injustice.” Moreover, several critical service needs of survivors are not being met; in particular the need for safe, long-term housing. The report finds that while 86.6% of survivors interacting with private service providers needed safe, long-term housing, only 3.9% of clients actually received it. Executive Director of LifeWay Network, Sister Joan Dawber, highlights the negative consequences: “A failure to provide for these service needs increases the likelihood of being re-trafficked, physical and psychological complications, social isolation, substance abuse, poverty, and suicide.” (Hofstra University via The Sacramento Bee)

Study Documents Scope of Area Human Trafficking and Reveals Urgent Need for Services to Survivors

Bridal slavesIndia has the world’s largest number of slaves, among them an increasing number of women and girls sold into marriage.

(Source: http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/slaverya21stcenturyevil/2011/10/2011101013102368710.html)