This weekend various groups here at Mizzou sponsored a conference called "Stop Traffic," which focuses attention and motivates activism around the issue of global human trafficking. Some statistics to think about:
- International governmental entities estimate conservatively that 600,000-800,000 persons are trafficked across international borders each year. Of these, 70 percent are female and 50 percent are children (http://www.usdoj.gov/).
- Trafficking is estimated to be a $7 billion/year industry.
- Victims of trafficking are subject to gross human rights violations including, rape, torture, forced abortions, starvation, and threats of torturing or murdering family members.
- Nearly every country is involved in the web of trafficking activities, either as a country of origin, destination or transit. Countries of destination include Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, France, India, Israel, Japan, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
- 50,000 women and children are trafficked into the United States from no less than 49 countries every year. As many as 750,000 women and children have been trafficked into the United States over the last decade.
- Women and children as young as 14 have been trafficked from Mexico to Florida and forced to have sex with as many as 130 clients per week in a trailer park. These women were kept hostage through threats and physical abuse, and were beaten and forced to have abortions. One woman was locked in a closet for 15 days after trying to escape.
- Cases of trafficking into the United States include women and children who are trafficked from Honduras to Dallas and Ft. Worth, Texas; Latvia to Chicago; Mexico to Florida; Korea to Michigan; Japan to Hawaii; Cameroon to Maryland; Taiwan to Seattle; India to California; Vietnam to Atlanta.
- In Fresno, California Hmong gang members have kidnapped girls between the ages of 11 and 14 and forced into prostitution. The gang members would beat and rape them into submission. These girls were trafficked within the United States and traded between other Hmong communities.
- The Cadena smuggling ring trafficked women, some as young as 14, from Mexico to Florida. The victims were forced to prostitute themselves with as many as 130 men per week in a trailer park. Of the $25 charged the "Johns" the women received only $3. The Cadena members kept the women hostage through threats and physical abuse. One woman was kept in a closet for 15 days for trying to escape. Some were beaten and forced to have abortions (the cost of which was added to their debt). The women worked until they paid off their debts of $2,000 to $3,000 (see website at world revolution ).
What can public administration scholars and practitioners do about this form of modern-day slavery? As far as I can tell, the topic has received little attention in the scholarly journals, possibly because it's precisely the kind of messy and indelicate problem that's so difficult to capture and analyze.
Does anyone reading this blog have experience teaching or working with this issue? I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. In the meantime, these are just a few of the websites that address the issue (this list is far from comprehensive):
Anti-Slavery International (the oldest international human rights organization)
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
-- posted by Lisa Zanetti
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