South Africa remains a top source and a top destination of trafficking victims

Johannesburg: According to the international body, human trafficking is the world's third most profitable crime, after illicit drugs and arms trafficking.

 

It rakes in up to US$36 billion per year. About 2.5 million people are victims of the crime, 75 per cent of whom are women and girls.

 

South Africa remains a top source and a top destination of trafficking victims. But there are people fighting to bring trafficking victims back from the margins of society. The web of trafficking is deeply weaved into South African society, and grassroots organisations and individuals are continuing to fight it from the bottom up

 

From past ten years, Sister Mary opened her home in South Africa to provide a haven for trafficking victims who were lucky enough to escape.

 

For the last five years, Dianne Wilkinson has committed her life to creating a network of organisations that will tighten the net on human trafficking.

 

One year ago, President Jacob Zuma signed the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking Persons Bill into law, but not everyone is convinced it is enough.

 

Richard Ots, chief of mission for International Organisation for Migration, South Africa, said: “Even with the new law, only three cases of trafficking were prosecuted. We’d like to see more commitment from the South African government.”

 

We are glad to see organisations and individuals to fight against Human Trafficking.

 

Technical advisers would like to see organizations and individuals to adopt technology for effective addressal of Human Trafficking

 

Ref: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/south-africans-continue/1289822.html

The United Nations designated July 30 as the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

 

 

NEW YORK, July 30 for the first time, a day set aside by the United Nations to raise awareness about human trafficking and serve as a call to action.

 

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to designate July 30 as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons in order to "raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights."

The day is not only about awareness, says U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. It is also about action.

 

"This first World Day against Trafficking in Persons is a call to action to end this crime and give hope to the victims, who often live unrecognized among us."

According to experts, initiation with greater commitments to end trafficking is a good start but with the help of technology is more beneficial for addressing the human trafficking effectively.

(Ref: http://www.migrant-rights.org/2014/07/july-30-first-world-day-against-trafficking-in-persons/)

US must do more to help Human Trafficking victims, fight scourge

On June 20, the State Department released its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report,the progress of countries in the world in combating human trafficking was explored in the report.

Victims are trafficked for both sex and labor, forced to work in virtually every sector of the U.S. economy – from farming and manufacturing to meat and poultry processing, domestic service, and the hospitality sector

Human trafficking is big business. Traffickers operate with relative impunity, while victims who have been rescued are quickly replaced.  The endless demand for cheap labor and commercial sex keeps the heinous trafficking business booming.  

According to a report issued by the International Labor Organization in May 2014 , the profitability of human trafficking has increased five-fold over the past decade and is now estimated to be roughly $150 billion annually.

The American anti-trafficking movement has secured important laws and policies focused on victims, in particular the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, and this year’s report, “The journey from victim to survivor” highlights these victories. However, anti-trafficking efforts have had no significant impact on reducing the overall incidence of trafficking.

Secretary of State John Kerry said during his remarks announcing the 2014 TIP Report, “Wherever rule of law is weak, where corruption is most ingrained, and where populations can’t count on the protection of governments and of law enforcement, there you find zones of vulnerability to trafficking.”

Experts believes technology, addressing trafficking is as important as laws and policies focused on victims. Hope by making laws and policies more strong along with new technology innovation, trafficking exploitation network are addressed. 

( Ref: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/07/08/human-trafficking-us-must-do-more-to-help-victims-fight-scourge/ )

Marin Voice: Protect children by educating them about Trafficking

In USA, sex trafficking of minors is the fastest growing business. Increased demand, continued ignorance and ostrich-style denial of its local infestation are the factors that contribute greatly to the growth of trafficking.

At least 100,000 children are exploited through pornography or prostitution every year in the United States. Human trafficking has been reported in all 50 states in the U.S. – with the highest rates of trafficking occurring in California, Texas, Florida, and New York.

 

Like ordering from a restaurant menu, minors are sold by race, color — including white — and especially by age; commonly offered for $400 an hour or more on America's streets and online, six to 10 times on average per night.

 

The majority of victims are with "boyfriends," neighbors, family friends and family members identified as their traffickers. The average age of recruitment into commercial sex trafficking is 13 years old. To meet growing demand traffickers hang where youth hang, just off school grounds, in malls, parks, coffee shops, near group homes, youth clubs and shelters.

 

Traffickers force other girls under their control to pose as a friend to recruit new victims. But most often, they themselves pose as loving, caring "boyfriends" until "pay-back day," when they use physical, emotional and psychological abuse to coerce their prey into a life of sex trafficking.

 

The majority of these children have experienced sexual abuse in their own homes and placement homes and do not immediately recognize that something is out of line. Other times, they are runaways and easy prey to traffickers and gangs.

 

Traffickers play heavily on these emotional needs to entrap and eventually control their victims physically and psychologically, and make threats to their families if they do not do exactly as told.

Team requested to sign petition and urging the Senate to pass the bipartisan Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.  This bill has already passed the House (H.R. 3530) A good first step. Now they are asking to get the bill (S. 1738) passed in the Senate.

 

Along with the education for children about trafficking, effective strategy to focus on concrete measures that will eradicate trafficking will add values, says sociologists

 

( Ref: http://www.marinij.com/opinion/ci_26087599/marin-voice-trafficking-education-protect-our-children )

 

 

 

"Protecting Our Youth", a human trafficking awareness conference, concert set July 12

A human trafficking awareness event, "Protecting Our Youth," is scheduled on July 12 at Community Church of Fond du Lac. Anyone interested in learning more and joining the effort to combat the buying, selling and trading of people — predominantly children.

The conference is free and open to all ages and is targeted toward families with children ages 12-18.  The focus is on prevention techniques for youth. Information about efforts to combat trafficking will be addressed.

Fond du Lac City Manager Joe Moore, local legislators and Nancy Irizarry, co-chair for Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Consortium are speakers, they also instruct on cyber safety, 

Experts believes events and conferences for effective addressal of Human Trafficking is important and equip the people, The questions like "How do we protect our most vulnerable at-risk kids from being trafficked?" are addressed in the conferences. To make a difference in the area of sex-trafficking, the importance of the technology which effectively address the trafficking should also be focused.

Ref: http://www.fdlreporter.com/story/news/local/2014/07/06/human-trafficking-awareness-conference-concert-set-july/12140499/

Delhi : The most violent place in India or a dangerous city for women

There has been not a single day in India and in Delhi particular when violence and crime against women like rape, sexual harassment, acid attack, dowry death have not been reported in the newspapers.

According to the Government's 2009 Crime in India report, Delhi is by far India's most unsafe major metropolis for women and children. Though it accounted for only 13.2% of all crimes committed in 35 "mega cities" across India in 2009, nearly 24% of total rape cases and almost 40% of cases of reported kidnapping and abduction of women were committed in the national capital.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveals that 29 gruesome crimes cases were reported on an average daily in 2013. The heinous crimes included 3 robberies, rapes each, 17 incidents of abduction and a case of murder between January to December in 2013.

According to a survey conducted by Thomson Reuters' Trustlaw Women, a hub of legal information and legal support for women's rights in 2011

1. India was placed as the fourth most dangerous place for women. Afghanistan was found to be the most dangerous place for women followed by Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, India and Somalia in the survey.
2. The high number of female foeticide, infanticide and human trafficking prevalent in India has placed it as the fourth most dangerous place for women in the world.

"India ranked fourth primarily due to female foeticide, infanticide and human trafficking," the poll said

According to latest UN reports, one in four men in Asia have committed rape at least once.

Unfortunately, India is still battling. The question arises is it the law and order situation, weak judicial system, back Government policies, or the mindset. what is that is lacking?

Many researchers, experts and sociologists believe that " Collective technology intelligence and joining automation and analytics to human judgment can help to reduce the crime"

Please let us know what you feel about the incidents like Nirbhaya incident and about the most violent place in India for women.

Ref: http://news.oneindia.in/

Illegal sex determination tests are giving rise to Human Trafficking: Court

Observing that the illegal sex determination tests are giving rise to human trafficking, a court in New Delhi has urged exercising of zero tolerance in female foeticide cases.

"Of the 12 million girls born in India, one million do not see their first birthdays" and as a result of this human trafficking has become common in various states of India where teenage girls are being sold for cheap money by poor families, being treated as sex objects with more than half of such cases going unreported says Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau

On october 2010, Police has lodged an FIR against Dr. Sunil Fakey and Uryashi Fakey under the provisions of Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulations and Prevention of Misuse) Act, commonly known as PNDT Act, and Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act in Ashok Vihar in west Delhi.

On July 2014, The court order came on a revision plea filed by two doctors, Sunil Fakey and Urvashi Fakey seeking discharge in a case filed against them for carrying out illegal sex determination test. While dismissing the plea of doctors, the court said: "This is a harsh social and national reality and a court of law cannot shut its eyes to the same.". It noted that there are thousands of such clinics where such illegal activities of sex determination and abortions are carried out on a daily basis and in some cases, in connivance with politicians, police and other local authorities.

On the other side,

According to Statistician,  nearly 10 million female foetuses have been aborted in the India over the past two decades. 

The judge cited the United Nations' World Population Fund reports which indicate that India has one of the highest sex imbalances in the world and the demographers warn that there will be a shortage of brides in the next 20 years because of the adverse juvenile sex ratio.

Factors influencing the Human Trafficking varies from one country to another, In some cases, illegal sex determination tests, tends to vulnerable to trafficking. Some of the factors are local condition. In order to address the trafficking effectively experts believes in use of latest technologies  which consider the route cause of the Human Trafficking and factors influencing it.

Save girl child and Be safe...

(Ref: http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/human-trafficking-rising-due-to-female-foeticide-court-1602421.html)

Students work to empower victims of human trafficking : Mumbai

Human trafficking is a serious concern the world over, and its impact is particularly high in Asian countries like Nepal and India. Women and children are some of the worst affected from this practice, with many ending up in the flesh trade.

Every year, over one and a half lakh girls and women are trafficked from Nepal, a big percentage of who end up in brothels in Mumbai. To make matters worse, the average age of a sex worker has fallen from 14-16 years to 10-12 years in the past decade. The victims have been deceived by their loved ones and have had their dreams and aspirations shattered by their families' greed for money.

"Its easy to talk about feminism, advocate gender equality and protest against rapes, while we conveniently turn our backs to the most inhumane women's rights violation: Sex trafficking. It was heartbreaking to hear their stories; how they never made choices because they never had any. Something needed to be done, and Project Patched came to life," says Sumati Joshi, head of Social Media Management and Public relations.

Students of Team Enactus at Mumbai's Mukesh Patel School of Technology, Management and Engineering (MPSTME)​ has started Projec Patched for the  benefit of trafficked women trapped in red light areas.

"The one brave step by the student in Mumbai, inspires us. Its all about thoughts to make surrounding safe and to do something which is important for society. With the support of the technologies, societies can be even better and safer for women and children, " says experts.

Ref: http://www.dnaindia.com