SPOTLIGHT CASE Human Trafficking Awareness Thread

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Taken: The Recovery From American Sex Trafficking
11/19/2010


Today, Natasha is married and has a child.

View Larger It was the spring of 2001, when a 19-year-old college student named Natasha walked out of a restaurant in northern California to get a sweater from her car.

The next thing she knew, Natasha was forced at gunpoint into the back of a Mercedes. According to Natasha, "The only thing I knew about was what I've seen on TV, that you're kidnapped and you die. They rape you and they kill you."

Natasha's kidnappers took her to a home and locked her in a room with no furniture and no way out. For days she wondered what was going to happen to her and then the door opened, and life as she knew it was over.

much more at the link:
http://www.amw.com/features/feature_story_detail.cfm?id=4003&mid=0


Mulnomah county in Portland Oregon was also featured on last nights show. Had me thinking of Kyron but with this ring it's all woman...not boys...frightening just the same to know it's happening here in the good ol' US of A...JMHO
 
I would really appreciate if any of you can help me out (even just to let me know if you've heard or read the same thing).

I don't think i dreamed this up, but I seem to recall reading recently about an aspect of HT where the victims are initially engaged in selling items/products door to door to earn money for the traffickers. When the victims aren't bringing in enough to pay the expenses (travel, motels, food, etc.), they are then told that they must sell their bodies for sex in order to bring in more money.

If anyone know where I can find this info i've bolded above, i'd really appreciate if you could let me know. We have 2 cases in Canada where the missing victims (Mariam Makniashvili and Owen Rooney) have purportedly been sighted selling dreamcatchers door-to-door in Alberta and BC respectively. It is extremely odd to have 2 totally separate cases (missing from Ontario and BC) to have been reported selling dreamcatchers, so i'm seeing at as a possible common denominator in their disappearances.

If anyone remembers this, or can provide a link to info, I will love you forever :)

Thanks !!
 
<snip>

A report by Shared Hope International found that among other things, demand for underage prostitutes in Arizona is not sufficiently deterred by the law here.

Arrest of children for prostitution has occurred in Arizona 136 times in the last four years.
.....................
If you still don't believe its happening in Arizona, to children who are U.S. citizens, we have a first-hand account from a former sex slave. Like many, she was lured into a trap, and then convinced she was the criminal.

The average age for a juvenile entering prostitution in Phoenix is 14.8 years old.

"I was 16 when I started being groomed," the victim told us. "I was 17 when I actually got sold… they called me and said 'Hey I met this guy who has a son about your age, would you like to meet him.'


much more here - including videos

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/only_on_fox/child-sex-trade-nightmare-12-21-2010
 
LiveLaughLuv said:
Taken: The Recovery From American Sex Trafficking
11/19/2010


Today, Natasha is married and has a child.

View Larger It was the spring of 2001, when a 19-year-old college student named Natasha walked out of a restaurant in northern California to get a sweater from her car.

The next thing she knew, Natasha was forced at gunpoint into the back of a Mercedes. According to Natasha, "The only thing I knew about was what I've seen on TV, that you're kidnapped and you die. They rape you and they kill you."

Natasha's kidnappers took her to a home and locked her in a room with no furniture and no way out. For days she wondered what was going to happen to her and then the door opened, and life as she knew it was over.

much more at the link:
http://www.amw.com/features/feature_story_detail.cfm?id=4003&mid=0


Mulnomah county in Portland Oregon was also featured on last nights show. Had me thinking of Kyron but with this ring it's all woman...not boys...frightening just the same to know it's happening here in the good ol' US of A...JMHO
Click to expand...
This is a wow story Thank you LiveLaughLuv.
Natasha is an inspiration. :)
 
2010's Top 10 Victories in the Fight Against Human Trafficking
The details for each are at the link.
1. Craigslist blocked sex ads in the U.S and internationally.
2. Governor Schwarzenegger signed the California Supply Chain Slavery Act into law.
3. Human trafficking was criminalized in the nation's capitol.
4. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers made 90% of the Florida tomato industry slave-free.
5. Imprisoned journalists and organizers fighting human trafficking were set free.
6. Domestic workers were guaranteed basic rights in New York.
7. The Washington Post stopped advertising for massage parlors.
8. Ohio passed its first anti-trafficking law.
9. President Obama signed the first major national legislation to label conflict.
10. Choice Hotels took action to prevent child prostitution.

http://humantrafficking.change.org/...tories_in_the_fight_against_human_trafficking
 
http://www.amw.com/captures/capture.cfm?id=41795

AMW Capture #1139
AMW Tipster Spots Kim In Conn. Casino



An Soon Kim was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations special agents, on Jan. 7, 2011 -- thanks to the eagle eyes of an AMW tipster. The arrest occurred while Kim gambled in the Connecticut Mohegan Sun casino

including: conspiracy to engage in human trafficking, conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation of women for the purpose of prostitution and interstate transportation of women for the purpose of prostitution, conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and transportation of illegal aliens, and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.
 
songline said:
2010's Top 10 Victories in the Fight Against Human Trafficking
The details for each are at the link.
1. Craigslist blocked sex ads in the U.S and internationally.
2. Governor Schwarzenegger signed the California Supply Chain Slavery Act into law.
3. Human trafficking was criminalized in the nation's capitol.
4. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers made 90% of the Florida tomato industry slave-free.
5. Imprisoned journalists and organizers fighting human trafficking were set free.
6. Domestic workers were guaranteed basic rights in New York.
7. The Washington Post stopped advertising for massage parlors.
8. Ohio passed its first anti-trafficking law.
9. President Obama signed the first major national legislation to label conflict.
10. Choice Hotels took action to prevent child prostitution.

http://humantrafficking.change.org/...tories_in_the_fight_against_human_trafficking
Click to expand...


The link abov is no longer working.
Here is the new link for;
2010's Top 10 Victories in the Fight Against Human Trafficking

http://humantrafficking.change.org/...tories_in_the_fight_against_human_trafficking
 
sillybilly said:
I would really appreciate if any of you can help me out (even just to let me know if you've heard or read the same thing).

I don't think i dreamed this up, but I seem to recall reading recently about an aspect of HT where the victims are initially engaged in selling items/products door to door to earn money for the traffickers. When the victims aren't bringing in enough to pay the expenses (travel, motels, food, etc.), they are then told that they must sell their bodies for sex in order to bring in more money.

If anyone know where I can find this info i've bolded above, i'd really appreciate if you could let me know. We have 2 cases in Canada where the missing victims (Mariam Makniashvili and Owen Rooney) have purportedly been sighted selling dreamcatchers door-to-door in Alberta and BC respectively. It is extremely odd to have 2 totally separate cases (missing from Ontario and BC) to have been reported selling dreamcatchers, so i'm seeing at as a possible common denominator in their disappearances.

If anyone remembers this, or can provide a link to info, I will love you forever :)

Thanks !!
Click to expand...

Sorry for quoting myself above, but ...

Howzat for luck? Stumbled across the answer to my own question today when I wasn't even trying. That doesn't happen too often :woohoo::woohoo:

Florida: door to door sales is an emerging trend of trafficking young people
Click to expand...
read full article at:
http://www.examiner.com/human-right...ng-trends-emerging-through-door-to-door-sales

We have two cases in Canada where missing victims (Mariam Makhniashvili and Owen Rooney) were reported to have been selling widgets (dreamcatchers) door-to-door.
 
nosysw said:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-m-ryan/post_1653_b_816311.html?ref=fb&src=sp

An article that came out today about trafficking and the Superbowl. The more I read this stuff, the more my blood boils. This is supposed to be a civilized country, last I heard? :waitasec:

It is a pure disgrace!
Click to expand...

I read an article a few weeks before the Superbowl saying that the city is lacking "strippers". They're saying that the supply couldn't keep up with the demand. They were basically advertising for more women to sign up.
 
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2011/03/09/17547001.html
Sex consumers fuel human trafficking

By TANARA McLEAN, QMI Agency





Sexual Exploitation week

Play video



EDMONTON - Eliminating the worldwide problem of human trafficking starts with the consumers, say experts.

"We have to be aware that there are sex consumers who fuel the demand," says Kate Quinn, executive director of the Prostitute Awareness and Action Foundation of Edmonton (PAAFE).

Those consumers are the main problem organizations like Action Coalition on human Trafficking (ACT) and PAAFE are dealing with.

"We have to realize that it's the demand side that we have to tackle, and educate men that there are healthier ways to deal with their sexuality than to consume people," says Quinn. "One man (a john) went to a massage parlour and he thought that the woman was looking unhappy, so he traded her in. And when asked did you ever think about why she might be unhappy he said, 'No, I never thought about it.' And so, he just thought that she was there for him to buy."

As part of Sexual Exploitation Awareness Week, about a handful of locals heard Tuesday the heart-wrenching truth about human trafficking, and what needs to be done to eliminate the despicable market.

The United Nations says that worldwide, human trafficking nets close to $45.5 billion, with more than 12.3 million men, woman and children being forced into sex and labour markets. Of those victims, 80% are female and roughly 50% are children.

Most recently, Edmonton was home to what was touted as Western Canada's first human trafficking case. Three people were charged with human trafficking, unlawful confinement and living on the avails of prostitution after police raided a west-end massage parlour, where three immigrant women were allegedly being held and forced to perform sexual acts.

However, the case fell through due to "significant witness issues," said prosecutors, and the trio admitted to a lesser charged of keeping a common bawdy house.

Quinn says human trafficking and sexual exploitation cases are more difficult to prosecute in Canada because the burden of proof falls on the victims, who are usually too terrified to speak up.


more to article.
 
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2011/03/11/17576306.html
March 11 2011
Victim survived sex exploitation hell

By TANARA McLEAN, QMI Agency

A police poster seeks tips on victims of human trafficking.

EDMONTON - She started drinking at the age of eight, and shooting up dope at 10.

And it was all just the precursor for the life Norma, a human trafficking victim, would lead for 28 years.

"I did my first trick at 12," says Norma, sharing her story with a crowd Wednesday evening as part of Sexual Exploitation Awareness Week.

Norman started life like many Albertans, growing up on a farm, playing with her brothers and sisters. But her innocent world changed quickly, she and her siblings becoming prey for their father's sexual and physical abuse.

read more...
 
http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/media/text/20110311-sex_assault_suspect_canada-wide_warrant.pdf
MEDIA RELEASE
Deeds Speak
CANADA-WIDE WARRANT ISSUED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT SUSPECT
The York Regional Police Drugs and Vice Unit is seeking public assistance in locating a man wanted for Sexual
Assault and other acts of violence and pimping-related offences.
In November 2010, a female victim involved in the sex trade reported she was sexually assaulted, robbed and
subjected to violence by her pimp throughout the duration of their relationship. The suspect also used money
she earned to live a lavish lifestyle.
Investigators are seeking assistance in locating the suspect, identified as Joseph &#8220;Ben&#8221; or &#8220;Benito&#8221;
BERNADEL, 33, of no fixed address.
A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for his arrest on charges of Sexual Assault, Robbery, Assault Causing
Bodily Harm, Assault, Uttering Threats and Living on the Avails of Prostitution.
 
315 arrested for human trafficking offences

KUALA LUMPUR (March 21, 2011): From Feb 28, 2008 until Feb 13 this year, 315 arrests have been made under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong said.

During this period, 1,949 people have been rescued and placed under Interim Protection Order under the same law and subsequently, 735 victims have been given Protection Order.

“So far, 132 people have been charged in court under the act and of this, 31 cases have been convicted,” he told Datuk Baharum Mohamed (BN-Sekijang) who asked for the number of offenders prosecuted and convicted.

>>>more at link>>>>

http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=59024
 
from:
http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/octip/identifying.htm

Signs that a person might be trafficked

A person may be trafficked if they:

&#8226;Are travelling with minimal or inappropriate luggage/belongings
&#8226;Are accompanied everywhere by someone who speaks for him/her
&#8226;Appear to be fearful of and or under the control of another person
&#8226;Are unfamiliar with the neighbourhood where they live or work
&#8226;Lack identification and other travel documents
&#8226;Are not working in the job that was originally promised to them
&#8226;Have no choice about hours worked or other working conditions
&#8226;Work long hours, lives at a work site, or is picked up and driven to and from work
&#8226;Cannot leave their job to find another one
&#8226;Do not have control over their wages or money
&#8226;Show signs of physical abuse or injury
&#8226;Owe money to their employer or another person who they feel honour bound to repay.
&#8226;Work but do not get paid normal wages
&#8226;May have health issues that have not been attended to
&#8226;May describe moving or changing jobs suddenly and often

Trafficked Persons may be reluctant to report or seek services because they:

&#8226;Are threatened that if they tell anyone, they or their families will be hurt
&#8226;May be unfamiliar with their surroundings and do not know how to trust
&#8226;Do not know help exists or where to go for it
&#8226;Fear law enforcement and other authorities
&#8226;Fear being deported if they are from another country
&#8226;Are embarrassed or humiliated
&#8226;Do not see themselves as a trafficked person or victim
&#8226;May have complex relationships with their traffickers that involve deep levels of psychological conditioning
&#8226;May be addicted to drugs
&#8226;May be in debt to their traffickers
&#8226;May be sending much needed money back &#8216;home&#8217; and worry about not being able to do this
 
Human Trafficking An American Nightmare

Founder: Christy Walls 'Sex Trafficking Conference - College of the Seqouias"

Was founded by Christy Walls last year with the vision and deep desire to end sexual exploitation of teenage girls and woman in America. By bringing survivors, advocates and non-profit groups together to inform, educate and raise awareness of this national and international crime which effects an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 victims each year in America

snip*
The death of Christy younger sister left an empty spot in Christy's life but only by God's grace has Christy found purpose from the lost of her sister by desiring to help Stacey's children which had been left behind and by helping others.

On July 20 2009, Tulare County Superior Court imposed a prison sentence of 27 years and 8 months in state prison on 39-year-old Fausto (Mike) Basso of Garden City, New York.


http://humantraffickinganamericanni...02/founder-christy-walls-sex-trafficking.html
 
Underage sex trade still flourishing online
By Amber Lyon and Steve Turnham, CNN
February 5, 2011 -- Updated 2012 GMT (0412 HKT)

Las Vegas, Nevada (CNN) -- Her ankles and wrists are shackled. She's wearing used sweats in the bright colors of the jailhouse, orange, blue and yellow. She shuffles to the courtroom to face the judge, her mother, and an uncertain future.

Selena is a 13-year-old who was sold for sex.

[...]

Selena was arrested by undercover police on the Vegas strip on prostitution charges. But although she exchanged sex for money, in the eyes of the law, she's a victim, by virtue of her age and the circumstances under which she was sold: by a pimp on the website backpage.com, a pimp who used drugs to entice her, and took everything she earned.

[...]

She's not alone. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, there are at least 100,000 underage girls being sex trafficked in America today.​
Full Article: click here
 
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