Human Trafficking & Economical Fallout

It Takes A Village To Rescue A Child                 

“A powerful epidemic is sweeping our globe,” says Rivers Hatchett-Teske of Hidden Choices, Inc.  “As we travel throughout the world the stories we are hearing from those on the front lines rescuing these young children from child slavery, human trafficking and sex slavery are heart rendering.”  There is no excuse for one human being not getting involved to Stop Slavery NOW.” 

Join with Hidden Choices and take the stand to defend the most vulnerable in our society.   Do not be negligent in this duty to save those most defenseless in our world.  They do not have a voice. READ MORE

Statistics as follows:

The Money Trail and Global Economies

Who is profitting from Human Trafficking and what is it being used for?  The following informational report is provided by The State Department – US Government.  It is the goal of Hidden Choices, Inc. to help Americans and International communities understand what human trafficking is in its multi-dimensional nature and to understand the heinous entrapment of innocent child victims which is estimated to bring in over $35 Billion (with a B) dollars pertaining to Internet pornography and the street market value of over $32 Billion.

What is human trafficking?

Trafficking in persons is modern-day slavery, involving victims who are forced, defrauded or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation. Annually, about 600,000 to 800,000 people -- mostly women and children -- are trafficked across national borders which does not count millions trafficked within their own countries.

People are snared into trafficking by many means. In some cases, physical force is used. In other cases, false promises are made regarding job opportunities or marriages in foreign countries to entrap victims.

What impact does human trafficking have on the world?

Human trafficking is a multi-dimensional threat: it deprives people of their human rights and freedoms, it is a global health risk, and it fuels the growth of organized crime.

Human trafficking has a devastating impact on individual victims, who often suffer physical and emotional abuse, rape, threats against self and family, passport theft, and even death. But the impact of human trafficking goes beyond individual victims; it undermines the safety and security of all nations it touches.

What is the United States doing to stop trafficking?

Trafficking impacts most nations, including the United States. That’s why the U.S. Government has taken a number of serious and significant actions to combat trafficking occurring at home. A few examples of American efforts include:

• Congress passed legislation so Americans who sexually prey on children abroad can be prosecuted and sentenced to as many as 30 years in prison.
• The Department of Justice has focused on increasing the number of trafficking victims rescued and the number of prosecutions and convictions of traffickers.
• The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is certifying trafficking victims so they may qualify for the same assistance available to refugees. HHS is also running a major public awareness campaign to alert victims in the U.S. that help is available through the hotline number 888.3737.888.
• The Department of Defense has implemented a zero-tolerance stand against any actions by Defense personnel that contribute to human trafficking and is instituting a service-wide mandatory training program.
• The Departments of Labor and Homeland Security, USAID, and other government agencies are executing action plans to combat human trafficking.

What is the U.S. doing to help other countries?

Because human trafficking is transnational in nature, partnerships between countries are critical to win the fight against modern-day slavery. The U.S. is reaching out to other countries in a number of important ways:

• In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly,  President Bush raised the issue of human trafficking and asked leaders of the world to work together to end it.
• The State Department is working extensively with governments on action plans for prevention, protection of victims, and prosecution.
• Congress last year strengthened anti-trafficking legislation and provided more than $70 million in funding worldwide for efforts to end slavery. The U.S. is providing money around the world for:
• Rehabilitation and work training centers for victims
• Special housing shelters for victims
• Law enforcement training and legal reform assistance
• Information and awareness campaigns
• Voluntary repatriation for displaced victims
• Training for immigration officials, medical personnel and social workers
• Combating sex tourism
• Rescuing victims from slave-like situations

What needs to be done?

When dealing with an issue of this importance and urgency, there is much to be done. The U.S. is asking governments to immediately take action to step up their anti-trafficking efforts:

• There is a critical need for increased rescues of trafficking victims and prosecutions of traffickers.
• People freed from slavery must be treated as victims of crime, not criminals.
• The demand for modern-day slaves must be stopped. This is not a victimless or harmless crime, and the public should be informed of the risks involved with it.

What are the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the Trafficking in Persons Report?

Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) in 2000 and strengthened it in 2003. This law provides tools for the U.S. to combat trafficking in persons, both domestically and abroad.

One of the key components of the law is the creation of the Trafficking in Persons Report. The Department of State produces this annual report assessing government response in each country with a significant number of victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons. Countries in the annual report are rated in tiers, based on government efforts to combat trafficking.

What do the tiers of the Trafficking in Persons Report mean?

• Tier 1: Countries that fully comply with the act’s minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
• Tier 2: Countries that do not fully comply with the minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance.
• Tier 2 Watch List: Countries on Tier 2 requiring special scrutiny because of a high or significantly increasing number of victims; failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons; or an assessment as Tier 2 based on commitments to take action over the next year.
• Tier 3: Countries that neither satisfy the minimum standards nor demonstrate a significant effort to come into compliance. Countries in this tier are subject to potential non-humanitarian and non-trade sanctions.

For more information, please log on to the Web site of the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at www.state.gov/g/tip.

What is Human Trafficking?

The following excerpt is from Wikipedia: Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, harbouring, or receipt of people for the purposes of slavery, forced labor (including bonded labor or debt bondage) and servitude.   According to the Council of Europe it states: "People trafficking has reached epidemic proportions over the past decade, with a global annual market of about $42.5 billion". Trafficking victims typically are recruited using coercion, deception, fraud, the abuse of power, or outright abduction. Threats, violence, and economic leverage such as debt bondage can often make a victim consent to exploitation.

Exploitation includes forcing people into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. For children, exploitation may also include forced prostitution, illicit international adoption, trafficking for early marriage, or recruitment as child soldiers, beggars, for sports (such as child camel jockeys or football players), or for religious cults.

Project Safe Childhood and the Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

New Federal Case

DC Man Sentenced to 96 Months in Prison For Interstate Transportation of a Minor for the Purpose of Prostitution | July 7, 2008 Defendant, who advertised on “craigslist,” forced a 16-year-old girl into prostitution.

Washington, D.C. – Levar Simms, a 30-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 96 months of incarceration today by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon following the defendant’s conviction by a federal jury, on January 28, 2008, of interstate transportation of a minor for the purpose of prostitution, announced U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy L. Lanier, and Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

National Human Trafficking Hotline. Call from anywhere anytime in the US - 24 Hours 7 Days Week Hotline and Tips

Polaris Project NEED HELP? Or someone you know needs help? CALL 1-888-373-7888