News & Views May 14, 2009
Special Human Trafficking Edition
Freedom2Care
Modern Day Slavery
Calls to Curb Ads for Illegal
Sex
Healthcare Right of Conscience
Visit the Freedom2Care website to sign the petition today to
prevent patients' loss of access to conscientious and compassionate
medical professionals.
Modern Day
Slavery
Excerpted from, "
Modern Day Slavery." By Veronica
Pugin.
Claremont Port Side. April 13,
2009--“
Slumdog Millionaire,” in all its Oscar
glory, was disconcerting and heart wrenching for a reason other than its
direction. For many, it was powerful for one simple reason: much of what
occurs in the book and film is happening all over the world.
Confinement, servitude, coerced labor and bondage are aspects of
modern-day slavery – human trafficking. From the subjugation of
children as sex slaves to the compulsion of migrant workers as
involuntary laborers, there are numerous ways in which inhumane
merchants have managed to turn human beings into goods with a price tag.
Human trafficking continues to grow as the world’s number one
rising criminal industry, with over 12 million people victimized by the
business.
The U.S. State Department released striking information regarding
this issue in its 2008
Trafficking in Persons Annual Report. Beyond the abuse involved in
the commercial trafficking of women and children, human trafficking also
entails all forms of forced labor, debt bondage, coerced domestic labor
and military conscription of children. Victims of human trafficking do
not freely choose their occupation nor do they prefer it to their former
lives; instead, they have been forced into a situation far worse than
they had ever consented to. A majority of those victimized have little
access to education, have a low rate of economic opportunity, experience
a great deal of civil and political strife, or are migrants. The people
in these situations tend to be more vulnerable to the traps of the
traffickers. In many regions of the Middle East, Africa and Asia,
certain traffickers befriend street children, trick them into believing
that they would provide guidance, and then ultimately sell them! as sex
slaves or as domestic servants.
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Despite these efforts, in recent years there has been a dramatic
increase in transnational migrant trafficking, with a significant amount
of this crime occurring in the United States. To practice this
clandestine activity, traffickers target migrant workers who typically
seek two-year-long employment contract in other countries. This flow of
workers is particularly common among Asian and Middle Eastern countries,
and the governments of these countries have even issued Memoranda of
Understanding to better facilitate this flow of laborers. With
government watch suspended, it is easy for traffickers to manipulate the
system and trick migrant workers into falling for their scheme. Usually,
an employer in another country promises a worker a certain wage for a
specific amount of time with the inclusion of benefits such as food,
shelter, and funding for the worker’s ! return trip to their home
country after the agreed-upon work period is over. Yet after arriving to
the foreign country, the worker receives far less compensation, none of
the promised benefits and harsher working conditions than he or she had
originally arranged. Many immigrants who come to the United States
illegally find themselves caught in this situation, having been taken
advantaged of by criminal traffickers who renege on their promises to
provide transportation back to their native countries.
Although the United States and the United Nations have taken action
against the issue of transnational human trafficking, for the world to
truly move towards eradicating this problem each country needs to assume
responsibility. The United States claims to be at the forefront of the
movement, but it is estimated that 14,000 workers are annually
trafficked into U.S. borders. To be credible leader, the United States
needs to make serious efforts to curb trafficking domestically. Full Story
CMDA’s Health Consultant on Human Trafficking and
Member, Jeffrey Barrows, D.O., M.A. (Bioethics): "While much of
the media attention regarding the issue of human trafficking is directed
to the phenomenon of sex trafficking, this article highlights the often
forgotten form of human trafficking … labor trafficking. The other
important issue that this article addresses is the lack of success the
U.S. government is having finding victims of human trafficking within
our own borders. Since the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was passed
in 2000, the federal government has certified only 1379 victims of human
trafficking up through the end of fiscal year 2007. There are between
14,500 to 17,500 victims brought into the country each year according to
the best estimates of the U.S. State Department. That means that since
2000, approximately 120,000 victims have entered the U.S., but only
approximately 1% have been located and certified. We have a long way to
go.
"This is where increased awareness and proper education regarding
human trafficking is critical among healthcare professionals. We are
among the few professions that are in a position not only to encounter
these victims, but also to be able to do something to get them freed
from their trafficking scenario. It is critical that all healthcare
professionals be educated regarding presenting signs that a patient may
in fact be a victim of human trafficking and what steps can be taken to
intervene. CMDA has an educational program on their website that addresses
these issues as well as ways you can personally become involved in the
fight to abolish human trafficking!"
Things You Can Do To Fight Human Trafficking
Congress Passes Anti-Human Trafficking Bill
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Calls to Curb Ads for Illegal
Sex
Excerpted from, "
Amid Calls to Curb Ads for Illegal Sex,
Craigslist CEO Defends Status Quo." By Megan Woolhouse.
The Boston Globe. April 23, 2009--Craigslist chief
executive Jim Buckmaster denied yesterday that the website offered
sex-related advertising, even as Connecticut Attorney General Richard
Blumenthal called on the company to take stronger actions to combat
pornography, prostitution, and child trafficking in its online
classifieds. Yesterday afternoon, more than 150 ads were posted on
Craigslist's erotic section in Boston, and many made openly sex-related
offers. One South Shore woman headlined her ad "Sexy Busty and Ready to
Play!" A Cambridge woman promised she would be "enticed the whole time"
and another promoted "Naughty Hottie Afternoon Specials" in an
"exhilarating, unrushed, intimate encounter." Some people posted hourly
rates or naked photographs of themselves taken in a bathroom mirror.
Craigslist offers online services in hundreds of cities around the
world, gearing listings specifically to each local audience. There is no
official monitoring of the site other than peer reviewers who can flag
posts for illegal or improper content. Craigslist is protected from
liability for posting the ads for illegal activity under the 1996 Federal
Communications Act, which gives companies like it (eBay offers
similar listings) immunity for content they had no role in creating. The
ads found in the erotic section yesterday seem to contradict
Craigslist's image as a homespun marketplace where people can generally
post free advertisements to sell and trade goods, like a used dining
room set or a bike.
Complaints about the site and how it is used for criminal activity had
been growing even before the arrest of Markoff. Organizations dedicated
to combating child trafficking - selling children for sex - and
prostitution, including the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,
had contacted Craigslist with their concerns. The
Polaris
Project, a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating child trafficking and
enslavement, said it viewed Craigslist as one of the largest purveyors
of such illegal activities worldwide. "We follow people who have been
victimized in sex trafficking, and one of the major platforms for sex
traffickers these days is Craigslist".
Full Story
CMDA Member Clydette Powell, MD,
MPH: "Cyberspace serves as a major platform for
solicitation of sexual services through pornography and sex-related
advertisements. The unregulated nature of the internet allows for the
existence of Craiglist’s erotic section and its 'success' in the
sexual exploitation of women and children - through voyeurism and
subsequent sale of human beings - either virtually or in reality. Both
buyer and pimp-seller benefit from the rape-for-profit of a human
commodity. Ironically, the internet increases the visibility of the
victims while enhancing the anonymity of the criminals – the
buyers and sellers.
"The imbalance of power further humiliates and traumatizes the person
bought and sold. The buyer no longer has to go to a store, or risk being
seen. In the privacy of his/her home, office or internet café,
he/she can cruise the sites looking for the anatomy and specifications
that please them. They can then book an appointment with his choice. In
contrast to the buyer’s privacy, photos of the woman or child are
posted on the internet along with comments, critiques and ratings by
former buyers. Women live in fear of being recognized on the street or
having unwittingly been part of a 'how-to' guide. The impersonal nature
of cyber-sex leads to buyers’ loss of empathy for the women and
children they use. Moreover, they may regard these people as 'not real'
and see this as 'safe sex'. Psalm 10 aptly describes the wicked and
their exploitation of the innocent. The Psalmist’s pleas to God
are also real for us today."
CMDA Ethics Statement: Abuse of Human Life
Human Trafficking
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Action:
Learn how you can identify human trafficking by clicking here to access our self-test activity.
The purpose is to increase awareness of healthcare personnel concerning
the problems of human trafficking and educate them regarding signs
trafficking victims might display as patients so that these victims can
be recognized and the proper steps taken to allow for their eventual
release from captivity. Get involved by visiting these websites below to
see what you can do to stop the epidemic of human trafficking.
Catholic Relief Services
Children of the Night
Gracehaven
Human
Trafficking: Abolishing Modern-Day Slavery
International Justice Mission
National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children
No Silence Now
Not For Sale
Project
Polaris
Project
Restoration Ministries
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References
1. Modern Day Slavery
Veronica Pugin. "Modern Day Slavery." Claremont Port Side. April 13,
2009.
2. Calls to Curb Ads for Illegal Sex
Megan Woolhouse. "Amid Calls to Curb Ads for Illegal Sex, Craigslist CEO
Defends Status Quo." The Boston Globe. April 23, 2009.