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Indian Activist Warns Teens About Sex Trafficking
SAN FRANCISCO--A petite woman with a soothing voice, Sunitha Krishnan
never stops speaking with young people, at home or abroad. On her
frequent trips to the United States, she visits as many schools as
possible. She begins her talks with a film, one of her 14
documentaries like "Anamika -- The Nameless," in which she rescues 20
girls from a brothel.
never stops speaking with young people, at home or abroad. On her
frequent trips to the United States, she visits as many schools as
possible. She begins her talks with a film, one of her 14
documentaries like "Anamika -- The Nameless," in which she rescues 20
girls from a brothel.
"Trafficking is a global issue," Krishnan says. Estimates put the
number of trafficked persons between 700,000 and 4 million worldwide,
according to the White House. Human trafficking ranks third behind
weapons and drugs as a source of profit for organized crime. The
United States receives 18,000 trafficked women and children yearly.
Trafficking is a big problem in the United States, says Julia Guzman,
a survivor of trafficking and peer counselor at The SAGE Project
(Standing Against Global Exploitation), an outreach and advocacy group
in San Francisco.
"Low income families -- it's more likely to happen to them," Guzman
says. "It happens to all classes, but it's more likely to happen to
people who don't have a lot of money, and people who come from other
countries." Pimps reach children near school, she said, and groom them
to attract business.
Yet few schools ask Krishnan to give presentations. Silence reigns on
the issue in the United States, she says. In India, violence threatens
those who speak up about trafficking, but Krishnan carries on a she
has for 14 years. This year, she won a World of Children Award for
rescuing girls in India.
Trafficking, despite the word, does not necessarily involve
transporting the victim. The Coalition to Abolish Slavery and
Trafficking defines it as forcing people into ongoing, exploitative
relationships to generate illicit profits for the trafficker. This
modern-day slavery differs from smuggling people across borders in
that the victims do not voluntarily join the trafficker or necessarily
get transported.
In 2000, the United States passed the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act, which established definitions and a special visa for trafficked
persons. The "T-visa" offers a path to permanent residency to victims
of "severe forms of trafficking" facing retribution for returning to
their native countries. Many victims fear retaliation against their
families at home for prosecuting traffickers, but for the T-visa,
those age 18 and older must be willing to cooperate with prosecutors
against their former captors. This requirement, victims' advocates
say, limits the number seeking protection from the government.
More
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=34b15b208f46187a371ddda12eca34b9
number of trafficked persons between 700,000 and 4 million worldwide,
according to the White House. Human trafficking ranks third behind
weapons and drugs as a source of profit for organized crime. The
United States receives 18,000 trafficked women and children yearly.
Trafficking is a big problem in the United States, says Julia Guzman,
a survivor of trafficking and peer counselor at The SAGE Project
(Standing Against Global Exploitation), an outreach and advocacy group
in San Francisco.
"Low income families -- it's more likely to happen to them," Guzman
says. "It happens to all classes, but it's more likely to happen to
people who don't have a lot of money, and people who come from other
countries." Pimps reach children near school, she said, and groom them
to attract business.
Yet few schools ask Krishnan to give presentations. Silence reigns on
the issue in the United States, she says. In India, violence threatens
those who speak up about trafficking, but Krishnan carries on a she
has for 14 years. This year, she won a World of Children Award for
rescuing girls in India.
Trafficking, despite the word, does not necessarily involve
transporting the victim. The Coalition to Abolish Slavery and
Trafficking defines it as forcing people into ongoing, exploitative
relationships to generate illicit profits for the trafficker. This
modern-day slavery differs from smuggling people across borders in
that the victims do not voluntarily join the trafficker or necessarily
get transported.
In 2000, the United States passed the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act, which established definitions and a special visa for trafficked
persons. The "T-visa" offers a path to permanent residency to victims
of "severe forms of trafficking" facing retribution for returning to
their native countries. Many victims fear retaliation against their
families at home for prosecuting traffickers, but for the T-visa,
those age 18 and older must be willing to cooperate with prosecutors
against their former captors. This requirement, victims' advocates
say, limits the number seeking protection from the government.
More
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=34b15b208f46187a371ddda12eca34b9
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