UN renews call for ending modern slavery

New York – The UN called on governments to enact domestic laws banning modern slavery, including human trafficking and mistreatment of house workers, as it marked the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery on Thursday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked governments to carry out existing laws against slavery, as the practice continues in many forms. The international day is held every December 2. “Modern slavery is a crime,” he said. “People who perpetrate, condone or facilitate it must be brought to justice. Victims and survivors have a right to remedies and reparations.” He cited the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which entered into force in 2003. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is discussing legal measures to make slavery as a crime against humanity. The UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Gulnara Shahinian, said in Geneva on Thursday that abuse of domestic workers constitutes a modern form of slavery. “Domestic workers who are subject to abuse – whether physical, emotional or sexual in nature – are effectively being treated as slaves,” she said in a report to the UN Human Rights Council. “This form of slavery takes place in households all across the world, and although the victims remain largely invisible to the larger public, domestic servitude constitutes a global human rights concern,” she said.

Posted on Thursday December 2nd @ http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356345,call-ending-modern-slavery.html

Facts About Slavery

• In 2009 slave traders made 8 times more than the total UN budget
• There are an estimated 27 million slaves worldwide.
• 80% of slavery victims are women and children.
• There are more slaves today than at any other time in human history.

[[From Call + Response]]

• The average age of a child prostitute in Phoenix is 13 years old.
• Human Trafficking is now considered the 2nd largest and fastest growing illegal trafficking activity in the world.
• Child prostitutes serve between 100 to 1500 clients per year, per child.
• Among the millions trafficked each year hundreds of thousands are teenage girls, and others as young as 5, who fall victim to the sex trade.
• One million children are forced to work in the sex industry every year.
• Between 100,000 and 300,000 children in America are at risk for sex trafficking each year.

[[From streetlightPHX|10 Quick Facts]]

Washington Launches Human Trafficking Outreach Campaign

By Brian Stimson Of The Skanner News

November 18, 2010

After a nationwide FBI sting rescued 23 juvenile prostitutes in the state of Washington, a coalition of government and non-government organizations announced a campaign to bring a voice to other victims.

According to advocates, many victims of human trafficking – both sexual and other forms of servitude – fear the government and its laws that target undocumented immigrants and sex workers. Now, a comprehensive poster campaign will attempt to reach victims in places they are likely to frequent and in their native language.

With translations into Vietnamese, Russian, English, Tagalog, Spanish, Chinese and Korean, advocates hope victims can self-identify themselves to authorities so they can get help and put their abusers into the criminal justice system.

“We hope that this campaign, unique in its direct outreach in multiple, common languages, will be a model for the nation, particularly in our collaborative approach – government entities and NGOs working together to reach victims of human trafficking with the message that they have rights and help is available,” said Lacie Morrison, Executive Director of Seattle Against Slavery, a grassroots coalition working to make a slave-free world one city at a time.

The poster says “No one should force you into work or prostitution. You have rights in the United States, regardless of immigration status. If you or someone you know is being forced to work, please call for help.” It directs potential victims and victims to call               1-888-3737-888         1-888-3737-888.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, immigration policy now allows victims of human trafficking a “T visa” that gives temporary status within the United States for three years. After three years, victims will have the opportunity to apply for permanent residence status. Some situations allow victims to obtain T visas for family members.

The poster campaign will be deployed to highway rest stops, truck stops, convenience stores and other places where victims will be able to view them. Anyone can download and print copies of the poster from seattleagainstsalvery.org.

From: http://www.theskanner.com/article/2010/11/18/Washington-Launches-Human-Trafficking-Outreach-Campaign