Example: bachelor of science

“As first responders, we play a critical role in …

As first responders, we play a critical role in uncoveringhuman trafficking which often presents as domestic violence, labor disputes, or prostitution. We have the opportunity to identify and arrest the traffickers and provide justice for the victims. Chief Mary Ann ViveretteGaithersburg Police Department, MarylandThis project was supported by Grant No. 97-WT-VX-K003 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. 1 IntroductionHuman trafficking, commonlyreferred to as modern day slavery is a global phenomenon that involvesobtaining or maintaining the laboror services of another through theuse of force, fraud, or coercioninviolation of an individual s humanrights.

1 Introduction Human trafficking, commonly referred to as “modern day slavery” is a global phenomenon that involves obtaining or maintaining the labor

Tags:

  Human

Information

Domain:

Source:

Link to this page:

Please notify us if you found a problem with this document:

Other abuse

Transcription of “As first responders, we play a critical role in …

1 As first responders, we play a critical role in uncoveringhuman trafficking which often presents as domestic violence, labor disputes, or prostitution. We have the opportunity to identify and arrest the traffickers and provide justice for the victims. Chief Mary Ann ViveretteGaithersburg Police Department, MarylandThis project was supported by Grant No. 97-WT-VX-K003 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. 1 IntroductionHuman trafficking, commonlyreferred to as modern day slavery is a global phenomenon that involvesobtaining or maintaining the laboror services of another through theuse of force, fraud, or coercioninviolation of an individual s humanrights.

2 Generating billions of dollarsin profit each year, human traffick-ing is one of the world s fastestgrowing criminal activities, operat-ing on the same scale as the illegaltrade of guns and drugsi. Fueled byglobal economic conditions andincreased international mobility, themarket for and trade of humanbeings continues to expand rapidly. Unlike the trade in drugs andweapons, those who traffic inhumans can sell and resell their commodity forcing each victim tosuffer repeatedly. Although actualfigures are difficult to determine dueto the underground nature of thetrade, the State Department s2006 Trafficking in Persons Reportestimates that up to 900,000 peopleare trafficked per year international-ly, with 17,000 of these victims traf-ficked into the United Statesii. Thesefigures do not include those citi-zens who are trafficked within ourborders. It is estimated that 80% ofthose who are trafficked are womenand trafficking can happen any-where.

3 As a law enforcement officer,you should be prepared for thepotential of human trafficking in your community. Trafficking networks are not limited to urbanlocalities, as traffickers also seek theseclusion of rural and remote areas tooperate undetected. As first respon-ders,you are key to identifying andapprehending these criminals. Thisguidebook is intended to offer you the knowledge and tools toinvestigatehuman trafficking safely and guidebook includes: Definitions of human traffickingand the various forms of exploitation Distinctions between traffickingand smuggling Dynamics of human traffickingand the traumatic effects uponvictims Strategies for victim identificationand assistance Methods for effective response andinvestigation Avenues for legal assistance andvisa provisions under federal law A pocket card for quick reference2In 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act[18 Sections 1589-1594]was passed to address the problem of trafficking in persons through protectionand assistance for victims, prosecution of offenders, and prevention effortsinternationally.

4 The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) strengthenedfederal criminal laws that prohibit human trafficking, created immigration relieffor victims, and authorized benefits for those who TVPA defines human trafficking or severe forms of trafficking in persons as:Defining human Trafficking The recruitment, harboring, trans-portation, provision, or obtainingof a person for labor or servicesthrough the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose ofinvoluntary servitude, peonage,debt bondage, or slavery. Thisoccurs in situations of forced laborsuch as domestic servitude, factoryor agricultural work; or Sex trafficking, meaning therecruitment, harboring, trans-portation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of acommercial sex act in which acommercial sex act is induced byforce, fraud, or coercion, or inwhich the person induced to perform such act is under 18 years of are key differences between thecrimes of trafficking and occurs when someone ispaid to assist another in the illegalcrossing of borders.

5 This relationshiptypically ends after the border has beencrossed and the individual has paid thesmuggler a fee for assistance. If thesmuggler sells or brokers the smug-gled individual into a condition ofservitude, or if the smuggled individ-ual cannot pay the smuggler and isthen forced to work that debt off, thecrime has now turned from smug-gling into human trafficking. The keydistinction between trafficking andsmuggling lies in the individual sfreedom of person maychoose and arrange to be smuggledinto a country, but when a person isforced into a situation of exploitationwhere their freedom is taken away,they are then a victim of human trafficking. Central to the distinctionis the denial of the victim s liberty. An individual s willingness to besmuggled into another countrydoes not minimize the victimiza-tion he or she may experience atthe hands of a somecases, traffickers may forcibly kidnaptheir victims; however, in mostinstances, the global conditions ofextreme poverty and political tur-moil leave people who are seeking toimprove their lives vulnerable to thefalse promises and manipulation oftraffickers.

6 Slavery and involuntaryservitude are illegal practices in theUnites States regardless of originalconsent. DefinitionsPROCESSR ecruitingOR HarboringORMovingORObtaining ORMaintainingA PersonMEANSBy ForceORFraudORCoercionENDFor InvoluntaryServitudeORDebt BondageORSlaveryORSex TradeThree Elements of TraffickingSource: Adapted from the Freedom NetworkInstitute on human TraffickingTrafficking vs. SmugglingMyths and Misconceptions of human Trafficking The victim knew what they were getting into The victim committed unlawful acts The victim was paid for services The victim had freedom of movement There were opportunities toescape but the victim didn t Trafficking involves the crossing of borders citizens can t be trafficked The trafficker s actions are culturally appropriate It can t be trafficking whenthe trafficker and victim arerelated or married4 Under law, once a person has been held in servitude, a person s status as atrafficking victim supersedes all other smuggling or immigration questionsand affords them legal protections and social services.

7 DefinitionsTrafficking Is not voluntary; one cannot consent to being trafficked or enslaved Entails forced exploitation of aperson for labor or services Need not entail the physicalmovement of a person Can occur domestically, where citizens are held captive in theirown country Is a crime against the right ofeach person to be free frominvoluntary servitudeSmuggling Is voluntary; an individual typicallycontracts to be taken across a border Ends after the border crossing Fees are usually paid in advance orupon arrival Is always international in nature Is a crime against the nation ssovereignty 5 IdentificationDue to the covert nature of the crime, human trafficking will likely come to your attention indirectly. Someexamples of state and federal violations that may lead you touncover elements of human traffickinginclude: domestic violence crimes, labor disputes, prostitution and pimping offenses, shoplifting, andcases of is critical to note that any individualcan be trafficked; victims of traffickingare not always undocumented immi-grants.

8 They may be immigrants herelegally, on work or student visas forinstance, or they may be citizens who are recruitedand enslaved within the UnitedStates are considered traffickingvictims. They can also be takenfrom the United States and traf-ficked to other countries,whichmay be a factor to be considered wheninvestigating missing persons cases. In situations of possible human traf-ficking, victim identification can be oneof the most challenging tasks for lawenforcement. As a law enforcementprofessional, you may have to rely onyour instincts to pick up on red flags indicating that someone might be avictim or perpetrator of trafficking. Look for possible indicators ofhuman trafficking where youmay not expect it:Businesses within your community Could any serve as fronts for trafficking?Building security Is it used to keep people out orto keep people in?

9 Working conditions Do the workers have freedomof movement? Do they live and work in thesame place? Do the workers owe a debt totheir employers? Do the employers have controlover their workers immigra-tion documents?Appearance and mannerism of the workers Are there signs of trauma,fatigue, injuries, or other evidence of poor care? Are the individuals withdrawn,afraid to talk, or is their com-munication censored?Strategies for Identifying human Trafficking Forms of HumanTraffickingTraffickers exploit humans for labor or services in a widevariety of forms and locationsincluding:Sexual ExploitationBrothelsMassage ParlorsPornography ProductionStreet ProstitutionLabor ExploitationAgricultural/Farm WorkCleaning Services ConstructionDomestic ServitudeExotic DancingFactory/ManufacturingRestaurant WorkServile Marriage (also known as mail order brides )While the practice of arrangingto marry someone from anothercountry is not necessarily trafficking, some traffickershide their operations by posing as international marriage brokerage determining factors fortrafficking are the circumstancesthe bride faces once in theUnited States.

10 Is she beingheld in a condition of servi-tude through the use of force,fraud, or coercion for the purposes of forced labor orcommercial sexual exploitation?Situations of servile marriagecreate inherent vulnerabilities,so you should ask additionalquestions regarding every-one s welfare and any one of these signs mightnot constitute a situation of traffick-ing, they can serve as indicators toalert you to the possibility of thiscrime. When you encounter cir-cumstances that raise suspicion,remain vigilant for the possibilityof human detailedquestions for greater assessment ofthe situation. Due to the fear that traffickers instillin their victims, it may be necessaryto ask questions creatively, lookingfor signs that indicate a lack of free-dom. Instead of immediately tryingto determine whether someone is inthis country legally, ask how theyarrived in the , whether theyhave control over their documents,and if their movement is restricted.


Related search queries