One hundred and forty two years ago the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified and abolished slavery with these 32 words: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. More often than not, people will tell you that slavery ended in the United States with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution. Well, they would be wrong.
There is a new scourge of human slavery that is thriving throughout the world. The modern-day slave trade is covert, subtle, and often highly organized; There are no outright raids, and the slave traders are called "human traffickers." These modern day slave traders may appear as employment representatives offering legitimate jobs and various opportunities to earn an honest living and achieve a better quality of life. These tactics are successful because of the extreme and the desperate need for jobs and improved living condition around the world.
Today there are more slaves in the United States than they were at the peak of the transatlantic slave trade four centuries ago. For example, in 1690 when the majority of Africans were brought to America solely to further the slave trade there were upward of 14 million Africans sold by slave traders to meet growing needs of slaves for the United States expanding economy.
In 2006, according to the U.S. Department of State, approximately 800,000 to 900,000 individuals are enslaved annually and trafficked across international borders world wide; and it's conservatively estimated that about 20,000 of those individuals are trafficked into the United States each year. These figures do not include those Americans already here who are forced into involuntary servitude.
The 2005 U.S. Department of State Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report quotes Secretary of State Colin Powell estimate: "50,000 people are trafficked into or transited through the United States annually as sex slaves, domestic servants, garment slaves and agricultural laborers." The secret manner in which modern-day slave traders move people, it is nearly impossible to reach a accurate number of people enslaved and trafficked across U.S. and international borders.
On June 12, 2007 the U.S. Department of State released its latest annual report on human trafficking worldwide. The State Department's report on human trafficking worldwide listed several of the United States' closest allies, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, as chronic offenders and subject to possible sanctions. However, the worst offender is said to be India with the greatest cases of trafficking involving women and children.
According to the same, State Department, report there is an endemic of problem in the manner in which foreign workers are treated in the Persian Gulf, and the Middle Eastern States. There is, also, a recruitment pattern of unsuspecting individuals who are offered jobs as secretaries or maids. And too often these individuals end up being sex slaves or put into domestic servitude in an involuntary. manner.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said because of the annual assessments more countries are beginning to see human trafficking for what it really is, a modern-day form of slavery. "When we first begin tackling this issue several years ago the idea of human trafficking was akin to a global family secret," said Rice. "It was known, but not often discussed publicly."
Secretary Rice went on to say that, it's widely accepted that since the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was enacted in 2000; the Bush administration devoted substantial time, effort and personnel to prepare the annual TIP reports. The annual TIP reports will continue to serve as a useful tool for diplomats and members of Congress as we engage our foreign counterparts regarding their efforts to fight human enslavement for the purpose of economic gains.
The TIP report is not flawless. Still, it is imperative that the United States and foreign governments exert more effort to eliminate the scourge of human slavery. As a Nation, we must also ensure that even our closest allies are not given a free pass if it is shown that they are not doing enough to address the problem of today's slave trade within their borders.
Above all, the United States must lead by example. For instance, despite the Bush administration's many initiatives to prevent and punish trafficking in human being within our borders and in foreign countries there are several weak links in the chain. A recent report indicated that U.S. military personnels stationed in South Korea are regular patrons of brothels where trafficked women are enslaved in forced prostitution. What is most unsettling, it appears that these behaviors, by U.S. military personnels, are taking place with the knowledge and tacit approval of their commanding officers.
Yes, we can agree that the TIP annual report illuminated the growing problem of human trafficking in the U.S. and many foreign countries, including several of our oldest and closest allies. However, it appears that the U.S. Department of State TIP report is less aggressive in addressing the widespread and growing problem of human enslavement within the borders of the United States.
Modern-Day Slavery in the United States Most human trafficking in the United States takes place in states like Florida, California, New Jersey, and New York. However, modern-day slavery is not limited to these states alone. Modern-day slave traders are drawn to any state that have labor-based or service-based economy. Listed below are a few typical cases of slave trading in the United States as documented by: American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG). Federal charges were brought against a wealthy couple for keeping two Indonesian women as slave in their home on Long Island. The women were abused for more than five years, starved and forced to work without the pay that had been promised to them.
In New Jersey two women admitted to illegally smuggling dozens of Honduran women, some as young as 14, into the United States. The women were forced to work in bars to pay back smuggling fees as high as $20,000 by dancing and drinking with male patrons at bars in Union City and Guttenberg. Prostitution was encouraged, and the women were beaten if they were disobedient. Federal agents finally indicted 10 people, all alleged members of a smuggling ring operating in the United States and Honduras.
Four girls between 14 and 18 years-old were promised marriage and happiness in America. Instead, they found themselves forced into prostitution in brothels in Plainfield New Jersey. The girls each came from poverty and minimal education and were easily lured by opportunity in the U.S. Local and federal authorities eventually found the women and broke up the sex ring.
Beatrice, a girl of thirteen, was recruited from Nigeria to live with an American family, to help with the housework, and to attend school. Upon her arrival in the United States Beatrice found herself enslaved, locked in a suburban home, working for up to twenty-four hours a day, and denied the promised education. On one occasion while being beaten for over an hour, Beatrice screamed so loudly that the neighbors called the police and she was finally rescued.
Three men plead guilty to charges of operating a human trafficking ring in New York City. The men admitted to having smuggled poverty-stricken women and girls from Mexico and forced them into prostitution for more than five years. The women were physically abused and received none of the fees paid by customers for the women's services. The authorities began investigating the case in 2003, but the men did not plead guilty until April of 2005.
Conclusion
Human trafficking is applied to all instances where the use of force, fraud or coercion is used to get people to work or engage in sexual acts against their will. Human trafficking is a federal offense because it violates the 13th Amendment, which prohibits slavery. http://www.voanews.com
Dr. Smith is an experienced psychologist and therapist who consults with individuals and couples as relationship coach; and on all issues that's profoundly private and confidential. For further information please visit my website at: http://www.insightconsultant.com
To learn more about this author visit http://www.insightconsultant.com
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