Chadian Government to demobilize child soldiers, denies targeted conscription

BBC: Chad demobilises child soldiers Chad's government has signed a deal with the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) to begin demobilising child soldiers from its national army. The agreement is a U-turn for the government, which as always denied that it has had under-age fighters. In a recent Unicef investigation more than 300 child soldiers were discovered in one town alone. Chad's minister for external relations, Djidda Moussa Outman, says the army has never purposely recruited children. "A few days ago, in the town of Mongo, we began to demobilise 200 to 300 children from the Chadian army," Mr Outman said. A good proportion of the children were reportedly between eight and 11 years old. "This is already a strong sign of our goodwill. The government has never knowingly signed up children into the Chadian army. It's young people who forge their birth certificates," the minister said. "If they come to sign up we cannot know they are lying. What happens in Europe is not the same in Africa. But we are now taking concrete actions to remove them quickly from the national army." He gave an assurance that the government is trying to educate people that youths should not be recruited. Unicef's Steve Adkisson says the recruitment of child fighters is widespread in Chad - the true number is not known. [...] Clearly, the issue of Chad's child soldiers is not something that will be solved overnight. But now the government's admitted that it does have a problem, there is hope that many hundreds of children can finally return home to safety. child soldiers, fleshploitation

Yemeni human traffickers drown African migrants

32 migrants drown when forced into sea SAN'A, Yemen - Human traffickers wielding knives forced about 300 African migrants to jump into the sea off Yemen early Friday, causing at least 32 to drown, a Yemeni security official said. The migrants, mostly Ethiopians and Somalis, were packed into two rickety boats that had crossed the Gulf of Aden from Somalia when their crews forced them overboard as they approached Yemen's coast, the official said. Survivors said those who stood up to the crew were stabbed, beaten and thrown overboard, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. The incident is the latest case of abuse of people trying to get to Yemen from the Horn of Africa, where violence has escalated, especially since Ethiopia intervened in the armed struggle between Somalia's U.N.-supported interim government and Islamic groups. human trafficking, fleshploitation

Yemini military enlisting child soldiers to combat Shiite rebels

Jane Novak at Worldpress.org: Yemen: From Nepotism to Internal Jihad In the current round of fighting, the Yemeni military has augmented its ranks with child soldiers, tribesmen, and jihadis. Several induction centers have been opened and local media report that children as young as 15 have been given weapons and sent to the front with no training. Tribesmen from President Saleh's tribe, the Hashid Confederation, have also volunteered and been inducted for service in the thousands. As the Believing Youth are from the Bakil Tribal Confederation, military deployment of tribal irregulars has increased the threat of all-out tribal warfare. Yemeni jihadis, unlike Yemen's child soldiers, are extremely well trained. Many are veterans of prior conflicts in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia, and other jihadist campaigns. Some currently receive terrorist training in Yemen, reportedly with aid from some top military commanders. Saleh's use of Salafist proxies dates back at least to Yemen's 1994 civil war, when jihadis targeted Southern Socialist forces that had been labeled as apostates. Thanks to Eric at Vince Aut Morire for the tip. child soldiers, fleshploitation

Federal judge blocks '98 Child Online Protection Act

U.S. Judge Blocks 1998 Online Porn Law By MARYCLAIRE DALE The Associated Press Thursday, March 22, 2007; 9:59 AM PHILADELPHIA -- A federal judge on Thursday dealt another blow to government efforts to control Internet pornography, striking down a 1998 U.S. law that makes it a crime for commercial Web site operators to let children access "harmful" material. In the ruling, the judge said parents can protect their children through software filters and other less restrictive means that do not limit the rights of others to free speech. "Perhaps we do the minors of this country harm if First Amendment protections, which they will with age inherit fully, are chipped away in the name of their protection," wrote Senior U.S. District Judge Lowell Reed Jr., who presided over a four-week trial last fall. The law would have criminalized Web sites that allow children to access material deemed "harmful to minors" by "contemporary community standards." The sites would have been expected to require a credit card number or other proof of age. Penalties included a $50,000 fine and up to six months in prison. Sexual health sites, the online magazine Salon.com and other Web sites backed by the American Civil Liberties Union challenged the law. They argued that the Child Online Protection Act was unconstitutionally vague and would have had a chilling effect on speech. Chilling effect? What is "chilling" is the indifference of such "free speech advocates" as Salon.com and the ACLU to the reality of the now further increased ease of access for children to such a dehumanizing, desensitizing and corruptive poison. pornography, fleshploitation>

Global warming and prostitution link?

Global Warming: now it hits brothels Brothel owners in Bulgaria are blaming global warming for staff shortages. They claim their best girls are working in ski resorts because a lack of snow has forced tourists to seek other pleasures. Petra Nestorova, who runs an escort agency in Sofia, said: "We have hired students, but they are temps and nothing like our elite girls." Wow. What else can you say? prostitution, fleshploitation

Goa developing plan to combat sex tourism

The Navhind Times: Action plan devised to curb sex tourism: CM NT Staff Reporter Panaji, Feb25 Goa by no means is a sex capital, where tourist can come and pay for sex -- we do not want to become Bangkok, Bali or Pataya, said the Chief Minister, Mr Prataphsing Rane this evening. Addressing the inaugural session of a two-day workshop on ‘Prevention and combating human trafficking with special focus on children and women’ at a South Goa resort, Mr Rane revealed that a Goa state action plan has been devised with a code of conduct for foreign tourists who visit the state to curb the growing menace of trafficking of women and children, which lead to prostitution and paedophilia. Trafficking in human beings, more so in women and children, is one of the fastest growing forms of criminal activity, next to drugs and weapons, generating unaccountable profits annually. The reasons for this increase are multiple and complex, affecting rich and poor countries alike -- India being no exception. Of late, there is an expanding market for commercial sexual exploitation through non- brothel-based modalities wherein the trafficked persons are made to pose as attendants, masseurs and bartenders. Child pornography is another area that requires concerted attention. Sex tourism is also growing and India is emerging as a major tourist destination. Speaking further, Mr Rane said women and children are the greatest sufferers during any calamity and poverty is a great evil, which forces women and children into sex racket, which is a shame to modern society. There are 800 red light areas in the country where 75 per cent of the women are HIV positive. This is both alarming and a setback for a country which is trying to jump economically ahead. By eradication of poverty and illiteracy, the problem may be combated and the coming assembly budget session will be directed to women and children, especially of the rural sector of society, so as to make them independent, he said. Further referring to statistics, Mr Rane highlighted how Goa being a tourism hotspot has attracted trafficking of both women and children. Paedophilia is a matter of concern, and is on the rise, he added. The Goa Governor, Mr S C Jamir said that consciousness needs to be aroused amongst the people to solve what he described as one of the most formidable challenges faced by the society today; mere laws, legislations and NGOs would not be enough. Trafficking of children is not only a crime but also a shame to society and seeing the statistics which show that the same is on the rise, we must concentrate more on prevention than on rehabilitation, the Governor said. Read the rest here. human trafficking, sexual slavery, pornography, child pornography, prostitution, sex tourism, fleshploitation

Jackson, MS: Alleged child pornographer held after police altercation

Accused Child Pornographer Arrested After Attacking Police Child Pornographer Caught After Attacking Police By Julie Straw julie@wlbt.net A West Jackson man has been arrested after attacking two Jackson Police Officers. After taking him into custody the officers make a frightening discovery, pornographic pictures of a minor. Neighbors say this is not the first time. Around 7:45 Monday morning, police received an anonymous tip about a young girl being mistreated. Officers responded, arriving at a home located in the 4300 block of Thomas Catchings Drive, formerly known as South Drive. JPD Commander Lee Vance says police approached Ted Mauldin, a white male in his late 40's, for questioning. "Mr. Mauldin at that time became very aggressive and violent towards our police officers. One of our officers had to call for assistance. She and the second officer were able to take Mr. Mauldin into custody after quite a struggle," Commander Vance says. Police then entered the home and found a 17 year old girl, but that's not all. Vance says, "We also discovered nude photographs of that 17 year old." Police say the teenager was not abducted. Officers returned her to her mother. Meanwhile, nearby residents say this isn't the first time police have visited Mauldin's home. They say police confiscated sexually explicit photos a couple of months ago, but weren't able to locate Mauldin until now. Antonio Cooper says, "They found pictures and they found all kinds of different people. Different little kids, girls, they even found some little boys." Neighbor's say this is especially frightening because Ted Mauldin's house is located right across the street from Viola E. Lake Elementary School. "I have a little daughter come over from time to time," Cooper says. "She comes out and rides her bicycle over there. And I wouldn't want that to happen to nobody's child especially not mine." Commander Vance says a thorough investigation is underway. He credits concerned citizens for keeping a watchful eye and protecting their community. "This individual who made this call should be highly commended. We need more people like that to give us information. And as a result of that tip, we were able to get this individual into custody and hopefully keep any more children out of danger," Vance says. Ted Mauldin has been charged with exploitaion of a minor, disorderly conduct, and assault on a police officer. The officers involved suffered minor injuries. I'll second Commander Vance -- great job by the anonymous citizen who supplied the tip. Community involvement is one of the best ways to protect our children. Hopefully, those children in the photographs can be indentified so that they may be offered counseling and assistance as needed. pornography, child pornography, fleshploitation

Uganda: Will cease-fire end use of child conscripts, sex slaves in war torn nation?

AP: Cease-Fire Brings Hope to Uganda By KATY POWNALL A cease-fire between Uganda's government and a shadowy rebel movement that has terrorized this east African nation for nearly two decades went into effect Tuesday. The truce signed Saturday is aimed at ending the brutal war between the government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army, notorious for cutting off the tongues and lips of innocent civilians, enslaving thousands of children, and driving nearly 2 million people from their homes. [...] U.N. officials estimate Kony's guerrillas kidnapped 20,000 children in the past 19 years, turning the boys into soldiers and the girls into sex slaves for rebel commanders. Rebel attacks and atrocities drove 1.7 million people to flee. sexual slavery, child soldiers, fleshploitation

DOJ to host National Trafficking Conference in New Orleans in October 2006

From the August 2006 issue of the Anti-Trafficking Bulletin published by the Department of Justice (also available in PDF format). The Justice Department has selected New Orleans for the first of three annual conferences designed to advance the federal government's knowledge base about human trafficking within the United States and to improve access by practitioners to usable research about human trafficking. As Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Wan J. Kim explained: "We hope to take the first steps toward acquiring a broader research base that will inform law enforcement managers about where to allocate investigative resources. For example, we want to learn more about informal labor markets where some labor brokers engage in criminal exploitation of laborers." The conference will also build on the Department's initial national conference held in 2004 in Tampa, Florida. [Photo of Assistant Attorney General Wan Kim] That conference led to the creation of 20 multi disciplinary task forces designed to undertake proactive investigations. "By the time of the conference we will have 42 task forces, so once again we will invite key team members from each task force to participate," said Kim. "We are expecting each participant to help us understand what they need in the area of research to do a better job of targeting our law enforcement resources." The conference, to be held October 3-5, 2006, is the first of three congressionally funded annual conferences that the Justice Department will implement. human trafficking, forced labor, fleshploitation

* * SITE UPDATE * *

Posting has been near non-existent the past few weeks (and will continue to be so, for the next couple of weeks) because I am gearing up for a major relocation. I have several articles to post about regarding some interesting developments that I hope to share with you in the near future. In the meantime, thank you for your patience and please, do check back often in case I am able to sneak a post in here or there. -Kyer fleshploitation

UK: Report reveals gangs utilizing child porn to boost profits

The Observer: New report shows gangs enjoy easy access to guns and judicial corruption Mark Townsend, crime correspondent Sunday July 30, 2006 Organised crime in the UK is increasing rapidly, with firearms and drugs easily obtained by underworld syndicates which are also moving into child pornography to swell profits, a government report reveals tomorrow. The first analysis of the threat of criminal gangs to the UK by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) adds that corruption remains far from reforming offenders, prison now forms the 'basis for many later criminal collaborations'. [...] Although attempts to crack down on child pornography have intensified, the report concludes that the number of active sex offenders in the UK remains unknown. However, evidence suggests numbers are growing, with the internet 'increasing the scale and reducing the risk' to perpetrators. As the market has grown, intelligence reports reveal that major organized criminal networks are starting to move into child pornography. Recent trends monitored by police include the growing use of 'morphing', where images of children are altered by computer technology, while advances in internet technology have allowed 'real-time video coverage of abuse shown simultaneously to a number of viewers'. The US remains the host country for most illegal websites, although in the past year Japan has witnessed a sharp growth. child pornography, fleshploitation

The exaggeration of America's domestic battle against human trafficking

In my opinion, a very important editorial from Tampa Bay Online: Bush's Anti-Slavery Initiative Falters In Quest For Freedom Two years ago today, President Bush came to Tampa to announce a $30 million initiative against human trafficking, casting our city as a hot spot in the selling of human lives. Yet two years later, not a single local trafficking case has been made. Could it be that our human trafficking problem, which caught so many of us by surprise, was overstated? The short answer is yes, though the problem is real. Still, our analysis shows the administration exaggerated the breadth of the trafficking problem, overstated the crackdown against traffickers and spent millions to help a couple hundred victims. Since the president's trip, the administration has quietly backed off its startling assessment that more than 17,000 people are brought to the United States every year as modern-day slaves. In a report to Congress last month, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzalez said the number "may be overstated" and a better assessment is underway. Curiously, his admission has not kept government agencies from repeating the exaggeration. Similarly, the Justice Department this year boasts that by prosecuting 91 cases in five years, human trafficking prosecutions have increased by "more than 300 percent." It fails to note, however, that prior to 2000, no good federal law existed to prosecute traffickers. Against this backdrop, the administration has doled out millions of dollars to faith-based and social service providers to serve trafficking victims, never realizing the difficulties they would have in getting victims to come forward. Last year, the government spent $10 million to help 230 people, or roughly $1 million for every 22 victims served, a federal report said. Perhaps the administration's biggest misstep in the human trafficking initiative has been its failure to get buy-in from front-line police officers. Indeed, some agencies suggest the initiative is a solution in search of a problem. "I would be reluctant to call Hillsborough County a hotbed for human trafficking," Hillsborough Sheriff's Col. Gary Terry said in a recent interview. The mishandling of this important initiative could lead some to conclude that human trafficking is nothing more than the crime du jour, the government's latest in a litany of heralded directives like drugs, guns, hate crimes and terrorism. In fact, human trafficking is more than a buzzword. It's a real and abhorrent crime taking place all over the nation. Major cases have been made against traffickers in places like Milwaukee, where a couple faces 65 years in prison for enslaving a Filipino woman; in Los Angeles, where last year a woman was convicted of forcing her Russian niece to work as a prostitute; and in American Samoa, where the owner of a garment factory was given a 40-year prison sentence for treating 200 workers as slaves. Closer to home, in Lee and Collier counties south of Tampa, dozens of cases have been prosecuted or are under investigation. Young girls have been rescued from sexual slavery and immigrant workers saved from exploitation. In one case, smugglers were charging illegal migrants $2,000 each for a van ride from Ruskin to Homestead. U.S. Attorney Paul Perez, whose Middle District of Florida spans a swath of the state where economic and social conditions are ripe for trafficking, is refreshingly blunt when he says he is frustrated by the reluctance of some law enforcement agencies to acknowledge the crime. "The cynical side of me says, where's these people's constituency?" Perez said. "When you attack guns or drugs, you're playing up to a constituency. … Where's the constituency here when the victims and perpetrators can't even vote?" Good point! On behalf of those with no public voice, the president should revive his flagging initiative and make this the modern abolitionist movement he envisioned. The government should coordinate a better response, while spending no more than it really needs. And to restore public confidence, the people who trumpeted inaccurate numbers should be held accountable. It's horrible enough to hear that people are enslaved here. The problem does not need to be exaggerated. For those who think human trafficking is not real, consider this account from Anna Rodriguez of Bonita Springs, founder of the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking. A young girl kept as a sex slave in southwest Florida recently was rescued from her trafficker, by whom she'd had a baby. When the infant was examined, the trafficker's initials were found branded on the baby's back. "No one knows what these people go through," Rodriguez said. We do now. The question now is what are we going to do about it? human trafficking, sexual slavery, forced labor, child labor, prostitution, fleshploitation

Israel, Arab nations convene to discuss ways to combat modern slavery

A few days old (July 11), but this is very promising. Israel, Arabs join to fight white slavery Experts from the Middle East and North Africa met last week at the United Nations headquarters in Vienna to prepare an action plan to stamp out the growing problems of human trafficking and migrant smuggling. The three-day symposium - the first of its kind - brought together representatives from Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, UAE, Yemen and Malta. "This is the first meeting ever held to discuss a regional action plan for the Middle East/North Africa region," Muhammad Adul-Aziz of the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime said. "We consider this meeting to be an important step forward. The proposed plan of action will provide member states with a framework for their future efforts to fight smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings." A UN report in April said Israel was a top destination country for trafficking in human beings, and the US State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report, published in June, placed Israel in the Tier 2 (Watch List) category of countries whose governments do not fully comply with the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act but are making significant efforts to do so. "In the Middle East/North Africa region, exchange of information is complicated by heightened security concerns and tense diplomatic relations," said Israel's representative at the meeting, Yedida Wolfe. She is co-director of the Task Force on Human Trafficking - a project of the nonprofit organization ATZUM (Justice Works) and law firm Kabir-Nevo-Keidar. "If there is a consensus on one thing, that is the need for bilateral cooperation to combat trafficking. Last week's meeting was a breakthrough in establishing personal cross-border contacts to help fight modern slavery," Wolfe said. Read the rest. human trafficking, fleshploitation

Fla. detective held for allegedly uploading child porn on the net

Miami-Dade detective nabbed on child porn charges in SW Ranches A Miami-Dade County detective who lives in Southwest Ranches has been arrested for allegedly posting videos of child pornography on the Internet. Franklin Smith, 38, was charged with one count of promoting the sexual performance of a child and five counts of possession of child pornography, news partner NBC 6 reported. Police confiscated a computer, videos and paper files when they raided Smith's home and arrested him on Thursday. NBC 6 reported that Smith was arrested through the efforts of a state task force on child pornography that located an illegal video on the web, then traced it back to Smith. pornography, child pornography, fleshploitation

Nicholas Cage donates $2m (US) to AI to help child soldiers

A few weeks old, but noteworthy, nonetheless. I may not be a big fan of Mr. Cage, personally, for some of his other actions and positions, but his efforts for Amnesty International are commendable. Cage donation for child soldiers Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage is donating $2m (£1.1m) to Amnesty International to help former child soldiers, the charity has announced. The donation will help fund rehabilitation shelters, medical services and psychological and reintegration services. Amnesty says an estimated 300,000 children, some as young as seven, are involved in armed conflicts worldwide. Cage has been working with Amnesty International USA for two years. The organisation revealed the pledge in New York, during the United Nations Review Conference on the Program of Action on Small Arms. Family nightmare In a video statement filmed by the actor, he said: "Think about the nine months it took for your child to be born; think about all the care you put into teaching him how to cross the street and look both ways, or to read a book, or to simply have good manners. "Then imagine a warlord dropping a gun into his hand and forcing him to kill someone. He's eight years old. He hasn't kissed a girl yet or fallen in love, but he's killed a man. What does that do to a child's mind? "Sounds like a nightmare? It's reality for some families." Larry Cox, Amnesty International USA's executive director, praised Cage's "extremely generous contribution". "Nicolas has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the horrors faced by child soldiers and other human rights tragedies," he added. Amnesty International collaborated on the 2005 film Lord of War, in which Cage played an international arms dealer. child soldiers, fleshploitation

West, Central African nations sign multilateral accord against trafficking

West And Central African Nations Join Forces To End Child Trafficking A multilateral accord against the trafficking of women and children was signed here yesterday, as UNICEF and its partners spearheaded a joint ministerial conference of 26 West and Central African countries, representatives of European governments and the International Labour Organization. "No country in West and Central Africa can claim not to face the problem of human trafficking," said UNICEF's director for the region, Esther Guluma, at the opening of the two-day conference. "Only a holistic approach can successfully stop this exploitation of children that is a violation of their human rights, dignity and freedom of movement," she added. "One of the most efficient ways is the connection of a regional partnership. This conference is a milestone in building this collaboration." [...] Children exploited and abused Each year, hundreds of thousands of children are trafficked across porous borders throughout West and Central Africa. In Nigeria, for example, where the borders with Benin and Cameroon are 773 km and 1,690 km long, respectively, it is difficult to control trafficking. Now widely considered a form of modern-day slavery, this practice has its roots in an old tradition based on the quest for a better life. Children would be placed with relatives in cities to receive an education, in return for helping out in the home. Often, parents don't know - or don't want to know - what happens to their children who end up being exploited, physically and mentally abused as domestic workers or forced into prostitution. An end to trafficking "You are not a human being if you do that to your own children. People have to take responsibility for these crimes. It has to be punished," said UNICEF Child Protection Officer Alassane Biga. [...] Financial assistance for the poorest families and other initiatives - like mobile cinemas that screen educational films for people living in remote villages - help to inform vulnerable families about the reality of child trafficking. There's hope that the joint ministerial conference now wrapping up in Abuja can go one step further toward putting an end to this illicit and dehumanizing practice. human trafficking, sexual slavery, forced labor, child labor, child soldiers, prostitution, fleshploitation

Latvia "toning down" erotic advertising

Just turn it down a notch... Latvian capital to tone down erotic ads RIGA (AFP) - The city council in the Latvian capital, Riga approved regulations aimed at toning down erotic advertisements. "These restrictions were needed: its almost impossible to cross the Old Town in the evening without seeing screaming erotic ads in sparkling neon lights or being handed erotic leaflets," Riga Mayor Aivars Aksenoks told a press conference. Under the new rules, it is prohibited to use special lighting effects on signs and the facades of locations offering erotic services. Such establishments may only have signboards outside that state the name of the club and its registered trademark. They must also cover their windows so that passersby cannot see what is going on inside, the rules stipulate. Companies handing out erotic leaflets are subject to a fine of up to 200 lats (285 euros, 340 dollars), but the punishment for individuals is far lower: a fine of 14 euros. Latvian officials saw the need to clamp down on erotic advertisers soon after the Baltic state joined the EU in May 2004. The number of tourists rose sharply after Latvia joined the EU, with many from older European Union members seeing Riga -- which is well served by low-cost flights -- as city of cheap alcohol and erotic services, the mayor said. "I hope these new restrictions will help to change Rigas image," he said. An "image" can be such a superficial thing -- especially when you are just trying to sweep the dirt into the gutters... as long as we can't see it and it's tucked away underground, it's O.K. Tell me, painting windows to conceal "what's going on inside" serves what purpose now? Let's just pretend it's a massage parlor. fleshploitation

The Iranian trafficking hub

Iran Focus: U.S. cites Iran as human trafficking hub London, Jun. 06 – The United States put Iran among the main countries engaged in human trafficking. A report released by the U.S. State Department described Iran as a "source, transit, and destination country for women and girls trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude". The report cited cased of women and girls being trafficked to Pakistan, Turkey, the Gulf, and Europe for sexual exploitation. "Boys from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are trafficked through Iran en route to the Gulf states where they are ultimately forced to work as camel jockeys, beggars, or labourers", the report said. "Women and children are trafficked internally for the purposes of forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and involuntary servitude", it said, adding, "The Government of Iran does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so". The annual report downgraded Iran to a Tier 3 trafficking country after "persistent, credible reports of Iranian authorities punishing victims of trafficking with beatings, imprisonment, and execution". Iran now joins 11 other nations regarded as the worst offenders on the blacklist. "The Government of Iran did not improve its protection of trafficking victims this year", it said, adding, "Child victims of commercial sexual exploitation reportedly have been executed for their purported crime of prostitution or adultery. For instance, one 16-year-old sex trafficking victim was hanged publicly by religious authorities who accused her of engaging in "acts incompatible with chastity." The governor of the town later congratulated the religious leader for his 'firm approach'". human trafficking, sexual slavery, forced labor, child labor, prostitution, fleshploitation

Major ISPs join forces to combat child pornography with image database

Top Internet Providers Hope to Combat Child Porn With Image Database NEW YORK ­ Five leading online service providers will jointly build a database of child-pornography images and develop other tools to help network operators and law enforcement better prevent distribution of the images. The companies pledged $1 million among them Tuesday to set up a technology coalition as part of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. They aim to create the database by year's end, though many details remain unsettled. The participating companies are Time Warner Inc.'s AOL (TWX), Yahoo Inc. (YHOO), Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), EarthLink Inc. (ELINK) and United Online Inc. (UNTD), the company behind NetZero and Juno. Ernie Allen, the chief executive of the missing children's center, noted that the Internet companies already possess many technologies to help protect users from threats such as viruses and e-mail "phishing" scams. "There's nothing more insidious and inappropriate" than child pornography, he said. The announcement comes as the U.S. government is pressuring service providers to do more to help combat child pornography. Top law enforcement officials have told Internet companies they must retain customer records longer to help in such cases and have suggested seeking legislation to require it. AOL chief counsel John Ryan said the coalition was partly a response to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales' April speech identifying increases in child-porn cases and chiding the Internet industry for not doing more about them. The creation of the technology coalition does not directly address the preservation of records but could demonstrate the industry's willingness to cooperate. Plans call for the missing children's center to collect known child-porn images and create a unique mathematical signature for each one based on a common formula. Each participating company would scan its users' images for matches. AOL, for instance, plans to check e-mail attachments that are already being scanned for viruses. If child porn is detected, AOL would refer the case to the missing-children's center for further investigation, as service providers are required to do under federal law. Each company will set its own procedures on how it uses the database, but executives say the partnership will let companies exchange their best ideas ­ ultimately developing tools for preventing child-porn distribution instead of simply catching violations. "When we pool together all our collective know-how and technical tools, we hope to come up with something more comprehensive along the lines of preventative" measures, said Tim Cranton, Microsoft's director of Internet safety enforcement programs. Ryan said that although AOL will initially focus on scanning e-mail attachments, the goal is to ultimately develop techniques for checking other distribution techniques as well, such as instant messaging or Web uploads. Representatives will begin meeting next month to evaluate their technologies, determining, for instance, whether cropping an image would change its signature and hinder comparisons. Also to be discussed are ways to ensure that customers' privacy is protected. Authorities still would need subpoenas to get identifying information on violators. The companies involved said they are talking with other service providers about joining. But companies that do not participate still are required by law to report any suspected child-porn images, and many already have their own techniques for monitoring and identifying them. pornography, child pornography, fleshploitation

WC06: Father John - "'Safe' Prostitution"

A great read from Father John's blog on FoxNews.com: 'Safe' Prostitution The German government has made a solemn promise to condone only “safe prostitution” during this year's World Cup soccer tournament. [...] The hypocrisy is appalling. Because it legalized prostitution in 2002, German officials now find themselves in a quandary. Until now they have been able to hide behind the talking points of sex industry advocates. Dressed in sharp ties and pretty pantsuits, they have learned to say with a straight face that its legalization is good for women as it defends their rights to: 1) the career of their choice, 2) legal recourse in the case of abuse, 3) social services including health benefits, unemployment, and retirement plans, and 4) safety from sexually transmitted diseases. But as the market adjusts to new demands (the price of sex is less than a ticket to a soccer match), more people see the obvious ­ prostitutes, legal or illegal, are first and foremost a financial commodity in the hands of greedy men, “providers” and “consumers” alike. Where are the real feminists when we need them? Germany will continue to hide behind its efforts to stop “trafficking and forced prostitution.” They hope the rhetoric will take attention away from the 400,000 women currently registered by the government as sex industry workers. They fear the world might wonder in unison how many of these “workers” have freely selected prostitution as a career choice, how many of them feel protected by the law, safe from disease, and look forward to a happy retirement after a long and fruitful tenure. Weren't these the talking points? Or are governments greedy too, even ones led by liberated women like Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel? Today, I invite you to remember that not everyone will enjoy the World Cup. A new brand of "soccer moms" will be watching from the prisons of the "performance boxes" Germany officials continue to hail as safe and legal. If that's "safety and legality," you can bet these women would happily trade them in for a bit of real "freedom" any day of the week. False gods always take victims. Today in Germany, and many parts of the world, the gods of prostitution ­ money and pleasure ­ are claiming their corresponding victims: women enslaved by men, and men enslaved by their passions. God bless, Father Jonathan P.S. I'm a big soccer fan and you can bet I'll be watching. We can't let the presence of evil stamp out the very good things of life, sports being among them. Amen, Father Jonathan, on all counts. human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, World Cup, Germany, fleshploitation

WC06: "Hoping" for business

I'm not even going to bother with the rest of the article. The wording of this one line gets me, for some reason: In Germany, a Building Debate: COLOGNE, Germany -- At the Pascha, a 12-story building that advertises itself as Europe's biggest brothel, the working girls are preparing for what they hope will be a surge in business as more than a million soccer fans flock to Germany for the World Cup, which begins Friday. Hope is incompatible with "the world's oldest profession". human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, World Cup, Germany, fleshploitation

WC06: 40,000 trafficked prostitutes "overblown", source

Apparently, it's just a big misunderstanding, false alarm, etc. AFP: German police say no rise in forced prostitution for World Cup. [...] "Our unit which specialises in fighting procuring has noticed nothing special," a police spokesman in the southern city of Munich, where the tournament kicked off on Friday, told AFP. The police chief in the northern port city of Hamburg, another one of 12 cities hosting the event, was quoted by news magazine Der Spiegel's website on Thursday as saying they had not noticed an increase in sex workers in general as a result of the World Cup either. He said since Hamburg already has some 2,400 prostitutes, there was not much space on the market for newcomers hoping to profit from the world's biggest sporting event. [...] [t]he head of the Berlin-based organisation "Ban Ying" for abused women said the figure of 40,000 was overblown. "It is a rumour, a totally exaggerated figure," said Nivedita Prasad. "Pimps have no reason to bring girls to Germany especially for the World Cup. It is not worth it financially for five weeks," she told AFP. Prasad said the large number of police deployed for the event would discourage illegal immigrants from working as prostitutes. "There is an enormous police presence, and women without the right documents would take a big risk to walk the streets. So I do not think that the World Cup will lead to an increase in forced prostitution. "Anyway, with three matches a day, men will have less time for sex," she added. [...] An unintentional gross misrepresentation of the facts, etc. /sarcasm off human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, World Cup, Germany, fleshploitation

WC06: Polaris Project - "Soccer With a Side of Slavery"

From the Washington Post: Soccer With a Side of Slavery. By Katherine Chon and Derek Ellerman Saturday, June 10, 2006; Page A19 "It is truly scandalous. People are talking about women, importing them to satisfy the base instincts of people associated with football. It is humiliating enough for me that football is linked with alcohol and violence. But this is worse. It is slaves that will come and be put into houses. Human beings are being talked about like cattle, and football is linked with that." -- Raymond Domenech, coach of the French World Cup soccer team As the 2006 World Cup games get underway in Germany, tourists and soccer fans are being joined at the various competition venues by denizens of an international world of crime where human beings are bought and sold for profit. Human trafficking is the third-largest criminal industry in the world, after arms and drugs. While soccer fans anticipate the excitement of the games, many of us in the anti-trafficking movement are deeply troubled by the expected surge of sex trafficking in Germany to meet the demand for commercial sex associated with the World Cup. It is estimated that more than 40,000 women and children will be imported to Germany during the month-long competition to provide commercial sex in the "mega-brothels," "quickie shacks," other legalized venues and vast underground networks that exist in Germany. The traffickers and those who benefit from sex trafficking promote an image of women freely choosing to be involved in prostitution, making huge amounts of money at it and in general having a great time. It is the "Pretty Woman" myth, which many apparently like to believe in order to justify their inaction or ignorance on the issue. Read on... human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, World Cup, Germany, fleshploitation

Report: U.S. taxpayers funding human trafficking the Middle East?

I highly recommend this article from the Chicago Tribune (via San Jose's Mercury News). I believe I have an older related article saved somewhere that I will try to look for and post if time permits. U.S. taxpayers financed human trafficking, report says [...] Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice unveiled this year's report by telling reporters that the United States and its allies "will stop at nothing to end the debasement of our fellow men and women." Yet this year's report includes a special section on reforms the Defense Department instituted after an investigation prompted by "Pipeline to Peril," a series published by the Chicago Tribune in October that detailed human trafficking into Iraq for privatized U.S. military support operations. Human brokers and subcontractors from Asia to the Middle East have worked in concert to import thousands of laborers into Iraq from impoverished countries, often employing fraud or coercion along the way, seizing workers' passports and charging recruitment "fees" that make it difficult for workers to escape employment in the war zone. U.S. military leaders in Iraq have acknowledged confirming widespread abuses against such workers, who are brought to Iraq to do menial labor on U.S. bases for contractors and subcontractors. Those businesses ultimately receive their checks from the U.S. government. The abuses corroborated by military investigators included violations of U.S. human-trafficking laws. In a section of the 2006 report titled "Department of Defense Responds to Labor Trafficking in Iraq," the State Department notes that Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, ordered sweeping changes in April for privatized military support operations. The report also says the Defense Department "has responded swiftly with a number of measures to closely monitor the hiring and employment of foreign laborers." John Miller, who heads the State Department's trafficking office and is responsible for the annual report, said it was the first time in the report's six-year history that it contained allegations that U.S. taxpayers had financed such abuses. In an interview, Miller also suggested the Defense Department moved too slowly, saying, "All of this should have happened faster, ideally." But he praised the measures and pledged to press the State Department itself to adopt reforms similar to those instituted by the military. It is important to note the DOD, spearheaded (I believe, as the article stated) by General Casey, DID in fact proceed to address these issues promptly. You can read a little more about the report by clicking here, and scrolling down a little more than halfway until you find the heading, "DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) RESPONDS TO LABOR TRAFFICKING IN IRAQ". There is more, read on... human trafficking, forced labor, fleshploitation

Sex-trafficking on the rise in Northern Ireland

Human trafficking 'a growing problem' in N.Ireland Human trafficking is a growing problem in Northern Ireland according to a British Government minister. Paul Goggins has told a House of Commons committee that there is some suggestion that foreign women are being used for the sex trade. The seedier side of Belfast life can be seen at night as prostitutes ply their trade in the city centre. But there is growing evidence that the sex trade in Northern Ireland is being fuelled by human trafficking. Northern Ireland Office minister Paul Goggins has told the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs committee that the issue of immigration crime - so-called people trafficking - has become a more pressing problem. He said there is an increase in female foreign nationals working as prostitutes and that there are a greater number of brothels operating in Belfast. But the minister says the problem is that often the women involved often say that they are doing it voluntarily and are not being forced into it. The police has said that it has made inquiries into the problem of people trafficking. Read the rest of the article here. human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

FL-USA: Ukrainian woman allegedly enslaves, prostitutes Russian woman

Ukrainian Accused of Forcing Russian Woman Into Prostitution ORLANDO, FL (AP) -- A woman has been arrested in Orlando for allegedly harboring an illegal alien who she is accused of enslaving, beating and forcing into prostitution. US Magistrate Karla Spaulding has ordered Yelena Aleksandrovna Telichenko held without bail until a hearing next week. Telichenko was ordered deported by an immigration judge last year. She was arrested only on charges she harbored an illegal alien. A 24-year-old woman who says Telichenko forced her to sleep with men to pay for rent and food refused to file a report. According to an affidavit, Telichenko at one point offered the Russian woman to a man who introduced them to a pimp. The victim could be deported as well, but authorities say she may be eligible for a special visa for victims of human trafficking. I certainly hope and pray the Russian woman is granted a visa. human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

Israel responds to critics, breaks up transnational trafficking ring

From the Jerusalem Post: 3 arrested in int'l prostitution ring REBECCA ANNA STOIL, THE JERUSALEM POST Jun. 6, 2006 On a day when Israel faced stiff criticism by the United States for not taking a tough enough stance against the trafficking of women, Tel Aviv District Police revealed Tuesday that three suspects had been arrested earlier in the morning after allegedly helping to operate a prostitution ring in which Israeli women were send to work as prostitutes in Canada. Over the course of two months of investigation, police gathered evidence against three residents of Ariel; 40-year-olds Arkady Kazner and Igor Vieman and 29-year-old Anna Kortayev. The investigation began after police noticed an advertisement in Russian-language newspapers published in Israel that solicited young women to work as escorts in Canada. The advertisement promised would-be employees a monthly salary of $10,000, as well as subsidized plane tickets and even passports to young women who didn't have one. Curious to see what was behind the enticing offer, police enlisted the use of a female undercover officer who contacted the number listed on the advertisement and posed as a prospective call girl. The officer met with the suspects a number of times in anticipation of the trip to Canada, and the suspects provided her, as promised, with both a passport and a plane ticket. The investigation indicated that the suspects sent dozens of young women overseas who worked as call girls in brothels and clubs in Canada. Police suspect that many young women were asked to pose naked for photographs, which were then allegedly sent to sources in Canada, who would review the pictures and select young women for the job. Police sources said that some of the women may not have been aware that they were being sent to work in prostitution. After a large amount of evidence was gathered against the three, police decided to begin the overt stage of investigation. In a morning raid on suspects' houses in Ariel, the three were arrested and materials that police said implicated the suspects in the charges against them was found in their possession. On Tuesday afternoon, the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court extended the remands of Kazner and Vieman by five days. Kortayev's remand was extended by two days. Police said that more arrests were likely to follow - and emphasized that the investigation was not restricted to Israel. Throughout the investigation, Israeli detectives worked together with authorities in both the United States and in Canada. Arrests overseas were also likely to occur as the investigation progresses. human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

South Africa's booming, violent child sex trade

An excellent expose written by Karyn Maughan in South Africa's periodical, The Star: Child sex trade scandal Children as young as 9 are selling their bodies on the streets of Joburg for R30 ($4.50 US) --and child rights groups say the situation is "exploding". In a series of interviews with child sex workers, streetchildren, clinic staff and community workers, The Star has uncovered that the commercial sexual exploitation of boys and girls is booming. [...] [In] another incident about six months before, the friends of a teenage sex worker watched with growing horror as a luxury car pulled up outside a Hillbrow hotel and pushed her limp body out onto the street. She was dead, with a knife protruding from her vagina. The teenager was never identified. [...] Trawling the malls where many schoolchildren spent their afternoons and weekends, [criminal syndicates --.ed] would seek out teenagers who "had the look of want" in their eyes, Stevens said. Community worker Elaine Johannes said: "They will start to talk to the child who is staring at a pair of Levi's, saying 'those jeans are cool, hey?' Then maybe they arrange to meet the child later on, buy them clothes and cellphones, take them out clubbing a few times without doing anything. "They will try to get the child hooked on drugs, and after he or she is addicted, they'll demand the money for the clothes and drugs. It is then that the child gets forced into sex for money." Thanks to Sarah G. of Captive Daughters for the story. human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

UK: Op Pentameter greeting foreign passengers at the gates

Via the Strathclyde Police Dpt.'s website: On Tuesday 21 February 2006, passengers arriving at Prestwick Airport on a flight from Poland were the first in Scotland to encounter Operation Pentameter. Officers handed out information cards in Polish, asking if passengers have travelled willingly. Clever idea, though I can only imagine how a situation might unfold. Let's just say a person who had been brought against their will actually acknowledged the police officer... would the officer have to assume her companion was also her smuggler? human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, Operation Pentameter, fleshploitation

UK: Op. Pentameter nets 6 involved in trafficking in Cheltenham

From the BBC: Sixth arrest in brothel inquiry A sixth person has been arrested after a series of homes were raided as part of a people-smuggling investigation. A woman aged 35 joins two men, aged 35 and 43, and three women aged 19, 28 and 46, who were held on suspicion of being concerned in the running of a brothel. Police searched four Cheltenham houses as part of Operation Pentameter, a UK-wide crackdown on human trafficking. Two Chinese women, thought to be involved in the sex trade, were found at one of the properties on Tuesday. The latest arrest was made in Birmingham with the help of West Midlands Police. Of the five people arrested in Cheltenham on Tuesday, a 28 year-old woman from Evesham and a woman aged 19 from the West Midlands were released on police bail until 28 July pending further enquiries. A 35 year-old woman of no fixed address, a 43 year-old man from Cheltenham and a 46 year-old woman from Bristol remained in custody. Operation Pentameter is a multi-agency initiative involving the police, the travel industry, government and partner groups across the UK and Europe. human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, Operation Pentameter, fleshploitation

UK: Largest-scale raids on trafficking, sex trade take place in Leeds, Bradford

Sex trade crackdown Kate O'Hara Crime Correspondent SUSPECTED brothels across Leeds and Bradford have been raided as part of the UK's biggest ever crack-down on trafficking and the illegal sex trade. In a joint operation between West Yorkshire Police and the Immigration Service, officers forced their way into buildings in Elland Road and Burmantofts in Leeds, as well as a property in the Tyersal area of Bradford. A house in Armley was also searched in connection with the investigation. During the raids a 50-year-old man and a woman, 45, were arrested on suspicion of managing brothels. They were later released on bail pending further inquiries. The arrests came as a result of a national crackdown on sex trafficking, codenamed Operation Pentameter, which has led to 156 arrests across the UK so far. The campaign was launched in February in a bid to help women who can be forced to have sex with up to 40 men a day by violent pimps. The women mainly come from Eastern Europe, as well as Thailand, China and Brazil. Yesterday Detective Inspector Martin Snowden, who is leading the investigation in West Yorkshire, said: "Women involved in the sex trade are rarely there through choice. They suffer violence, addiction and intimidation and lose all ability, physically and emotionally ,to leave." 16 May 2006 I believe Operation Pentameter began this past February --- so far, this effort seems quite promising. human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, Operation Pentameter, fleshploitation

WC06: German police put on a front to weed out illegal, unwilling prostitutes

Let the games begin, right? Major crackdown: 2,000 German police block illegal prostitution: Mainz, Germany - Responding to international concerns that women will be forced into prostitution during the World Cup, 2,000 police raided brothels in the southern half of Germany Thursday. With just 29 days to go till the start of the football tournament, they entered hundreds of brothels as well as hostels and bars used for prostitution, checking whether the women were legally and willingly employed. Brothels are legal in Germany. 'We want the world to know before the World Cup that the German police are doing their job,' said a police officer in Hesse state who asked not to be quoted by name. Concern has been voiced in the United States, Sweden and other nations that the sex trade may be drafting in up to 40,000 women to cater to football fans, with some migrating to Germany illegally. The trade recruits mainly from eastern Europe and many women complain that they are forced to remain at brothels because they will be expelled from Germany as illegal immigrants if they seek other work. Some say they expected regular work and were forced into sex. In the city of Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate Interior Minister Karl Peter Bruch called the raids a success, saying one purpose was to help any women who wanted to leave the sex trade but did not know how. Police said they detained 100 persons in two states alone, Rheinland Palatinate and Hesse. There were also raids in Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg state. Police were mainly hunting traffickers, not prostitutes. Right, I'm sure a woman who is being forced into prostitution will be able to freely say, "I didn't sign up for this," and the nice police officer will send her safely home. But... on the other hand, if the working conditions are so wonderful in this legalized industry, why would anyone want to leave? human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, World Cup, Germany, fleshploitation

WC06: Brothel "public relations" score; BBC with the assist.

Germany standing up for the right for women to exploited: German brothel welcomes World Cup Prostitution has been legal in Germany since 2002 But as you walk into Artemis, a few scantily-clad women who are standing near the main entrance provide an obvious sign that there is more on offer here. Artemis is one of Germany's largest brothels, which has recently opened, just in time for the World Cup. It is a short bus ride from Berlin's Olympic stadium, where many of the games, and the final, will be played. Booming business The managers of Artemis are hoping to attract thousands of football fans, who will be in Germany this summer. "We think that we'll probably get double the number of clients during the World Cup," said Eike Wilmans, one of the managers of Artemis. "We're going to put up screens and show all the games. We also have two cinemas, so the clients and the women can watch football. And if a match doesn't go according to expectations, well, men can work out in the gym, take a girl, and relax," he says, smiling. Once you get past the reception, you may feel as though you are in some kind of a luxury hotel. The Artemis brothel boasts neo-classical murals The champagne bar is spacious and opulent, the walls are decorated with neo-classical paintings of women, and there are discreet sofas in several corners, which are surrounded by dark velvet curtains. The brothel is arranged on several different levels. There's a restaurant, two cinemas, a large swimming pool, gym, Turkish bath and rooms, or plush suites, which can be rented out. Prostitution is legal in Germany, and the managers of Artemis say that all the women who work here have registered with the authorities and they pay tax. [...] Prostitution is talked about openly. Coco, 23, lives at Artemis. Like some of the other sex-workers, she rents a room. "I would never want to work on the streets, or in any other country where prostitution is illegal," Coco said. If their team is disappointing, customers can relax in the pool... "There's always the risk that someone can kidnap you and it's dangerous and dirty. I've registered with the authorities as a sex hostess. I come from Bonn originally, and I work in Berlin because I know I can get good work at Artemis. I'm my own boss, and I can keep all the money that I earn," she said. Prostitution was legalised in Germany in 2002. Campaigners say the new laws safeguard women's rights. "Women can work in a safe environment," said Henny Engels, from the German Women's Council. "Sex-workers have basic human rights. These women are now protected against pimps, or any violence, and they should not face discrimination in society." [...] The prostitutes who work at Artemis say they are lucky that the laws were changed in Germany. "I am a German professional like any other woman," said Luna, "I work in a safe environment and I enjoy my job." Read the rest of the polished story, furnished by the BBC, here. human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, World Cup, Germany, fleshploitation

WC06: German authorities try to allay concerns of sex trafficking

Let the justification begin...: Germany Responds to Fears of Sex Trafficking during World Cup Germany Responds to Fears of Sex Trafficking during World Cup http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=9665 Amidst fears of an increase in sex trafficking surrounding the World Cup, German authorities led a crackdown on illegal prostitution last week. According to the Associated Press (AP), four German states arrested a total of 100 people during raids. The arrests are part of the German police's response to widespread concerns by women's rights and human rights groups about an increase in sex trafficking during next month's World Cup. The soccer tournament, which will attract millions of tourists, may lead to 40,000 women trafficked to work in Germany as prostitutes against their will, according to AP. Prostitution has been legal in Germany since 2002, with 400,000 registered sex workers, according to the AP. Ulrike Helwerth, speaking for the National Council of German Women's Organizations (NCGWO), told the AP, "If the number of prostitutes goes up, the assumption is that on the fringes the criminal forced prostitution will also go up." Most of the women trafficked will come from Eastern European countries, reports the AP. In 2004, Germany acknowledged 1,000 cases of forced sex work but, as Michele Clark of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, noted, "Most of [women forced into prostitution] go unrecognized, unassisted, and unknown," reports the Christian Science Monitor. It's only a thousand cases, right? human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, World Cup, Germany, fleshploitation

Ohio Ph.D student gets 54 days in prison for child porn

Unbelievable. Man Gets 54 Days In Prison For Child Pornography McGuirl Claims Medical Condition Caused Crime POSTED: 6:29 pm EDT May 9, 2006 UPDATED: 8:24 pm EDT May 9, 2006 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An Ohio State University student received a creative punishment for possessing child pornography after telling the judge his crime was the result of a medical condition. John McGuirl appeared in court Tuesday, claiming that he has a psychological disorder that causes him to turn to pornography, NBC 4's Nancy Burton reported. Four months ago, McGuirl, an Ohio State Ph.D student, was convicted of 44 counts of possessing child pornography on two computers. The judge said he wants McGuirl to take responsibility for each image found on his computers. "(You will spend) one day in jail for each of the felony four counts, 10 days in jail for the felony three count. That adds up to 54 days in jail," said Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Eric Brown. "I do not want to get in the way of the defense of your dissertation. You would report to jail on June 2." McGuirl's computer was also mentioned at the sentencing. He is permitted to have one, but the judge set strict limitations when it comes to the Internet. Brown insisted that software be installed on McGuirl's computer to prevent him from visiting certain Web sites. For the next five years, the probation department will also receive written reports about McGuirl's computer use. McGuirl still has a case pending in Springfield, where he is charged with trying to solicit a teenage girl for sex. The judge told McGuirl on Tuesday that if he violates any conditions of the sentence, he will spend four years in prison. While McGuirl defends his dissertation, Judge Brown should defend his judgeship. "Psychological disorder", indeed. pornography, child pornography, fleshploitation

Prostitution ring in Vienna busted

16 arrested in raid on Vienna prostitution ring 11/05/2006 - 11:37:07 Ireland Online Two Polish police officers were among 16 people arrested on suspicion of involvement in human trafficking in a bust of a major prostitution ring in Vienna. Authorities said the arrests stemmed from the enslavement of 440 women who were taken to Austria to work in the sex industry. Police said the ring involved five Vienna-based escort agencies and that those arrested were from Austria, Romania and Poland. The network earned an estimated €11m in commissions for luring the women to Austria, said officials with the Federal Criminal Investigations Office. Police did not release the names of the two Polish officers or specify what roles they allegedly played in the women’s recruitment. human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

NYC: Mexican sex traffickers get 50 years

Heavy sentences handed down, indeed.Sex traffickers sentenced to 50 years Two brothers were in a gang that forced Mexican women to work in brothels in Queens, Brooklyn BY ANTHONY M. DESTEFANO Newsday Staff Writer April 28, 2006 The reputed ringleader of a Mexican sex trafficking ring and his brother each were slammed with a 50-year prison sentence yesterday in Brooklyn federal court, one of the toughest sentences ever given for the crime. Gerardo Flores Carreto, 34, and his brother Josue, 38, originally from Tenancingo, Mexico, pleaded guilty last year to numerous sex trafficking and immigrant smuggling offenses. Reading from a pre-sentence probation report, Judge Frederic Block said the Carreto men, now from Corona, were part of a gang that from 1991 to 2004 forced Mexican immigrant women to work in brothels in Queens and Brooklyn. The women, some of whom gave statements in court, faced death threats, rape and other brutality in the prostitution operation, Block said. Daniel Perez Alonzo, 26, another member of the ring from Tenancingo, was sentenced to 25 years in prison yesterday. Four of the six Mexican women who were victims in the case gave short statements to the court in Spanish before Block announced the sentences. The women, all of whom are in the process of getting special visas to stay in the United States, sat in the front row. "I hope justice is done; that is all I ask," said a woman identified only as Veronica. Excellent. May justice be served to the fullest extent. human trafficking, sexual slavery, fleshploitation

Voluntary teenage prostitution in Ohio?

Former Teen Prostitutes Talk About Central Ohio Trend Women Say Stable Home Environment Is Key POSTED: 5:41 pm EDT April 28, 2006; UPDATED: 6:26 pm EDT April 28, 2006 DELAWARE, Ohio -- Teenagers from rural, urban and suburban Ohio communities said most people would be shocked to learn how many young girls are taking part in prostitution. [...] "I'm from a small place around Columbus, actually. And I'm from a really nice area, and there's girls doing it there, too," said Nicole, a former prostitute. Another girl said the number of teens and young women participating in prostitution is shocking. "Well, at my high school I know that almost every senior does it," said Joleen, a former prostitute. Many people would assume that young men are taking advantage of the young women, but the former prostitutes said that's not true. "Usually, the guys were between 40 and 70 (years old)," Joleen said. One of the women said she would have sex for money at parties. Another girl said she brought the men into her family's home, but all the girls said they were very young when they started. "I was probably about 12 or 13 (years old)," Nicole said. One of the women said she refused for a while, but a college student at a party kept offering her more money. "It got to about $150 and I was just like, 'Sure, why not.' You know, $150 -- I'm not losing that opportunity," said Nia, a former prostitute. "I ended up giving him oral sex." The Ohio Department of Youth Services said substance abuse almost always goes hand-in-hand with the prostitution. But the women insisted that staying away from paid sex could have been simple. "A more structured home, like a parent there would actually talk to me and ask me and want to know what's going on and not someone that would just let me do what I want," Nicole said. "I didn't have any friends that were like, 'Don't do that.' I had people who were always telling me, 'Go do it,'" Nia said. The women said there aren't enough jobs and other positive activities to keep teenagers from becoming involved in alcohol, drugs and prostitution. Wow. prostitution, fleshploitation

Canada not immune to human trafficking; faces domestic reality

Canadian prostitutes bought, sold and forcibly moved, study shows ROBERT MATAS May 1, 2006 The Globe and Mail VANCOUVER -- She stands on a street corner in skimpy clothing, shaking from a chill, or more likely from her drug addiction. She was brought here from another part of the province, or possibly from another province. Her situation, and that of others like her, has drawn no attention. Despite growing awareness of international trafficking of women and children, the trafficking of Canadian-born prostitutes remains invisible. However, a new study released yesterday says Canadians should not be so smug. Canada is not exempt from the buying and selling of people, the investigators found. Sex workers say they are moved quietly, put in cars and taken on "road trips." Pimps and traffickers buy bus and plane tickets for them and escort them to their new locations. At times, they are drugged, bound and abducted by rival pimp families or crime organizations, and wake up in new locations across the country. Canada needs to provide better protection and support for sex workers and deal with "the root causes of trafficking," the investigators say. "This is a huge issue on the street," said Raven Bowen, spokeswoman for the B.C. Coalition of Experiential Women, a new advocacy group for sex-trade workers. "In Canada, everyone thinks international trafficking of women means women from Asia or Eastern Europe. They do not realize it is Canadian women from Toronto, who are taken to Calgary for the Stampede, or others who are moved around the country," Ms. Bowen said. "These women are treated the same as immigrant women in the human-trafficking trade. There is lots of movement of sex workers across Canada." Read the rest here. human trafficking, sexual slavery, fleshploitation

Italian authorities dismantle "almost national" prostitution ring

Italian Police Dismantles Prostitution Net Rome, May 8 (Prensa Latina) The Italian militarized police (Carabineers) gave information Monday about the dismantling of an almost national prostitution net, with young Uruguayan girls who were introduced with false documents in Italy In the course of the operation, simultaneously carried out in several cities of the north of Italy, twelve members of the net were arrested. A note said arrest orders were given on another 11 members of the net, including their boss, who lives in Spain. The arrested people were accused of criminal association for recruiting, induction and exploitation of women. The operation was called "Montevideo" and took a year and a half long, as told by members of the Carabineers corp. They also told the press the Uruguayan girls were contacted and leased in Montevideo, Uruguay, to work as waitresses, a reason for which they received beauty treatments and a basic course on prostitution. Once they got in Italy, they were forced to work as prostitutes. The number of Uruguayan girls is 50, and all of them arrived in Milan, north of Italy from Spain in the last three years. human trafficking, sexual slavery, fleshploitation

Nassau County official: Google profits from child porn

Long Island lawmaker claims Google profits from child porn By FRANK ELTMAN Associated Press Writer May 4, 2006, 7:30 PM EDT NEW YORK -- A Long Island politician who describes himself as a "quality of life guy" on his Web site filed a lawsuit Thursday claiming the Google search engine company is profiting from child pornography. "This case is about a multi-billion dollar company that promotes and profits from child pornography," said a 16-page complaint filed in state Supreme Court in Mineola by Jeffrey Toback, a member of the Nassau County Legislature. "They have paid links" to Web sites containing child pornography, Toback told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "They take money from these sites." A Google spokesman denied the allegations in a statement and said the company takes numerous steps to prevent access to child pornography. "When we find or are made aware of any child pornography, we remove it from our products, including our search engine," spokesman Steve Langdon said. "We also report it to the appropriate law enforcement officials and fully cooperate with the law enforcement community to combat child pornography." He also said Google offers a service called SafeSearch for its search engine "that works to filter out adult content." Toback, who has sponsored local legislation raising the age that teenagers can legally buy cigarettes to 19 and limiting teen access to tanning salons, said he filed the lawsuit because oversight over Google was far beyond the purview of county legislators. "This is a proactive step to keep children safe," Toback said. "We had to go the judicial route." This isn't a matter of a child stumbling onto child porn; we're talking about predators, here. From what I can gather with how Google's search feature operates, in order for SafeSearch to be effective, the user has to manually toggle the setting by clicking on "Preferences" -- the default setting merely filters explicit images, not text. Therefore, the text alone will appear in the results and the user can find the images from there. Besides, mentioning Google SafeSearch in its own defense is irrelevant. child pornography, fleshploitation

New report shows global decline in child labor

Most excellent news -- AP: Report: Child labor declining worldwide [...] the number of children at work worldwide is declining for the first time. The number of laborers under age 18 fell by 11 percent between 2000 and 2004, from 246 million to 218 million, the Geneva-based ILO said. "The end of child labor is within our reach," the group's director-general, Juan Somavia, said in a report. "We can end its worst forms in a decade." The most dramatic decline has been in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the number of working children has fallen by two-thirds in four years, the ILO said. Just 5 percent of youths in the region are in the work force. [...] Tsunami, other disasters could reverse trend Globally, the biggest problem stems from the agriculture industry, in which seven out of 10 child laborers work, the ILO said. Child labor also has fallen in Asia and the Pacific, but the region still has some 122 million workers between the ages of 5 and 14, the most of any region. And the ILO said the number in Asia could rise again because of December 2004 tsunami and the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. "Separated from their families, girls and boys became vulnerable to abduction and the more general risk of becoming entangled in child labor as part of the coping mechanism adopted by surviving families and communities," the ILO said. Sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty, high population growth and the AIDS epidemic have hampered efforts to curb child labor, has the highest proportion of working children in the world, with nearly 50 million — one in every four children, the ILO said. Poor children join the work force early, and are valued for their agility and manual dexterity, especially in fishing communities where small fingers are useful in handling fine nets. [...] Abolishing child labor by 2016 More than 30 nations have set a deadline of 2016 to abolish the worst forms of child labor, and the ILO urged other countries to set target dates as well. The report did not mention the United States. In Brazil, child labor has been virtually eradicated in the formal sector, where the government tightened inspections and began prosecuting employers who violate labor law, said Pedro Americo, national coordinator of the government's Program for the Eradication of Child Labor. Pressure from foreign consumers led employers in export industries to form a pact to reject child labor and forced labor, he said. But most working children are part of the informal economy, which is not protected by labor laws. Some employers hire children because they are cheap and flexible, and family businesses often cannot afford to pay formal employees, the ILO said. "We still have a lot to do in the informal area and where child labor is hidden, like pornography and drug trafficking," Americo said. forced labor, child labor, fleshploitation

Mexico's poor becoming victims of white slave trade

Over 2 months old, yet still relevant...Mexican Poverty Impels White Slavery. Mexico, Feb 21 (Prensa Latina) Mexico, a country where poverty is currently affecting most of its nationals, has witnessed a 500 percent increase in the white slave trade over the last six years, social activist Teresa Ulloa affirmed here Tuesday. In Mexico City alone, about 200,000 people are estimated to be sexually exploited, 99 percent through force or deception, abuse of authority, or a vulnerable condition, said Ulloa, president of the Regional Coalition against Female Trafficking in Latin America and the Caribbean. She also noted that 85 percent of those sexually exploited were not born in the capital and are victims of white slavers. A total of one million women and girls in Mexico are victims of prostitution, pornography, or sexual tourism; having been taken from their homes in poor zones to large urban cities and tourism resorts, Ulloa told La Jornada Daily. Hat tip: Freetheslaves.net human trafficking, sexual slavery, pornography, fleshploitation

Marines stationed in Pacific to aid in fight against human trafficking

A few months old, but very noteworthy, nonetheless: Pacific Marines take stand against human trafficking Online education instilled to combat slave trade Cpl. Martin R. Harris http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/ CAMP FOSTER (Jan 19, 2006) -- In a series of official messages beginning last year, the under secretary of defense and service chiefs directed that all members of the uniformed service complete awareness training in trafficking in humans. Sex trafficking, only one part of TIP, is defined as taking part in an activity in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age. Sex trafficking is illegal for service members stationed abroad. In a recent message, Brig. Gen. Joseph V. Medina, the deputy commander of Marine Corps Bases Japan, directed that commanders and managers ensure their Marines, sailors, civilian Marines and contractors be trained no later than Jan. 30, 2006. The Marine Corps takes a "zero tolerance" approach to trafficking in humans. Trafficking in humans is a worldwide problem and is not specific to Marines on Okinawa. According to the Marine Corps Bases Japan Staff Judge Advocate office, individuals engaging in an activity associated with TIP crimes could be prosecuted and face imprisonment, fines, and other punishments. Southeast Asia is one part of the world where TIP is a large contributor to the $13 billion-per-year slave trade, which makes Marine Forces Pacific particularly important, explained Col. William Gillespie, Marine Corps Bases Japan inspector. "Marine Corps Bases Japan, III Marine Expeditionary Force and other services on Okinawa are united in our efforts to prevent and eradicate trafficking in persons," said Gillespie. "Our role in combating trafficking is to work in collaboration with the host nation authorities and other U.S. Government agencies. We must be vigilant, and if we suspect that a business or activity is engaged in TIP, report it to law enforcement or military officials." The leadership in the Pacific is requiring all Marines, sailors, civilians and government contractors to participate in the online training, which can be accessed at https://www.marinenet.usmc.mil/portal/; https://www.nko.navy.mil; https://www.jkddcjmo.org. "We must ensure that our Marines, sailors and civilian Marines are properly trained and educated to avoid and report TIP incidences," said Brig. Gen. Joseph V. Medina, commanding general of Marine Corps Bases Japan. "I encourage commanders, senior enlisted and managers to discuss TIP at commander calls, (staff noncommissioned officer) leadership forums and other appropriate venues. I expect leaders to work together in combating TIP, and for all personnel to refrain from activities that promote TIP." human trafficking, sexual slavery, fleshploitation

AG Gonzales takes on child porn, obscenity on the internet

DOJ Press release: Attorney General Announces Legislative Initiative to Combat Child Pornography and Obscenity on the Internet WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a speech today at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in Alexandria, Virginia, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales highlighted the Department of Justice's efforts to combat the scourge of child pornography on the Internet and protect innocent children against heinous crimes. To build on these partnership efforts with NCMEC he also announced a new legislative initiative aimed at combating the scourge of child pornography and obscenity on the Internet. The new legislation is designed to help ensure that electronic communications services providers report the presence of child pornography on their systems by strengthening criminal penalties for failing to report the presence of child pornography. The legislation is also aimed at protecting individuals from inadvertently coming across pornographic images on the Internet. In order to help encourage communications providers to report the presence of child pornography on their systems, the legislation would triple the current criminal fines levied against providers for knowing and willful failures to report, making the available fines $150,000 for the initial violation and $300,000 for each subsequent violation. In order to protect individuals from inadvertently coming across pornographic materials on the Internet, the legislation would require all websites that are operated primarily for commercial purposes to include warning labels on every page that contains sexually explicit material. In addition, the legislation would prohibit such websites from initially displaying sexually explicit material without further action, such as an additional click, by the viewer. Finally, the new legislation would prohibit the practice, often engaged in by certain sexually explicit websites, of hiding innocuous terms in a website's code so that a search for common terms on the Internet would yield links to the sexually explicit websites. The legislation would prohibit an individual from knowingly acting with the intent to deceive another individual into viewing obscene material, and also prohibits an individual from knowingly acting with the intent to deceive a minor into viewing material harmful to the minor. These initiatives are in addition to the many important changes in law that the House of Representatives has passed as part of H.R. 4472, now pending in the Senate. That legislation would improve sex-offender registration laws and toughen criminal penalties for violating registration requirements. It also includes the provisions of the Administration-drafted Child Pornography Prevention and Obscenity Prosecution Act of 2005, which would improve the legal arsenal available to detect and prosecute child pornography. Senate passage of H.R. 4472 and its enactment into law is a key component of a more effective anti-child pornography strategy. In his speech to NCMEC, the Attorney General reiterated that "[p]rotecting children from these dangers is one of my highest priorities as Attorney General." The legislation announced today, as well as Project Safe Childhood, which was announced on February 15 and will be launched in May, are a key part of the Department of Justice's effort to protect America's children from those individuals who would harm them. Thank you, Mr. Gonzales. sexual slavery, pornography, child pornography, fleshploitation

Porn industry strives to remain at cutting edge of technology

Porn Industry Again at the Tech Forefront Downloads for TV will be offered. Hollywood may be looking at its own digital future. By Dawn C. Chmielewski and Claire Hoffman Times Staff Writers From the Los Angeles Times April 19, 2006 A top producer of hard-core porn will start selling downloadable movies that customers can burn to DVD and watch on their TVs, illustrating how Southern California's multibillion-dollar adult entertainment industry may again set the technological pace for Hollywood. Letting people burn downloaded movies is considered key to the growth of online distribution. Despite the proliferation of fast Internet connections, most people still want to watch movies on television but lack an easy way to get them off the computer. Plus, hard drives can store only so many space-hogging movies. Hollywood has resisted burnable discs that can be watched on televisions because they fear piracy. It also doesn't want to alienate retailers, which sell most of its DVDs. But if history is any guide, the online experiment by adult entertainment giant Vivid Entertainment Group will be watched closely by mainstream studio chiefs. "The simple fact is porn is an early adopter of new media," said Paul Saffo, director of the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto. "If you're trying to get something established - you're going to privately and secretly hope and pray that the porn industry likes your medium." The use of the words "hope" and "pray" in the context of success in the porn industry seems disturbing, at the least. Read the rest here. sexual slavery, pornography, fleshploitation

John Whitehead: "The Real Immigration Problem"

John Whitehead's commentary from the Rutherford Institute: Sex Trafficking: The Real Immigration Problem. While debates concerning immigration rage over economics and labor, little has been said about the Mexican women and children being bought and sold as sex slaves. The third largest crime scheme after drug and weapons trafficking, sex traffickers transport at least 18,000 captives into the United States each year. In fact, the U.S. is one of the top destinations for sex traffickers. And trafficking rings have become adept at penetrating U.S. suburban areas. High rates of trafficking are found in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Texas and Washington, as well as other areas. The southern border of the U.S. is the main thoroughfare for sex trafficking. Girls are smuggled into the U.S. from all over the world through this gateway. But trafficking along this route is not limited to rings based only in Mexico. "Tijuana is a good crossing point because it's a prostitution zone," said Melissa Ugarte, a sociologist for EYE, an agency aiding children in crisis in San Diego. "It's easy to get from Tijuana into Arizona, California, Texas, to New York. It's simple." Tijuana, a border town, is a short drive from San Diego. It provides a daily flood of sex-hungry tourists and a police department that looks the other way. Each trafficking ring uses its own route from Tijuana into the U.S. Some drive girls into the U.S. by flashing counterfeit documents at the California border. Other sex slaves are slipped across the border on foot and then shuttled by van to brothels through a network of covert "safehouses" spread across the country. Tightly organized groups of pimps known as "Los Lenones" operate as wholesalers. These pimps collect human merchandise and make deliveries to brothels in thriving sex-trafficking hubs in major U.S. cities. One of the largest trafficking operations is based in San Diego. It was recently uncovered when child welfare officials teamed with county sheriffs and raided one of many houses of prostitution hidden in lower-class neighborhoods. The discoveries shocked these officials to the core. The first thing they saw was a girl no older than 14, dressed in provocative clothing. What moved them was not the girl's appearance, but the look of sheer terror in her eyes. The girl, whose name is Paola, had been kidnapped from her home in Oaxaca, Mexico, and smuggled into the U.S. as part of an extensive prostitution ring. During her first days in America, Paola had been passed through multiple exploitation camps. Because of her beauty, she became preferred merchandise and day and night had to service long lines of men, both indoors and out. But of the twenty dollars that each "client" paid, Paola received nothing. Housed in squalid conditions, hidden away from the public in innocent-looking neighborhoods, girls like Paola are suffering the darkest form of abuse and exploitation. The sex-trafficking pimps have various ways of procuring these victims. They build an emotional relationship with them; convince the adolescent girl and her family to let her be taken to the U.S. to work; or they kidnap them. The girls are bound to their captors by both emotional and physical bonds and are often told that the pimps will marry them. Desperate to escape from their destitute lives in Mexico, they unknowingly walk into a life of exploitation and terror. Many of the girls have children, and a pimp is usually the father. The children are often snatched from their mothers and kept as hostages. When a girl tries to escape, she is told that her child will be killed. Read the rest here. human trafficking, sexual slavery, fleshploitation

Study reveals possession of child pornography legal in 138 countries

Study: Child Porn Isn't Illegal in Most Countries At a press conference in Washington, D.C., the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and other participants including Microsoft presented a study on Thursday that reveals the woeful inadequacy of child pornography laws around the world. The ICMEC's global policy review of child pornography laws in 184 Interpol-member countries shows that more than half have no laws that specifically address child pornography and in many others the existing laws are insufficient. "It's hard to arrest and prosecute if you don't have the legal foundation on which to build," said Ernie Allen, ICMEC president and CEO. The ICMEC study found that possession of child pornography is not a crime in 138 countries. In 122 countries, there's no law dealing with the use of computers and the Internet as a means of child porn distribution. "One of the greatest challenges we are confronted with is child safety, child protection, and child rights," said Baron Daniel Cardon de Lecture, chairman of ICMEC. Most of the countries in the world, he said, "have no meaningful system to adequately and effectively combat sexual exploitation of children." Only five countries—Australia, Belgium, France, South Africa and the United States—have laws deemed adequate by ICMEC to address the issue. [...] The production of child pornography is also becoming more professional. According to de Lecture, child pornography is thriving because it's profitable and relatively risk free compared to other criminal enterprises like smuggling weapons or drugs. "There is a huge consumer market for child pornography," he lamented. "Child pornography is enormously profitable and there is for the moment no risk. There is risk for dealing with arms. There is risk in dealing with drugs. There is no risk in trading your children today in three-quarters of the world." [SS] child pornography, internet sex crimes, fleshploitation

Ugandan domestic workers turning to prostitution

Uganda: 'Maids Linked to Prostitution' Source: New Vision (Kampala) Charles Ariko Kampala The Human Rights Status Report 2005 by the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) said the girls resort to prostitution after being frustrated by their would-be employers who fail to pay them or unfairly dismiss them. Interviews carried out in the suburbs of Kabalagala and Kansanga where prostitution thrives, most prostitutes confessed having come to Kampala as domestic workers. Those interviewed were aged between 17 and 20 years. The report said the dilemma posed by domestic workers was hard to solve because the victims live in private homes and unless they complained, it was hard to know the conditions under which they work. The report attributes violations of labour rights to weak and obsolete laws. It also blamed the government for failing to enact a legislation that sets the minimum wage for the workers. [SS], [FL] human trafficking, sexual slavery, forced labor, prostitution, fleshploitation

Brasilian police crack down on 100+ foreigners in sex tourism bust

Brazilian police detain 118 tourists in operation to curb sex tourism SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) - Police cracking down on sex tourism detained 118 tourists for failing to carry proper identification into nightclubs in a northeastern Brazilian city, police said Saturday. Authorities briefly detained 110 tourists early Friday and another eight early Saturday in the city of Natal, 2,450 kilometers (1,520 miles) northeast of Sao Paulo in Rio Grande do Norte state, federal police officer Luiz Pereira said. The tourists _ mostly from Portugal, Spain, Italy, France and Norway _ were held for not carrying their passports or international identification cards that Brazil requires of all foreign citizens. They were also fined 165 reals (US$76; euro63). "We hope the repercussion of this operation will help discourage tourists who think sexual tourism is easy in Brazil,'' Pereira said. "We are showing that police are paying attention to this problem.'' More than 70 federal agents raided two nightclubs known for using strippers and call girls to attract tourists. The agents questioned all customers and asked to see their identification. About 20 of those detained were charged with drug possession after police allegedly found them with marijuana. Some also had expired visas and were told to leave the country within eight days as required by law, police said. Prostitution is legal in Brazil, but people who promote sexual tourism can be charged. Police have conducted several similar operations in recent months in Natal. In one raid, six Italian men were arrested on charges of owning prostitution houses aimed at tourists.-AP [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

DE-USA: Human trafficking... in the First State?

No, not even the Small Wonder is immune. DelawareOnline.com: Raids reveal possible human trafficking. [...] On May 18, 2005, when police raided the Bridgeville home on Redden Road, they discovered several bedrooms with women's belongings, including "high-heeled shoes, lingerie, excessive amounts of feminine products and birth control," according to court records. The also found numerous decks of playing cards, cash and "hundreds of condoms" in silver packets in several of the bedrooms. Moises Dominguez, 53, was identified as the proprietor, although police said he was using the alias Jose Rosas. During the following 10 months, police in Delaware conducted surveillance at the alleged ring's other operations: 1627 Newport Gap Pike near Prices Corner, 48 N. Pine St. in Seaford and 214 Twin Cedars Apartments near Frankford. When those sites were raided, Dominguez and his son Juan, 26, were among those arrested and jailed in Sussex Correctional Institution. Each was charged with organized crime and promoting prostitution at brothels in Bridgeville, Frankford, Seaford and Hammonton, N.J. Hammonton police Detective Jerry Martinez said officers there sat outside a home shielded by a 6-foot high cedar fence for more than a year collecting intelligence. Operators signaled the home was open for business with either a blue or a red light that could be seen shining in the rear of the house. The business catered mostly to Mexican migrant workers in the rural farm community. To be admitted, prospective patrons not only had to "speak Spanish, but look the part," said Martinez. "I would sit and watch," he said. "There were so many people the johns would actually wait in the garage." Customers would pay $30 for 15 minutes of sex with a woman of their choice. The prostitute's take ranged from $10 to $13 a customer, police said. Out of her portion, the woman was expected to pay for condoms and other job essentials plus food, board and travel expenses. "While we were conducting the search of the premises, cars were still pulling up outside and wanted to walk in," he said. "The fact that police were there didn't stop them." Hammonton officers found "a ton of pink condoms" but no guns during the raid. "One of the girls really pulled in some dough," Martinez said. "She [told us she was] 21, but looked 16. We couldn't prove age because she had no documentation. We believe they were smuggled into the U.S." There's a lot more to the article, I recommend you read on... Related: Police raids nab 13 suspects in prostitution ring [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

Los Angeles police investigate Korean prostitution network

Prostitution Ring Uncovered in LA's Koreatown The police have discovered an organized crime ring that brokered deals between Korean women in their twenties and red-light establishments in the U.S. where they worked as prostitutes. Two suspects being identified as Lee (35) and Park (44), have been detained after an investigation that implicated them for helping some 30 Korean women fraudulently obtain U.S. visas since 2004, and acting as go-betweens setting up deals with shady establishments in Los Angeles. Police are also searching for a man identified as by his last name of Ma (35), under suspicion that he, as an owner of one such establishment, put such women to work as prostitutes after receiving introductions from Park and Lee. Some 30 women were are being investigated without detention. According to the police, Lee posted ads that read "We offer high-paying jobs in the U.S." on the Internet with the intention to send women to the U.S. as prostitutes, and handed over 30 women to Park getting a commission of 5 million won (US$5,000) per head from Park. Park is under suspicion for helping the women obtain passports and visas with all sorts of fabricated documents and later sending them to Ma's establishment, receiving commission of 20 million won per head from Ma. According to the police, the majority of the women uncovered in the investigation went to the U.S. voluntarily and Park offered them fake documents to help them obtain visas or smuggled them into the U.S. via Canada. Some of the women used to work in domestic bars and nightclubs and a few are credit delinquents, the police said. (englishnews@chosun.com) [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

"The worst scene imaginable..." - Update on March 15 net child porn bust story

A week old, but another follow-up to the story where international authorities broke up an online child porn ring involving 27 members. Some of the details are revisted from the initial report, but this article focuses a bit on the Canadian side of the sting effort. The Toronto police apparently did an outstanding job. Police stumbled into the worst scene imaginable - live web broadcasts of people raping children and even babies By MICHELE MANDEL Toronto Sun Thu, March 16, 2006 No longer content with disgusting still images of the worst imaginable child pornography. No longer titillated with the recycling of the same horrific child porn videos. And so it has now come to this -- live child sexual assault, online and on demand. In an investigation that began in Edmonton, and with suspects identified by Toronto Police's renowned child exploitation branch, 27 people have been arrested in four countries in a global online child pornography sting. Not only were these users of the Kiddypics & Kiddyvids chat room exchanging child porn, some were making their own by raping children and sharing it with their fellow perverts, sometimes live via webcam. One baby victim was so young that it still had its umbilical cord attached. Read the rest, but be forewarned, it's extremely unsettling, to say the least. [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, pornography, child pornography, fleshploitation

DE-USA: Police raids nab 13 suspects in prostitution ring

Prostitution raids net 13 suspects By ANDRE L. TAYLOR and ESTEBAN PARRA The News Journal 03/21/2006 A Prices Corner-area father and son accused of running brothels in Delaware and bringing women from New York to work in them have been arrested following weekend raids in which police and federal agents charged five women with selling sex and four men with paying for it. The raids, at homes in Seaford and near Frankford and Prices Corner, all occurred at 4 p.m. Sunday, as did a search of a home in Hammonton, N.J., said state police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Oldham. At one of the homes, in the 1600 block of Newport Gap Pike near Prices Corner, police arrested Moises Dominguez Cruz, 53, and his son, Juan C. Dominguez Piedra, 26. Oldham said the men are accused of bringing the women to a rendezvous point in Wilmington and of running brothels. Dominguez Cruz is also accused of making fake identification documents and giving a false name to police and court when he was stopped for a traffic violation. Oldham said the two were found counting money near a safe when they were taken into custody. Police seized $9,374, along with envelopes with the alleged prostitutes' names and what the women were owed. People who live near the Newport Gap Pike home, which is in a semi-residential area, said they were unaware that an alleged prostitution ring was based in their neighborhood. Most people do not have a clue such an operation may exist in their very own neighborhood. Others choose to ignore it. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

International effort busts 27 in online child porn sting

U.S. Charges 27 in Online Child Porn Sting By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press Writer INDIANAPOLIS - U.S. and international authorities have charged 27 people in an online child pornography sting, a federal law enforcement official said Wednesday. In recent days, federal agents have made arrests in Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New York, North Carolina and Tennessee, the official said. Australian, British and Canadian authorities also are part of the investigation, which began in Canada. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, joined by other U.S. and Canadian officials, was announcing details of the charges at a news conference Wednesday in Chicago. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency led the U.S. investigation. Gonzales has said the Justice Department would focus on crimes against children and online pornography. UPDATE: (via Reuters) US says worldwide child pornography ring used Web. [...] Twenty-seven people from nine U.S. states and Canada, Australia and Britain have been charged with possession, receipt, distribution and manufacture of child pornography, and all but one have been arrested, according to U.S. federal authorities and Canadian police. [...] "This international undercover investigation revealed an insidious network that engaged in worldwide trafficking in child pornography, including live molestations of children transmitted over the Internet," U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said in a statement released ahead of a visit to Chicago. Authorities have identified seven child victims, including an infant whose molestation in April by a suburban Chicago man was transmitted live via an Internet chat room to a co-conspirator who used the screen name "Big_Daddy619." Four of those charged allegedly molested the children, making the resulting images available in the chat room called "Kiddypics & Kiddyvids," that facilitated trading of thousands of images and videos, the statement said. [...] [SS] pornography, child pornography, fleshploitation

Two U.S. Border Agents allegedly involved in migrant smuggling

LATimes: 2 Border Agents Tied to Migrant Movers. The men released illegal immigrants and traffickers who'd been captured, earning cash in exchange, a federal indictment says. By Richard Marosi, Times Staff Writer March 10, 2006 SAN DIEGO - Two supervisory U.S. Border Patrol agents who helped establish a successful cross-border anti-smuggling program have been charged with smuggling migrants for a Mexican trafficking organization. The agents, both stationed in the Imperial Valley, released apprehended illegal immigrants in exchange for cash, pulling in about $300,000, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday. The men, Mario Alvarez, 44, and Samuel McClaren, 43, also released captured members of a Mexican smuggling ring, dropping one off at a Wal-Mart parking lot in Calexico for $6,000, prosecutors allege. Alvarez and McClaren, who were arrested Thursday, face potential 15-year prison terms. The eight-count indictment includes conspiracy, immigrant smuggling and bribery charges. "The agents arrested today, who are supposed to represent the very best, epitomize the very worst," said Daniel R. Dzwilewski, special agent in charge at the FBI's San Diego office. Authorities said the investigation is continuing. The two agents are scheduled to be arraigned today in U.S. District Court in San Diego. Alvarez and McClaren helped establish the much-heralded Guide Identification Prosecution Program, now known as Operation Against Smugglers and Traffickers Initiative on Safety and Security. (more...) Just goes to show -- money talks, I guess. What can we do when the very people that we charge to protect our borders involve themselves in such operations? [HT] human trafficking, fleshploitation

D.C. man convicted of sexual trafficking

** UPDATED --- See end of post --- UPDATED ** (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS) WASHINGTON -- A man who recruited girls as young as 14 as prostitutes has been convicted of illegal sex trafficking, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Jaron Brice, 27, of Washington, faces up to 40 years in prison after a jury in U.S. District Court in Washington found him guilty Tuesday of nine counts related to the prostitution operation. Brice also will have to register as a sex offender for life when he leaves prison. Sentencing was set for May 12. The case grew out of a Justice Department crackdown on child prostitution that has resulted in more than five dozen convictions in the past three years. Prosecutors said that over 14 months beginning in March 2004, Brice used threats and violence to force young women into prostitution, sending them to Florida, Maryland and New York. He also had intercourse with a 14-year-old he had recruited as a prostitute. UPDATE: The Washington Post has much more on the story: Area Juvenile Sex Rings Targeted Using Anti-Trafficking Laws. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

Three Mass. residents convicted of prostituting teen girl around N.E.

Three Convicted Of Forcing Child Into Prostitution BOSTON -- The last of three Massachusetts residents charged with driving a teenage girl around New England to engage in prostitution has been convicted, federal prosecutors said. Robert Williams, 48, of Winthrop, Mass., pleaded guilty on Monday to various charges, including conspiracy to transport an individual in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution, conspiring to transport a minor in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution, and sex trafficking of children. The two others charged, Dawn Young, who also goes by the name Dawn Rossi, 40, of Revere, Mass., and Brooke Denman, 29, of Lynn, Mass., pleaded guilty to similar charges earlier this month. The defendants transported the girl from Massachusetts to Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire to engage in prostitution between October 2000 and September 2002 when she from 13 to 15 years old, prosecutors said. They also took some or all of the girl's earnings from prostitution and helped her get false identification documents. They knew the girl was underage because Williams showed Young a poster of the girl distributed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that included her birth date, according to prosecutors. Upon sentencing, the defendants face a maximum of five years in prison on the conspiracy charges; a maximum of 20 years on the child sex trafficking charges; a maximum of 10 years on the charges of inducing a minor to travel to engage in prostitution; a maximum of 15 years on the charges of transporting a minor to engage in prostitution; and a maximum of 10 years on the charges of transporting an individual to engage in prostitution. For the latest news, stay tuned to NBC 30 Connecticut News and NBC30.com [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

Welcome to the age of...iPorn?

Child Pornography Allegedly Found on Man's iPod. It’s a case investigators say is unike any other. A San Marcos man is behind bars accused of having child pornography on his video iPod. Acting on a tip from the people at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, investigators with the Texas Attorney General’s Office looked into what Ron Guzman had on his iPod. Investigators say Guzman, who lives in an apartment complex near Texas State University, was trading child pornography off the internet, and then downloading it so he could take it with him wherever he goes. During their investigation nine files with pictures of children performing sex acts were found on his portable device. Investigators don’t believe Guzman actually took the pictures of the children, on his iPod. News 4 WOAI also learned Guzman has been previously indicted, in a separate case, on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. No word on what charges he’ll face for the pictures on his iPod. [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, child soldiers, pornography, child pornography, fleshploitation

Report: Canada an "international embarassment" in fight against sex trafficking

Canada an "International Embarrassment" on Sex Trafficking. By Terry Vanderheyden MONTREAL, March 2, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Canada and the United Kingdom have been singled out in an international study for failing to meet their obligations for the protection of victims of human trafficking, while other developed countries received praise for their efforts. The study comes at a time when the UK government is considering an overhaul of its policy in this area, and a new Conservative Government has taken power in Canada. The 40-page study, titled "Falling Short of the Mark: An International Study on the Treatment of Human Trafficking Victims", was released Wednesday by The Future Group, a leading Canadian non-partisan, non-governmental organization founded in 2000 that specializes in combating human trafficking and has worked with victims in Southeast Asia and West Africa. Of the countries evaluated: Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, only Canada and the UK failed to meet their obligations to protect victims under the United Nations Trafficking Protocol and international best practices. "Canada's record of dealing with trafficking victims is an international embarrassment and contrary to best practices," wrote principal author Benjamin Perrin. "Canada has ignored calls for reform and continues to re-traumatize trafficking victims, with few exceptions, by subjecting them to routine deportation and fails to provide even basic support services." The situation in Canada is so bad that individual law enforcement officers are reportedly approaching local hospitals and NGOs to cobble together funding to provide the most basic medical assistance for victims in major cities. "People have been threatened and told that if they co-operate with law enforcement their families back home will be killed," said Perrin. "What Canada has typically done is detain these victims without medical care, then deport them. It's a practice that we've seen in some authoritarian and despotic countries and it has no place in a civilized, just society like our own." The report criticizes former Liberal cabinet ministers Irwin Cotler, Joe Volpe and Pierre Pettigrew for "passing the buck" on the issue. Conservative Citizenship and Immigration Minister Monte Solberg told Sun Media, "It's very damning, and if there are obvious legislative or regulatory fixes that need to be done, those have to become priorities, given especially that we're talking about very vulnerable people." "I am delighted to endorse the report by The Future Group," said Gregory Carlin, Director of the Irish Anti-Trafficking Coalition, "Governments should act by implementing their international obligations. Police officers should not have to collect money to fund basic prerequisites for the victims of trafficking." The study found that contrary to the practice in other developed countries, trafficking victims in the UK and Canada are dealt with on a case-by-case basis and are routinely deported. Only minimal support has been provided to victims in recent years, and only general laws exist for their protection during investigations. It also found there is no evidence that providing legal status to victims would result in abuses of the system. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, fleshploitation

USA: Advocacy group to conduct training session in Dover, DE

Human trafficking a growing global problem Dover session will teach ways of recognizing victims By MIKE BILLINGTON The News Journal 02/20/2006 Human trafficking -- the modern version of slavery -- is a multibillion-dollar-a-year criminal enterprise, ranking behind drug trafficking in global crime statistics. Some victims of human trafficking are probably working in Delaware, experts say. "There's no doubt that there is human trafficking in every state in the union," said Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Molloy of Fort Myers, Fla. Molloy has prosecuted several human-trafficking cases. "If you have an agricultural industry, for example, or large numbers of undocumented workers, you have slavery." Delaware has a large agricultural sector and other businesses -- such as food service and construction -- that lend themselves to human trafficking, but there have been no specific charges brought to date in the state, U.S. Attorney Colm Connolly said. "Some local law enforcement agencies have brought matters to us that they thought could be human trafficking, especially in areas such as prostitution rings, but further investigation did not bear that out," Connolly said. Despite the lack of evidence human trafficking is a problem in the state, one advocacy group is organizing a training session Wednesday in Dover to promote ways to recognize potential victims and signs. Attendees at the event will include police, social workers, hospital personnel and others who come into contact with the state's immigrant population. It is not open to the public. A number of experts have said that police and prosecutors are not trained well enough to recognize obvious signs and to deal with victims. "You need to know how to interview these victims, because they are frightened," said Anna Rodriguez, the founder of the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking. "They have been coached in what to say and threatened repeatedly. "You have to understand that it can take weeks, even months, to get the full story from victims," she said, because traffickers typically use force, fraud or coercion to rope people into slavery. In some cases, they kidnap children and women from remote villages in Central America and then tell the victims that their families will be killed if they refuse to comply with the traffickers' demands. They often rape, beat and confine their victims to control them. "It's amazing that we have to even talk about human trafficking in the 21st century, but we do because it's a huge issue and it's growing," said Cecilia Cardesa-Lusardi, executive director of the Wilmington-based Voices Without Borders. Cardesa-Lusardi's group is sponsoring Wednesday's training session. "The fact that no cases have surfaced in Delaware could be a matter of education," according to Christina Miller, coordinator of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's anti-trafficking project. "People need to know how to recognize these cases." In other areas of the country, a wide range of people are being taught how to recognize signs of human trafficking. In Florida, Rodriguez said, health inspectors are asked to report when they see mattresses in the back rooms of restaurants or other signs that someone is being forced to live there. Meter readers for water and power companies are also trained to look for signs people are being held against their will, Rodriguez said. If a meter reader sees a mobile home with locks on the outside to keep people inside, she said, "they know to call us and we will investigate." Cardesa-Lusardi and other organizers of Wednesday's conference want to establish a similar process here that will enable police and community members to work together. "We talk about human trafficking as a concept that is so abstract that we sometimes fail to make a connection as to how it affects us here," she said. At the conference, she said, "we want to dissect human trafficking in terms of the ways in which people are brought in as victims and the way they are exploited through commercial sex, pornography and as labor." In many cases, fraud is used to trap victims into slavery, and phony job offers are a major recruiting tool, experts said. Usually this involves women and children who answer advertisements promising jobs as waitresses, maids and other occupations overseas. Once they arrive in their new country, they are trafficked for prostitution or domestic slavery. "That is a classic example of human trafficking and we're seeing the same pattern all over the United States, especially with European women," said Terry Coonan, executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights at Florida State University. "They answer an ad, sign a contract, and when they get here they find that the job doesn't exist and they are forced to do something else." Many European women who are tricked into slavery are victims of Russian gangsters, he said. "Human trafficking is a multibillion-dollar growth industry because, unlike drugs, which are gone as soon as they are used, humans can be recycled," Coonan said. "Because they can continue to be exploited, they're a better investment for the traffickers." Contact Mike Billington at 324-2761 or mbillington@delawareonline.com. human trafficking, fleshploitation

U.S. Department of Justice figures on human trafficking

From the U.S. Department of Justice: HUMAN TRAFFICKING In 2001, the federal government made human trafficking a top civil rights priority. Since then the U.S. Department of Justice, often working with local law enforcement agencies, has stepped up the investigation and prosecution of human traffickers. - According to Justice Department figures, from 2001 through 2005 the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorneys' Offices prosecuted 287 traffickers, almost a 260 percent increase over the 80 prosecutions started during the prior five years. Of the 287 traffickers, 228 were charged with allegations of sex trafficking. - During the period of 2001 through 2005, the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorneys' Offices opened 480 new investigations into human trafficking, about 325 percent more than the 113 opened in the previous five years. - To date, federal prosecutors and other law enforcement personnel have helped 732 victims remain in the United States to assist with law enforcement efforts. - Overall, 926 trafficking victims from 55 countries have so far been helped by the Civil Rights Division and other law enforcement personnel to be eligible for refugee-type benefits under the 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Sources: Justice Department, Civil Rights Division [HT] human trafficking, fleshploitation

More on Scotland's growing sex trade...

Glasgow Daily Record: Scotland's 6,000 Sex Slaves. [...] The eastern European gangs who control the sex slaves find most of their victims in the Baltic states of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. Young women are lured to Britain by promises of jobs as waitresses or cleaners. They are free to enter the UK because their homelands are members of the European Union. But after they arrive, the gangmasters take their passports and force them to become prostitutes. Skelly said: "Trafficked girls do not work on the street because there is a lack of control there for the gangs. "Instead, the girls are kept as virtual prisoners inside a house or a sauna, where they are much easier to keep an eye on. They work very long hours and are hardly allowed out at all." Many of the girls are virgins when they arrive and the crooks gangrape them to "break them in". Rape is also used as a punishment for girls who disobey. Skelly said: "If just one per cent of these girls are being abused, 60 women every day are being serially raped in Scotland." Crooks from Lithuania, Russia and Albania bring the sex slaves into Scotland. They work closely with local gangsters who run the saunas and massage parlours. The cash raised from the trade goes to fund other types of crime. Passports seized from the slaves are used to smuggle more girls into Scotland from non-EU countries such as Moldova and Ukraine. And the overwhelming majority of vice girls in Scotland now come from overseas. Skelly said: "We have seen a rapid change in off-street prostitution in the last two or three years. It used to be the domain of local girls but now it is almost totally foreign girls. "In London, 85 per cent of off-street prostitutes are non-UK nationals. I do not see any reason why that figure should be any different here. "I would say around 10 women every week are trafficked into Scotland." Skelly said the sex slaves are forced to see between 40 and 60 punters every day, with each man paying around £50 a time. But the women are not paid a penny for the hell they endure. The gangsters tell them that the cash they earn pays for their accomodation, heating and food. The crooks use threats and brutality to keep their slaves in line. Skelly said: "They will say, 'We know where you live back home and if you do not comply we will kill you or your family. "We have had instances in England where girls have actually been killed after returning home. "Some of the girls eventually come to accept what they are doing and continue to work for the gangs. "Others escape or are just discarded after a time. They go back to their native countries or stay in prostitution." Many women who escape the trade are left with gynaecological problems. Others are infected with HIV, herpes, gonorrhoea or hepatitis. [...] No woman should ever have to "accept" what they are doing. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, Operation Pentameter, fleshploitation

Scotland's sex trade goes deeper underground

Shock Scale of Sick Trade. THE shocking scale of Scotland's sex for sale industry was revealed yesterday, with a staggering SIX THOUSAND foreign women working as sex slaves, according to police. The news confirms the findings of an award-winning Daily Record investigation exactly two years ago. Back then, few could grasp the extent of the problem on our own doorsteps. The chattering classes thought we were exaggerating. We knew we weren't. We spoke to girls who had escaped the clutches of the gangmasters and revealed how the new, even more brutal, vice industry was moving further underground. These girls weren't working the streets or the saunas, they were kept locked in safe houses and beaten and sexually abused by their masters. They were forced to take up to 60 clients in a shift. The few who found their way into saunas owned by Scottish gangsters considered themselves lucky. We were told by the girls how they were duped into applying for college places or jobs, then stripped of their passports and passed from gang to gang and city to city. Many had no idea where they were staying. Chief among the slave traders are Lithuanian, Russian and the Albanian crime gangs so vicious that even hardened Scottish criminals give them a wide berth. The Chinese Triads are also active. They keep their business within their own community but are equally brutal. You may have thought Britain abolished slavery in 1833 but these people have reintroduced it to our shores in the 21st Century. Now police are set to tackle the slave traders with one of the widest and most ambitious crackdowns ever seen. All 55 forces from Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland will be involved in Operation Pentameter. They will use everything from foreign language poster campaigns at airports, warning girls of the dangers they face, to raids on brothels. And no longer will the victims be faced with the prospect of being sent home to face shame and psychological scars with only a one-way ticket in their pocket. They will be offered support and care from organisations experienced in helping women who have endured physical and psychological violence. Those caring and commonsense moves are precisely what the Record has been urging. Yesterday, the officers spearheading Operation Pentameter emphasised what the Record has stressed time and time again: The vice trade is not a simple transaction involving a man paying a woman for sex - it is organised crime, based on fear and exploitation. Every time a man pays a working girl for sex he is contributing to organised crime, to drugs and violence on our streets and to the untold misery of thousands of women. Thank God for these organisations reaching out to the victims in need. Bravo to the Record's efforts on this matter. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, Operation Pentameter, fleshploitation

Spotsylvania suspends sexy stakeouts

Sex Services in Prostitution Probes Banned The sheriff said Friday he will no longer allow detectives to receive sexual services while investigating suspected prostitution after they spent $1,200 at massage parlors last month and sparked a public outcry. Spotsylvania County Sheriff Howard Smith defended the practice as necessary to obtain a conviction but told his department he was suspending it. "As sheriff, I understand the feelings and concerns the citizens of this county have expressed," Smith said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Friday. "And I empathize with those feelings. Because of the public's express response, I have suspended this practice." Court documents show that four times last month, county detectives allowed women at Moon Spa to perform sex acts on them — once leaving a $350 tip. A total of $1,200 was spent during the visits, Smith said. He said multiple visits were necessary so detectives could build trust with the operators. Detectives shut down Moon Spa last month. The two suspected operators and three women accused of working there face several charges, including prostitution and sodomy, Smith said. Smith maintained the sexual contact was necessary to obtain a conviction. But law enforcement officials say undercover officers only need to get an offer of sex for money to move the case forward. The practice has been used in Spotsylvania since at least 2003. Earlier this week, Smith told The Washington Post that sexual contact is needed during the investigations because most professionals know not to say anything incriminating. And conversation is difficult, he said, because masseuses at the Asian-run parlors in the northern Virginia county speak little English. [Apparently officers practice little morals. -- Kyer] But several members of Spotsylvania's Board of Supervisors have spoken out against the methods used in the investigation. "All of us ... have been worried about this episode tarnishing the county and making us a laughingstock of the nation," board chairman Henry "Hap" Connors told the AP Friday. "That's why I came out early on and asked the sheriff to cease using these tactics." Spotsylvania Commonwealth's Attorney William Neely said he respects Smith's decision to end the practice, but refused to apologize for the officers' tactics. Unbelievable. Seems like one of those "We're only stopping because we got caught" sort of things, wouldn't you agree? See also: "Undercover police go under the covers to bust prostitution ring" for earlier story. [SS] sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

AB, Canada: Police acquire power to impound johns' cars

Prostitution fight boosted: Cops to enforce law for seizing johns' cars. By NADIA MOHARIB, CALGARY SUN February 13, 2006 Giving police the powers to impound cruising johns' cars will ultimately clean up "dirty vermin" who buy and sell flesh on city streets, says a longtime anti-prostitution crusader. Forest Lawn resident Art Sheeler said he has high hopes the plan will rid communities such as his of "scum" infecting it with their "filth." Those hopes come on the heels of Alberta Transportation Minister Lyle Oberg's announcement the province plans to enforce a law allowing cops to seize cars from men trying to buy the services of sex-trade workers. It will likely come into effect this spring or in early summer. Johns who lose vehicles under the law will have a chance to get them back by going to so-called "john school" to learn about the damage caused by prostitution. If they don't take the course, the vehicle will go up for sale. They'll also get their vehicles impounded for weeks or months, and be made to pay for the storage, a penalty Sheeler applauds. "I relish the day the first BMW is loaded up on the back of one of those trucks," he said yesterday. "We have got to start clamping down on these dirty vermin and useless slime -- it does not belong in a community." Ald. Craig Burrows, who sits on the police commission, said the law will not be a cure-all. "It's not going to end prostitution, but hopefully it will make people stop and think twice about exploiting women, especially younger people," he said. "If you are going to be a john, you will be held accountable." Ald. Andre Chabot agrees. "If you eliminate the demand for that particular type of service we're hoping the supply will dry up," he said. Sheeler said "it's phenomenal the difference it will make. When you take the john's car away, you take the john away." Saskatchewan and Manitoba already have similar laws. Very creative, indeed. [SS] sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

Undercover police go under the covers to bust prostitution ring

Detectives got sex services as part of prostitution probe. From NBC12 News Tuesday, February 14, 2006 The Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office is under fire this morning for the way they investigate certain prostitution cases. Undercover detectives have reportedly been having sex when they bust massage parlors for prostitution. Sheriff Howard Smith says the detectives are just doing what needs to be done in order to build a case and get a conviction. He says they are not doing anything illegal or new. But County Supervisor Henry Connors Jr. says he wants the practice to stop. "The bottom line is, while we want to shut down places of ill repute, I don't think we want to promote ill moral behavior among our law enforcement officials," Connors said. NBC12 legal analyst Steven Benjamin says: "I can't believe the Sheriff is still defending this policy, I promise you, he won't be defending it much longer." The sheriff says the department has been successful in shutting down several massage parlors using this method. He says only unmarried detectives are involved. Court documents show that four times last month, county detectives allowed women at Moon Spa to perform sex acts on them -- once leaving a 350 dollar tip. Smith acknowledged the practice is not new. Several police officials and legal observers say the practice has been tried by other agencies across the country, but they knew of none that still permit sexual contact with suspects as part of prostitution investigations. I do not care what the "bottom line" is --- engaging prostitutes for sex as an undercover operation is a far stretch for something a little more plausible like purchasing drugs from a dealer in order to infiltrate a drug ring. I hope Benjamin is correct in saying this policy will no longer be defended. [SS] sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

USAID funding pro-prostitution group in India?

Congressman Accuses USAID of Establishing Pro-Prostitution Group in India and Lying About It. February 10, 2006 Volume 9, Number 8 http://www.thefactis.org/ The Chairman of a US House subcommittee on criminal justice has charged the US Agency for International Development (USAID) with setting up a pro-prostitution group in India and lying about it to Congressional staff. In his February 6th letter to Randall Tobias, US Global Aids Coordinator, Representative Mark Souder, goes on to charge USAID personnel with deliberately setting up a non-governmental organization (NGO) precisely to hide deliberate violations of a federal law which forbids US financial support of pro-prostitution activity. It came to light some months ago that a group in Indian called Sampada Grameen Mahila Sansthat (SAMGRAM) was working to stop other groups from helping underage girls out of prostitution. It was further charged that SAMGRAM was receiving US financial assistance, a violation of the US Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, which forbids US funds from being used "to promote or advocate the legalization or practice of prostitution of sex trafficking." USAID has denied the charge and a USAID staff member told Congressional staff that such inquiries by the subcommittee were "destructive." In his letter, Souder says he has come into possession of documents that "prove that USAID money financed the pro-prostitution SANRAM though a second organization called Avert, which was established with the assistance of four USAID employees as a pass through entity." He further charged in his letter that "USAID held the ex-officio Vice-Chairmanship of Avert since its inception." The Bush Administration has been in the leadership of global efforts to eliminate human sex trafficking. The charges demonstrate how there can be a disconnect between the wishes of an executive administration and the entrenched bureaucracy. USAID has refused to publicly comment on the charges leveled by Representative Souder. USAID did not respond to the Friday Fax's request for comment. [SS]

Newfoundland child porn, prostitution ring under investigation

N.L. police investigate alleged child porn and prostitution operation. Canadian Press Wednesday, February 08, 2006 ST. JOHN'S, N.L. (CP) - An investigation into a porn and prostitution ring that allegedly involved 40 young girls in Newfoundland has prompted the police chief in St. John's to suggest that the province has lost its innocence. Richard Deering, chief of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, confirmed Wednesday that a team of 10 officers is completing interviews with the young victims, several search warrants have been executed and arrests are expected within days. "It involves allegations that young people in our community were being put in a situation that involved sexual exploitation or other crimes of a sexual nature," Deering said in an interview. "I don't think it will be a lot of time between now and when arrests are made." He said police are seeking expert advice on what charges can be laid, and how to gain access to seized computers. "We read about it in other places and think how dreadful it is, but when it hits our community to the magnitude we think we've come across here, it's really appalling to us," Deering said. "Clearly we've lost our innocence in relation to incidents of this type." Deering also said if the investigation determines pornographic images have been distributed on the Internet, the probe will extend beyond the province. The chief said key suspects have been identified and there is no risk to other young people. However, he said the police investigation has yet to be completed. "We want to make sure we do the investigation properly and we don't leave a stone unturned." © The Canadian Press 2006 [HT], [SS] sexual slavery, pornography, child pornography, prostitution, fleshploitation

Kabul's "Chinese restaurants"

Chinese prostitutes arrested in Kabul 'restaurant' raids. By Justin Huggler, Asia Correspondent The Independent Afghan police rounded up scores of suspects in a series of raids across Kabul yesterday. But this time the prisoners were not Taliban insurgents or Al-Qa'ida suspects. They were Chinese women - the notorious Chinese prostitutes of Kabul. In the four years since the fall of the Taliban, an extraordinary number of "Chinese restaurants" have opened in Kabul. Although they have bright neon signs and menus, and they do sell food, most are simply fronts for prostitution. In fact, so synonymous have Chinese restaurants become with brothels in Kabul that it is not a good idea to tell anybody you are going for a Chinese meal - in case they get the wrong impression. Nobody is really sure how the Chinese came to dominate the market. But in Kabul, traditional Chinese lanterns outside a restaurant can mean more is on offer than just good food. By day you can spot the prostitutes hanging around the restaurants, often wearing skimpy clothes that would be unimaginable for any Afghan woman. For years the police have turned a blind eye to the brothels, but now they are cracking down. The Interior Ministry said 46 foreign women had been arrested for prostitution and for selling alcohol to Afghans. Privately, the ministry said they were all Chinese. The crackdown comes after newly elected members of parliament said they would go after the government over Kabul's widespread prostitution. The brothels are seen as a corrupting effect of the West. Most are located in the expensive neighbourhoods like Wazir Akbar Khan and Shar-e Now, amid the expensive restaurants and bars frequented by the plethora of foreign diplomats, UN staff and NGO workers who live in Kabul. These are liberal areas and no brothel would last long in the traditional Afghan neighbourhoods that make up most of the city: they would be chased out by local sentiment. Undeniably the brothels attract foreign clientele. They also attract a steady stream of Afghan men. Adding to the controversy are Afghanistan's laws on the consumption of alcohol, still illegal for all Afghan Muslims. But it is allowed to sell alcohol to foreigners, who can freely drink it. The illegal status of the Chinese restaurants has meant, however, that many have also sold alcohol to Afghan men, which has added to their notoriety. There is a growing backlash to the Western presence in Kabul from Afghans embittered at a lack of economic progress since the fall of the Taliban. Intolerance of Westerners' drinking and foreign women not covering their heads in public is growing. The Interior Ministry said the women arrested yesterday would be deported. Under the Taliban they would have faced a public lashing or being stoned to death. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, child pornography, prostitution, fleshploitation

The "real problem" of trafficking in Wales

Just in case you thought human trafficking was isolated to mainland Europe... Via B.T.A.H.T.: Human trafficking "A real problem" in Wales. The trafficking of people into forced prostitution is a real problem in Wales, according to police and health workers. Since the conviction of Gjergj Mungiovi-Cuka and Akil Likcani for sex trafficking in the Cardiff area last year, police have been investigating other such criminal acts. Giles York, assistant chief constable of South Wales Police, said: "I have covert operations running, testing the stereotypical places to see if there is prostitution happening there, to see if there are people being exploited there." Consultant clinical psychologist Richard Pates, who runs an outreach programme for prostitutes in Cardiff said "It's very hard to quantify the numbers, because it is obviously a hidden trade, it's a hidden profession. "But if I asked our outreach worker to take you out today, she would have no trouble in introducing you to 20 women that would probably have been trafficked, so it is not difficult to find women if you know where you are looking. "It is a real problem in this city and in Wales." For more please click here. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

Vancouver's "body rub parlours"

Vancouver's dance with prostitution. Should prostitution be legal? Some say it already is. Body-rub parlours are regulated under Vancouver's business license bylaw. The description of a body-rub, sandwiched between 'Billiard-room keeper' and 'Bowling alley', is clear: It "includes the manipulating, touching or stimulating by any means, of a person's body or part thereof," according to the bylaw. By comparison, a license for massage parlours explicitly forbids female employees from attending to male customers. There are no such restrictions in place for body-rub parlours. More obvious, perhaps, is the fact that the bylaw regarding 'health enhancement centres' specifically outlaws employees from engaging in "an act of prostitution." No such stipulation is in place for body-rub parlours. The costs of business licenses are telling as well. Massage parlour licenses are $202 a year; a license for a body-rub parlour costs $7,730 yearly - the third most expensive business license the city charges for, behind horse racing and the PNE. [SS] prostitution, fleshploitation

Young Indo-Pak girls sold into Mid-East sex slavery

Indo-Pak girls forced into prostitution. Asian News International Lahore, February 6, 2006 Hindustan Times In a startling case of organised women trafficking that has come to light, Pakistani and Indian girls aged between 11 and 13 are being smuggled to the Middle East countries for being forced into prostitution there. The girls, who are shown as aged between 20 and 22 on their passports, are brought to these countries on the pretext of getting them attracting jobs. Over the years the trade has been flourishing, as there is great demand of virgin girls in these countries since the rich Sheikhs love having sex with young girls. The traffickers use blood capsules on the girls' bodies in order to "prove" their virginity. [...] According to The News, the girls revealed that most of their companions belonged to Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Russia. "Most of the victims are between the age of 11 to 13 years and are smuggled to the Arab countries where they are forced into prostitution in Middle East and Arab countries," the paper quotedone of the victims as saying. She added that on the passports, ages of these girls were shown as 20 to 22 years old. She said the human traffickers promised a beautiful and bright future and respectable jobs in the Middle East and Arab countries to lure young girls and after reaching abroad these girls are forced into prostitution. "The traffickers forced the young girls to show themselves as virgins because most of their clients demanded young girls," another victim said adding, "after arrival and clearance from the airport the traffickers took her passport and forced her physically to do what she was told." The "agents" use tools like informing the police and of telling their families against their sex slaves, said the paper. One of the rescued victims said that threats of violence kept the victims in line and in some cases these threats became reality. Many girls were forced to have abortions and were forced back to work within weeks, she said and maintained that beatings and forced abortions were common in the life of the sex slaves. "Some of the rich people in these countries like sex with young girls," she revealed. [...] [HT],[SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

DOD criminalizes the patronization of prostitutes by members of armed forces

Patronizing a prostitute is now a specific crime for servicemembers By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Saturday, January 7, 2006 ARLINGTON, Va. -- For the first time, the Department of Defense has specifically made it a crime for a servicemember to patronize a prostitute. The punishment: up to a year in prison, forfeiture of pay and dishonorable discharge. The formal order came in a presidential executive order signed without fanfare Oct. 14, directing changes in the Manual for Courts-Martial. It is part of an assault the military has been waging against human trafficking. A Defense Department spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, said in an e-mailed response to questions that "prostitution" and "pandering" will now be among the offenses covered by Article 134 of the courts-martial manual. Paying for sex used to fall under the "Solicitation of Another to Commit an Offense" listed as part of Article 134, which executes the corresponding section in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Krenke said. It prohibits "all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces" and "all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces." But the October executive order makes prostitution and pandering specific offenses, she said. Krenke said that the DOD made the change as part of its effort to combat human trafficking by taking on the sex exploitation industry, as set forth in a December 2002 National Security Presidential Directive that says in part: "Our policy is based on an abolitionist approach to trafficking in persons, and our efforts must involve a comprehensive attack on such trafficking, which is a modern day of slavery. In this regard, the U.S. Government opposes prostitution and any related activities, including pimping, pandering, or maintaining brothels as contributing to the phenomenon of trafficking in persons." Bravo. This is very good news. The key, as the article states, is to get this information out to those in the field that the rules have changed and this will no longer be tolerated under military regulations. It is one thing to ammend the rules Stateside, but unless those in the field are aware of the changes---it is unlikely to be effective. It believe it goes without saying---such behavior is not becoming of a member of the United States armed forces. [HT], [SS] prostitution, fleshploitation

Vatican: Turkish Mafia may have murdered priest who aided prostitutes

Vatican rep: Prostitution mafia may be involved in priest's murder http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/ February 6, 2006 The Vatican's Istanbul representative, Monsignor Georges Marovic, has stated that the murder yesterday of Andrea Sentore, a Roman Catholic priest in Trabzon, could be connected to the prostitution mafia in Trabzon. Speaking about the incident, Monsignor Marovic said "Our priest in Trabzon was working to help save the women who had come to Turkey from very poor ex-Soviet countries like Moldavia, who had fallen into the trap of prostitution. He was working in this area. Which is why the prostitution mafia may have killed him." News of the priest's murder was broadcast first in the Italian press, which refrained from saying whether the incident was connected to the Danish caricatures. Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that Priest Sentore's murder was something which "was damned with hatred," commenting "It is impossible for us to view this is a legitimate act, no matter what goal the murderers had in mind." Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said that the incident was being investigated from every possible aspect. Interestingly, the (English-translated) article currently posted no longer mentions anything about Sentore's involvement with helping prostitutes, instead, it raises this seemingly irrelevant possibility: It is thought at this point that Santore's death may be related to the growing unrest over the Danish caricatures that has swept through Europe and the Middle East. Hmm...quite a departure from the original presumed motive. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

B.C. man first to be charged with human trafficking in Canada

B.C. man challenges human trafficking charge. Last Updated Fri, 03 Feb 2006 08:03:21 EST CBC News A man in British Columbia who has been charged with human trafficking is challenging the law on constitutional grounds. Michael Ng is the first person to be charged with the offence created four years ago under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Ng, who ran a Vancouver massage parlour, also faces 20 other charges of prostitution and assault. He is set to stand trial next month. But it's the crime of trafficking people, which carries a $1-million fine and life in prison, that Ng's lawyer is fighting first. When Parliament created the law against human trafficking, it became illegal to knowingly organize the entry into Canada of anyone by means of abduction, fraud, force, deception, threat of force or coercion. And it's the reference to fraud and deception that Ng's lawyer, Michael Klein, says makes the law vague and unconstitutional. Klein argued before Judge Malcolm McLean on Thursday that the law could be used to prosecute a travel agent who organized an excursion to Vancouver, after lying to vacationers about how sunny the city is in winter. Klein says what's missing from the law is any explicit reference to people being exploited as a result of the deception. Conservative MP Diane Ablonczy rejects the argument. "This argument that somehow a travel agent could get caught is nonsense," she said. "It's very clear that any court in the country would look at intent as opposed to inadvertence." The Crown alleges Ng deceived two women into coming to Canada and then forced them into prostitution at his massage parlour. Prosecutor Peter LaPrairie told the judge that far from being imprecise, the Canadian law mirrors the UN definition of what constitutes human trafficking. But both the UN protocol, and an identical offence created under Canada's Criminal Code last November, do include the words Ng's lawyer says are missing from the Immigration Act offence, LaPrairie said. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

FBI continues to fight human-trafficking in N. Carolina

As a follow up to my earlier post regarding the sexual-trafficking of Latinas in North Carolina comes this story: FBI wants to end human trafficking. Updated: 1/25/2006 10:23:27 PM By: Shawn Flynn, News 14 Carolina CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The FBI is reaching out to the Latino community in North Carolina, trying to put a stop to human trafficking. "We have heard of problems where individuals are brought into the country to work as a domestic and they're pretty much held hostage or held like a slave," said Angeles Ortega-Moore, the executive director of the Charlotte-based Latin American Coalition. That's what happened to "Alex," a federally protected witness in California. "The woman who brought me here told me I would work in a restaurant and I would pay her off with my labor," Alex said. When it comes to human trafficking, Hispanics make up the biggest population -- an estimated 61 percent. Many work on migrant farms. That labor, Alex said, became her body as she was sold into prostitution with two other 14-year-old girls. "I believe we were slaves," she said. "They wouldn't let us leave. We were working 24 hours. It didn't matter if we were sleeping; they would get us up. If we were hungry, there was no time to eat. All that mattered was their money." Similar stories are becoming more common in the Tar Heel State, which has the fifth-largest population of illegal immigrants. "Given the size of the illegal immigrant population here in North Carolina, we believe that it's a huge problem here that's going largely unaddressed," said Kevin Kendrick, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Division. Kevin Kendrick, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Division, hopes to raise awareness about human trafficking. The State Department says 18,000 people are trafficked into the country each year. FBI analysts in Charlotte estimated that 23 percent of them are in the Southeast. Hispanics make up the biggest population, at an estimated 61 percent, so the FBI is reaching out to them and hoping that victims will come forward. "It could range anywhere from hundreds to thousands," Kendrick said Wednesday. "We just don't know, and that’s one of the reasons why we're doing this." It is estimated that about 34 percent of Hispanic victims work on migrant farms, while about 29 percent work in prostitution. Of all trafficking victims, about 80 percent are female, according to the FBI. Web Journalist: Kyle Almond Copyright 2006 TWEAN d.b.a. News 14 Carolina [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

Fighting Pornography, Adultery in the Military

'Battle Kits' Fight Porn, Adultery in the Military. Biblically Themed Guides Try to Keep Soldiers 'Pure' While Deployed Jan. 6, 2006 ­ - Cloaked in camouflage and no bigger than a breadbox, a new addition to many soldiers' backpacks is a five-book kit intended to "help men and women find freedom from sexual temptation God's way." The kits -- from New Life Ministries, which broadcasts on 150 stations nationwide -- promote Bible-based abstinence: no pornography, adultery, nonmarital sex or masturbation. "Your goal is sexual purity," the text says. "You are sexually pure when no sexual gratification comes from anyone or anything but your wife." Each kit comes with an "Every Man's Battle" book and workbook for men or an "Every Woman's Battle" book and workbook for women, plus a Bible study guide and a daily devotional. Combating the 'Problem of Pornography Divorce rates in the military have risen, especially in the Army, where the number of divorces nearly doubled from 2001 to 2004, according to the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland. Chaplain Randy Brandt, stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany, said the kits have helped combat the "problem of pornography." "Even while we were in Iraq, the pervasion of this problem was evident -- soldiers had porno CDs they could play on their personal DVDs, and they had sexually suggestive magazines "graciously" donated for the soldiers' entertainment," Brandt said. "The problem is an age-old one with the military: Soldiers are far away from home for a long time, sexual frustration sets in, and the visual stimuli become the easiest release." But Brandt said the real problem starts when the soldiers return home. "The soldiers come home, many are addicted to this type of sexual stimulation and either consciously or subconsciously they begin to compare their current relationship with the visual/Internet/virtual reality that they are used to and unfortunately, the real woman -- wife or girlfriend -- rarely can measure up," Brandt said. 20,000 Kits Ordered New Life hopes its kits will replace pornography and keep soldiers focused on their spouses and families back home, so that the transition from battle to domestic life goes a little easier. Spokesman Larry Sonnenburg said the Christian group has shipped 11,000 kits, mainly to Iraq and Afghanistan. But increasingly, troops at home are requesting the kits. Total orders now number nearly 20,000. The battle kits began with a call earlier this year to New Life Ministries from Michael Music, a chaplain's assistant with a Navy unit then in Iraq. Because of long deployments and because more soldiers are married, the chaplain has focused more than before on the sexual lives of soldiers. Although pornography remains a pervasive problem, said the chaplains, the bigger problem is the crisis it produces in the military psyche. Sgt. Frank Aguilar, who organizes Bible studies at Fort Heachuca, Ariz., said he hoped the kits would bring his unit together once it's deployed to Iraq. "Whatever happens over there will happen," Aguilar said. "I just want to go with a platoon and have tools to prepare us that makes us closer, and we will have less problems. These problems may seem trivial, but it ends up affecting the whole unit." Copyright 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures [SS] pornography, fleshploitation

UNICEF advises Guatemala to crack down on child pornography

UNICEF to Guatemala: Investigate local child porn rings. February 1, 2006 12:00am Source: EFE News Service The regional office of UNICEF is demanding that Guatemalan authorities launch a serious investigation of child pornography rings said to be operating virtually unhindered in this Central American nation. The office of the United Nations Children's Fund in Guatemala, in a communique, asked the authorities to "take quick and decisive action to stop this and all the sexual exploitation crimes against children and adolescents that are taking place each day in this country." UNICEF's concern over the matter came to a head after the local press reported on Monday the existence of an alleged ring of pedophiles who produce child porn videos in the eastern province of Jutiapa, near the border with El Salvador. The local daily Prensa Libre reported that the pedophiles film children of both sexes ranging in age from 11 to 16 committing sex acts with each other or being abused by adults evidently while they were under the influence of drugs. An investigation by the Guatemalan national ombudsman's office found that the videos are being distributed to pedophiles around the world via the Internet. UNICEF says that to fight those dedicated to producing and distributing child pornography, "Guatemala must move forward with reforms of the penal code, classify as crimes the (various) forms of commercial sexual exploitation and harmonize the body of law with the international instruments ratified by the Guatemalan state." This, the U.N. organization added, will permit "the penal sanctioning and tracking down of persons who sexually exploit minors." "Commercial sexual exploitation is a form of violence that uses persons under 18 years of age in sexual, erotic and pornographic activities in exchange for payment," UNICEF said, adding that "extreme poverty, lack of educational and job opportunities, marginalization, displacement and intrafamily violence" make minors vulnerable to such exploitation. On Saturday, the Spanish police broke up 62 Internet pedophile "groups" around the world that exchanged photos and videos of minors - many of them infants - who had been sexually violated. The Spanish police said that their investigation had detected a network of 2,870 Internet connections in 40 countries, among them Guatemala, that distributed the images of minors to groups of pedophiles [...] [SS] pornography, child pornography, fleshploitation

Turkey's $3.6 billion sex industry

Report: $3.6 billion sex trade is thriving. Chicago Tribune Published February 1, 2006 ANKARA, TURKEY -- Turkey is fast becoming one of the largest markets for the trafficking of women from nearby former Soviet states who are brought in and forced into prostitution, an international agency said in a report released Tuesday. Profits from the illicit sex trade in Turkey are estimated to be about $3.6 billion last year, according to the report from the International Organization for Migration. About 5,000 women are believed to be working as sex slaves across Turkey, said an agency official. The prostitution networks get about $150 per customer; each woman serves as many as 15 clients a day. Said Marielle Lindstrom, country director for the migration group: "The women don't get a penny." [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

Ladies of the 1950s (Korean) Nights

[The Dawn of Modern Korea] (354) Ladies of the 1950s Nights. The Korea Times http://times.hankooki.com/ 02-02-2006 21:16 By Andrei Lankov In 1947 the U.S. military government in Korea made prostitution illegal, and in 1948 the parliament of the newly established Republic of Korea upheld the ban. However, there was a major problem with the law: nobody took it seriously. Perhaps, from the very beginning, it was not meant to be taken seriously. Prostitution continued, and in the 1950s reached levels undreamt of in colonial times. An estimated 50-100,000 women made their living by selling sexual services, and there were a number of part-timers as well. In Korea of the 1960s and 1970s there were at least four distinct type of the prostitution. First, there was cheap sex to the lusty male masses. Second,there was the prostitution, which served the U.S. forces. Another group of prostitutes catered to foreign sex-tourists (largely Japanese), and yet another included high-level call girls who provided sexual pleasures for the top crust [...] A very interesting and educational article... I encourage you to read the rest. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

Iranian religious courts often release human traffickers

Iran: Clerical courts set free women traffickers. Wednesday, 28 December 2005 The state-run daily Iran reported that a man involved in human trafficking of young Iranian girls, each sold in Arab countries for over 50 million rials (US$4,600), received a prison term of three to five months. An appeals court, however, overturned the ruling and released the smuggler and ordered him to pay a fine of just US$275. The Iranian regime has executed minors on much lesser charges and continues to issue stoning to death verdicts. But the regime’s judiciary deals quite leniently with networks of human traffickers of young Iranian girls and women, since the ring leaders of such networks are mostly linked to the ruling mullahs who profit from the illicit trade. On rare occasions when one of these ring leaders is arrested, they eventually walk free after paying less than 6% of what they earn from selling a single woman. Iranian state-run newspapers have reported that hundreds of girls and women are smuggled and sold in Persian Gulf states and Pakistan every month. Ms. Sarvnaz Chitsaz, Chair of the Women’s Committee of the National Resistance Council of Iran, called on all women’s rights and human rights organizations, and also all relevant international bodies in the United Nations, Council of Europe, European Union, Organization of Islamic Conference, and the Arab League to condemn the trafficking of young Iranian girls by Iran's fundamentalist regime. She demanded urgent regional and international action to stop the continued victimization of Iranian girls and women. Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran December 28, 2005 While visiting the above link, make sure to check out the rest of the site. [HT] human trafficking, fleshploitation

Salvadoran natls. implicated in trafficking plot in U.S.

Also via the New York Jewish Times: Salvadoran Nationals in the U.S. Arrested for Sex Trafficking Scheme (12/19/05). HOUSTON, Texas (ICE) -- Eight Salvadoran nationals were arrested by ICE agents for their alleged roles in an organization that trafficked Latin American females, including minors, into the United States and forced them into sexual servitude. The females were enticed with promises of good jobs in America, only to be forced to work as “bargirls” for minimal payment and the requirement that they submit to the sexual demands of the defendants, bar patrons and others. During the enforcement actions, ICE agents, working with the FBI and state and local law enforcement, encountered nearly 100 females who may be victims of the sex trafficking scheme. The federal criminal complaint alleges that the eight defendants, all of them owners or operators of bars and nightclubs in the Houston area, were part of an organization responsible for enticing and then smuggling young women from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras into the United States across the Texas-Mexico border. The women were required to work at their businesses to pay off smuggling fees ranging from $8,000 to $13,000. Instead of the good jobs they were promised, the women were made to work as “bargirls,” sitting and dancing with customers and selling overpriced drinks to the men. The bars in question employed as many as 30 women in such a capacity at any given time. According to the complaint, one young woman earned about $500 to $600 a week selling drinks to male customers. But after paying debts that included alien smuggling fees, food, housing, clothing and other miscellaneous items, she received approximately $50 each week. In addition to the almost insurmountable debt, the complaint alleges that the defendants used threats of violence against the women and their families to control them and keep them working. The complaint alleges that the defendants compelled the woman and girls to submit to the sexual demands of the defendants, their close associates and bar patrons. All eight defendants are charged with conspiring to recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide and obtain the women and girls, and then benefiting financially from participation in a venture that engaged in such acts, knowing that force, fraud and coercion would be used to cause these women and girls to engage in commercial sex acts. A charge of conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. During the course of the law enforcement action, approximately 100 women from Central and South America were taken into ICE custody on various immigration related charges. The investigation continues. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

Multi-Agency task-force nab 8 suspects for conspiracy to traffic persons

Via the New York Jewish Times: Eight Persons Indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Slavery and Trafficking (12/19/05). HOUSTON, Texas (FBI) -- United States Attorney Chuck Rosenberg and Assistant Attorney General Wan Kim, Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, announced the indictment of eight persons for their roles in an organization allegedly involved in the trafficking of Central American females for compelled service at Houston area bars and restaurants through force, fraud and coercion. The indictment returned by a grand jury in Houston, Texas, charges the following eight defendants: Maximino Mondragon , also known as “El Chimino,” 57, the owner of El Potrero de Chimino Bar and La Margarita Restaurant, both located on Hempstead Highway; Walter Alexander Corea , 39, the owner and operator of the El Cuco Restaurant located on West Tidwell Road; Victor Omar Lopez, 38, and Oscar Mondragon , 47, operators of the Mi Cabana Sports Bar, also located on West Tidwell Road; Maria Fuentes, 35, a bartender and bookkeeper at Maximino's bar and restaurant; Olga Mondragon , 45, the operator of the El Huetamo Nite Club, also known as La Leona Club on Ojeman Road; Kerin Josue Silva , 19, son of Walter Corea, who allegedly transported victims to the bars and restaurants, and Lorenza Reyes-Nunez , also known as “COMADRE,” 30, who worked at Maximino Mondragon's businesses. The first count of the indictment accuses all eight defendants of conspiring to hold persons in conditions of peonage and recruiting, holding, transporting and providing and obtaining persons for labor and services. Specifically, it is alleged that the conspiracy involved the recruitment of women and girls from Central America to travel to the United States with the expectation of legitimate jobs in bars and restaurants. The members of the conspiracy arranged transportation to facilitate their illegal entry into the United States and travel to Houston. Upon arriving in Houston, the defendants allegedly held the women through threats of force to compel and maintain their service as “bargirls” at bars and restaurants until each repaid smuggling and other assessed fees ranging from $6,000 to $12,500. According to the indictment, the conspiracy included directing women and girls to turn themselves into immigration officers upon entering the United States, believing the women, non-Mexican illegal aliens, would be released with a Notice to Appear (NTA) for a future court date. The conspirators would then confiscate the NTA documents from the women and girls. According to the indictment, while in service to the defendants as “bargirls,” the women and girls were expected to keep company with the male patrons of the bars and encourage the patrons to buy beer and liquor at high prices. A portion of the price of the beverage would be applied toward the female's outstanding debt. Additionally, the indictment alleges the women and girls were on occasion required to submit to sexual activity with male bar patrons and favored business associates of the conspirators. This conspiracy charge carries a maximum statutory penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine upon conviction. The second count of the indictment charges seven of the defendants with conspiracy to smuggle aliens for commercial advantage and private financial gain. Nunez is not charged in this count. A conviction for this felony offense carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The indictment identifies eight women from El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua ranging in age from 16 to 38, who were recruited by one or more of the conspirators and compelled to work as “bargirls” to pay their smuggling fees. According to the allegations of the indictment, in November 2001, El Chimino and Corea recruited two Honduran women, M.V.L., age 38, and M.A.L., age 34, to illegally travel and enter the United States offering transportation and work at their bars as a means of repaying the smuggling fees. Corea arranged the illegal entry of both of these women and a third Honduran woman, R.R.G., age 22, into the United States through Mexico and arranged their transport to Houston, Texas. Upon arriving in Houston, Maria Fuentes took two of the women shopping for clothing, instructing them to buy sexually provocative outfits. The cost of the clothing was added to the women's debt. Fuentes was also involved in accounting for the number of drinks the women and girls working as “bargirls” sold to customers, tracking payments toward the smuggling and other debts, and Fuentes is also specifically alleged to have kept such an accounting for a fourth identified woman, B.E.B., then age 27. Two months later, in February 2002, Lorenza Reyes-Nunez allegedly told El Chimino that M.A.L. was planning to flee before her debt and term of service was completed. El Chimino threatened the woman's children telling her he knew where they lived and describing the woman's home in Honduras. According to the indictment, in September 2002, angered because yet another woman had fled without paying her fee, El Chimino called a meeting of all the women then in debt. He told them he would burn the woman's house down in retaliation for her escape. El Chimino also allegedly assessed thousands of dollars in additional fees upon B.E.B. after her roommate fled without his permission. In April 2004, Corea allegedly assaulted C.Y.R., a then 24 year-old Nicaraguan woman in his debt, who complained about a $1,000 fee assessed for tardiness. Corea threatened to harm her child if she reported the assault to police. Oscar Mondragon was also allegedly involved in recruitment. It is alleged that in February 2005, Mondragon recruited two young Salvadoran women, E.C.C., 19, and E.M.Z., 20, to travel and enter the United States illegally with promises of a good job in a restaurant. Upon the arrival of the two young women in Houston, Mondragon confiscated their Notice to Appear paperwork. Olga Mondragon allegedly instructed the young women to dance with bar patrons, sit on the men's laps and to be intimate with the men. Months later in June 2005, Oscar Mondragon negotiated to sell E.C.C., the 19 year-old Salvadoran, and J.L.O., a 16 year-old Salvadoran he had recruited but who had not yet arrived in the U.S., to another bar owner for use as “bargirls” or prostitutes, assuring the buyer that both women would be “use to captivity.” Two days later, Oscar Mondragon and Victor Omar Lopez met with an unidentified buyer and accepted a down payment of $3,000 for the two young girls. Following the illegal entry of the 16 year-old into the U. S. in late June 2005, Oscar Mondragon and Victor Omar Lopez sold the debts and the two young women for use as “bargirls” or prostitutes to the unidentified buyer. With the exception of Olga Mondragon and Kerin Silva, who have been released on bond, the remaining defendants were ordered held without bond and are in federal custody. Each of the defendants will next appear in federal court for arraignment on a date to be set by the court. The investigation leading to the filing of criminal charges is the result of a year-long investigation conducted by members of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) in Houston, Texas, which includes the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO), the Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission (TABC), and the Constables Offices of Precincts One and Five. Assistant United States Attorneys Ruben R. Perez and Joe Magliolo, and Trial Attorneys Lou de Baca and James Felte with the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, will prosecute the case. The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant(s) are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. [HT], [SS], [FL] human trafficking, sexual slavery, forced labor, prostitution, fleshploitation

"I stare at the ceiling. That's how I handle it"

Sex rings prey on immigrant women. Human traffickers trap hundreds of female Hispanics into prostitution FRANCO ORDOÑEZ fordonez@charlotteobserver.com Posted on Sun, Jan. 29, 2006 The Charlotte Observer The corner bungalow on Weldon Avenue looks like any other house on the quiet street in northeast Charlotte. But for a while in 2004, police say, it cloaked a secret brothel. At night, men, mostly immigrants, lined up outside to wait their turn with young Latino women held as sex slaves. A typical session lasted 15 minutes, police say, and cost each customer about $30. Some women had sex with dozens of men a night. Police shut down the brothel in July 2004. But authorities say many more dot the city. In neighborhoods along North Tryon Street, The Plaza and South Boulevard, criminals have turned small, unassuming homes into illegal houses of prostitution, holding women against their will. Police shut down two last week, but declined to give details because of ongoing investigations. Hundreds of Hispanic women are brought in and out of Charlotte every week to work at more than a dozen brothels connected to sex-trafficking rings on the East Coast, according to FBI and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police investigators. Most of the women are in the country illegally and are reluctant to report the crimes. Often locked in rooms with few clothes and no telephone, they fear being beaten if they try to escape. To keep a constant cycle of prostitutes in Charlotte, traffickers exchange the women with other pimps and handlers in cities such as Raleigh and Greensboro, often for as little as $130 each. The women are moved so frequently that some no longer know what city they're in. "No one thinks of Charlotte and human trafficking," said Capt. Bruce Bellamy, head of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police vice and narcotics unit. "But it's a far greater issue than people realize." `Supply and demand' The sex trafficking rings exist because of the influx of illegal immigrants in the Carolinas, FBI officials said. More than 300,000 immigrants are estimated to live illegally in North Carolina. Most are men who left their wives and families to find work in the U.S."It's about supply and demand," said FBI agent Kevin Kendrick, who heads a local campaign to help victims of human trafficking. In a recent meeting with the Observer, FBI agents and members of Charlotte-Mecklenburg police's vice and narcotics unit and criminal intelligence unit detailed the Charlotte area's role in a burgeoning international problem. Human trafficking often begins with someone paying to be smuggled across the border. The situation changes when smugglers increase their prices or add fees the person is unable to pay. Smugglers then force them into work to pay off the debt. For women, the work is often prostitution. [...] A haunting picture In Charlotte, the brothels appear to be typical homes, according to undercover police who investigate local prostitution. But after hours and on weekends, they turn into busy night spots, protected by security guards. Lines are so long at some that house managers must serve as hosts, entertaining their restless customers with food and television. The Weldon Avenue brothel set up a burrito truck outside, police said. "They don't miss an opportunity," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Capt. Eddie Levins, head of the criminal intelligence unit. Police believe that Francisco Romero Piña, 37, known as "El Gallo" or "The Rooster," ran two Charlotte brothels with trafficked women, the Weldon Avenue house and another on North Tryon Street, until July 2004. Romero was never charged with human trafficking, but was sent to prison on related weapons and fraud charges stemming from the investigations. Police said their human trafficking case was hindered because alleged victims were too scared to cooperate. Romero, like many brothel owners, advertised by word of mouth, authorities said. He passed out business cards with directions to the houses he operated, police said. Customers paid a house manager who gave them a ticket, a playing card or a bead. The men then gave those items to women inside as proof of payment. According to police, brothel operators usually kept half the fees, giving the women the other half, which often went to pay off debts. "It's very sad," said Maudia Melendez, leader of a Charlotte Latino advocacy group, who is working with the FBI to locate and help trafficking victims. "These girls are in a situation that they don't know how to get out of. They're so afraid to talk with anybody." Last month, a Wake County brothel operator pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking women and girls as young as 14 to work in at least three brothels. Valente Chavez Sanchez, 33, was charged, along with two other men, with bringing women from New York, New Jersey and Maryland to service brothels in Raleigh, Fuquay-Varina and Lillington over a seven-year period, according to prosecutors. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, who assisted with the federal investigation, said those same women also worked in Charlotte. One undercover detective investigating six brothels in Charlotte said the women are "disgusted" by the work. "The last interview I had, I asked the woman, `How do you handle 30 guys a night?' " he recalled. "She said, `I stare at the ceiling. I stare at the ceiling. That's how I handle it.' " Crackdown To fight the growing problem, the FBI, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police and advocacy groups launched a campaign last week to draw more attention to the issue and help trafficking victims.FBI agent Kendrick, who heads the campaign, said various law enforcement agencies will work more closely to shut down trafficking rings. The effort marks a shift for police, who previously had focused on arresting and prosecuting handlers and women. The push is part of a national effort funded by $15 million in the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, signed by President Bush on Jan. 10. The law also provides assistance and immigration benefits to trafficking victims. The FBI does not intend to arrest or deport victims, Kendrick said. Instead, the agency will help them escape their captors and inform them of their rights. The agency also will help them secure special visas to remain in the country legally in exchange for their cooperation in prosecuting their handlers. "It's a vicious cycle of people being victimized," he said. "People can (now)come forward and don't have to worry about their immigration status." -- staff researcher Sara Klemmer contributed. -- Franco Ordoñez: (704) 358-6180 To Report Suspicious Activity Call: - The FBI at (704) 377-9200 - Crime Stoppers at (704) 334-1600 Women Trapped in Neighborhood Brothels Unusual activity offers clues Authorities say prostitution houses run by human traffickers typically exhibit some of these characteristics: - Stringent security at homes of migrant workers. - Presence of armed guards. - Fences with locked gates. - Employees living and working in same building. - Workers are never seen alone or without supervision. Tips for the FBI Investigators welcome tips. Call the FBI at (704) 377-9200. El FBI Pide su Ayuda Si tiene información sobre incidentes de tráfico humano, llame al FBI en Charlotte al (704) 377-9200. Tambien puede llamar a Crime Stoppers, al (704) 334-1600. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

The Pornography /Trafficking Connection

By Daniel Weiss Guest commentary Colorado Springs DenverPost.com http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_3441140 Article Last Updated: 1/27/2006 01:02 AM Last week, President Bush signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005, mandating the U.S. government and military expend greater efforts to combat the illegal practice of buying and selling human beings. As the president said at the bill-signing ceremony, "Human trafficking is an offense against human dignity, a crime in which human beings, many of them teenagers and young children, are bought and sold and often sexually abused by violent criminals. Our nation is determined to fight and end this modern form of slavery." The extent of the trade in human flesh is staggering. The U.S. Agency for International Development estimates that as many as 4 million people across the globe are bought and sold each year. Just within the United States, as many as 50,000 people are trapped in sexual slavery at any given time. This grim reality was again brought to light in a recent Toledo Blade series documenting how that city is a national trafficking hub for underage prostitution. This global tragedy hinges on the notion that human beings are commodities to be bought, sold, used and discarded. If the president is truly serious about ending the global sex trade, he would do well to start at home by cleaning up one of its primary drivers: the explosive growth of illegal hardcore pornography. Hardcore pornography, or material depicting actual sex acts, promotes the idea that human beings can be sexually used and abused without consequences. If we tolerate pornographic material that encourages people to indulge their darkest sexual fantasies, we cannot act surprised when millions do so in real life as well. In this regard, the United States is the world's worst violator. Software company N2H2 tracked the explosion of online pornography, which grew from 14 million Web pages in 1998 to 260 million in 2003. Adult Video News claims that 11,000 new pornographic films are released annually in the United States. Research by the Florida Family Association found that as much as 70 percent of the world's free online pornography is distributed by as few as 20 U.S. based companies. Although the Supreme Court has determined that hardcore pornography, or obscenity, has no First Amendment protection, Justice Department enforcement efforts over the past five years total only 40 obscenity prosecutions of persons or entities, most of whom worked alone and ran their businesses out of garages. In the absence of meaningful enforcement, thousands of large-scale porn purveyors continue to churn out "entertainment" products featuring depictions of rape, bondage, group sex and pseudo-child pornography. Vivid Entertainment, one of America's largest porn-producers, produces about 80 porn films per year with revenues around $150 million annually. Its main competitor, VCA Pictures, operates a 40,000-square-foot facility that produces 400,000 X-rated videos per month. Companies like LodgeNet and On Command pump these movies to millions of hotel rooms, generating hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The strangest (and perhaps leading) contributors to the global sex industry are hotel chains such as Hilton, Marriott, Holiday Inn and others that offer hardcore pay-per-view pornography in hotel rooms in direct violation of U.S. law. The first step toward reducing demand for sex slaves is to prosecute those distributing material that violates obscenity laws and serves as a veritable training manual for abuse. While the new anti-trafficking law has some excellent provisions, President Bush also needs to take a hard look at his own Justice Department, which is serving him so poorly in this area. The lives of millions literally depend on it. Daniel Weiss serves as Focus on the Family's senior analyst for media and sexuality. [HT], [SS] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

CWA: Human Trafficking Now Tied for World's #2 Crime

Second to Drug Dealing as Largest and Fastest-Growing To: National Desk Contact: Stacey Holliday of Concerned Women for America, 202-488-7000 ext. 126 WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 /Christian Wire Service/ -- Concerned Women for America (CWA) is saddened by a United Nations report that says human trafficking has tied illegal arms dealing as the world's second largest and fastest-growing criminal enterprise, behind only illicit drug trading. Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, Senior Fellow of Concerned Women for America's Beverly LaHaye Institute, said, "Combating trafficking is like running on a treadmill; we are moving as fast as we can, but it is almost impossible for our programs to keep up with the destructive path of the criminal networks involved in human trafficking." The U.N. report declares that nearly 30 million people are caught in modern-day slavery and that the industry now brings its criminals about $10 billion a year. With victims bought and sold over the Internet on such popular sites as eBay and Craig's List, trafficking victims in the United States number over 50,000 –– one-third of these are assumed to be children. Human trafficking includes sex trafficking, forced marriage, and labor trafficking, such as sweatshops, migrant workers and domestic service. Dr. Crouse, who has worked for nearly a decade to combat sex trafficking at the national and international levels, commented, "While the U.N. blames social and economic disparities for fostering trafficking, the demand for prostitutes is the driving force behind sex trafficking where the victims overwhelmingly are women and girls." Crouse adds, "In the United States Congress, legislators are working to end the demand for 'sex slaves,' and more and more states are passing legislation that will target pimps and johns rather than further punish the victims. They are used as a lucrative commodity in sex transactions, often being sold repeatedly until they are completely used up." Crouse concludes that, in the United States, public policy addresses both the prosecution of criminals engaged in human trafficking and the protection of vulnerable women and girls who are potential victims of sex trafficking. Concerned Women for America (CWA) is the nation's largest public policy women's organization. Supply and demand. [HT] human trafficking, fleshploitation

CT Interagency Task Force proposes pro-active legislation

Via the Boston Globe: Report recommends new laws to combat human trafficking. By Susan Haigh, AP Political Writer | January 23, 2006 HARTFORD, Conn. --Following isolated reports of human trafficking in Connecticut, a task force is expected this week to recommend legislation making the practice a crime. The Connecticut Interagency Task Force on Trafficking in Persons intends to increase public awareness and educate law enforcement and domestic violence advocates about how to recognize a trafficked victim, typically an immigrant who has been tricked and ultimately forced into the sex trade or low-skilled, manual labor. "I really look at this as pro-active legislation," said state Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford, who began working on the issue three years ago. "We need to have some laws in place. And most important, we need to train and educate our police on both the local and state level as to how to recognize it and what to do about it." The task force, which Stillman heads, is scheduled to unveil its report at a news conference at the state Legislative Office Building on Wednesday. The legislative session begins Feb. 8. The report comes after a Connecticut businessman pleaded not guilty in federal court last week to charges of illegally recruiting Portuguese immigrants to work excessively long hours for low wages in his Dunkin' Donuts restaurants and home. Jose Calhelha, 46, was charged with illegally transporting and harboring illegal aliens. He faces up to 70 years in prison and fines of up to $1.75 million if convicted. Great work is being done in Connecticut! [HT] human trafficking, fleshploitation

Local television station exposes trafficking in Tex.

I-Team: Young children forced into a world of prostitution. Web Posted: 11/11/2005 02:47 AM CST Brandy Ralston KENS 5 Eyewitness News A young girl, just 6 years old, forced into prostitution. Another who's 7 has lived in a brothel for three years. It may sound hard to believe, but each year more than a million children are sold as sex slaves. In a KENS 5 I-Team investigation, Brandy Ralston discovered some of them are trafficked right through San Antonio. “There's almost no country in the world that's immune from this crime. It's one of the three largest profit-making criminal activities of organized crime around the world,” spokeswoman for the International Justice Mission Sharon Cohn said. They are the children, the innocent victims that groups like International Justice Mission are trying to save. “International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that rescues victims of violence, oppression, sexual exploitations and slavery,” Cohn said. “I remember a girl who said through a translator, ‘Thank you very much for rescuing me.” She's helped rescue young girls all around the globe who have been sold by their families, kidnapped, or gone on their own with the promise of a better life. “The youngest girls we've ever rescued were in Cambodia, where we rescued about 10 girls under the age of 10 who were being sold primarily to Western pedophiles who traveled to Cambodia specifically for the purpose of having sex with young children,” Cohn said. “These are crimes against children, the most vulnerable members of our society, and they're going to be protected by the U.S. government,” said San Antonio division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Al Peña [?]. He says the U.S. passed the protection act in 2003 to cut down on what they call sex tourism. Already, there have been 12 cases of men arrested and accused of traveling to foreign countries to have sex with children. “We'll go after you no matter where you go commit your offenses. The U.S. government will pursue you and bring you to justice,” Peña said. Amen. Read the rest of the story here. [HT] human trafficking, sexual slavery, prostitution, fleshploitation

Kathryn Jean Lopez: Emancipation 2006

An excellent article by Kathryn Lopez of NRO: Saving innocents from modern-day slavery (a work in progress). On September 2003, President George W. Bush started something of a sexual revolution. Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, the president, known more popularly by left-wing groups as the man who would "turn back the clock on women's rights," challenged his fellow leaders to crack down on the sex trade in their countries, promising to lead by example at home. George W. Bush is waging a war on modern-day slavery with a winning plan for success, involving an essential ingredient: building coalitions. And what was once under most of our radars is now a fight that so many are now involved in that it's impossible to give them all adequate credit for their work ­ which, in its way, is an excellent problem to have. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, investigations into trafficking "increased by more than 400 percent in the first six months of fiscal year 2005, compared to the total number of cases in fiscal year 2004." Although keeping true numbers on these elusive crimes is next to impossible, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, between 14,500 and 17,500 people are being traded within the United States. Internationally, the estimate is between 600,000 and 800,000, mostly women and children. But nations plagued with sex trafficking, who've enabled sex trafficking, are changing in part because, according to Congressman Chris Smith (R., N.J.), "they know we mean business." On January 10, President Bush signed the bipartisan 2005 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, providing $361 million over the next two years to combat trafficking domestically. At the signing ceremony, the president noted, "Over the past four years, the Department of Homeland Security has taken new measures to protect children from sexual predators, as well as pornography and prostitution rings. The Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with faith-based and community organizations to form anti-trafficking coalitions in 17 major cities across our country." The bill renewed 2000 legislation that made human trafficking a federal crime. It was authored by Congressman Smith, who was already a veteran of the fight, having participated in the rescue of Ukrainian girls in bondage in Montenegro ­ long before trafficking was on most people's radars. Closer to home, he sees the fruits of his labor: In Smith's own New Jersey this November, one Xochil Nectalina Rosales Martinez, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from her role in running a trafficking ring that smuggled Honduran women some younger than 21 into the United States to be forced to work at Union City bars. [...] But abroad and at home, folks are at work, educating, investigating, enforcing, and healing. This is a fight the United States is in to win because it is quintessentially what we're about as a nation. As one slave in North Korea wrote to a rescuer-pastor in South Korea: "I want to live like a human being for one day. I am a human being. How can I be sold like this? I need freedom." Read it all. [HT] human trafficking, fleshploitation

Man allegedly downloaded child porn to cell phone

Child porn case alleges offender used cell phone. BANGOR - A convicted sex offender living in Houlton appears to be the first person in the state to face federal charges for using his cell phone to possess child pornography. Joshua Dunston, 27, owned three different cell phone models between April and September 2005, according to court documents. He allegedly used his T-Mobile account to download child pornography onto his cell phone. Dunston also allegedly posted 30 photos that appeared to depict the sexual exploitation of children to a personal Web page that T-Mobile allows subscribers to maintain. The pictures are described in court documents as "depict[ing] pre-pubescent children engaged in sexual acts with adults" and "naked pre-pubescent children in sexually suggestive and exploitive positions." Dunston also allegedly posted pornographic photographs of himself to the Web site using his cell phone. A T-Mobile employee discovered the images last summer in a routine audit of customer accounts. The company notified federal law enforcement officials. Dunston, who last year was a student at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, used computers at the campus Outreach Center to access his T-Mobile Web page, according to court documents. UMPI officials in December cooperated with investigators, giving them the hard drives from the computers Dunston used and surveillance video of him at the center. The man is not a student at UMPI this semester, a university spokesman said Tuesday. On the hard drives, investigators found Internet links saved by Dunston that included "Child sex murders and condoned Internet kiddy porn," "excited angels," "free Lolitas gallery" and others. Some of the children depicted in the images have been identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to court documents. Statistics on the number of prosecutions for obtaining child pornography using a cell phone were not available Tuesday. A Canadian expert in October warned that child pornographers were going high-tech. "Everything's going to be in the size of a [cellular] telephone that has the computer power of the best PCs that are out there right now," Detective Sgt. Paul Gillespie, a veteran of the Toronto Police force's sex crimes unit, told an international conference in Toronto. He warned that hand-held devices including cell phones, PDAs and portable MP3-type players increasingly would be used to take and transfer images of child pornography. Gillespie issued his warning while Dunston allegedly was posting child pornography to his Web site from his cell phone. Dunston is being held at the Penobscot County Jail until a detention hearing to set bail and conditions of release can be held. That hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret Kravchuk is set for 10:30 a.m. Jan. 31 in U.S. District Court in Bangor. His criminal record dates back to 2001. Dunston's convictions in state court include violating conditions of release, negotiating a worthless instrument, possession of sexually explicit materials, and sexual abuse of a minor. He is required to register as a sex offender because of the sexual abuse conviction. That conviction also means he faces a minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted on the federal charges. He also faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. A check Tuesday afternoon of the sex offender Web site showed that Dunston is registered as required. He also is on probation for his 2003 misdemeanor conviction in 2nd District Court in Houlton for having sex with a 14- or 15-year-old when Dunston was at least five years older than the victim. If his probation on that charge were to be revoked in state court, it's unlikely he would be released from jail. [SS] sexual slavery, pornography, child pornography, fleshploitation

The Hungarian "Catfight Convention"

Pestiside: Girls Gone Wild (III): Foreign Pervs Mob "Catfight Convention". Before closing out the day with our third report on the world-beating aggressiveness and go-ahead-and-stop-me-copper lunacy of some of our Hungarian womenfolk, we'd first like to give a big shout out to Belgium. For without the fathomless perversity and moral decrepitude of our good friends the Belgians, we never would have gotten wind of the following story of sex and violence so base and vile Satan Himself is probably wondering if He has the stomach to keep on reading. The story, which comes from Belgian television via dailies La Derniere Heure and Népszabadság, involves a most unusual "wrestling competition" that was held at an unnamed hotel somewhere south of Budapest last August. At the event, 30 women, among them Belgians, Ukrainians, Russians and Germans (and, one has to assume, a few super-aggressive Hungarians) duked it out with each other, butt-naked, in front of about 70 people, many of them foreigners who had paid an "entry fee" ranging from €1,500 to €2,000. Members of the audience - almost all men - were also allowed to fight the female wrestlers, among other things. According to the report, the competition featured not just hair-pulling and other catfight staples, but "violent sexual intercourse without condoms," and even "forced prostitution." The extravaganza was organized by an Austrian producer who used it to record an "erotic video." The event came to light after a Belgian girl who had participated went to the police. She was brought to the competition by a Belgian man only identified as Michel V., who denied the most serious charges, which we reckon would be the "forced prostitution" part. Among the four girls he brought to the competition, two also said that no "violent" intercourse or prostitution took place. V. admitted that such an event had taken place in Hungary, but he stressed that the event was in fact a "sporting competitions," and that the four girls he brought were all of legal age and had attended the "tournament" on their own free will. He also denied that he kept half of the money his "competitors" won. (The girls received €80 per fight.) He said he "didn't hear" about anybody being raped, adding that the reason the entry fee was high was that it included room and board for a few days. V. said that this wasn't the first time he was in Hungary for such an even, and added that the audience consisted of "respectable people," including university teachers. There was no word in the piece about whether the Hungarian authorities were investigating the events. As for the Belgians, they have apparently already told V. he is free to continue holding such competitions at his home in Brussels, and to otherwise continue with his stated goal of "liberating morals." Welcome to the EU. [SS] sexual slavery, pornography, prostitution, fleshploitation

Fleshploitation

Mission Statement and Purpose: Simply put? To raise awareness of the gross injustices that pervade our societies worldwide, namely that of the trafficking of men, women, and children for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labor, and the use of children for purposes of warfare. I am by no means an expert, nor do I purport to be one. I am merely a gatherer of information for the sole purpose of educating readers about these topics -- though, I often may inject personal commentary in my posts. Sometimes, I may go several days (or even over a week) without posting --- this is due to the reality that I maintain this site when time permits. Also, and not uncommonly, I tend to become overwhelmed at times by the sheer volume of information I accumulate and therefore focus my attention on sifting through various articles before I post about them. Brief Disclaimer: It is the official position of this website to oppose, in all forms, the legalization of prostitution. Any view mentioned in an article excerpt or reader comments stating the contrary should be attributed to the appropriate author of said view and not the Webmaster. Though it is my initial belief many of the organizations and/or blogs share the same purpose as Fleshploitation, it is often difficult to fully assess the correct position of all groups, as some may appear unclear (whether intentionally or unintentionally). It has been my (rather unfortunate) experience that some organizations appear to share the same purpose, but, after closer examination, (vaguely or outright) support the legalization of prostitution as a contemporary and legitimate "profession" (ie: "sex workers"). Some effort has been made to identify such organizations/blogs and remove them from the website's links. If you, the reader, believe you have run across an organization/blog listed whose content/purpose is questionable, please do not hesitate to raise this issue with the Webmaster. With this being said, please note, organizations and/or blogs listed on Fleshploitation do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Webmaster nor should said links be considered an endorsement. * * * * Thank you for taking the tim