Human Trafficking Program
Human Trafficking is a serious problem. Every year 80,000 to 90,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year. It is estimated that 80% of such individuals are women and children. Human trafficking has become a $9 billion a year global industry. Human trafficking is a multi-dimensional threat: it deprives people of their human rights and freedoms, it is a global health risk, and it fuels the growth of organized crime.
Facts on Human Trafficking:
- Human trafficking has become a $9 billion a year global industry and there are an estimated 27 million people living in slavery around the world today.
- Every 8-10 minutes, a woman or child is trafficked into the United States for forced labor.
- It is estimated that 14,500 to17,500 women, men and children are trafficked to the United States annually.
- People are snared into trafficking by many means. In some cases, physical force is used. In other cases, false promises are made regarding job opportunities or marriages in foreign countries to entrap victims.
- UNICEF reports that across the world, there are over one million children entering the sex trade every year and that approximately 30 million children have lost their childhood through sexual exploitation over the past 30 years.
- In October 2000, the United States enacted the most comprehensive modern-day anti-slavery legislation in the world, offering significant protection to victims. It is called the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.
- In 2004, 7000 traffickers were prosecuted, and 3000 convicted.
- Maximum jail time for trafficking is 20 years to life imprisonment, depending on offense, and convicted traffickers must "provide full restitution to victims”.
WTLC's Human Trafficking Program recognizes the uncertain obstacles uniquely facing these individuals. WTLC is equipped to handle and serve this clientele regardless of circumstances or background. WTLC promotes and supports the rehabilitation of trafficking survivors, and connects them to the available resources for legal, medical and other needed services. Human trafficking has a devastating impact on individual survivors, who often suffer physical and emotional abuse, rape, threats against self and family, passport theft, and even death. But the impact of human trafficking goes beyond individual survivors; it undermines the safety and security of all nations it touches. WTLC is working for the prevention of trafficking worldwide.
Categorizing Human Trafficking:
Sexual Trafficking
In the past several years Sexual trafficking has become a growing problem in the U.S. and in Orange and Los Angeles Counties. Sexual trafficking is defined as the movement of individuals for the purposed of sexual exploitation. Countries all over the world have reported increases in the number of cases of sexual trafficking of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional and verbal abuse victims have experienced. There are two main types of sexual trafficking.
The first is where individuals in developing world countries look for people (mainly women and girls) and promise them jobs in the capital or major cities in that country or a neighboring country. After the traffickers are able to convince these people to go with them, they force the victims into prostitution with tourists or wealthy individuals from that country.
The second major form of sexual trafficking is when individuals recruit people (the majority are women and girls) to work in the United States who are then forced to work as prostitutes.
In addition to being forced into prostitution, these women are subjected to the dangers of abuse, forced captivity, severe injury and death. The 1990s saw a rapid increase in the number of women involved in the sex trade.
Immigration & Labor Trafficking:
This is the type of human trafficking occurs when people of developing countries flee their country of origin in the search for better work opportunities and a better quality of life and personal security. This is probably one of the oldest forms of human trafficking in the history of the world. While most of the people who immigrate to the U.S. go through the legal process there are those do not have access to such opportunity and enter the U.S. without proper documentation. Most often people who go through this process pay someone large sums of money in order to be able to gain entry to the U.S. advertently and unknowingly exposing themselves to organized criminal smugglers who in turn expose them to dangers of death, injury, torture, sexual exploitation, forced labor, captivity, constant threats and indescribable horrors.
This type of human trafficking is an issue that severely affects our community safety, individual civil rights.
Human trafficking is a crime and is better described as Modern-Day Slavery.
Learn more about what the U.S is doing to fight trafficking.
- www.state.gov/g/tip/
- usinfo.state.gov/gi/global_issues/human_trafficking.html
- www.usdoj.gov/trafficking.htm
- www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking
- www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/resources/plain_site.html
- www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2004/33186.htm