Trafficking and Displacement - October 2009

❯

Human Commodities? - A Look at Human Trafficking and the Rise of this Illicit Global Trade

Slavery as we once knew it no longer exists, but new, contemporary forms have taken its place. One of the largest rings of contemporary slavery exists in the form of human trafficking. 27 million people are trapped in modern-day slavery. Of this number 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders. Even more startling, 80% of transnational victims of human trafficking are women and girls. Furthermore, one million children are exploited by the global commercial sex trade. In Western Europe , an estimated 700,000 women are illegally trafficked annually.

October 1, 2009
Sarah Magallanes
Trafficking and Displacement - October 2009

❯

Oil, Courts, and Death: Interview with "Crude" Director Joe Berlinger

In 1993, thirty thousand indigenous and non-indigenous rain-forest dwellers sued the U.S. oil giant Texaco alleging decades of systemic pollution of water, land and air. Texaco subsequently merged with the oil company Chevron in 2001. The case was initially brought to court in the United States but was dismissed and relocated to an Ecuadorean court.

October 1, 2009
Matthew Lamm
Trafficking and Displacement - October 2009

❯

Reforming a Predatory Army in Eastern Congo

Each of the two million displaced civilians in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has a gut-wrenching story. In my five trips to eastern Congo since July 2007, the political dynamics have shifted dramatically, but the atrocities, displacement, and resulting humanitarian catastrophe are a painful reminder of a simple truth: ending the Congolese army’s predatory behavior is a perquisite to lasting stability in the country.

October 1, 2009
Colin Thomas-Jensen
Trafficking and Displacement - October 2009

❯

A Dispute Not Settled

A series of Israeli construction projects in West Bank settlements drew world attention this summer, further derailing the stagnant Israeli-Palestinian peace process, adding friction to the U.S.-Israeli relationship, and threatening to bring down conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s young government less than 12 months after its formation.

October 1, 2009
Joseph Marks
Trafficking and Displacement - October 2009

❯

Slavery in the New Century

Many people in the U.S. have still not heard of human trafficking, despite it being the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. Those who are aware of it often still see it as a problem that happens only in far away Southeast Asian countries. The reality is that human trafficking occurs in virtually every country in the world, including in the U.S. In the Americas, like other parts of the world, the rich countries in the north (like the U.S.) act as “destination” countries that provide the demand for services provided by trafficking victims, while poorer countries to the south serve as “source” countries, which provide the victims. Within the U.S., human trafficking has been reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with the majority of trafficking victims who are brought into the U.S. coming from Mexico.

October 1, 2009
Rita Seimion
Trafficking and Displacement - October 2009

❯

Combating Human Trafficking in Timor-Leste

The fledgling government of Timor-Leste has made significant improvements to its interagency coordination of anti-human trafficking activities assisted by the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT). In January 2008, UNMIT and civilian Timorese police successfully raided a sex trafficking ring and arrested 13 people who operated a sex trade in bars. In response to this bust and other significant cases, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Alola Foundation hosted a two-day seminar in March 2008 on the challenges of countering human trafficking and best practices to mobilize local actors on the ground. However, though the United Nations Department of Peace Keeping Operations (UNDPKO) has instituted strict policies regarding UN staff patronizing such establishments, reports of sexual exploitation by UN staff continue to surface in Timor-Leste.

October 1, 2009
Jennifer Nokolaeff
Trafficking and Displacement - October 2009