Wednesday, December 3
"Don't Close Your Eyes:" A Panel on Human Trafficking
On Wednesday, December 3, 2008 Liliya Veleva, a Levermore Global Scholar at Adelphi University, led a panel discussion on human trafficking and transnational migration. The panel lasted from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and focused on the multiple areas of the problem presented by human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is a violation of human rights,” according to Safe Horizon, “It is the illegal trade in human beings through abduction or recruitment, by means of force, fraud, coercion or ‘sale’ for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labor, or debt bondage.”
Each panelist was given the opportunity to explain the roots of the human trafficking problem and offer possible solutions as it relates to their own area of specialty. Speakers came from a wide range of backgrounds and included Jennifer Dreher, Senior Director of the Anti-Trafficking Program at Safe Horizon; Michael Raggi, Adjunct Professor and retired Special Agent for the US Department of Defense; Thomas Mulligan, Immigration Judge and Philip Baverstock, Human rights adviser with the Delegation of the European Commission to the United Nations who were both present in personal, not official, capacity; and Dr. Stephanie Lake, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at Adelphi University.
It is estimated that 700,000 to 2 million people are being trafficked globally each year. Despite these enormous figures, it is common for trafficking victims to live and work among us without causing any suspicion or alarm.
“(Trafficking is) an extremely hidden crime; anywhere a person can work, trafficking can exist,” Dreher explained. About 14,000 to 17,000 of these people are brought into the US alone. “Its incredible how hidden this problem is,” Mulligan added.
Most of the victims are aware that they are in a dangerous situation, but few are aware of their actual rights and the infringements upon them.
“You don’t have to be a citizen to be protected by the constitution; the word ‘citizen’ is no where in the constitution.” said Lake.
Deportation is the worst form of threat to these victims; therefore they fear the law and usually do not seek help from any higher authority. This silence results in a large number of people remaining under the control of traffickers. According to Dreher, though the Anti-Trafficking unit of Safe Horizon has been in operation since 2001, only 350 survivors of trafficking have been admitted.
Most of this trafficking is not for sexual exploitation or prostitution, as is generally thought. In fact, over 60 percent of the clients admitted to Safe Horizon were trafficked for labor purposes.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act was established in 2000. Raggi explained that this act makes trafficking a U.S. federal crime. The act takes measures to prevent it and increases prosecution of traffickers and protection of victims in the United States.
When discussing implementation of laws and protections for trafficking victims, Baverstock said that just passing this act may not be enough. “The necessary laws are not in place or are not being properly enforced,” said Baverstock.
The incentive that drives these traffickers is always the same: money. Human beings are the third most lucrative trafficked commodity, after drugs and arms. Up to $32 billion is made as profit per year for human traffickers. Human trafficking generates more money in a year than the revenue of Google, Nike, and one other large corporation combined.
“Anywhere there’s money, there’s an incentive to traffic,” Mulligan said, “If you want to get to the heart of the issue, you have to follow the money.”
This path oftentimes leads across countries and even continents. This is where cooperation is lacking the most. Raggi commented that one of the most frustrating things when dealing with international investigations, as a law enforcer, is when certain countries would not allow you inside; there the trail is lost and you are at a dead end.
There is an immense need for greater international cooperation and adoption of “a knowledge base approach,” according to Baverstock. “If society is going to fight this, (they’ll need) anything that spreads awareness or knowledge,” offered Mulligan.
Panelists' Bios (PDF 59KB)
Written by Michelle Consorte, LGS Freshman
