Human trafficking: Slaves among us
source: callandresponse.com
About six years ago I took a summer course on migration at Lund University in Sweden. The classes were taught by a University of California professor and focused on the contemporary issues of global human smuggling and human trafficking. A brief distinction between the two: Human smuggling is a ‘victimless’ crime in which a migrant pays a smuggler to assist in the illegal passage across a political border. Human trafficking, on the other hand, is far more sinister.
Human trafficking involves human victims who are coerced, tricked and/or forced by criminals to work in exploitative relationships in which the traffickers make money from the victims. It is an issue of human rights – not state sovereignty – and the victims are not criminals. Human trafficking is essentially slavery; its victims are chiefly women and children who are usually forced to work in the sex industry. Other ways in which trafficked persons are exploited include as child soldiers, forced laborers (for example on farms and in sweatshops), as beggars and even athletes.
The victims of human trafficking may be lured to another country or region by promises of work, citizenship, visas, education, money, fame, you name it. They are often held in heartbreaking conditions of slavery and abuse by violent means and/or threats against their families. And make no mistake – it is the poor and disadvantaged who are being enslaved and exploited.
Some estimates put the number of slaves worldwide today at 27 million – more than at any other time in history. It is a multi-billion dollar growth industry, a reality which exposes the sickening greed and cruelty that still exist in the world today. The fact that human trafficking is such a lucrative and rapidly growing worldwide industry undermines any claims of human progress.
Unfortunately, it is also a problem that is largely ignored and misunderstood.
My summer course on migration ended with a viewing of the film Lilja 4-ever by Swedish director Lukas Moodysson. It is a fictionalization based on the true story of 16 year-old Danguolė Rasalaitė from Lithuania, who was promised a job picking berries in Sweden. When she arrived she was imprisoned in an apartment and forced to be a prostitute. Danguolė ended up committing suicide by throwing herself off of an overpass in Malmö, the city where I was living at the time of the course.
Lilja 4-ever is a powerful film and often difficult to watch. It left many students in tears or speechless with shock, but with a more personal conception of what the victims of human trafficking go through, even in the most comfortable and orderly countries of Europe and North America.
Here is the trailer for a feature length documentary on the current global state of slavery: human slavery: sex slavery, labor slavery, child soldiers and child slavery. The film is called Call + Response and features academics, politicians, activists, actors and musicians such as Cornel West, Madeleine Albright, Daryl Hannah, Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd, Nicholas Kristof, Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu and Imogen Heap.
‘Call + Response’
This is a public service announcement on human trafficking and child exploitation in Asia; and its connection to global capitalism. It comes from the Australian organization STIR.
‘Human Trafficking… Who Funds It?’
by Graham Land
Additional resources:
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Aftonbladet – Hon tvingades bli prostituerad – tog livet av sig (in Swedish)
Graham Land grew up in Washington, D.C., where he was part of the local hardcore punk scene. Through this unique musical movement he became involved in grass roots anti-racist activism, animal rights and Ecology. Since 2000 Graham has lived in Europe, earning an MA in history from Malmö University in Sweden and working as a musician, English teacher, sports therapist, customer service agent and writer. Graham has a podcast with author Saci Lloyd and is currently pretending to work on his first novel.
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Tags: call, child, global, human trafficking, industry, labor, Lilja 4-ever, migration, response, sex, slavery, slaves, smuggling, trafficking, victim
Thanks for this article and we welcome all interested parties, and those that can help us, to view our site: http://www.stopslavery2010.com We are implementing the DAYTON HUMAN TRAFFICKING ACCORDS in our community and trying to immediately establish a “In-School Awareness and Education program” as part of the fight against the scum traffickers. Any ideas, suggestions, contacts or assistance is appreciated!
peace,
Phil Cenedella
888.206.3264
The Dayton Human Trafficking Accords
WHEREAS,
WE can end human trafficking and slavery, but only if we solemnly commit ourselves to that common purpose.
We must confront the global scourge of trafficking and slavery beginning in our own local communities.
We as individuals and all institutions of society have a moral responsibility to end trafficking and free slaves from their captivity.
NOW THEREFORE,
WE undertake a solemn commitment, beginning now, to end the scourge of trafficking and slavery
And to take immediate action in our communities to
Stir society’s conscience to action against trafficking and slavery
Rescue and restore victims of trafficking and slavery
Identify and punish traffickers and slavers
Promote legislation and public policies to eradicate trafficking and slavery
Address the social, cultural and economic causes of trafficking and slavery
So that
We will end human trafficking in our time.
http://www.daytonhumantraffickingaccords.com
Thanks. For some reason every single Swedish and English source I can find spells the name “Dangoule” or “Dangoele”. Only when I checked a Lithuanian source did they have the Danguolė Rasalaitė spelling.
The name should be DangUOle, not DangOUle. Big difference