Thai Prawn Aquaculture

Front Page of an EJFoundation report and film on the Thai Trafficking Isuue

       When it comes to the harvesting of shellfish an American may call to mind the fishing industries of such areas of the Gulf South,coastal New England, Alaska, and various other areas of America where such aquaculture has great economic impact. However, it is no mystery that supermarkets don’t often carry foods that are procured locally, but rather from greatly distant areas. For example, the world’s top four retailers all buy shrimp raised on a particular product from Thailand, the country with the third most valuable seafood exports in the world. And this seafood industry, what the whole GDP is essentially built on, is made on the backs of enslaved (mostly)migrant workers.

       These four retailers all make claims to abhor slave labour, and yet when pressed on such issues usually make claims that large supply chains make it hard to tell what is going on, let alone be accountable for it. And this is why there can still be a slavery problem here. The research is done; the retailers know about it. The only excuse to buy the fruit of slave labour is because to not do so would inflate the price of prawns because workers that are paid a living wage(or any wage at all) would cost more. The government, while it does not have a finite figure, estimates about 300,000 people work in its fishing industry, 90% of which are migrants vulnerable to being trafficked and sold.

     While it is the government’s responsibility to tackle this problem, it is a problem that’s creation is largely a result of commercial interests, and thus, if large scale retailers greatly limit dealings with such companies involved in trafficking, and push for change in the industry, change will start to become viable. In terms of what the average American can do, while changing one’s shopping list to not have prawns entirely, or only getting locally sourced prawns, to do so would be to actively not contribute to products that are a result of, and therefore support, slave labour.

Information used, in addition to work pictured above also from The Guardian, here and here.

The Other Side

Often times, human trafficking is seen as a one sided story.  We hear the man’s, child’s, woman’s story of being trafficked, but not the trafficker’s story. Which leaves a lot of questions unanswered. How can we get a full story about a world problem, if we only understand one perspective? Not to mention, are we ever going to have a full, complete, unbiased comprehension of modern day slavery? Depending on the stories that are told, it is very difficult to have a full view on this social issue. My goal is to describe two of the reasons that human traffickers do what they do.

Researching this, my stomach was in knots. I was curious and nervous about what I may find. Are these people as cruel as they seem? Do they really have as twisted morals as we believe? Will what I find affect my views and opinions on human trafficking?

When I found my first story, a story about a Thai human trafficker, Noi, I was engaged in hearing her reasons for trafficking these people. Her belief is that she is rescuing the people that are fleeing from their home country. Let me provide background: in Myanmar, an ethnic cleansing of Muslim Rohingyas is occurring. The people of that ethnic group are trying to escape to save themselves, their families, and their friends. They are trying to reach Malaysia, a country highly populated by Muslims that would accept them as their own. The problem is that most of the Rohingyas travel by boat, and in doing that, they have to pass through Thailand. Since they are trespassing illegally, no one is willing to help them. Through this process, it makes Noi believe that she is working a sort of charity, to help them escape “unjustified detainment, alleged sexual abuse, or death.”

In this story, a viewpoint that isn’t normally seen or thought about is presented. The fact that a trafficker feels like they are helping a person by trafficking them is a surprising thought. It is a perspective that is also probably less common than the next I am about to present, which is for business purposes.

In an interview with Inge Bell, a human trafficker, Grigorij.* Grigorji was a brothel owner and he describes what he does as a business. He states, “When there is a demand, a job gets done. […] Suddenly, more stores opened because there is this demand for girls, dancing girls, strippers, go-go girls, whatever we call them…” here it is obvious that he treats running a brothel as a means to make money. Owning it, making sure things are going smoothly, and filling a social need.

In Grigorji’s story we see that being a trafficker is a business venture, a way to make money. The reason why this perspective is so much more popular and prevalent is because of the usual saying that trafficking has a high profit, but low costs. In many countries, traffickers have built relationships with people in law enforcement, therefore the risks of obtaining consequences are low.

In just these two stories, we can see that trafficking from the trafficker’s standpoint can be either because they feel like they are doing something necessary to help out troubled people, or because they find it a way to make good, albeit dirty, money. Needless to say. They’re probably many more reasons that this practice occurs, but the documentation on these reasons are not prevalent. The only way we can fully understand the global problem of human trafficking is if we are able to get as many viewpoints as possible. From the trafficked, the traffickers, the buyers, the overseers, the law enforcement – all these positions have to be heard from to be able to make the appropriate decision to end this growing epidemic. 

*Survivors of Slavery: Modern-Day Slave Narratives, Dr. Laura T. Murphy

Picture: www.capitalnews.ca

Often times, human trafficking is seen as a one sided story.  We hear the man’s, child’s, woman’s story of being trafficked, but not the trafficker’s story. Which leaves a lot of questions unanswered. How can we get a full story about a world problem, if we only understand one perspective? Not to mention, are we ever going to have a full, complete, unbiased comprehension of modern day slavery? Depending on the stories that are told, it is very difficult to have a full view on this social issue. My goal is to describe two of the reasons that human traffickers do what they do.

Researching this, my stomach was in knots. I was curious and nervous about what I may find. Are these people as cruel as they seem? Do they really have as twisted morals as we believe? Will what I find affect my views and opinions on human trafficking?

When I found my first story, a story about a Thai human trafficker, Noi, I was engaged in hearing her reasons for trafficking these people. Her belief is that she is rescuing the people that are fleeing from their home country. Let me provide background: in Myanmar, an ethnic cleansing of Muslim Rohingyas is occurring. The people of that ethnic group are trying to escape to save themselves, their families, and their friends. They are trying to reach Malaysia, a country highly populated by Muslims that would accept them as their own. The problem is that most of the Rohingyas travel by boat, and in doing that, they have to pass through Thailand. Since they are trespassing illegally, no one is willing to help them. Through this process, it makes Noi believe that she is working a sort of charity, to help them escape “unjustified detainment, alleged sexual abuse, or death.”

In this story, a viewpoint that is not normally seen or thought about is presented. The fact that a trafficker feels like they are helping a person by trafficking them is a surprising thought. It is a perspective that is also probably less common than the next I am about to present, which is for business purposes.

In an interview with Inge Bell, a human trafficker, Grigorij. Grigorji was a brothel owner and he describes what he does as a business. He states, “When there is a demand, a job gets done. […] Suddenly, more stores opened because there is this demand for girls, dancing girls, strippers, go-go girls, whatever we call them…”* here it is obvious that he treats running a brothel as a means to make money. Owning it, making sure things are going smoothly, and filling a social need.

In Grigorji’s story we see that being a trafficker is a business venture, a way to make money. The reason why this perspective is so much more popular and pravalent is because of the usual saying that trafficking has a high profit, but low costs. In many countries, traffickers have built relationships with people in law enforcement, therefore the risks of obtaining consequences are low.

In just these two stories, we can see that trafficking from the trafficker’s standpoint can be either because they feel like they are doing something necessary to help out troubled people, or because they find it a way to make good, albeit dirty, money. Needless to say. They’re probably many more reasons that this practice occurs, but the documentation on these reasons are not prevalent. The only way we can fully understand the global problem of human trafficking is if we are able to get as many viewpoints as possible. From the trafficked, the traffickers, the buyers, the overseers, the law enforcement – all these positions have to be heard from to be able to make the appropriate decision to end this growing epidemic. 

*Survivors of Slavery: Modern-Day Slave Narratives, Dr. Laura T. Murphy

UPC picture: sunandshield.wordpress.com

Facing Corruption for an End to Slavery

            Government systems promise to uphold justice and to preserve human dignity. Every country in the world considers human trafficking illegal, yet according to Transparency International, an organization against government corruption, “globally less than 1 in 10 traffickers are ever prosecuted.” In many cases, corruption allows the slave trade to thrive. The undeniable correlation between government corruption and human trafficking counteracts all efforts to enforce a worldwide abolition of slavery.

            Transparency International identifies corruption as “the misuse of entrusted power forpersonal gain.” Money establishes a link between the abuse of government power and slavery. Human trafficking yields approximately 32 billion US dollars per year. This flourishing industry is illegal; therefore, traffickers see corruption as “a necessary investment” or maybe even “the main cost factor” in their business.  Traffickers bribe officials in each stage of the slave trade including kidnapping, falsifying documents, and money laundering.

Nations overcome by poverty, such as Thailand, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, harbor the highest amounts of illegal slaves. The same extreme poverty that facilitates the slave trade affects police officers as well. Antislavery activist Kevin Bales argues, “In Western Europe, Canada, and the United States, slavery happens in spite of the efforts of the police, but in many countries, slavery flourishes because of the work of the police,” meaning when an officer must provide for his starving family at home, he may accept a bribe to ignore or even participate in the act of human trafficking (Bales 17). Aiding the enslaved “will offer few rewards and carry many penalties” for officers (Bales 18). Backed by governments, traffickers also confidently exercise psychological control over victims.  Bosses tell victims the police will not save them or worse threaten imprisonment. When enslaved people lose trust in the promise of government, they lose hope.

As officers or officials neglect slavery’s enforcement, few traffickers face prosecution, perpetuating a cycle of slavery. Corruption enables traffickers to elude the system, so they may prey on more victims and ultimately draw in more money to bribe officials and avoid prosecution. The market of “high profit” and “low risk” perpetuates the human trafficking system and counteracts its abolition. Recognizing corruption’s influence on human trafficking is the first step towards holding governments accountable for enforcing laws to abolish slavery truly.

Additional Source:

Bales, Kevin. Ending Slavery. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007. Print.

Behind the scenes at U.S. Military bases: how human trafficking serves as the secret foundation of our national defense

Labor abuses rampant on US bases in Afghanistan

    The United States is generally conceived as a moral advocate. Compared to many other nations in our world, the U.S. boasts a just government, fair laws and practices, and effective law enforcement. The democracy and economy of the U.S. are further symbols of the freedom of our country. An apparent contradiction to this claim is the existence of human trafficking at U.S. military bases in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, South Korea, and the Philippines. How can we, as a nation, claim to be morally good if our military is essentially promoting the enslavement of human beings? In order to remain a ‘free’ nation, we must first understand the causes of trafficking on our military bases. We then must find a solution so that operations on the bases for our armies do not function on the backs of enslaved people.
    Around 2.5 million U.S. soldiers have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 as members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines. The task of these soldiers is to defend America and promote peace throughout the Middle East, known as the War on Terror. Few are aware, however, of the more than 70,000 people from countries across the globe that are also shipped off to the Middle East to work on U.S. military bases. Some work by choice, but most do not.  Whether it is serving Taco Bell, cutting soldiers’ hair, or repairing electrical grids and equipment for camps, thousands of jobs are easily filled on military bases by low-wage, generally poor TCN’s. TCN stands for Third Country Nationals, and these people are from countries such as Kenya, Bosnia, Fiji, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and the Philippines.
    Many trafficked TCN’s were at one time tricked by an offer for a well-paying job that could provide their families and themselves with a better life. Some were told that Iraq and Afghanistan were the target destinations of their job. Others, such as Vinnie, Lydia, and Melanie, three women trafficked out of Fiji, were told that they were going to work as beauticians for a luxury hotel in Dubai. TCN’s trafficked into Iraq and Afghanistan are then forced to give up their passports and fork over exorbitant payments in order to obtain their fictitious jobs. After arriving at the U. S. military bases already indebted, many TCN’s are housed in shipping containers and forced to work twelve hours per day, seven days per week at jobs that pay a small fraction of the money that was originally promised. Subcontractor companies that supply work for U.S. soldiers and upkeep for the bases employ these TCN’s. Those who try to escape their situation are threatened with hefty early termination fees by their subcontractors. These TCN's, in essence, are enslaved by their subcontractors. They have no means of escape.

KBR lawsuit

    Starvation, severely overcrowded sleeping quarters, physical assault, and rape are just a few of the abuses of subcontracting companies toward their workers. The United States government has recognized the existence of human trafficking on military bases across the world, but little progress has been made. Several bills have been introduced to attempt to regulate the subcontracting companies overseas, but few government officials seem to care about the exploitation of TCN’s. A subcontracting officer in Afghanistan once told Sarah Stillman, author of “The Invisible Army", that labor law “doesn’t exist here” and the job of TCN’s is purely, “to get the war fighters what they need”.

    The United States is a symbol of freedom for the rest of the world. Ironically enough, tens of thousands of people are trafficked and enslaved in order to provide our military with what it needs in order to promote this freedom throughout the rest of the globe. In the future it is necessary for high-ranking military, government, and law enforcement officials to more aggressively attack this issue of human trafficking in the hopes of making a change and hopefully lessening the human trafficking statistics on military bases.

            

The Relationship between Street Gangs and Human Trafficking

Laura J. Lederer, a writer for the Public Discourse, and president of Global Centurion, an anti-human trafficking group, says that "In order to truly stop human sex trafficking successfully, we must take seriously that street gangs are a large part of the problem."  A popular statistic says that 86% of US cities with a population of 100,000 or more report gang activity. Included in that gang activity is human trafficking; in fact, gangs have become more involved in human trafficking in recent years because unlike drugs and guns, people can be repeatedly sold for profit. Lederer goes on to give us two specific cases in which gang members were involved in human trafficking.

Global Centurion, says that over the last couple years, criminal gang activity in the United States has become more of a problem than people think.  However, at the same time human trafficking has also become one of the fastest expanding crimes in the United States. Global Centurion has also found numerous cases in which gang members have been prosecuted for crimes related to human trafficking. Consequently, The 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment says that at least 35 states and U.S territories have reported that gangs in their jurisdictions are involved in human trafficking. In August 2013, Portland State University released a study on child sex trafficking in Portland, Oregon that showed 49.1 percent of youth in the study had been affected by gang activity.

According to Lederer and Global Centurion, there are numerous solutions to the problem. The one I want to talk about specifically is the idea that "state and local government must add human trafficking to the list of suspect activities for criminal gangs." This is important because it would erase the confusion of distinguishing the two illegal activities from each other; giving law enforcement the ability to enact stiffer punishments on gangs. One state that has already put this idea into effect is California. On April 5th, 2014 California lawmakers proposed a bill that would classify human trafficking as a gang crime - the bill went on to pass. Sen. Marty Block supported the bill saying that  "In San Diego, the human sex trafficking trade brings in $97 million in revenue, more money than drug trafficking, according to a new Urban Institute study. We need to fight this on all fronts.’’