It cannot be denied that most of us have experienced a degree of financial hardship due to the current economic slump.  To some of us this simply means sacrificing a daily pit stop at Starbucks on the way to work. Some of us have partially or completely given up driving in order to dodge inflated fuel costs. At times these lifestyle changes can be frustrating and we may even begin to feel sorry for ourselves. During these times of self pity it is important to remember that for some of us the daily sacrifice is freedom.  As of recent the human trafficking crisis has escalated and is taking place closer to home than most would expect. 

The State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report, released by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on June 16^th, verifies that the global financial crisis has increased the worldwide trade in trafficked persons. The report features data and statistics from 175 countries about the amount of human trafficking that goes on within their borders and reveals that the global economic crisis is boosting the demand for human trafficking due to a growing demand for cheap goods and services.

According to the report, “A striking global demand for labor and a growing supply of workers willing to take ever greater risks for economic opportunities seem a recipe for increased forced labor cases of migrant workers and women in prostitution.” The report predicts that the economic crisis will push more businesses underground to avoid taxes and unionized labor, which will increase the use of forced, cheap and child labor by cash-strapped multinational companies.

“This is modern slavery. A crime that spans the globe, providing ruthless employers with endless supply of people to abuse for financial gain,” Clinton said.  “Trafficking is a crime that involves every nation on Earth, and that includes our own. Trafficking is a grave problem in the United States.”

In 2008, the FBI opened 132 trafficking investigations, made 139 arrests and obtained 94 convictions.  This encouraging trend looks as if it will continue in 2009.  In recent months several domestic human trafficking investigations have led to arrests.

In late April a Brownsville, Texas man and woman were arrested on warrants issued following a six count indictment by a federal grand jury charging them with one count of importing aliens for prostitution purposes, one count of attempting to import a minor alien for prostitution purposes, and two counts of harboring aliens for prostitution purposes.

In May, two people from Reisterstown, Maryland were indicted on sex trafficking charges involving three minor girls. The perpetrators provided the three girls with marijuana, clothing, food, shelter, and condoms, and transported them to engage in sex for pay.

This month a Milwaukee couple, both medical doctors, was sentenced to six years in prison for forcing a woman to work as a domestic slave for 19 years. The victim testified that for 19 years she was hidden, forbidden from going outside, and told that she would be arrested, imprisoned and deported if she were discovered.

Human trafficking is on the rise yet many are still unaware that it exists.  According to Clinton, “Trafficking thrives in the shadows, and it can be easy to dismiss it as something that happens to someone else, somewhere else. But that’s not the case.”  Would you be able to spot human trafficking if were happening in your neighborhood? 

Jamie White, Intern