Virginia: NoVa Asian Massage Parlours Raided

By Tom Jackman (Washington Post)

Northern Virginia - We were reminded recently, by Rep. Frank Wolf, that many Asian massage parlors in Northern Virgnia serve as “a modern-day form of slavery,” because their employees are forced to work long hours under poor conditions to pay off their immigration-related debts.

Prompted by research from the Polaris Project, a national anti-human trafficking organization, Wolf in October pushed the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force to crack down on the unassuming-looking places in industrial parks and office buildings. Last week, the task force leapt back into the fray, visiting 61 massage parlors during a seven-hour sweep Wednesday afternoon.

The sweep involved 40 Fairfax County police officers, task force members from ICE, Virginia State Police, the FBI, Prince William, Vienna and Herndon police, the State Department, plus zoning, licensing and fire officials. The Polaris Project also attended to help with assisting any possible human trafficking victims.

Fortunately, none of those were found Wednesday, Fairfax police said. In fact, 38 of the 61 visited weren’t even open, which may be a function of visiting massage parlors in the middle of the afternoon. But of the 23 the task force visited, they did find licensing violations at seven of them, in Herndon, Vienna, Falls Church and Alexandria.

“We will continue to be vigilant on this heart-wrenching and tragic problem,” Fairfax Lt. Chris Marsh said. For a more in-depth look at the dilemma, go here.

Google Donates $11.5 Million to Fight Modern-Day Slavery

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tech giant Google announced Wednesday it is donating $11.5 million to several coalitions fighting to end the modern-day slavery of some 27 million people around the world.
In what is believed to be the largest-ever corporate grant devoted to the advocacy, intervention and rescue of people being held, forced to work or provide sex against their will, Google said it chose organizations with proven records in combating slavery.

"Many people are surprised to learn there are more people trapped in slavery today than any time in history," said Jacquelline Fuller, director of charitable giving and advocacy for Google. "The good news is that there are solutions."

The Washington-based International Justice Mission, a human rights organization that works globally to rescue victims of slavery and sexual exploitation, was chosen by Google to lead the efforts.
It will partner with Polaris Project and Slavery Footprint and a handful of smaller organizations for the multi-year effort to rescue the enslaved, push for better infrastructure and resources for anti-slavery enforcement agencies overseas, as well as raise awareness here in the United States and help countries draft anti-slavery legislation.

"Each year we focus some of our annual giving on meeting direct human need," Fuller said. "Google chose to spotlight the issue of slavery this year because there is nothing more fundamental than freedom."

Gary A. Haugen, president of the International Justice Mission, said the coalition would focus on three initiatives: A $3.5 million intervention project to fight forced labor in India; a $4.5 million advocacy campaign in India to educate and protect the vulnerable; and a $1.8 million plan to mobilize Americans on behalf of the millions currently at risk of slavery or waiting for rescue around the world.

The remaining $1.7 million will go to several smaller organizations working to combat slavery.

"It's hard for most Americans to believe that slavery and human trafficking are still massive problems in our world," said Haugen. "Google's support now makes it possible for IJM to join forces with two other leading organizations so we can bring to bear our unique strengths in a united front."

Those leading the U.S. efforts will meet in Washington on Wednesday to kick off the joint initiative. The project will focus on improved legislation to protect vulnerable children and adults in the United States, as well as a push for more accountability and transparency in the U.S. supply chain by retailers and manufacturers to make sure their products are "slave-free."

The trafficking of women for the sex trade is common in big American cities. Some illegal immigrants find themselves forced to work in sweatshops, in private homes as domestic servants or on farms without pay under the threat of deportation.

The new effort will launch new initiatives that ordinary Americans can take to help abolish modern-day slavery, such as understanding how their own clothing or smartphones might contain fabrics or components manufactured by forced labor.

"Whether it's by calling the national human trafficking hotline, sending a letter to their senator, or using online advocacy tools, millions of Americans will be able to use their voices to ensure that ending this problem becomes a top priority," said Bradley Myles, executive director of Polaris Project.

Google.org — the philanthropy arm of the Silicon Valley firm — announced the anti-slavery effort as part of its $40 million in end-of-year giving that brings its charitable donations to more than $100 million in 2011. The grants will also support science, technology, engineering and math education; girls' education in the developing world; and the use of technology for social good.

Justin Dillon, the founder of Slavery Footprint, said the Google grant would allow the movement to move from "anecdote and emotion," to tangible action that could make a dent in history.

"Having a company like Google recognize the value of our work marks a major turning point for the anti-slavery movement," said Dillon, whose nonprofit gives consumers some tools to determine whether slaves were used in the making of their goods and teaches them to use social media to sound off about slavery and engage with corporations about their supply chains.

Chinese Officials CRack Two Child-Trafficking Rings

CNN - (Beijing)  Chinese police have busted two child-trafficking rings after a six-month nationwide investigation, rescuing 178 children and arresting 608 suspects, the country's Ministry of Public Security announced this week.

Calling it "the biggest achievement since the launch of a national campaign against human trafficking," the ministry described in detail the joint effort of police forces in ten provinces in statement posted on its official website.

A traffic accident in May in southwestern Sichuan Province unexpectedly led the authorities to a network of child-traffickers headed by man named Cai Lianchao, the ministry said.

In August, police in southeastern Fujian Province uncovered another human trafficking ring led by a woman named Chen Xiumei, according to the statement.

After gathering initial evidence on the two rings that kidnapped and sold children across China, the ministry said 5,000 police officers conducted a highly coordinated nationwide investigation for several more months before finally arresting the suspects last week.

Officials placed rescued children in local orphanages while they tried to reunite them with their families, the ministry said. It added that female police officers were dispatched to take care of the children, some of whom were being treated for illnesses.

"We will strictly adhere to our policy of 'zero tolerance' on child-trafficking," the ministry emphasized in its statement.

"This policy is aimed at cracking down on the buyers' market," said Chen Shiqu, Director of the anti-human trafficking department at the Ministry of Public Security.

"We will ensure the buyers lose both their money and the purchased children, so that we can address the problem from the source by reducing the demand for kidnapped and trafficked children."
Since the government launched a national campaign against human trafficking in April 2009, police have arrested almost 50,000 suspects, rescuing more than 18,000 children as well as some 35,000 women, the ministry said.

Human trafficking is a major problem in China, with children and women being the primary victims.
Premier Wen Jiabao pledged last week that the government would continue to crack down on the crime to protect women and children.

Training: Human Trafficking 101/Baltimore, Maryland

Do you want to know more about Human Trafficking here in Baltimore, MD, and the U.S.?

Come to HT 101(Human Trafficking) training sponsored by Safe House of Hope.

When: Saturday, Decemeber 10th
10am-noon

Where: 901 Hollins St, Baltimore, MD  21223
...see you there!!

New Resource Guide on Services for Trafficking Victims

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATIP) has published Services Available to Victims of Human Trafficking: A Resource Guide for Social Service Providers. The resource guide provides information about the resources available for both pre-certified and certified victims, including children with letters of eligibility. It describes the many community and State-funded resources available for victims, including options for food, shelter, clothing, medical care, legal assistance, and job training. In addition, the guide provides information on how adults and children can obtain Certification and Eligibility Letters.

The majority of the booklet outlines the types of Federal benefits and services available to trafficking victims in various immigration categories. Included in the guide is a chart for each government program, describing eligibility information for certified adults, children with letters of eligibility, lawful permanent residents, U.S. citizens, and others. To download a copy of the resource guide, go to the following link: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/Trafficking_Svcs_9_30_11.pdf

Advocacy/Awareness: Check Your State's HT Report Card

Shared Hope International has released the results of their Protected Innocence State Report Card project.  Shared Hope completed national and local level research for the Departments of State and Justice. DEMAND. research and domestic minor sex trafficking assessments in locations around the country led to the National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, which outlines the top policy issues discovered through the research. The most pressing policy needs include:

• The increase in specialized shelter care for domestic minor sex trafficking victims beyond the mere 100 beds specifically provided for these victims; 
• The development of alternatives to a criminal justice response, preferably through a child protective procedure; and  
• A prioritization and focus on the investigation and prosecution of demand (buyers of sex with minors).

The Protected Innocence State Report Card measures each state’s legislative framework and assigned it point values that calculate to a grade: A-F. The report card strives to provide recommendations to improve a state’s grade.

Check your State's Report Card HERE.