Kathleen: Thank you for everyone who is tuning in for today's session. You might be wondering how this topic fits into the virtual conference "Innovations in Geriatric Care." How does this fit with a geriatric topic? Why is this important? There are geriatric individuals that have been trafficked. This may not be sex trafficking, but this could be labor trafficking. These individuals are coming to us with social and emotional impairments that affect both ADLs and IADLs. As occupational therapy practitioners, I think we have a great opportunity to help these individuals to reintegrate into society.
Introduction
- Widespread problem
- 14,000 to 50,000 individuals trafficked into the United States annually
- At least 80% of trafficked individuals are women and girls
- Exploitation is unacceptable at any time, in any place
Human trafficking is a widespread problem. There are estimates ranging from anywhere between 14,000 and 50,000 individuals trafficked in the United States annually. This is a huge issue on our own shores. This hidden population involves the commercial sex industry, agriculture, factories, hotels, and the restaurant business. This also includes domestic workers, marriage brokers, and some adoption firms. At least 80% of trafficked individuals are women and girls. It is important to note that human trafficking is not a new social problem. It has always existed, but it is starting to get increased attention because we now have more awareness and outreach efforts. It is important to recognize that exploitation of people, of any race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity is unacceptable at any time or in any place.
Background
What is the background?
- Modern-day slavery
- Taking advantage of another person for profit
- Forced prostitution
- Forced-labor situations such as domestic servants, sweatshop workers, restaurant workers, janitors
Human trafficking is considered a form of modern-day slavery, and it is, again, widespread throughout the United States. According to Katherine Chon, who is the director of the newly created Office on Trafficking in Persons at the United States Department of Health and Human Services, states that human trafficking is when one person takes advantage of another person for some profit. Now, trafficking itself is not limited to forced prostitution, but it can also encompass forced labor situations such as domestic servants. Some of whom very well might be geriatric. This also includes sweatshop workers, restaurant workers, and janitors.
Definition
This is a very lengthy definition, but one that we need to understand.
“ … recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability, or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.”
Facts and Statistics
- Low-risk, high-reward industry
- > 20 million victims worldwide
- Victims can be any gender, nationality, race
- In the U.S., 75% to 85% of victims are involved in the sex trade
- The economic impact of more than $150 billion worldwide
Human trafficking is a low risk, high reward industry for the person who is the trafficker, and we will talk about them in just a few minutes. There are more than 20 million victims of trafficking worldwide. Again, it is important to recognize that they can be of any sex, gender, nationality, and race. While modern slavery includes sex trafficking as well as domestic, industrial, and farm labor, in the United States itself, 75 to 85% of all traffick victims are involved in the sex trade. Globally, more than 67, almost 70% of victims are trapped in forced labor, and of those, 25% of them are children. The human trafficking and forced labor industry have a huge economic impact worldwide, $150 billion. If we look at some examples in the United States, the impact is $40 million in Denver, Colorado and $290 million in Atlanta, Georgia. As you can see, this is a really big business.
- Cases in all 50 states
- Canada/Mexico and states with major ports are points of entry
- Networks quickly move people across the country
- The majority are in large cities
While there is no official count of victims in the United States, all cases that have been reported to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, and they come from all 50 states. The number increases every year, and the states that border Canada and Mexico with major points of entry have a little bit bigger problem. We are seeing this issue in every state across the United States because once that person comes into the United States, they are quickly being moved across the country and throughout the country. Although there are calls coming in from rural and urban areas, the majority come from large cities. I live in a very rural area of Delaware, and yes, there have been instances of human trafficking in my very small little community.
If we look at that trafficked individual, they fear identification. In addition, those networks that are trafficking and moving this person across the country are really good at alluding law enforcement. The other piece is that the trafficker and the traffickee, the person who is being trafficked, have really complex relationships. In some cases, they might be related and/or fear for their safety. They feel that they may not survive if it were not for the assistance of the trafficker.
It is important to note here that victims of trafficking may have contact with healthcare providers at any stage of human trafficking. For that particular reason, the International Organization for Migration and Health and Human Services provide some guidelines for assessment and management, which we will be talking about in just a little bit. As such, you may come in contact with a person and have only one shot to potentially help them. That is why it is so important to know these facts.
Some additional facts and statistics. These come from the International Labor Organization.
- 20.9 million victims of human trafficking globally
- 68% of them are trapped in forced labor
- 26% of them are children
- 55% are women and girls
- 139 goods from 75 countries made by forced and child labor
There are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking globally with 68% forced labor, 26% are children, and 55% women and girls. It is a $150 billion industry worldwide, and again, 139 goods from 75 different countries are being made by forced and child labor that we will be talking about in just a second.
- In 2015, 1 out of 5 runaways were likely child sex trafficking victims
- 74% were in foster care
- > 31,600 cases of human trafficking have been reported in the last 8 years
- 23% of texting conversations were from survivors
- The hotline receives 100 calls per day
In 2015, an estimated one out of five endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were likely child sex trafficking victims, and of those, 74% were in the care of social services or foster care when they ran. There are two human trafficking resources that are available in the handout. There is a National Human Trafficking Hotline, and there is also a text line called the Polaris BeFree Textline. More than 31,000 cases of human trafficking have been reported to the hotline over the last eight years. And, 23% of texting conversations to those text lines were from survivors compared to 11% of the phone calls. Finally, the hotline receives an average of about 100 phone calls per day.
Definition
Let's go back through the definition.
The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation or the prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.
Three Elements of Trafficking
It involves three elements: the transportation of the person, the force or the coercion of the victim, and then the abuse or exploitation of that same person.
Three Sections of Trafficking
Let's take it a step further. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime divides the definition of human trafficking then into three separate sections: the act, the means, and the purpose.
- The act
- What is done -- activities such as recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons
- The means
- Threats, use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving payments or benefits to control the victim
- The purpose
- Exploitation including prostitution, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery or forced servitude, and the removal of organs
The act is what is done. It generally refers to activities like recruitment or transportation, transfer or harboring, or receipt of persons. The means of trafficking consists of the threats or the use of force or coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power, vulnerability, getting payments, et cetera. Then finally, these acts are carried out for some purpose of exploitation. This could be sexual, labor, slavery, or forced servitude. Removal of organs is an extreme case.
It is important to remember that human trafficking is not the same as human smuggling. Human smuggling involves an individual being brought into the country through illegal means, and that is completely voluntary. Human trafficking is not voluntary. The person may go along with their trafficker because they have been coerced or lured, and that piece is voluntary, but then the servitude, prostitution, slavery, or the sexual acts are not voluntary. Those activities are definitely against their will. In human trafficking, the individual is promised something, but they do not generally get what was promised to them.
Forms of Trafficking
What are the forms of trafficking?
Sex Trafficking
- “Recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act.”
- Traffickers use violence, threats, lies, debt bondage, coercion to compel adults and children to engage in commercial sex acts against their will.
The first is sex trafficking. This is defined as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act. A commercial sex act is any sex act on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person. In other words, it involves the illegal transport of humans into another country purposefully to be exploited in a sexual manner for financial gain. Sex traffickers use everything from violence, threats, lies, debt bondage, or other forms of coercion to compel both adults and children to engage in commercial sex acts against their will. We may see some of these victims in our geriatric clinics.
- Forced into prostitution, stripping, pornography, escort services
- U.S. citizens, foreign nationals, women, men, children, LGBTQ individuals
- Vulnerable populations include runaway and homeless youth, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, social discrimination
- U.S. federal law states anyone <18 induced into commercial sex is a trafficking victim
The victims of sex trafficking can be forced into a lot of different things like stripping, prostitution, escort services, and other sexual services. Trafficking is taking a person against their will and place them into a position of vulnerability. This person could be a U.S. citizen, a foreign national, a man, a woman, a child, or LGBTQ individuals. There are some vulnerable populations like runaways, homeless youth, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, war, social discrimination, and the person who is just not paying attention. You hear every day about children being taken when the parents were not paying attention. People need to stay vigilant. Under the U.S. Federal law, anyone younger than 18 years of age-induced into commercial sex is a victim of sex trafficking, regardless of whether the trafficker used force, fraud, or coercion.
- Reasons include poverty, lack of education, abusive family history, runaways
- Many resort to “survival sex” for living expenses
- Mail order bride, modeling services, fake massage business, escort service can be fronts for obtaining women
We may think this is an issue in the rest of the world or that individuals are being brought to our country, but that is not the case at all. In fact, 80% of the victims are U.S. citizens. Poverty, lack of education, and abusive family history are primary reasons for victimization. When we look at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, they estimate one out of every six runaways is likely a child sex trafficking victim. As stated earlier, more than two-thirds were in the care of social services or foster care when they ran away. Many of these kids resort to something they call survival sex. They give of themselves in order to obtain living expenses, and they draw predators to themselves. The predators offer kindness to them, but this kindness is very short-lived.
There are foreign nationals involved in sex trafficking as well. Mail order bride and modeling services can oftentimes be fronts for obtaining women or children from disadvantaged areas who can then be sold for some lump sum payment. This industry uses a lot of different venues for advertising like fake massage businesses, online ads, escort services, truck stops, hotels and motels, and residential and commercial brothels. I think labor trafficking is probably more to our genre of gerontology.
Labor Trafficking
Labor trafficking is related more to the geriatric genre.
- Domestic servants, farm workers, and factory workers, door to door sales, restaurants, construction, carnivals, health and beauty services
- False promises of a high-paying job, exciting education/travel lure people into horrendous working conditions
- Reality is far different
Labor traffickers are recruiters, contractors, and employers in worldwide industries. In the U.S., labor trafficking includes domestic servants, farm workers, and factory workers. We also see labor trafficking reported in door to door sales crews, restaurants, construction work, carnivals, and health and beauty services. Labor traffickers make false promises about high paying jobs, education opportunities, and travel. They lure people into horrendous working conditions. Yet, the victims find that the reality is far different than what was promised to them. They are frequently working very long hours for little to no pay. Their employers exert a physical and a psychological control over them including physical abuse, debt bondage, and confiscation of their passports or their money. The victim believes that they have no other choice but to continue working for that employer. When we look at labor trafficking, we do see some younger individuals and children, but there are many older individuals as well.
- Most involve foreign nationals
- “Debt bondage” working off a “debt” for transport or job “finding fees”
- Prostitution and the sex industry (46%)
- Domestic servitude (27%)
- Agriculture (10%)
- Sweatshops and factories (5%)
- Restaurant and hotel work (4%)
