Human trafficking – What’s all the fuss?

  • Published
  • By Kirk Stoye
  • 100th Force Support Squadron
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  We're all aware of human trafficking and for most of us, the immediate thought is the burden and time to take yet another annual Total Force Awareness Training module to "fill the square," complete our training requirements and keep our unit training managers off our backs.

However, as the RAF Mildenhall point of contact for Combating Trafficking in Persons, I look at the issue in a totally different light. At first, it was just another additional duty that added to my busy work load. But as I read the multitude of information available on the subject and dove deeper into the human suffering of fellow human beings, I began to see it for what it is; a plight on our society and horrific crime against humanity.

According to the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking, an estimated 2.5 million people are in forced labor (including sexual exploitation) at any given time as a result of trafficking; 161 countries are reported to be affected by human trafficking by being a source, transit or destination country; and people are reported to be trafficked from 127 countries, affecting every continent and every type of economy.

The majority of trafficking victims are between the ages of 18 and 24, with an estimated 1.2 million children being trafficked each year. Of these, 95 percent of victims experience physical or sexual violence during trafficking with 43 percent used for commercial sexual exploitation. With annual global profits from human trafficking exceeding $31.6 billion annually, it is no wonder why trafficking in persons is tied with illegal arms as the second largest criminal activity in the world.

But still, you might say, how does it affect me or my family in the quiet English countryside regions of Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire?

An article in a national newspaper told a story of a young woman lured to Britain by the promises of money and work. Her passport was taken on arrival, she was sold to a brothel owner for about $3,600 and enslaved to pay off that money. She was also controlled by the threat and reality of violence. What is less expected, is that the brothel where she was kept as a sex slave was not in London, Birmingham or one of the metropolitan centers. This brothel was in the cathedral city of Peterborough and is one of 80 that were raided by Cambridgeshire police in 2010. This is an example of just one article out of a number of stories on human trafficking in the local area.

But what can we do?

Be vigilant, be aware and as the screen savers and base commander's channel posters say, "look beneath the surface." Since the majority of us live on the economy, one thing we need to look out for might be right up our streets. For instance, investigations have uncovered evidence of auctions in Peterborough where men - gang bosses and brothel owners - buy and sell women for between $800 and $5,000. The women are then virtual prisoners in rented houses in residential areas. They are afraid to go out, and receive none of the money paid by their "clients." To keep them from meeting neighbors or getting to know their surroundings, the brothel owners frequently move them from one rented house to another. Advertising is through the "personal services" columns of newspapers and internet sex sites. The ads talk of "dreamgirls," "beautiful young European girls," and "ladies new to the area" and give mobile telephone numbers. This is certainly not saying that any of our personnel would respond to these ads or use these types of services. But by being vigilant, you might notice unusual activity in a rented accommodation in your neighborhood.

As our wing commander stated in his memorandum on combating trafficking in persons, "it is a grave violation of human rights and a worldwide criminal threat to security, civil rights and stability as well as a direct threat to our national foreign policy goals." Everyone should remain vigilant, "look beneath the surface," identify and report suspicious behavior that may indicate trafficking related activities to your chain of command, security forces, Air Force Office of Special Investiagations or the Inspector General.

The next time your unit training manager asks you to complete your overdue block of Human Relations Training, and you come to the module covering human trafficking, I hope you will be reminded of the privileges of freedom you have compared to the plight of the 2.5 million who have no freedom due to this horrific activity ... "Look Beneath the Surface."