January declared National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

  • Published
  • By Kirk Stoye
  • 100th Force Support Squadron
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  January was recently declared the National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month during a presidential proclamation by our commander in chief.

"For more than two centuries, the United States has worked to advance the cause of freedom," President Barack Obama said. "Stained from a history of slavery and shaped by ancestors brought to this country in chains, today, America shines as a beacon of hope to people everywhere who cherish liberty and opportunity. Still, our society remains imperfect, and our nation has more work to do to uphold these values. At home and around the globe, we must continue to fight for human dignity and the inalienable rights of every person."

Human trafficking is a complex and hidden crime, and therefore the true scale of it is difficult to determine. According to the United Nations News Centre, it's one of the most profitable crimes worldwide, second only to illegal drugs and arms trafficking, with an annual trade value of around $32 billion. It is estimated there are nearly 21 million victims of forced labor, including forced sexual exploitation.

As stated on DoSomthing.org, some facts on human trafficking include:

· Globally, the average cost of a slave is $90.

· Trafficking primarily involves exploitation which comes in many forms, including: prostitution, involuntary servitude and compelling victims to commit sex acts for the purpose of creating pornography.

· According to some estimates, approximately 80 percent of trafficking involves sexual exploitation, and 19 percent involves labor exploitation.

· There are approximately 20 to 30 million slaves in the world today.

· According to the U.S. Department of State, 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year. More than 70 percent are female and half are children.

· The average age a teen enters the sex trade in the U.S. is 12 to 14 years old. Many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children.

· California holds three of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 13 highest child sex trafficking areas in the nation: Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.

· The National Human Trafficking Hotline receives more calls from Texas than any other state in the U.S. Fifteen percent of those calls are from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

· Between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year.

Human trafficking is a serious federal crime with penalties of up to imprisonment for life.  Within the United Sates Code, federal law defines "severe forms of trafficking in persons" as: "(A) Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or (B) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery."

In short, human trafficking is a form of slavery. Those who recruit minors into commercial sexual exploitation violate federal anti-trafficking laws, even if there is no force, fraud or coercion.

According to The National Crime Agency U.K. Human Trafficking Centre, across the U.K., it is estimated that 2,744 people, including 602 children, were potential victims of trafficking last year. In September, the National Crime Agency said the number of potential victims of human trafficking in the U.K. increased by 22 percent between 2012 and 2013, with 55 cases identified in Scotland. Almost one-third of the victims in Scotland suffered sexual exploitation, while others experienced labor exploitation and criminal exploitation.

The agency said victims came from countries including Poland, Slovakia, Thailand, Vietnam, Ghana and Nigeria. The president summed up human trafficking in his proclamation closing comments.

"Today, millions of men, women, and children are victims of human trafficking," Obama said. "This modern day slavery occurs in countries throughout the world and in communities across the U.S.

"During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we stand with the survivors, advocates, and organizations dedicated to building a world where our people and our children are not for sale."

Every Airman can do their part in combating human trafficking by reporting suspicious behavior that may indicate trafficking-related activities through the chain of command, security forces, Air Force Office of Special Investigations or the Inspector General office.