258 trafficked people freed from Myanmar internet scam compound - IJM

 

It appears that phone and internet scamming may be the fastest-growing industry in the world, except for the War Industry.

Nearly 260 Workers Freed from Myanmar Scam Compounds Identified as Trafficking Victims in Thailand

IJM praises collaboration between Thai authorities and non-profit organization partners.

Bangkok, Thailand — Last week, 260 people from 19 different countries working in industrial-scale, online scamming operations based in Myawaddy, Myanmar were released by an ethnic armed militia group and handed over to Thai authorities across the border in Mae Sot, Thailand. These scamming complexes are notorious for trafficking victims into horrific working conditions involving constant surveillance, threats of physical punishment, and beatings. Over the weekend, Thai officials identified 258 of the freed individuals as human trafficking victims under Thailand’s National Referral Mechanism for protecting victims of trafficking.

In coordination with local non-profit organizations and Thai authorities on the ground, IJM Thailand rapidly mobilized a team on Saturday morning to respond by assisting victim identification and response efforts at the border. IJM staff are providing translation services, assisting survivors, and working with local officials to support the Thai government Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDT) tasked with identifying victims of trafficking. “The hope is that strengthened government victim identification in forced scamming cases will lead to better protection for migrant workers overall," says an IJM casework staff who assisted the MDTs during the victim identification process.

“This is the beginning of one of the largest releases of victims from the scam compounds in Myanmar, with hundreds or thousands expected to be freed in the coming weeks. We’re grateful for the Thai government and the non-profit organizations we partner with, who have been working tirelessly to support survivors of forced labour in online scam operations,” said Andrew Wasuwongse, Country Director of International Justice Mission (IJM) Thailand.

“We also commend the Thai government's decisive action by focusing attention on the scam compounds, including cutting off the supply of Thai-side electricity and internet to the compounds in Myanmar. We urge the Thai government to maintain the electricity and internet cuts and expand enforcement to include likely illegal internet connections, including the use of internet signal repeaters. These actions will strengthen Thailand’s commitment to cracking down on the criminal scam syndicates that have been operating with impunity for too long,” he added.

The majority of the identified victims of trafficking were from countries across Asia and Africa, including the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, China, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Taiwan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, and as far away as Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Brazil.

Since 2022, IJM’s team in Thailand has supported survivors trafficked into forced scamming. Often working together with other NGOs, IJM staff have supported the government’s comprehensive victim identification process at the border or in Bangkok. Many people who have been trafficked face significant uncertainty as they await formal recognition as trafficking victims.

Gavesh*, a survivor of forced scamming who was trafficked to Myanmar, released, assisted by IJM, and repatriated back to Sri Lanka in 2023, expressed relief to IJM upon hearing the news: “I’m glad that more people are coming out of the compounds. I know they went through horrific experiences. I hope that even more victims will be freed and safely returned to their home countries.”

Over the past few years, thousands of people from more than 60 countries around the world have fallen victim to traffickers, lured to scam centers with promises of high salaries advertised as white-collar jobs located in Bangkok or elsewhere in the region. In most cases, criminal scam syndicates deceived individuals into traveling to Thailand for seemingly legitimate jobs, only to be trafficked across the border into Myanmar, and forced to work in exploitative working conditions.

IJM’s offices in Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia (through a local partner) are working with government agencies and embassies to facilitate the rescue, repatriation and care of survivors, as well as investigation by law enforcement partners into the cross-border human trafficking networks involved. Since 2021, IJM has assisted close to 500 individuals determined to be victims of forced scamming in Southeast Asia. IJM also supports the government’s criminal justice system response, which has led to the convictions of 15 perpetrators involved in forced scamming to date, including one trafficker in Thailand sentenced to 30 years imprisonment.

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About International Justice Mission

International Justice Mission partners with local authorities in 33 program offices in 19 countries to combat slavery, violence against women and children and police abuse of power. IJM’s mission is to protect people in poverty from violence by rescuing victims, bringing criminals to justice, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and helping local law enforcement build a safe future that lasts. Learn more at: IJM.ca or IJM.org.

Perverted Lives of the Rich and Famous > Famous French Yacht racer quits in investigation; Andrew Tate sued by 4 women in London; Dancing with Wolves star in all kinds of trouble

..

French skipper Escoffier faces investigation over sexual misconduct claims

A leading French skipper who unexpectedly quit the round-the-world Ocean Race earlier this month faces a legal probe over allegations of sexual assault against a crew member, a source in the French Sailing Federation said on Tuesday.

Issued on: 14/06/2023 - 08:20

French skipper Kevin Escoffier speaks during a joint press conference with the other teams' skippers in Alicante on January 13 2023 ahead of the 2023 Ocean Race sailing competition. © Jose Jordan, AFP

Kevin Escoffier, 43, announced on June 3 that he was abandoning the Ocean Race while skippering the Swiss boat PRB-Holcim after an alleged "incident" with a member of his team during a stop in Newport in the United States on May 15.

His boat had led after each of the first four legs of the race.

After investigating, the French Sailing Federation has reported the allegations to prosecutors in Paris in order to launch a legal enquiry, a source at the federation told AFP, asking not to be identified.

Federation chief Jean-Luc Denechau told AFP last week that the incident involved "inappropriate behaviour towards a woman during a night-out".

Escoffier hit international headlines in 2020 when he was dramatically rescued in the south Atlantic by a rival while competing in the Vendée Globe race.

He spent 11 hours clinging to his lifeboat after his boat dramatically split in two.

He won the Ocean Race in 2017-18 and also the Transat Jacques-Vabre in 2005.

(AFP)

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4 women accuse Andrew Tate of rape, sexual assault in civil legal papers

By A.L. Lee

Four women served Andrew Tate legal papers detailing allegations including violence against women, rape, physical assaults, and victim intimidation. File Photo by Robert Ghement/EPA-EFE

June 14 (UPI) -- Andrew Tate was served legal papers Wednesday in a civil case brought by four women accusing him of rape and sexual assault.

The law firm McCue Jury & Partners said it delivered a letter to Tate, who is currently under house arrest in Romania on human trafficking charges, detailing allegations including violence against women, rape, physical assaults, and victim intimidation -- charges that are set to be presented before the high court in London in the coming weeks.

The firm said the suit seeks "justice and accountability and compensation for Tate's victims" and aims to encourage Britain to launch a "criminal investigation into Tate's crimes in the hope of his prosecution and conviction in the U.K. in addition to the charges he is facing in Romania."

The abuse occurred between 2013 and 2016 while Tate was living in Britain, court papers allege.

One of the victims claims Tate sexually assaulted her in 2014 after the pair's first meeting.

"While having sex, he began to choke me and choked me so hard that I lost consciousness," the woman said in a statement to investigators. "I thought I was going to die. When I woke up, he was continuing to rape me. It is difficult to say that because it is so upsetting, but that is what it was."

The names of victims were withheld but the legal papers drawn up by McCue Jury & Partners reveal the women are all in their late 20s and early 30s.

"Despite Tate's outrageous claims that these women aren't even real, on reading the papers, he should now recall how real they are," said Matthew Jury, a managing partner at the McCue law firm. "Talk of the 'Matrix' and 'false flags' hold no weight in court. The survivors look forward to seeing him there."

A spokesperson for Tate said he was "saddened that a few opportunistic women who he has allegedly spent time with nearly a decade ago have decided to try and take advantage of his current situation."

In late 2022, Tate and his brother Tristan were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and forming an organized crime group, but both men were released to house arrest in April after a judge ruled against prosecutors who wanted to keep them locked up as the investigation unfolded.

Romania's anti-organized crime unit said it had increased the charges against Tate to "human trafficking in continued form" and another victim was added to the case.

A criminal indictment could come down later this month, with the Tate brothers facing more than a decade in prison if found guilty of strong-arming victims in an effort to create a paid pornography service for social media platforms.

Tate has denied the charges, and reacted defiantly when the civil case documents were served at his home on Wednesday, officials said.

Dances With Wolves actor facing additional sex assault charges in Alberta

Court documents say he was leader of cult-like group called The Circle

Kelly Geraldine Malone · The Canadian Press · 

Posted: Jun 14, 2023 7:37 AM PDT | 

Former actor Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, center, also known as Nathan Chasing Horse, appears in court

during his bail hearing at North Las Vegas Justice Court on Feb. 8, 2023.

(Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/The Associated Press)

Police in Alberta have issued warrants for Nathan Chasing Horse, a former actor in the movie Dances With Wolves, for nine charges including sexual exploitation, sexual assault and removing a child from Canada under the age of 16.

Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service said in a news release that the investigation has spanned several years with one of the offences dating back to 2005.

They must be working on Indian time.

The actor has been in jail in Las Vegas since his arrest in January in southern Nevada, where he is charged with 18 felonies, including sexual assault of a minor, child abuse and kidnapping.

Court documents say he was the leader of a cult-like group called The Circle. Documents allege he used his position to gain the trust of Indigenous families and their children, and take underage wives.

The Nevada prosecution was put on pause as the actor, who played young Sioux character Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner's 1990 Oscar-winning film, appealed to the state's Supreme Court to dismiss the case.

His lawyers have argued that his accusers wanted to have sex with him.

Chasing Horse is also facing criminal charges in Montana and British Columbia.

The U.S. arrest report alleges a British Columbia woman reported Chasing Horse to RCMP, who contacted Las Vegas police, prompting the investigation that led to his arrest.

The woman alleged she was 13 years old when she met the actor while he was performing ceremonies in Canada. She alleges he began to have sex with her when she was 17.

Tsuut'ina police, who serve the First Nation west of Calgary, said the prosecution of Chasing Horse in different legal jurisdictions has required significant planning and co-operation. In 2015, the Tsuut'ina band council passed a resolution banning the actor from all community events.

More information on the Alberta investigation is to be released Wednesday.

U.S. arrest documents detailed how the Alberta police service received a complaint earlier this year from a woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted as a 15-year-old and taken to the United States as one of Chasing Horse's multiple wives.

That woman eventually returned to Canada because she could no longer take the physical and emotional abuse, the documents said.

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Interpol seeking help to identify historical murder victims in Europe - all women

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International appeal seeks to identify 22 female murder victims

10 May 2023

INTERPOL makes details of Black Notices publicly available for first time

LYON, France – Belgian, Dutch and German police as well as INTERPOL have launched Operation Identify Me to seek the public’s help in identifying 22 deceased women who are believed to have been murdered.

Details on each case have been made available on www.interpol.int/IM, showing facial reconstructions of some of the murdered women, as well as videos and pictures of items such as jewellery and clothing which were discovered at the various land and water sites where the women’s remains were abandoned.

The information available on INTERPOL’s website also includes characteristics such as estimated age, hair colour, eye colour and other physical characteristics.

I have written for years about girls and women disappearing in Europe only to end up in brothels, hooked on heroin for as many years as their bodies can stand it, and then discarded. Most such girls end up in Eastern Europe, but western Europe has its own history. 

Updates on The Great Belgium Pedophile/Torture/Murder Scandal

The Great Belgium Pedophile/Torture/Murder Scandal and Its Cover-up Part II.

Several girls were found caged in the basements of houses owned by Marc Dutroux in Belgium, alive, but often very emaciated. Some of these women/girls could be victims of Dutroux or others of his ilk. Dutroux provided girls for the entertainment of high-society perverts in Belgium. (See link immediately above).

Europe's Nigerian Mafia

by Judith Bergman

Italian intelligence has named the Nigerian mafia "the most structured and dynamic" of any foreign crime entity operating in Italy, according to the Washington Post.... What distinguishes the Nigerian crime networks is their severe brutality...

Black Axe has also spread to Canada, where a 2015 report by the Globe and Mail described it as a "death cult"... linked to "decades of murders and rapes.... In the US, the FBI recently linked a series of financial frauds to Black Axe.

"...traffickers tell victims of human trafficking to apply for asylum and then get a status to be able to stay here in Germany, but they continue to be exploited in prostitution." — Andrea Tivig, Terre des Femmes, Infomigrants.net, March 15, 2019.

"In addition to a common fondness for crime, the culture of immigrant gangs is a cocktail of religion, clan affiliation, honor, shame and brotherhood... The harder and the more brutal [you are], the stronger you are, and then you create awareness of yourself and attract more [people]". — Naser Khader, member of the Danish Parliament for the Conservative Party and co-founder of the Muslim Reform Movement, Jyllands-Posten, November 22, 2018.

In policy debates, the detrimental effects of migration on crime, particularly gang crime, do not receive nearly the attention -- if any -- they deserve. They should.

It is no wonder that the Nigerian mafia has become so prominent in Italy: the country has been one of Europe's front doors for migrants entering Europe. Pictured: An inflatable boat attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Italy with 47 African migrants on board, as it is being rescued by the Dutch-flagged Sea Watch 3 off Libya's coast on January 19, 2019. (Photo by Federico Scoppa/AFP via Getty Images)

One of the fastest growing criminal networks in Europe is now the Nigerian mafia, which is spreading its criminal activities across the continent. It consists of rival groups such as Black Axe, Vikings and Maphite. Most recently, authorities in Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Malta conducted an international operation directed at two of the major Nigerian mafia groups. Police accused the gangs of human-trafficking, drug trafficking, robbery, extortion, sexual violence and prostitution.

According to a June 2019 report by the Washington Post on the Nigerian mafia in Italy:

"They hold territory from the north in Turin to the south in Palermo. They smuggle drugs and traffic women, deploying them as prostitutes on Italy's streets. They find new members among the caste of wayward migrants, illicitly recruiting at Italian government-run asylum centers."

The Nigerian mafia, according to the report, is "trafficking women by the tens of thousands". Italian intelligence has named the group "the most structured and dynamic" of any foreign crime entity operating in Italy, according to the Washington Post.

"Some experts say that as many as 20,000 Nigerian women, some of them minors, arrived in Sicily between 2016 and 2018, trafficked in cooperation with Nigerians in Italy and back home."

It is no wonder that the Nigerian group has become so prominent in Italy: the country has been one of Europe's front doors for migrants entering Europe.

What distinguishes the Nigerian crime networks is their severe brutality -- Italian police have described them as using "urban guerilla warfare" to hold on to territory in Italy -- and their use of voodoo rituals. According to a July 2017 report by the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM), sex trafficked victims give an oath "sealed with a voodoo ritual or a rite of initiation (the victim is committed to honouring her agreement)" to their traffickers and also harbor "a fear of retaliation by traffickers on the victim's family members back in their country of origin".

According to the 2017 IOM report:

"Over the past three years, IOM Italy has seen an almost 600 per cent increase in the number of potential sex trafficking victims arriving in Italy by sea. This upward trend has continued during the first six months of 2017, with most victims arriving from Nigeria".

In its report, IOM estimated that 80 per cent of girls, often minors, arriving from Nigeria -- whose numbers soared dramatically from 1,454 in 2014 to 11,009 in 2016 -- were "potential victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation".

The Nigerian mafia has not limited its operations to just Italy. It has spread as far north in Europe as Germany and Sweden. In London, a trio of Black Axe members was found guilty of laundering almost £1 million, which had been stolen through phone and email fraud. The Nigerian mafia, specifically the group Black Axe, has also spread to Canada, where a 2015 report by the Globe and Mail described it as a "death cult" originating in Nigeria, where it has been linked to "decades of murders and rapes, and its members are said to swear a blood oath". In the US, the FBI recently linked a series of financial frauds to Black Axe. According to the news report, "In the United States and around the world, the group is responsible for the loss of millions of dollars through a variety of elaborate cons".

In Sweden, police has described Black Axe as "one of the world's most effective crime syndicates". Swedish media recently ran a story that shows how Black Axe operates: A 16-year-old Nigerian girl was promised a job in Sweden as a hair stylist. When she arrived, Black Axe forced her to work as a prostitute, after she had gone through a voodoo ritual. "We have your blood now", Black Axe members told her, "If you run we will always find you".

In 2018, three Nigerians were prosecuted in Malmö for luring Nigerian women to Sweden with the promise of jobs and then forcing them into prostitution after making them go through a voodoo ritual that involved the eating of a raw chicken heart. According to the Swedish prosecutor, the voodoo ritual is a way to control and exploit the trafficked victims, who believe in voodoo.

Similar rituals went on in the UK in 2018, when a trafficker sought to traffic Nigerian women from Nigeria to Germany and in Spain, also in 2018, when a trafficking ring of 12 Nigerians was arrested, also for forcing women into prostitution and putting them through similar voodoo rites. In Germany, according to a recent report by Deutsche Welle, a growing number of Nigerian women are ending up as prostitutes in one of Germany's largest red-light districts in Duisburg, and according to Barbara Wellner of Solidarity with Women in Distress, "Nigerian human traffickers are responsible for smuggling in most of them".

The number of Nigerian women trafficked into prostitution in Germany, while still relatively small, has been growing in recent years, according to a March 2019 report by Info-Migrants. In 2013, just 2.8% of known victims were from Nigeria. That went up to 5% in 2016 and up to 8% in 2017. According to the report, which quotes Andrea Tivig from the women's rights organization, Terre des Femmes, the traffickers use the asylum system:

"I've heard reports in Italy... that traffickers tell victims of human trafficking to apply for asylum and then get a status to be able to stay here in Germany, but they continue to be exploited in prostitution."

The Nigerian mafia groups form just one part, albeit very troubling, of the total picture of imported migrant gang crime in Europe. As previously reported by Gatestone Institute, migrant gang crime already poses a threat to European citizens. In November 2018, Naser Khader, member of the Danish Parliament for the Conservative Party and co-founder of the Muslim Reform Movement, wrote in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten:

"In addition to a common fondness for crime, the culture of immigrant gangs is a cocktail of religion, clan affiliation, honor, shame and brotherhood... The harder and the more brutal [you are], the stronger you are, and then you create awareness of yourself and attract more [people]".

In Sweden, migrant gang crime has become an almost insurmountable problem: some commentators there have described the situation as "war". Denmark is increasingly fighting migrant gang crime. In Germany, where the migrant gangs are known as criminal family clans, authorities expect to be fighting the problem for decades to come.

In policy debates, the detrimental effects of migration on crime, particularly gang crime, do not receive nearly the attention -- if any -- they deserve. They should.

Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.

500 Rescued, 40 Arrested in Interpol-Led Human Trafficking Bust in Africa

By Brooks Hays 

UPI -- Some 500 victims, including 236 minors, have been rescued in a human-trafficking bust led by Interpol in Africa.

The mission was carried out over five days simultaneously in Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. Police arrested 40 suspected traffickers.

"In addition to arrests, this operation has opened a number of ongoing investigations to further disrupt the crime networks involved in trafficking in human beings, emphasizing the effectiveness of such operations via [Interpol's] international network," Yoro Traore, police inspector with the Interpol National Central Bureau in Bamako, Mali, said in a news release.

The mission was dubbed Operation Epervier and was organized under the Sahel Project, an initiative investigating organized crime in the Sahel region of northwest Africa. The German Foreign Office funded the initiative.

Traffickers arrested during this month's operation are accused of forcing humans into labor. Some victims were forced to beg on the streets, while others were forced into prostitution.

One 15-year-old female was intercepted by police before traffickers could sell her into forced labor. The teenager was found with just a trash bag full of her possessions.

Another 16-year-old female was promised paid work to support her family, but was forced into prostitution.

"The results of this operation underline the challenge faced by law enforcement and all stakeholders in addressing human trafficking in the Sahel region," said Innocentia Apovo, criminal intelligence officer with Interpol's Trafficking in Human Beings Unit.

European and African authorities have been working to ramp up coordinate investigations of human trafficking and other forms of organized crime.

Early this month, France called on the U.N. Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to address allegations of slave markets operating in Libya.

The advocacy group Human Rights First estimates that there are 24.9 million victims trapped in the modern slave trade. The majority of these victims are forced into labor or the sex trade.

York Police Say 104 Men Arrested After Child Sex Sting

Investigators worked from 2014 to 2017 on Project Raphael

By Muriel Draaisma, CBC News 

Det.-Sgt. Thai Truong, spokesperson for York Regional Police, explains to reporters that police put ads online to find men looking for sex.  The officers involved were undercover agents.

York Regional Police (Greater Toronto Area) say 104 men were arrested "for purchasing prostituted children" in a child sex trafficking investigation that lasted four years.

Det.-Sgt. Thai Truong, spokesperson for York Regional Police, said undercover officers put ads online to find men looking for escorts. The sting was part of what police call Project Raphael.

When men responded to the ads, they were told that they were talking to children, aged 13 to 16. Most of the men stopped communicating at that point. The officers involved were undercover agents.

There is a need for police to also pretend they are parents shopping their prepubescent children. Perverts seeking 13-16 year olds are not technically pedophiles; they are called by some as pederasts. So while this program addresses the pervert market, it doesn't touch the pedophile market.

Truong said there were no actual victims in the police investigation.

Susan Orlando, provincial co-ordinator of the human trafficking prosecution team at the Ontario ministry of the attorney general, says the project has 'shone a light' on the demand for sex with children that exists in York Region. (CBC)

"All of the men that were arrested were arrested for essentially attempting to purchase prostituted children. So if we look at it from another perspective, from a preventative measure, we've stopped 104 men from purchasing 104 children," he told reporters at York Regional Police headquarters in Aurora, Ont. 

The men charged ranged in age from 18 to 71. Many of the men were married and they were from all kinds of occupations. Nearly all of the men were first offenders and sentences ranged from three months to seven months.

A total of 64 cases are still before the courts, while 40 cases have been resolved. A total of 32 accused men pleaded guilty, five cases were withdrawn, three went to trial and were found guilty.

Most of the arrests were in York Region, but some of the accused came from across the Greater Toronto Area and others from outside of Ontario, police said.

Human trafficking called 'ugly world'

"The biggest challenge for us when we're dealing with prostituted children is that enlisting their co-operation is very, very difficult. Getting them to trust me, getting them to tell us what has happened is challenging," he said.

Through the project, police were trying to take the onus off the children and "go after the men that are driving this industry."

Truong said human trafficking destroys lives.

"The world of human trafficking is an ugly world," he said.

He said social media is playing a growing role in human trafficking. "If they're using social media, the pimps are trolling. Every day, there's some other application out there."

Project Raphael began in 2014 as one effort by police to combat child sex trafficking. The project involved: rescuing victims; identifying and charging those who traffic children; and identifying and charging those who attempted to purchase sex with children.

In many cases, police said those involved in prostitution are forced into the sex trade through violence, threats of violence, coercion and trickery.

Project sheds light on demand

Susan Orlando, provincial co-ordinator of the human trafficking prosecution team at Ontario's attorney general ministry, said the project has "shone a light" on the demand for sex with children that exists in York Region and the surrounding area.

"These girls experience significant and long lasting trauma from which most never recover. Young lives are irreparably damaged, some completely destroyed and some lost completely," she said.

"Exploiting the most vulnerable segments of our society and our youth for personal gain, whether it's for a John's sexual gratification or a pimp's financial gain, is among the most abhorrent criminal conduct and transgression of our moral code that exists in our society today."

Const. Andy Pattenden, spokesperson for York Regional police, credited investigators for their work. 

"They're passionate about it. The team in our vice unit is second to none and they've been recognized for their efforts," Pattenden said.

A grant from the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services helped fund the investigation, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact York Regional Police's vice unit at 1-866-876-5423, ext.7817, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

With files from Nathan Crocker

Another great success story from York Reg Police

York Regional Police were also responsible for Project Hydra in 2015 - Child Pornography Bust - 17 Countries - 41 arrests - 19 Rescued

Health-care Workers Learning to Combat the 'Epidemic' of Human Trafficking

Three heroines to start your day

'We're starting to see a real shift in awareness,' says Dr. Hanni Stoklosa, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston

Human trafficking has been called modern day slavery, and can include sex trafficking, where victims are sexually exploited by someone who is profiting from it. (Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists)

Kas Roussy
Senior Reporter, CBC

The signs were there.

Multiple visits to hospitals with broken bones and burns.  Addicted to opioids and heroin, suffering from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

At 21, Simone Bell was lured into the clandestine world of human trafficking. She was sexually exploited by her trafficker and sold to men from Montreal, to Ottawa, Toronto and Niagara Falls. The ordeal lasted four years before she managed to escape.

That was 10 years ago.  

Today, Bell is a survivor and is using her experience through the Hope Found Project, a non-profit program that helps others who've been trafficked. She also speaks to health-care professionals, teaching them how to recognize the signs that someone is being trafficked.

Simone Bell was a victim of human trafficking and now works with other survivors through an organization called The Hope Found Project. (Robyn Miller)

More than social services, more than police services, Bell says that "health care is the place where you're going to see a victim of human trafficking the most."

"I think if someone had spent more time to talk to me, to ask me, to probe more, like, does he make you do anything that you don't want to do? Does any of that involve forcing you to do sex work?  What happens with the money?"

Human trafficking has been called modern day slavery. Besides sex trafficking, there is forced labour, too, where victims are coerced into working long hours, with very little pay in industries like massage parlours, nail salons and seasonal farming jobs.

Statistics Canada data between 2009 and 2014 showed there were 396 victims of human trafficking — nearly all of them women, most of them young. Because of the illicit nature of human trafficking and victims' reluctance to report a crime to police, the number of victims could be higher.

Watching for 'red flags'

Most human trafficking victims will need health care at some point in their exploitation, suffering from emotional trauma, physical, and sexual abuse.

A few years ago, Fraser Health in B.C. developed initiatives in how to identify patients who have been trafficked. 

Tara Wilkie is a nurse with a Fraser Health team that specializes in dealing with trafficking victims; "We know this is an epidemic," says Wilkie, "and is much greater than we even understand."

This is an epidemic... much greater than we even understand

Tara Wilkie, nurse

Wilkie says many trafficking victims "look like any other patient that comes into the emergency department."

But there are some "red flags" the B.C.-based nurse says.  Persons who are trafficked can be going through an illness from a neglected injury, like broken bones, bruises, and burn marks, she says. 

Some of the victims also present with branding.

The person comes in to deal with a medical issue "but you notice that they have tattooing that has some sort of insignia or name on it."

There are mental health consequences too like anxiety, thoughts of suicide, substance abuse. Many who are trafficked can also have sexually transmitted infections, genital injuries, pregnancies and miscarriages.

Tara Wilkie is a forensic nurse examiner with the Fraser Health Authority in BC. "We can't expect people to trust us when they've been in the most untrusting relationships", she says about the women who've been trafficked. (Tara Wilkie)

"It may also be that they're being monitored. Like, they have time limits set on when they have to be back.  Or we've had people come in with being monitored on their phone through their GPS, or ankle bracelet monitoring."

Wilkie says the continuous checking in with their trafficker, the constant texting or talking on the phone as to their whereabouts, impedes the care that can be provided.  

"I had a case just the other day, this exact thing happened and they couldn't continue on with their medical care because they had to report in."

Trafficking can happen across borders, but it can also happen inside a country, like Bell's experience.

At Fraser Health, patients health-care workers believe are being trafficked are predominantly Indigenous women and girls, Wilkie says.

Yvonne Boyer, who holds the Canada Research Chair in aboriginal health and wellness at Manitoba's Brandon University, co-authored a Public Safety Canada report into how aboriginal women and girls are forced into the sex trade.

She says that prejudice in the health-care system is an issue and women "who have been treated poorly in the health-care system just won't go back and their health suffers." 

Boyer says "lots of work needs to be done in medical education on why women are being trafficked, the colonization in Canada and racism."

Raising awareness

The efforts to educate health professionals aren't limited to Canada. Dr. Hanni Stoklosa, an emergency room physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, says most doctors and health-care workers don't have human trafficking on their radar.

But things are changing. "We're starting to see a real shift in awareness," says Stoklosa. "More and more, health-care workers are starting to see trafficking as a real health issue."

Brigham and Women's Hospital ER doctor Hanni Stoklosa co-founded an advocacy group of survivors of human trafficking, called HEAL Trafficking. (Hanni Stoklosa)

In 2013, she co-founded HEAL Trafficking, a global initiative that advocates for survivors of human trafficking.

HEAL stands for Health, Education, Advocacy and Linkage. And so far, it has more than 800 health professionals around the world, including Canada, dedicated to fighting human trafficking from a public health point of view.

Stoklosa views it as "our moral obligation" to ensure that a survivor is first identified and then connected to services they need.

It as "our moral obligation" to ensure that a survivor

is first identified and then connected to services they need

Dr. Hanni Stoklosa, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston

At Fraser Health in B.C., Tara Wilkie says once you've gained the trust of someone who has been trafficked, connecting them to those services can finally begin — by guiding them through the medical system, by starting the conversation with police, or shelters. It's all about bridging the gaps that are hard to navigate on their own, she says.

Looking back to the time she was trafficked, Simone Bell says she didn't even know what the term human trafficking meant.

"Just like everybody else, I thought that was something that happened to people that came from overseas."

Ashamed and afraid people would judge her, Simone would lie and tell nurses she was in a domestic abuse situation.

"If one person had told me what human trafficking was, that would have helped me self-identify and would have let me know that this is a thing that happens to others, that I'm not alone, and I can get help."

Number of Reported Human Trafficking Victims in Britain Surges by 80%

Just one day after reporting a Shock Rise in Child Sex Abuse in Greater Manchester, comes this disturbing news. It certainly looks like Britain is losing the fight against sex abuse and child sex abuse in spectacular fashion.

© Sigit Pamungkas / Reuters

Britain has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of alleged human trafficking victims reported by local councils.

The latest statistics released by the National Crime Agency (NCA) seen by the Independent reveal that in 2015, local councils referred 306 people to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the UK’s method for identifying victims of human trafficking and modern slavery.

This marks an almost 80 percent increase on the previous year.

Greater Manchester leads the way again

Some cities saw a very clear spike in the number reported human trafficking victims. Greater Manchester experienced a 197 percent increase.

Despite the noticeable increase in reported cases of abuse, there are still up to 13,000 victims of human trafficking in the UK, according to the government.

Modern-day slaves are forced into various activities, from prostitution to unpaid work in factories and nail bars. They are often vulnerable individuals who are dependent on their captor in some way, and a disproportionate number are foreign citizens residing in the UK illegally, usually trafficked by their abusers.

The NCA report states that there were victims from 102 different countries, though Albanian, Vietnamese, and Nigerian nationals are the most common. People from Sudan make up the fastest growing category of modern slavery victims.

The main obstacle in dealing with human trafficking is the apparent “hidden nature” of the crime.

In response, the Local Government Association (LGA), a group that represents 370 local councils, urged the British public to be more aware of human trafficking in order to prevent criminal gangs from exploiting vulnerable foreign workers.

“Modern day slavery is a rising threat to our communities, and because of its hidden nature, is a major concern,” Simon Blackburn, the head of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said.

“We want to encourage everyone to report suspicious behavior which may indicate exploitation is happening in their area, such as concerns over the minimum wage, and working and living conditions.

“Tip-offs from communities can help councils work with partners to better tackle slavery and exploitation. A simple phone call could make a world of difference to people living wretched lives at the hands of heartless gangmasters,” Blackburn added.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd recently announced the creation of an £11mn ($13.7 million) fund that aims to deal with the proliferation of human trafficking.

Similarly, British Prime Minister Theresa May called modern slavery “the greatest human rights issue of our time.”

Actually, not even close. Child sex abuse if far and away the worst human rights issue of our time and probably most of all-time.

One of the most recent cases of modern slavery was uncovered last month, when 16 women were released from a trafficking ring operating in Glasgow.

The victims were smuggled from Slovakia and forced into slave labor, including prostitution and domestic servitude.

Trafficking ring which 'sold teenagers and women for £10k' busted in Govanhill

 Hannah Rodger, Senior Reporter

      

A TRAFFICKING ring which sold teenagers and women for as much as £10,000 has been busted in Glasgow, say police.

Women who it’s suspected were raped, abused and forced to work as prostitutes were led to safety prior to the major police raid in Govanhill.

Dozens of officers from Police Scotland’s Specialist Crime Division and Europol targeted four flats in Govanhill yesterday as part of a three year long operation into trafficking and exploitation.

Two flats on Allison Street, one on Langside Road and another on Calder Street were raided by 70 officers around 8.45am and three potential victims were found inside along with their alleged traffickers.

A further 13 suspected victims, aged between 18 and 25, had already been helped to safety by police ahead of yesterday’s sting from across the UK, including in Glasgow.

Five people have been arrested in connection with the raid, dubbed Operation Synapsis, which has been in development since 2014 and spans the length of the UK.

Two Slovakian women, aged 40 and 25, two Slovakian men aged 58 and 28, and a Nepalese man aged 35, were taken into police custody yesterday and have subsequently been arrested.

They are expected to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court today.  

Police claim that Slovakian women as young as 18 were trafficked to the UK by bus and plane, having been promised a better life and work.

When they arrived they were allegedly sold for between £3000 and £10,000 as part of a sham marriage scheme.

Their buyers, mainly men from Pakistan, wanted EU citizenship so they could live and work in Europe, and bought the women to become their wives.

Some of the victims, who weren’t sold immediately, were prostituted, raped and abused while others were abused by their purchasers.

Many have been left deeply traumatised by what they have experienced, with some choosing to stay in the UK and others returning to their families in Slovakia after escaping their abusers.

Officers have previously helped other suspected female victims of the trafficking ring, ranging from 18 years old to their mid 20s, by referring them to support organisations in Glasgow and across the country.

Police Scotland’s Specialist Crime Division, the National Human Trafficking unit, financial crime and specialist officers from the Rape Taskforce, Europol, Immigration Enforcement, Glasgow City Council’s social work department and Slovakian police were all involved in the Govanhill raid.

Crews from the council’s Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance (TARA), which helps victims of sex trafficking, were also on hand to support any victims recovered at the scene while members of the public were given letters and advice on how to spot the signs of trafficking.

At the same time, hit squads from Greater Manchester police were targeting homes south of the border as part of the same operation, with the trafficking ring thought to extend to several areas in Britain.

The European Court of Justice in the Hague had to grant Police Scotland permission to form a joint investigation with the Slovakian police force and the Metropolitan police before they could work together on targeting traffickers in both the UK and abroad.

Detective Inspector Steven McMillan, the operation’s Senior Investigating Officer, told the Evening Times the raid was the first of two planned stings.

Police Scotland officers are planning to travel to England next week to target traffickers thought to be involved in the same network.

He said the trafficking victims are often women who “have come from an impoverished area, they have low levels of intelligence and are gullible.”

DI McMillan explained: “There is no conversation about marriage before they get here.

“They arrive in whatever house they end up in and at least two or three males enter.

“[They] have a conversation that they don’t understand as it’s in English or sometimes in Urdu, and it’s the case of ‘You’re with him. He’s got your identity document. You’re going to marry him now.’

“My own view on it is it’s financial. They are treating these girls as a commodity. They can recruit them, it costs them nothing apart from a flight or a bus ticket.

“The original purpose of the trafficking seems to have been the sham marriage but many of these women have been forced in to prostitution, they have been raped, they have been subject to abuse that would never have happened if they hadn’t been trafficked in the first place.

“Very quickly they will move them on and in the cases where they haven’t these girls have been forced in to prostitution, they have that element of control of over them and are still recouping the money

“When you’re speaking to the girls and hearing their story, it’s not one or two clients a night. It’s a procession. It’s absolutely horrible.”

DI McMillan said the force is committed to protecting the public and tackling human trafficking, and has appealed for help from Glasgow residents.

He said: “Any information at all is welcome. We would rather investigate information and find out it’s nothing than receive no information at all.”

Anyone with information on suspected trafficking or labour exploitation is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, Crimestoppers on 0800 0121 700, or they can contact the Modern Slavery Human Trafficking helpline on 08000 121 700.

Govanhill, Glasgow, Scotland

29 Sex Traffickers, 723 Johns Arrested in Nationwide Sting

CHICAGO (WLS) -- More than 100 people were arrested in Cook County, Lake County and northwest suburban Arlington Heights in recent weeks as part of a national sex trafficking sting operation.

Saharat Blaine

The National Johns Suppression Initiative ran from Jan. 18 through Feb. 5 and led to the arrests of 29 sex traffickers and of 723 people who tried to purchase sex, the Cook County sheriff's office said. It included nearly 30 law enforcement agencies across 15 states.

Illinois

In Cook County, 101 alleged sex buyers were arrested by deputies and officers with the Lansing and Matteson police departments. In Lake County, two people were arrested. In Arlington Heights, five people were arrested.

Arlington Heights police said five "Johns" were arrested as part of a sting they ran at a motel near Arlington Heights Road and Algonquin Road. Saharat R. Blaine, 38, of Streamwood; Wilmer Rodriguez, 43, of Mount Prospect; Alan Karamovic, 43, of Skokie; Juan Barbosa-Gomez, 24, of Lake Bluff; and Yassir Guezzar, 39, of Hinsdale; were each charged with solicitation of a sexual act.

Beko Williams

The sheriff's office said the initiative was launched by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart in 2011. More people were arrested and more law enforcement officers participated in this year's operation than ever before. Since the operation began, more than 6,500 alleged sex buyers and traffickers have been arrested across the country.

Texas

In Houston, where Super Bowl 51 was held, 178 people were arrested by the Harris County Sheriff's police and Houston police as part of the multi-state sex sting. Harris County netted the most arrests of any participating agency.

Among those arrested in Harris County were a high school principal, a college professor and a fireman, the sheriff's office said. An alleged sex seller who traveled to Houston to make money during the Super Bowl and was shot in the head by an alleged sex buyer. Three alleged sex buyers were arrested in Houston for trying to solicit a minor for commercial sex over the internet. Another alleged sex buyer had his 4-year-old son with him when he was arrested, the sheriff's office said.

Miguel Ramirez

Randal "Randy" Hendricks, 71, the Houston sports agent who got Roger Clemens the highest single-season Major League Baseball contract, was charged with misdemeanor prostitution and is out of jail on bond. According to court records, the entertainment lawyer and agent answered a Craigslist ad and then went to the Greenspoint Hilton, prepared to pay $80 for sex. Instead, he found an undercover female deputy.

"I'm exceedingly proud to lead the nation in targeting sex buyers and traffickers during this annual initiative," said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez in a statement. "Houston was home to Super Bowl LI. As we welcomed the world to our City, we made it clear that there is no place for victimization and sexual exploitation."

On Wednesday, the Harris County Sheriff's Office released mug shots for all 178 people arrested. Most were expressionless, but some smiled.

Jose Diaz

Hendricks, who co-founded Hendricks Sports Management, was also a member of the Houston/Harris County Sports Facility Public Advisory Committee. He did not respond to requests for comment and neither did his attorney.

"Many times these folks are successful public figures in the community, and so it can be embarrassing for them," Gonzalez said.

On Tuesday, the Harris County Pct. 4 Constable's Office and the Houston Police Department announced separate arrests during a 10-day prostitution sting.

Harris County Pct. 4 Constable's Office arrested 32 people in their undercover operation.

"If You're a Pimp, Don't Come to New Orleans," Human Trafficking Task Force warns

NEW ORLEANS -- A human trafficking task force specially designed to attack the crime and rescue victims updating the New Orleans community on its latest two-day operation during a press conference Wednesday, February 1. 

The operation by the New Orleans Violent Crime against Children and Human Trafficking task force rescued 11 women in just two days. The victims range in age from their early 20s to late 40s.

This sting focused on victims, so no arrests were made, but police said they are cracking down on human trafficking especially as more people travel to the city for Mardi Gras and the NBA All-Star Game weekend. 

"Anytime you see somebody being victimized, it's heartbreaking," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeff Sallet. "The scars, both physical and mental, are incredible. If you are a pimp, do not come to New Orleans."

Sallet also said other operations like this one will be taking place in New Orleans in 2017. The NO VCAC/HT TF is a full-time task force currently comprised of FBI agents and task force officers from the Louisiana State Police, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and Kenner Police Department.

(© 2017 WWL)