SEX TRADE OF MINORS IN INDIA -YOU TUBE VIDEO

THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING PROJECT

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In a small gathering of women in Calcutta, India Manijeh Lessanian, an Iranian journalist asks the women frankly about the core issues of Sex trade, economically and healthwise. The women get the equivalent of US$1.50 for sex, $2 on a good night, less than a dollar on a bad night. To have sex without a condom, men will often pay more or, after a few visits, tell the women they love them. But there's a tragic fact behind their laughter: more than half of the sex workers here are HIV positive.

For the pimps and brothel owners, the sex industry is a multi-million dollar business in which money, not health, is the bottom line. The highest prices go for the youngest girls, many of whom have been kidnapped from other countries and trafficked to India, or sold by their own families into the industry.

Lessanian travels to the Sanlaap Shelter in Calcutta, where she meets a group of girls who have been rescued from prostitution. The girls tell their stories -- fathers and uncles who sold them, madams who held them hostage. None of them was told about the dangers of HIV. They found out only upon arriving at the shelter, and now it's too late. Many of them are already HIV positive.

Although Soliciting for sex is illegal in India, Lessanian sees that the police are often part of the problem. Prostitutes tell Lessanian that when arrested, they're forced to either have sex or pay bribes for their release. And the youngest girls are the most vulnerable.

Even when few of the girls get rescued or run away miraculously, most of their families won't take them back after they've worked as prostitutes. But these girls are the fortunate ones. Thousands of other young girls are left behind. And what happens to them in many ways will determine the future of AIDS in India.

Human traffciking is a reality that still exists

Human trafficking is not a myth Human Trafficking is a reality that still existsSlavery was outlawed in the US in 1864, and it is not legal anywhere in the world, yet there are more slaves in the world today than at any time in human history. 27 million people around the world are estimated to be victims of slavery, for forced prostitution, labor, domestic work, and other forms of exploitation, with approximately 50% of victims being under the age of 18. UNICEF estimates that one million children will be forced into prostitution this year. In South Asia, traffickers will pay $150 to parents for their child's life. Brothel owners can purchase the same child from the trafficker for about $1000. For traffickers, sex slavery is a lucrative business, generating over 7 billion dollars a year. Trafficking is often controlled by organized crime syndicates. Victims of trafficking are subject to gross human rights violations including rape, torture, beatings, starvation, dehumanization, and threats of murdering family members. In the case of trafficking for sexual exploitation, girls often have their virginity sold first, followed by multiple gang rape to break down their resistance. Since the bodies of young girls are not ready for sexual intercourse, this often results in abrasions, making the girls susceptible to HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Slavery was outlawed in the US in 1864, and it is not legal anywhere in the world, yet there are more slaves in the world today than at any time in human history. 27 million people around the world are estimated to be victims of slavery, for forced prostitution, labor, domestic work, and other forms of exploitation, with approximately 50% of victims being under the age of 18.UNICEF estimates that one million children will be forced into prostitution this year. In South Asia, traffickers will pay $150 to parents for their child's life. Brothel owners can purchase the same child from the trafficker for about $1000. For traffickers, sex slavery is a lucrative business, generating over 7 billion dollars a year. Trafficking is often controlled by organized crime syndicates. Victims of trafficking are subject to gross human rights violations including rape, torture, beatings, starvation, dehumanization, and threats of murdering family members. In the case of trafficking for sexual exploitation, girls often have their virginity sold first, followed by multiple gang rape to break down their resistance. Since the bodies of young girls are not ready for sexual intercourse, this often results in abrasions, making the girls susceptible to HIV/AIDS and other diseases. How do People End up as SlavesPeople are trafficked in various ways: Some are sold by their parents or other relatives, who often think the "agent" will find their children education or employment. Some are tricked by false job offers, thinking that they will be working as a waitress or model in a richer country. Traffickers will also make false marriage offers to lure young women, who go willingly to their future "husband." Others are forcibly kidnapped or abducted. Even for those who go willingly, expecting that they will be paid for their work, most find themselves in slave-like conditions. Since they have given the traffickers their passports and other legal documents, for travel processing, they are often viewed as illegal immigrants.Poverty is a factor which makes people vulnerable to trafficking, along with war, civil unrest, and natural disasters. Within a family, the death of a parent or the trafficking of an older sibling can make a person at particularly high risk for being trafficked.Where does Human trafficking still existCurrently, the regions of the world with the most severe trafficking problems are Southeast Asia (the Mekong region including Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar/Burma), South Asia (the Indian subcontinent, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), the former Soviet Republics (including the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic).Human Trafficking in the U.S.Human Trafficking is a highly complex issue that affects potentially thousands of foreign and domestic men, women, and children in the United States. No one is certain how many people are trafficked in the United States every year. The US Government, state agencies, and various non-governmental organizations throughout the US are committed to preventing trafficking, protecting victims of trafficking and prosecuting traffickers.It is important to know the difference between trafficking and smuggling, and the difference between trafficking and exploitation, as not all cases of labor exploitation or prostitution are instances of trafficking. Trained authorities and service providers, after interviewing the trafficked person, can be the best judge of whether there is a trafficking situation (instances of force, fraud, or coercion constitute sex or labor trafficking).American girls as trafficking victims?Underage American girls, many of them runaways or throwaways, also get caught up in forced prostitution in the United States. These can also be considered instances of trafficking, though again, trained authorities and service providers would be the best judge.
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What You Should Know About Human Trafficking

What is Human Trafficking?
Trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transporting, providing or obtaining, by any means, any person for labor or services involving forced labor, slavery or servitude in any industry, such as forced or coerced participation in agriculture, prostitution, manufacturing, or other industries or in domestic service or marriage. International law has largely defined trafficking as the movement of women and girls across borders for the purpose of prostitution. As plenty of debates in international forums have since shown, trafficking in persons is far broader in scope. It may well involve forcing young women and girls into prostitution, but traffickers also use violence, deception, coercion, or exploitation to keep both men and women in slavery-like conditions. People can, for example, be trafficked into abysmal working conditions on farms, in factories, or in domestic households. Children are especially vulnerable to such forms of exploitation, including being forced to work in sweatshops, or as child soldiers.

Where is Human Trafficking taking place?
Trafficking is more widespread than most people realize, but the international community is increasingly taking notice. More information is now available about the range of abuses suffered by trafficked victims and an increasing number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have made combating trafficking a central element of their work.

Who is at risk of Human Trafficking?
While labour exploitation of all kinds is widespread, much of the trafficking trade involves sexual exploitation and is a criminal activity that primarily impacts young women and girls. As such, it has moved to the top of the women’s agenda. Victims, often underprivileged and promised good jobs in another country, find themselves forced into prostitution. They may be beaten, raped, or imprisoned by owners who seek to make substantial profits from the victim’s “services.” Ostracized from families and communities, these women and girls are frequently deprived of the most basic of human rights related to freedom of movement, shelter, and health care. While these are sad realities, greater awareness about the impacts of human trafficking is a first step towards its abolition.

What are some statistics of Human Trafficking?
Because of the illegal nature of the business, it is difficult to compile accurate statistics on trafficking. While the U.S. government estimates that about 600,000-800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year, this figure is probably a conservative one. For one thing, it doesn’t take into account the vast numbers of people who are trafficked within countries. Furthermore, because victims or law enforcement officers may not always have incentives to report crimes, they go under-reported. Thus, some international organizations and NGOs put the estimate of the number of people trafficked each year closer to 2 million.
Asia is a particularly burgeoning market where sex trafficking is concerned. Women are especially victimized in poor countries like Nepal where they have low status and limited employment opportunities. UN agencies estimate that some 200,000 Nepalese women and girls are in sex brothels in India, for example. While there are heated debates over what constitutes voluntary vs. involuntary prostitution, it remains that thousands of women and girls are forced into this business. Countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and Bangladesh are also at the center of the sex trafficking trade.

Does Human Trafficking exist in the West?
There is no question that trafficking is also prolific in the West. Although some NGOs say the figures are much too low, U.S. officials estimate that about 20,000 women and children are brought into the U.S. every year under false pretences and held in servitude, including for domestic work, prostitution, or agricultural labor. While the figures are also contested in Europe, it is estimated that anywhere from 200,000-500,000 women are trafficked annually into the European Union. Many of these are from the Balkans.



Why is trafficking so pervasive in the first place?
It’s big business for one thing. Although estimates vary, it is thought that about $7-9.5 billion is made every year from human trafficking. After arms sales and drug dealing, trafficking in persons is the fastest growing criminal industry. Additionally, because there is little risk of prosecution for traffickers themselves, the business continues to thrive. Some governments are starting to impose stricter penalties on those caught for trafficking, but, from the trafficker’s perspective, the gains to be made still far outweigh the risks. For all of these reasons, more effective prosecution of traffickers is fundamental. Some organizations have also argued, however, that trafficking in unlikely to be stopped until economic hardship and poverty are addressed. When faced with ongoing deprivation, the promises offered by traffickers of a better life can be hard to resist. Trafficking is fueled by more vulnerable and displaced people flooding into the cities to look for work and a global demand for cheap labor. Providing alternative options for employment, educating potential victims to the hazards of trafficking, and improving gender equity can all make a difference.