The post The Necessity of Safe Harbor Legislation and Its Implementation appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>Since the law’s passing in 2008, 11 states have followed suit and passed similar Safe Harbor laws. While some states have passed some measures that fall in line with some of the Safe Harbor provisions, there are still a total of 38 states that have yet to pass true “Safe Harbor” laws. That means in 38 states children can be arrested, prosecuted, and convicted as criminals when they are being sold for sex. The government recognizes the fact that children do not have the mental capacity to consent to a sexual act, but at the same time is holding them responsible for a criminal act. On top of their lack of the ability to consent, these children are immersed in an environment of constant duress, suffering from physical and sexual abuse from their trafficker or pimp. When these children are committing these acts they are doing so in a very confused and damaged mental state created by their trafficker or pimp.
With increasing awareness of the sex trafficking of children it has been acknowledged that these children are not criminals but victims, but both the laws and enforcement of child sex trafficking have not yet been modernized thus these children are not always treated as the victims they are. It is imperative that Safe Harbor laws are passed and implemented in the 38 states that have not already done so.
Even though there are 12 states that have Safe Harbor laws, few of them have yet to properly enforce their laws. Minnesota, one of the states to pass such a law, has been the first to make substantial efforts to enforce the legislation. “Safe Harbor laws go into effect August 1, 2014 and will shift the paradigm for at risk and sexually exploited youth, viewing them as crime victims rather than criminals,” said Linda Riddle, the program manager of Safe Harbor at Life House, a grantee agency in Duluth [2]. Since the law’s passing, Minnesota has allocated 2.8 million dollars for the provisions of the Safe Harbor laws which include training for law enforcement when dealing with child trafficking victims as well as housing for rehabilitative services for child victims [1]. While this is a substantial amount of resources diverted to these necessary programs, the estimated amount of money required to fully implement the Safe Harbor laws is 13.5 million dollars [1]. “The 2.8 million the Legislature allocated last session is about 21% of what we need to fully fund Safe Harbor,” stated Vednita Carter, executive director of Breaking Free [2]. Even Minnesota which has been pushing Safe Harbor into implementation can be doing more to increase and improve its efforts.
While New York was the model for the law itself, Minnesota will be the model for the law’s enforcement. Hopefully other states will follow Minnesota’s example and realize how essential Safe Harbor laws are for our children.
Sources
[2] https://www.breakingfree.net/files/breakingfree/files/Safe%20Harbor%20Press%20Release.pdf
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]]>The post Operation Cross Country and the Way Forward appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>Each year, Operation Cross Country increases awareness of child sex trafficking around the country with its annual campaign. Operation Cross Country grows regularly every year; last year the operation spread across 76 cities with 105 children rescued and 150 pimps arrested (2); the year before that 57 cities were investigated with 79 children rescued and just over 100 pimps arrested (3). The large increase of the operation’s size can be attributed to the realization of how effective the operation is and can be. The operation continues to expand to better fight child sex trafficking in more cities around the country. Yet for all the expansion of the operation it still only occurs during one brief week during the year.
The FBI reports that the total number of children it has rescued with its Innocence Lost National Initiative, which also runs Operation Cross Country, is 3,600 (1). The total number of children that have been rescued by Operation Cross Country is almost 600. That means nearly 1/6th of the children rescued by the FBI over the course of 11 years since the founding of the Innocence Lost National Initiative were rescued in only about 5 weeks (not including the assumed months of preparations and intelligence gathering), the combined length of all Cross Country operations. These numbers attest to the incredible success of the operation. Because of the effectiveness of these operations by the FBI, it is a surprise that this operation is contained to only one week a year. There needs to be a continual and focused effort of responding to child sex trafficking by law enforcement. This operation rescued an average of 24 children a day. 24 children are now off the streets and are receiving much needed help after one day. Imagine what it would be like if this was an ongoing operation, everyday hearing in the news that dozens of children have been saved from the horrors of sex trafficking. With an average of 24 children rescued a day, a full year Operation Cross Country would result in 8760 children rescued, which is a small proportion of the 250,000 kids estimated to be in trafficking (4), but still has a much larger impact than 168 children rescued from a one time annual enforcement action.
Operation Cross Country should be encouraged and pursued on a more regular basis than annually. The operation has done invaluable work for many children who have been abused and taken advantage of and will hopefully continue to combat the sex trafficking of children.
Sources
(1) https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/june/operation-cross-country
(4) https://renewalforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Victim-Population-Estimates.pdf
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]]>The post NY Legislators Block Anti-Trafficking Bill in Order to Advance Political Goals appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>Yet the bill, which was proposed last year, failed to pass in 2013. This year’s legislative session ended with the bill still locked in a stalemate. Governor Andrew Cuomo had included the bill as a part of his ten-point proposal entitled the “Women’s Equality Act,” which contained a highly divisive abortion provision opposed by many in the State Senate. Instead of voting on the ten proposals as a group, the Senate voted on each individually, passing nine of them. The Assembly leadership, however, refused to allow separate votes on each of the bills, holding the TVPJA hostage in order to pass the Governor’s act as a whole. Under pressure from the Governor and with the urging of the New York Times [2], the Assembly refused to pass anything but the Women’s Equality Act in its entirety. Despite Assemblywoman Paulin’s objections, the TVPJA never even came to a vote in the Assembly.
The Assembly has kept a common-sense law from being implemented in order to use it as a political weapon. Governor Cuomo has already begun to attack what he describes as a “failure” [3] of the Senate, promising to use his influence to punish those who opposed his agenda. Cuomo and the Assembly leadership have chosen to sacrifice the dignity of the men, women, and children exploited by human trafficking in an attempt to gain power over political opposition. Human trafficking is not a partisan issue, and it is unacceptable for politicians to construct barriers between victims of human trafficking and the laws that would help them.
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/opinion/keep-the-womens-rights-bill-intact.html
[3] https://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2014/06/8547663/cuomo-what-senates-failure-will-mean
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]]>The post Florida’s Safe Harbor law is good, but needs more provisions for services. appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>Because of the lack of safe houses trafficked children needing a place to stay will be forced to live either in group homes, foster homes, or facilities for abused and abandoned children. Foster homes place other children at risk as trafficked children will continue to be targeted in these homes. Many pimps see this lack of housing as an opportunity for more profit. Since it is easier to get into these types of facilities sometimes pimps will hire assistants to get someone to go inside these facilities to exploit children. One example was at the Joshua House foster care facility where a woman went undercover to manipulate children. She had false documents which allowed her to get into the foster care program. Once admitted, she convinced three girls between the age of 13 and 14 years old to go to a McDonalds where they were kidnapped and drugged. The three girls were placed in a sex house where they were abused then thrown out on the streets. The woman was soon arrested when attempting to do the same act again.
There is a big difference between a safe house and a group home. A safe house is more secured and more intense when dealing with residents. There are no visitors allowed at any time. Natasha Nascimento from Department of Children and Families states “That’s because the girls are brainwashed and traumatized; they’re loyal to their pimps and want to go back”. Nascimento read from a 14 year old victim’s journal, where the girl had written about how it is okay to love the ones that abuse us. With the lack of housing and treatment, trafficking children have little chance of recovering.
Though the Safe Harbor Act increases charges from $500 to $45000, these increases are nothing compared to what pimps are making from trafficking. According to DePaul University, studies shown that the median for pimp earnings were $350,000.link Pimps are working fast to get children off the street without the fear of being charged. These children need a safe environment but they also need the right treatment. They also need to have a stable environment and not constantly having to move because of the lack of space .
A safe harbor law is a start by not letting children being prosecuted, but there is a lot of work to be done to keep these children off the streets. In order to be successful with this Act, there needs to be more safe houses and treatment facilities.
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]]>The post Operation Cross Country Rescues 105 Children appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>The victory also highlights the potential impact that government entities could make if it simply organized and prioritized its fight against slavery. In a mere three days, the FBI was able to address the trafficking problems of 76 cities with 230 law enforcement units. In a mere three days, the FBI was able to make 150 arrests and rescue 105 children from a life of abuse. In a mere three days, the FBI was able to make 28 searches with 129 seizures of cash, drugs, vehicles and firearms. Prioritizing and organizing evidently produces results.
While FBI’s victory is praiseworthy, let us not forget the battle ahead; the battle against sexual slavery is far from finished – thousands of children are still victims of sexual trafficking, abused and broken, both domestically and abroad. The FBI victory is but a small battle won in a war still raging. We need to be doing more; we need to win more battles.
We need law enforcement to place more emphasis on fighting child prostitution. Society has an idea that prostitution is consensual and victimless, and law enforcement commonly places prostitution at the bottom of its to-do list. But the truth is such an attitude fosters an environment for child trafficking to flourish. The end destination of all victims of child prostitution and sexual trafficking is, in fact, prostitution. As such, we need law enforcement to prioritize its fight against prostitution, punishing the pimps and johns instead of the victims.
We need a stronger safety network for those who have been rescued from prostitution. The boys and girls who are rescued from prostitution are often runaway or throwaway kids. They are traumatized from their experiences of abuse and molestation. Problematically, many states do not have adequate facilities and resources to address victims’ needs. Instead of receiving the healing they need – physical and psychological care, safe housing, community – the victims are left to fend for themselves once they are rescued.
It should be fairly obvious that the fight against slavery is far from finished. Let us be encouraged by the FBI’s victory, but let us not forget the many more victories needed to overcome the gross injustice that is child trafficking.
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]]>The post And Boys Too… appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>With limited research already available, it is difficult to know just how prominent the problem of male trafficking is. Very few female victims are reported each year compared to the actual number of cases, and males are reported even less. Often it is the fault of the law enforcement officer and the perception of boys being strong and able to avoid this type of situation. There is also shame associated with a boy being a victim of trafficking, and the victim may be worried of the stigma associated with his situation.
Vulnerability in boys showed similar trends to vulnerability in girls. Many are runaway or “throwaway” children introduced into the trade to meet their basic survival. Others begin in the industry to support a pre-existing drug habit or a habit forced upon them from their traffickers. Those pimping boys are not often referred to as pimps but as “market facilitators” finding work for the boys. The research showed that boys are often introduced into the trade slightly earlier than girls. The average age is between 11-13 for boys and 12-14 for girls.
When considering boys as trafficking victims there is often an assumption that the boys are homosexual. However, the majority of boys identify as heterosexual or as not knowing their sexuality. Homosexual boys introduced into the sex trade have a different experience than heterosexual boys. Many end up in the streets because they were kicked out of their home for being homosexual. One boy said he entered sex trading on his journey looking for true love. This population of victims needs to have individual research conducted to really understand their vulnerabilities.
Boys being trafficked are present throughout the United States. On the west coast, the population is mostly Hispanic, in the mid-west Caucasian, and on the east coast the majority are African American. They suffer from hardships resulting from the industry such as STI’s, physical injuries from abuse, depression, and even suicide. But there are not as many resources available to boys as there are to girls in similar situations.
Many boys are not able to access the same services because they are not referred to them. Law enforcement officials find boys and do not see them as victims. A common thought is that they are boys so they could get away if they want to because boys are strong and girls are weak. However, this is not the case. Boys suffer from the same treatment as young girls, with threats of abuse and possible death if they try to escape. Another limitation to the services offered to boys is that the boys themselves sometimes do not refer to themselves as victims. Some identify as hustlers to cover the shame associated with being trafficked. By not being reported male trafficking victims are not referred to services and there are also fewer services available to them.
What could serve to help these boys is more education on the problem. Training should be given particularly to law enforcement officials, so that they know how to identify male victims as well as female victims and refer them to appropriate services. Additionally, not all services are currently available to boys, such as shelters. There will need to be more available for boys as well as girls who are victims. In order for more services to be available, there needs to be more research done on the topic. With more research, the need will be better assessed to determine the need.
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]]>The post How Caylee’s Law Can Help Fight the Sex Exploitation of Children appeared first on Renewal Forum.
]]>The post How Caylee’s Law Can Help Fight the Sex Exploitation of Children appeared first on Renewal Forum.
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