Slave Next Door (56 page)

tions are only a tiny fraction of the total estimated number of traffick-

ing cases. When compared to the prosecutorial success rate of such

crimes as homicide, this is alarming, and the responsibility falls largely

on state and local law enforcement. Yet only a small fraction of

America’s law enforcement officers have been trained to recognize and

stop this serious crime. As one survey makes clear, most state and local

police either have no idea that human trafficking actually occurs or

don’t believe it happens within their jurisdiction. Yet these are the people

who are most directly responsible for uncovering slavery in America. If

the police are to be more effective, an intense and comprehensive

nationwide training program must be given, and soon. Good training

programs exist; the Freedom Network Institute gives one of the best.

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They have experience instructing both NGOs and government agencies.

There are over eighteen thousand police departments in this country, in

addition to state agencies; training them all is a tall order, but it’s the

only way to get the job done. If each department established an anti-

trafficking unit, as they do for homicide and other crimes, the number

of cases uncovered, and of victims rescued, would increase dramatically.

And the training should include those
federal
agencies involved in fight-

ing trafficking as well. Agents from the FBI, ICE, and the Departments

of State, Labor, and Justice would all benefit from a comprehensive, job-

specific training experience.

P R O V I D E A D E Q U AT E F U N D I N G

The government has stated repeatedly that human trafficking is the

world’s second- or third-largest crime, along with drugs and guns. Yet

the resources that law enforcement devotes to the war on trafficking

pale when compared to those dedicated to the other two.7 We have a

Drug Enforcement Agency; perhaps it’s time for the government to con-

sider an Antislavery Enforcement Agency. Other countries, such as

Brazil, have shown that a dedicated antislavery force can be powerful

and effective. Those parts of the government that do actively work

against slavery have to do so on a shoestring. Take ICE, for example.

They are charged with stopping slave-made goods flowing into the

United States, but to do that they must determine which goods come

from the hands of slaves. That makes sense, but then they are given so

few agents to make that determination that they cannot begin to inves-

tigate any more than a tiny fraction of possible cases. They work hard

and do a good job with the scant resources they get, but it is no wonder

our country is still importing slave-made goods.

D O T H E N E E D E D H O M E W O R K

We need to know the size and scope of problem. That means a com-

mitment to data collection and analysis and also outreach to other

information gatherers. By early 2008 the CIA, State Department, Justice

Department, and a number of other government agencies had been col-

lecting and organizing information on human trafficking for almost ten

years—and not sharing it. International agencies like Interpol and the

UN also have large-scale trafficking databases that they don’t share. If

this problem were a health issue, epidemiologists would be combining

every data set available to crack it; but for reasons that are not clear,

the information about human trafficking in America has been sealed

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off behind bureaucratic walls. It is time for those walls to come tum-

bling down.

B U I L D A N A N T I S L AV E R Y P E R S P E C T I V E

I N T O G O V E R N M E N T P O L I C Y

Some large-scale and joined-up thinking needs to be done to align U.S.

policies and assistance with antitrafficking goals. This should encom-

pass aid, trade, investment, debt relief, law enforcement, and military

cooperation with other countries, and a well-plotted course for America

within the UN. It should also include procurement of goods and serv-

ices by the government. Put simply, someone—perhaps the Office to

Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons—needs to look at the work

of the U.S. government from a “slavery perspective.” If this is going to

be a free country in every sense of the word, then we need to examine

how everything we do can be part of the effort to end slavery.

C O N C L U S I O N

We could probably fill another book with suggestions for improving

the campaign against slavery in today’s America. It’s especially easy to

find fault when the awareness of the problem is so recent and the

mechanism responsible for addressing it is so cumbersome. Our goal

here is not to point fingers but rather to find more and better ways to

locate cases of human trafficking in this country, to rescue and help

victims, and to punish perpetrators. Sometimes the issues of the

moment, such as the conflict between the antiprostitution faction and

the human rights faction, and the question of foreign-born versus

U.S. citizen victims, grab government and public attention. But then

such issues take the emphasis away from where it is most needed—the

total elimination of slavery in America. No one form of slavery is

more unacceptable than another; they all represent the complete elim-

ination of choice, the violent removal of personal liberty. As such,

they are against not only the law but the very precepts upon which

this nation was founded. All victims must be given adequate services,

regardless of their country of origin. If the laws for helping victims

are out of balance, they can be amended. That’s the beauty of our

system; what doesn’t work can be fixed.

There must be a symbiotic approach to wiping out slavery in America.

Government cannot possibly succeed without the full awareness and

support of the public, any more than we can make an impact without the

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government’s commitment. Go back a few pages, and read over your

options once again; choose one that you feel you can commit to, and

follow through. And please write to your representatives, tell them what

you know, and ask them to provide more community awareness pro-

grams, more training for law enforcement, more victim services, and

more money, and to do it in a more balanced way. You are now an active

participant in the war against human trafficking and slavery in America.

Welcome to the fight. With your help, it’s one we can win.

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A P P E N D I X

F O R F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N

A N T I S L AV E RY O R G A N I Z AT I O N S A N D A G E N C I E S

Free the Slaves

P.O. Box 34727

Washington, DC 20005

Phone: (202) 638–1865

Fax: (202) 638–0599

[email protected]

www.freetheslaves.net

Free the Slaves is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending slavery around

the world. It is the main antislavery organization in the United States with a

global focus. Free the Slaves works with partner organizations around the world

to address slavery at a local level, raises awareness of the issue, promotes busi-

nesses and goods that do not have ties to slave labor, educates government offi-

cials about slavery, and conducts research on contemporary slavery.

Coalition of Immokalee Workers

P.O. Box 603

Immokalee, FL 34143

(941) 657–8311

(941) 657–5055

[email protected]

CIW is a community-based worker organization. Its members are largely

Latino, Haitian, and Mayan Indian immigrants working in low-wage jobs

throughout the state of Florida. CIW has been extensively involved in bringing

enslaved agricultural workers to freedom. It organizes actions and boycotts of

companies that will not take responsibility for the human cost of the fruit and

vegetables they buy. The CIW Web site holds a large number of published

reports and press releases and a large collection of materials for student action,

including sample press releases and reports from boycotts and demonstrations

at universities around the country. It is an invaluable resource for understanding

the reality of slavery in modern America.

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ECPAT USA

157 Montague Street

Brooklyn, NY 11201

Phone: (212) 870–2427

Fax: (212) 870–2055

[email protected]

www.ecpatusa.org or www.ecpat.net

ECPAT is an international institution dedicated to eliminating child pornogra-

phy, child prostitution, and “the trafficking of children for sexual purposes.”

ECPAT is nonpolitical and nonreligious; it works with other organizations and

governments to support its goals. It has a number of books that are basic and

fundamental explanations of child prostitution and trafficking, particularly
The

ECPAT Story,
by Ron O’Grady (1996);
The Rape of the Innocent,
also by Ron

O’Grady (1994);
Enforcing the Law against the Commercial Sexual

Exploitation of Children,
by ECPAT (1996); and
Child Prostitution and Sex

Tourism: A Series of Research Reports,
by Dr. Julia O’Connell Davidson and

Jacqueline Sanchez-Taylor (1996).

Polaris Project

Headquarters

P.O. Box 77892

Washington, DC 20013

Tel: (202) 745–1001

Fax: (202) 745–1119

[email protected]

www.polarisproject.org

Polaris Project’s comprehensive approach to combating human trafficking

includes operating local and national crisis hotlines, conducting direct outreach

and victim identification, providing social services and housing to victims, advo-

cating for stronger state and national antitrafficking legislation, and engaging

community members in local and national grassroots efforts. Through these

efforts Polaris Project seeks to aid victims and increase awareness at both the

grassroots and policy level.

G O O D O R G A N I Z AT I O N S F O R R E S O U R C E S

National Underground Railroad Museum

and Freedom Center

www.freedomcenter.org

The National Underground Railroad Museum and Freedom Center opened

in Cincinnati, Ohio, in September 2004. It chronicles the history of the

Underground Railroad and the fight for freedom of slaves in America before

1865. The Freedom Stations on the Web site are an interactive learning area

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where you can do in-depth research on a very large database of photos and

documents.

Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking

in Persons, U.S. State Department

www.state.gov/g/tip

The U.S. government’s main antislavery agency is the Office to Monitor and

Combat Trafficking in Persons. Its Web site provides an introduction to anti-

trafficking work around the world. The office publishes an annual report on

global human trafficking, listing the situation in almost every country.

Rugmark

www.rugmark.org

Rugmark is a global organization dedicated to taking child and slave labor out

of carpet making and to offering educational opportunities to children in India,

Nepal, and Pakistan. The Web site has a wealth of information on child labor

and the rehabilitation of child workers. It explains the Rugmark certification

process and lists shops that sell Rugmark rugs.

Child Labor Coalition (CLC)

www.natlconsumersleague.org/clc.htm

Since 1989 the CLC has worked to end exploitation of child labor and to

encourage education, health, safety, and general well-being for working chil-

dren. The CLC researches child labor abuses and publishes its findings to influ-

ence policy concerning child workers.

The CLC Web site offers advice on what consumers can do to combat child

labor, other background information, and links to other child labor organizations.

S E R V I C E P R O V I D E R S

In addition to these national organizations, there are groups that work directly

with human trafficking victims in many cities and states. So that you can find

the professional nearest you who can help with cases of human trafficking and

slavery in America, the list below is organized by location.

Arizona

Arizona League to End Regional Trafficking

(ALERT)

P.O. Box 57839

Phoenix, AZ 85079

Tel: (602) 433–2441

Fax: (602) 433–2441

www.traffickingaz.org

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California

Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach

1188 Franklin Street, Suite 202

San Francisco, CA 94109

Tel: (415) 567–6255

Fax: (415) 567–6248