Human Trafficking Information for ESOL Teachers

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Human TraffickingInformation for ESOL Teachers

• Robin Thompson, JD, MA, Program Director
• Vania Llovera, M.S., Assistant Director
• Florida State University
• Center for the Advancement of Human Rights

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Presentation Overview

• Understanding Human Trafficking
• Who Are Traffickers?
• The Trafficking Victim Protection Act
• The new Florida Trafficking Statute
• Smuggling versus Trafficking
• Importance in ESOL

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Experiences

• Have you ever encountered a victim of
  trafficking?
• How did you know?
• How might an ESOL program/ teacher encounter a
  human trafficking situation?

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What Is Human Trafficking?

• A form of modern day slavery
• Involves the exploitation of vulnerable persons
  for commercial sex or forced labor
• Victims may be illegal immigrants, legal
  immigrants, or even U.S. citizens
• Traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to
  control their victims

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Human Trafficking Is On The Increase

• World poverty has increased
• Millions of the worlds poor are desperate for
  economic survival
• Since the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, borders
  are easier to cross worldwide
• Traffickers prey upon peoples hopes for a better
  life in a new country

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The Scope Of The Problem

• 1-2 million people trafficked worldwide annually
• An estimated 18,000 to 20,000 women and children
  trafficked annually into the U.S., plus thousands
  of men
• Currently cases being investigated in 48 states
• Approximately 27 million people held in slavery
  worldwide

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Human Trafficking Is A Lucrative Business

• Yields 9 billion in profits each year
• Ranks only behind drugs arms smuggling
• Unlike drugs arms, humans can be resold
• Is becoming a preferred business for criminal
  syndicates around the world

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The Supply of Victims Is Seemingly Endless

• In the new global economy there is a constant
  flow of fresh victims
• The slaves of the 21st century are dispensable
  commodities rather than investments, and are
  always replaceable
• They are typically brought not by force but by
  promises of a better life
• The allure of the U.S. is stronger than ever

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Human Trafficking Is Difficult To Stop

• Its base causes lie beyond U.S. borders
• Where there is poverty there will be human
  trafficking
• The problem is fueled by government corruption in
  many countries
• Effective prevention requires international
  cooperation between law enforcement agencies
• Trafficking may also develop due to search for
  cheap labor (people may come to the US with a
  work visa and find themselves in a trafficking
  situation)

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Trafficking Victims Are Often Invisible

• Many are illegal and are afraid of U.S.
  authorities
• Their traffickers exploit this fear
• Victims are constantly watched guarded
• Many victims do not speak English
• Many victims have no idea where they are in the
  United States
• Most victims are isolated
• Many dont even realize that they are victims and
  that there are laws in the U.S. to protect them

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People Are Trafficked For

• Prostitution
• Exotic Dancing
• Agricultural Work
• Domestic Work Childcare
• Factory Work
• Begging/street peddling

• Restaurant Work
• Construction Work
• Hotel Housekeeping
• Mail Order Brides
• Criminal Activities
• Other Informal Labor Sector
• Carnival work
• MANY OTHERS

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Traffickers Use Brutal Means to Control Their
Victims

• Beatings, burnings, rapes, starvation
• Isolation
• Psychological abuses
• Threats of deportation
• Threats against the victims family members in
  the home country
• Drug/alcohol dependency
• Withholding of documents
• Debt bondage

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Who Are Traffickers?

• Organized criminal syndicates (i.e., Russian,
  Chinese, Albanian,Vietnamese, Thai mafias)
• Many have diversified trafficking portfolios
  (i.e., they traffick in guns and drugs as well as
  humans)
• Often the smuggling routes for all three are
  identical

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Who Are Traffickers?

• Families (mom pop commercial enterprises
  sometimes involves an extended family member,
  family has connections on both side of the
  border, recruiters may be females)
• Labor subcontractors
• Pimps
• Diplomats
• Individuals with non-commercial sexual motives
• May also be neighbors, friends, relatives of the
  victim

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Who Are Traffickers?

• Invariably are members of the victims own ethnic
  or national community
• Often are in the United States with legal status
  and maintain close contact with their home
  country
• Are often fluent in English as well as a native
  language
• Often have significant social or political status
  in their home countries

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Smuggling versus Trafficking

• Smuggling can become trafficking once a victim is
  no longer free to walk away and is forced to work
  to pay off a debt
• Many trafficking victims begin as willing
  participants in smuggling operations and only
  later discover that they are actually being
  trafficked

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Smuggling versus Human Trafficking

• Both types of operations look similar at the
  border
• Smugglers make their money upfront from people
  they smuggle. Their business relationship ends
  once the immigrant has crossed the border
• Traffickers allow the immigrant to pay off the
  debt gradually they use smuggling debt to
  control their victims
• Traffickers maintain ongoing control over the
  victim even after the border is crossed

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Labor Exploitation

• On the continuum with human trafficking
• Labor exploitation can be present w/o there being
  trafficking. This is still illegal.

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The Trafficking Victim Protection Act of 2000
(TVPA)

• Defines new crime of human trafficking under
  federal law
• Criminalizes a variety of human trafficking
  offenses
• Increases prison terms for slavery violations
  from 10 to 20 years and adds life imprisonment
• Has been amended and improved since 00

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What is Human Trafficking?

• The crime of compelling or coercing the labor or
  services of another person against that persons
  will
• Initial consent of a person is not a defense to
  subsequent use of coercion to maintain service
• Trafficking will often involve a border crossing
  but does not require it

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Human Trafficking Offenses

• Sex trafficking
• Forced Labor
• Document Servitude

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Benefits Often Available

• Immigration Help
• Legal Assistance
• Emergency Shelter
• Case Management
• Florida Crime Victim Compensation
• Medicaid
• Social Security Income
• Food Stamps

• Refugee Cash
• Match Grant
• Refugee Social Services
• ESOL Classes
• Life Skills
• Job Skills Training Placement
• Crisis Counseling
• Housing Transportation Assistance

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Important Legal Change Brought About By the
TVPA/TVPRA

• The TVPA is victim-centered law
• Trafficking victims, even if they are in the
  U.S.A. illegally, are now seen as beneficiaries
  rather than as violators of U.S. law
• The law directs that victims of human trafficking
  are not to be deported

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New Florida Trafficking Laws

• Good companion to Federal law
• Local and state law enforcement and prosecution
  have direct role and responsibility
• More tools to arrest and punish traffickers
• Requires greater local/state/federal coordination
• Support for victims possible
• No immigration benefits still need feds

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Talking about Trafficking

• Every case is different
• You could provide help and referral info on the
  law, benefits and safety
• Be sensitive and aware of your impact
• Dont interrogate gently discuss
• Know trafficking resources in your community and
  network with them

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Talking about Trafficking

• Safety issues
• Employment issues
• Social Networks
• Origins
• Immigration Status

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Why is it important in ESOL?

• Due to limited English proficiency, students may
  be vulnerable
• Teachers and their students will be able to help
  others who may be trafficked or be vulnerable
• Many students feel that their ESOL class is a
  safe environment
• To an extent, teachers are service providers to
  their students

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Why is it important in ESOL? (contd)

• Teachers will know what to do if they suspect a
  student is a victim
• Teachers will learn to recognize traffickers
• Students will be able to help themselves and
  others to know what human trafficking is, how to
  get help safely and their legal rights and
• Students will know how to guard against
  recruitment.

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Survey needs

• Teachers
• Cover specific topics during the course of the
  year
• Cover grammar, conversation, reading and writing
• Teach the material in blocks of time and fit it
  into the present curriculum

• Students
• Know the relevance of the material
• Be able to learn material to complete literacy
  points
• Need to find the material interesting to stay
  focus
• Need to be exposed to new material more than once

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Connection with current goals

• Teachers will continue to conduct class
  activities that will require students to
  participate in reading, writing and oral
  exercises allowing the students to absorb the
  information gradually.
• Teachers will continue to use multiple teaching
  modalities to teach certain concepts.

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Integrate human trafficking in ESOL

• Human Trafficking information can be incorporated
  in the following units
• Work
• Health and Emergencies
• Safety
• Multiculturalism
• Civics

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Resources in Florida

• Florida State University,
• Center for the Advancement of Human Rights
• 850-644-4550 www.cahr.fsu.edu
• Project Director, Robin Thompson
• r-t_at_att.net or 850-907-0693

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Resources in Florida

• Florida Department of Children and Families,
• Office of Refugee Services, Holly Merrick
• 850-922-4143 or holly_merrick_at_dcf.state.fl.us
• Florida Freedom Partnership 866-443-0106

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Federal Resources

• Health and Human Services
• Referral to aid organization in the victim's
  area.
• Toll-free number (888-3737-888)
• (www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking)
• Department of Justice
• Trafficking in Persons and Worker Exploitation
  Task Force Complaint Line
• 1-888-428-7581 (voice and TTY).