Human trafficking: overseas and in Ohio

Posted by:

Two weeks ago, the Associated Press carried a story about human trafficking in the fishing industry. Hundreds of men from Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, were transported to and confined at the remote Indonesian Island of Benjina and forced to work as slaves. AP journalists interviewed 40 current and former slaves who reported being forced to work 20 to 22 hours a day, not having adequate food or clean drinking water, and being beaten and tortured.

Just last Friday, the AP reported that Indonesian officials visited the island and freed the men. The next challenge for these men is to rebuild their lives.

How could this happen? Take a look at Lisa Kristine’s photo display and listen to her presentation on TED.com about modern day slavery. See the faces of some of the estimated 27 million men, women and children who work as slaves. Some work deep underground in mines, others dye silk or dig for gold or work in brothels.

These people become enslaved in a variety of ways. Some are duped into thinking they are being taken to a place where they will have a good job and a better life. Others are kidnapped or sold by relatives. In some countries, the inability to pay a debt leads to slavery. Many have known no other life.

Slavery is a lucrative business. Slaves are reusable, not a commodity that can be sold just once. As long as he lives, a slave produces for his owner, but in the end, a slave is expendable.

Human Trafficking Ohio

This misery isn’t confined to overseas. Two months ago, a couple was arrested in Powell, Ohio, for maintaining a prostitution business at three massage parlors. Police freed seven women, who had been forced to work as prostitutes. They spoke little to no English. Two are believed to have been living at one of the massage parlors.

Read the story of Jennifer Kempton in this month’s edition of (614) Magazine. Suffering from a drug addiction and abusive past, Jennifer just wanted to be loved and thought she found it in a man named Salem. He seemed to fill her needs.

Salem’s façade of affection was replaced by beatings and manipulation. Jennifer was forced to work the streets on the west side of Columbus. It was an ugly and brutal life, but what options do an addict have? Salem’s name was tattooed—Jennifer calls it being branded—on her neck. After Salem used her up, Jennifer was sold to drug gangs, who branded her with their insignia.

After five years of beatings and rapes, Jennifer broke free and got clean. Still, she bore the marks from the past. With encouragement and help from an anti-trafficking advocate, Jennifer had her brands covered by a tattoo artist.

Jennifer went on to found Survivor’s Ink,  a non-profit devoted to covering the bondage tattoos of women who have escaped. Her mission is to raise awareness about trafficking, help victims heal and move on, and raise money so that other women who have escaped can have their signs of bondage covered.

Want to know more? Look at Ohio’s Human Trafficking Task Force web site.

Each year a thousand kids in Ohio are tricked into and trapped in the sex trade. And just in case you think nice girls from nice families aren’t at risk, read about Teresa Flores¸ a “nice girl” from a “nice home” who was trapped in the sex trade for years as a teenager.

What can you do? Be alert to the signs of trafficking:

  • Sleeping bags/cots at a business where workers are transported in a group
  • Scripted, rehearsed answers to casual questions
  • Workers are young and fearful or overly submissive
  • Not being allowed to go into public alone or to speak for oneself
  • The look of fear, anxiety or depression; being submissive, tense
  • Signs of being malnourished, physical abuse

A couple AP reporters made the difference between slavery and freedom for the Myanmar slaves. Keep your eyes open. You might have the opportunity to make a difference for someone being trafficked.

 __________________________________________

Jack D’Aurora writes for considerthisbyjd.com

___________________________________________________

4
  Related Posts

Comments

  1. Brent Rosenthal  April 7, 2015

    This is a huge problem of which I am familiar because my daughter worked for Gracehaven Ministries for several years. They are – and she was – in the forefront of the trafficking problem in central Ohio. Yes, in central Ohio – it is a huge problem in our backyard. If you cling to the Victorian belief that prostitution is just among consenting adults you need to do your research. A very small percentage of prostitutes are in the business on their own volition. A staggering number are, quite literally, in slavery.
    If you have a teenage daughter, granddaughter or niece and you think she’s immune because she’s from the suburbs, wealthy, white, or just a “good girl,” you are wrong. It can happen to her.

    reply
    • Tim McDaniel  April 9, 2015

      Great Comments Brent,

      Here is a way we can support women escaping this horror through free enterprise….http://freedomalacart.org/
      Love the courage of the people who escape and are rebuilding their lives.

      reply
  2. Tiffany Crosby  April 7, 2015

    Jack, thanks for spotlighting this issue. It’s an issue with which we can ill afford to turn a blind eye.

    reply
  3. Jim Sweeney  April 7, 2015

    Jack, the Dominican Republic is high on the list of woman being traded as a commodity. It’s difficult to even write those words. Human life has been so diminished. Availability to education is still a hurdle, but those that are getting an education now have a fighting chance. America needs to be educated as to the problem, and be a part of getting these people out of a horror of a life. Thanks for putting this plight into the view of more people, so that all of us can be involved somehow.

    reply

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published and your last name is optional.