Human trafficking : Forced Beggary

During my college days at Chennai, I clearly recall about a women ,sitting and begging everyday at our college back gate. I used to give her money whenever I happened to cross her. After a year one of my male friend told me that this very same female used to sell drugs at night and beg during day hours. At first it came as a shock to me and I didn't believe it but then many at boys hostel confirmed it. 

I felt so annoyed and angry at myself for giving her money because I realized that I was indirectly helping the drug business. It was like the money she earned during day time, she used it to buy drugs and sell it at double rate at night. Since then I stopped giving her money but sadly, even today I see her sitting and begging at her old spot. 

This fact has shaken my belief that people who beg, make use of the money in a better way. Today I think thrice before giving money to a needy. You never know if they are forced into these criminal activities and that the money they earn goes for a improved living. 

Maria's Story

Maria*, a 13 year old girl from Romania, was trafficked into the UK in 2008. Her Father paid €200 to an organised criminal network to arrange her travel into the country. Once in the UK, Maria was placed with a family in Slough who were part of this criminal network. She was forced to become the domestic slave for the family, having to do the household chores and care for the children. She was made to sleep on the floor and was fed only scraps.

Every day Maria was driven to Surrey and forced to beg, steal and to sell the ‘Big Issue’ magazine illegally. After working for 12 hours each day she would be collected, searched and beaten by her traffickers. She was never allowed to keep any of her earnings. Although forced to work on the streets throughout the winter months she was never provided with a coat to wear or anything to eat or drink.

Following an in-depth police investigation as part of Operation Golf in 2008, the house where Maria was living was raided. Four adults, including Maria’s father, were convicted of trafficking. Maria was repatriated to Romania and passed into the care of Romanian Social Services.

* The victim’s name has been omitted or changed to protect their identity

http://www.raceineurope.org/case-study-2/

Forced beggary

Our heart melts at the sight of beggars from age ranging from 4 yr old kids to elderly people. We see them everywhere from traffic signals to temples to local trains. We often mistake them thinking that they are begging willingly due to their financial crisis but the ugly truth lies right behind it. I did a lot of research on this issue and went through articles and decided to post it here. 

Children and aged are trafficked from their villages and forced to beg in urban streets. This is a highly sophisticated and organised crime business. Traffickers often hurt and mutilate the victim's body parts on purpose to make them physically disabled because a handicapped beggar brings in more money than a healthy beggar. By maiming and deforming them the traffickers earn more. A survey showed that a disabled person earns 1000 Rs. per day while a healthy person earns an average of 300 Rs. a day.

    An ugly crime business is sitting quietly on the pavement and we don't even notice it. 

You won't even believe it but the revenues from this forced beggary is really HUGE. Victims who fail to bring the demanded sum of money are beaten up brutally, abused, chained up and left in isolation without food. So these beggars have to go back to their bosses and report to them with the amount earned at the end of the day. If you ask them to come and stay in orphanages and old age homes ,most of them never agree, I have tried it. They have been threatened and mentally tortured to stay under their masters or else their family back in the villages will be killed. The money which they earn are all snatched away by their traffickers and the victims get none. This is the truth. Therefore I personally feel very heartbroken at their plight and sight and it makes me think thrice before I give them money. Most of the time I give them food instead of money and believe me, they get so overjoyed on receiving food instead of money because that's the only thing they can use it for themselves.

The money which the traffickers earn through forced beggary is used for illegal purchase of weapons, drugs and other personal needs.

http://www.traffickingproject.org/2011/03/human-trafficking-for-begging-old-game.html

Stella's Voice

Moldova is a country which is situated on the Eastern side of Europe between Romania and Ukraine. Economically it is one of the most exceedingly poor countries of Europe. It is like Africa in Europe.

Stella's voice is based on a journey about a safe house built for children who were thrown out of orphanages of Moldova after they reach 16 yrs of age to protect them from human trafficking in Europe. Stella was an orphan, her body was half paralyzed by the time she was 16 yrs. She was thrown out of the orphanage just like other kids are done at Moldova's orphanages when they turn 16. After she was forced to move out, she was kidnapped into human trafficking. They sold and used her and she died of AIDS at the age of 19. 

Stella's house is a safe house which was built in 2006 by the Christian Scottish missionary - evangelist- Philip

Cameron to protect kids like Stella from predators. Philip was very close to Stella. On hearing this horrific demise about her, he was broken within and decided to make a difference in the life of these innocent angels by protecting them and educating them within Stella's home. Children call Philip as 'Dad'. He has not only helped them mentally and physically but also uplifted their lives spiritually. Today the number of children in their home is exploding at a faster rate and they require more space and funding and I'm sure that by God's grace they will soon be able to spread their wings of love to many more in need.

Title: Stella's Voice

Series: Documentaries

Duration: 23m

Find out about the horror's faced by the orphans of Moldova and Stella's Voice's answer to that need.

 

Link to their home:
http://www.stellasvoice.org/about/stellas-house/

Jacob's Story

Jacob's story is very overwhelming. He was a drug dealer earlier and later went on to be a pimp who trafficked girls and sold them . Today by the grace of Christ he is a changed man and works with the African police to rescue girls trapped into prostitution. Today he and his family are still hiding and working to save many innocent lives because his own life is still in danger.

Innocence isn't lost, it's stolen

These things happen in the same world you and I live in... It is time to stop ignoring them! 

How many of you all have seen the documentary movie - The Whistleblower (2011) - on sex trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina ?

I saw it and it was very disturbing. In the beginning I couldn't endure the gruesomeness of this flesh business but then I forced myself to watch the full movie because I wanted to know the truth, I wanted to be strong and understand how the real world is out there and everywhere. 

Even today victims from Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Iraq and Russia are trafficked into Bosnia and Herzegovina because there are job crisis in these regions. Girls often get lured by guys who offer them best future and a promising job. Even though trafficking occurs in many other developed countries but Europe is among the worst hit countries.

Do you have any idea how critical this modern slavery is ? Girls and kids are kidnapped and locked up in cages. They are shipped in car containers across continents. Those who resist or try to escape are beaten up or killed. I've seen testimonies in which victims have confessed that her parents were killed when she tried to escape. The environment in which the victims stay are very horrific. They are dumped in underground cells, they are chained to the walls. They eat, sleep and pee in the same confined space provided. They are daily given drug injections. They are even forced to shoot for adult movies. When they refuse to act in porns... their private parts are wounded by burning cigarettes...... I know it sounds very disturbing but you have no idea about what they actually go through. There are many things which are unspeakable, disgusting and spine chilling. 

Many of you must be thinking that you are not involved in sex trafficking. Let me tell you the truth, most of you who think that just because you don't hire prostitutes or rape someone so you are not involved in it are totally "WRONG".... You must be sitting somewhere in India or London  or any far off country and thinking that we are not involved...... you are all indirectly involved in this mess. 

Do you have any idea that every-time you click on a porn sitting comfortably in your countries, an innocent child or woman somewhere far off is beaten up and raped on camera. Where do you think all these porns are filmed? Its all filmed mostly in European countries. When you view a video, these pimps (men who run sex trafficking business) earn a lot of money by the number of viewers on their websites and this boosts up their business even more. This encourages them further more into human trafficking business. So this makes you involved too.

Watch this documentary video

Ginger Stache from Joyce Meyer Ministries looks into the world of human trafficking, including an interview with Christine Caine, founder of the A21 campaign.

Title: Joyce Meyer Ministries meets Christine Caine

Theme: Your Faith

Series: A21 Campaign

Duration: 32m

LINK 
http://www.god.tv/joyce-meyer-ministries/video/a21-campaign/joyce-meyer-ministries-meets-christine-caine

One of the few Survivor's Testimonies

Jeff Edwards, "The Sex Factory", The Mirror ,19 May 2002

jammedtruestories.blogspot.com/2008/09/eleni-trafficked-in-bosnia.html

[accessed 23 January 2011]

TESTIMONY OF ELENI - Eleni, 25, didn't know the friend who wrote inviting her to work as a waitress was now a prostitute. Once at the Bosnian restaurant her new owner told her she had been bought for 900 DEM and had to repay him by having sex with his customers. When she refused she was beaten until she couldn't walk for days but was still forced to have sex.

She said: "My owner told me 'You are lying down anyway so you can still work for me.'" After two months she was sold on to a man who held a pistol to her head when she threatened to go to police.Eleni was moved to a remote house after corrupt police tipped off her owner that Interpol was looking for her. He raped her several times then passed her to a third owner as she had become "too dangerous." She said: "I was a slave. I was no more than a piece of meat."

http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Bosnia-Herzegovina.htm

Teenagers 'used for sex by UN in Bosnia'

Stewart Payne, Telegraph, 25/04/2002

At one time this article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible 

[accessed 4 September 2011]

A human rights investigator who claims she was sacked for exposing the sexual abuse of Bosnian women by her United Nations colleagues, told a tribunal yesterday that girls as young as 15 were offered for sex.  Kathryn Bolkovac, 41, said women were forced to dance naked in Bosnian bars frequented by UN police officers.



Prostitution in the disguise of 'Child Marriage'

UNICEF calls child marriage "the most prevalent form of sexual abuse and exploitation of girls."  There are kids of age 6 yrs who are married of to men 
of 30 yrs or above. Most of these kids are trafficked to another country and forced into prostitution by their own husbands and in-laws. Many die at early age because they get pregnant prior their bodies are ready . Child marriages are often seen in very poor countries like Afghanistan, Niger, Chad, Mali, Bangladesh, Guinea, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Nepal .  As you can see, six of those eight are in sub-Saharan Africa. The prevalence rate in Niger is 75 percent, suggesting that three in four girls there can expect to be married before turning 18. When an 11-year-old Yemeni child bride who had been raped by her husband was brave enough to seek a divorce, the judge told her only, "We don’t divorce little girls." These kids face marital rape and domestic violence and if the family goes through financial crisis, these girls are forced into prostitution by their own husband and in-laws. 

Lets have a look at 2013 map

Infant farms

Victims of sex trafficking who turn pregnant are shifted to a place which is meant to keep all pregnant prostitutes together till they deliver their child. They are kept in dingy places devoid of any medical care. Once their child is born, after few weeks their kids are snatched away from them and are put in a separate place. While their mother's are forced back into prostitution these children are grown in this child farm like place and trained for prostitution. Children in Thailand are sold to foreigners for as low as $2 per hour.  Most of the customers who hire them are from advanced and developing countries. They come to Thailand because in their own countries it is costly and illegal whereas here in Thailand they don't have fear of getting caught and they find it cheap and easily available. Imagine the life of these innocent kids who are born in brothels and have no idea of what parenthood is like and what means to be in a family. They don't get to know about the outer world, they don't have any social and spiritual touch. 

As soon as they are born they are taught how to please their customers. For them that job itself becomes their livelihood because they never went to school, they got no education and thus they can't afford proper good job as we do. They have no idea what freedom means. They are forced to watch pornography and are taught to act as shown. They are brainwashed by assuring that someday they too can be actresses on videos like the porn stars.

There is a high value for virgins basically because they are devoid of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) and HIV. Reseach shows that as many as 36% of prostitutes in Thailand are HIV +. In order to avoid this terrifying prospect, many men attempt to sleep with virgin prostitutes. As a result, young girls are used by brothels and sold at much higher prices. Some perverts even believe that if a HIV infected person sleeps with a virgin their HIV disease is cured and it is passed on to the virgins. Pimps take advantage of the situation and restitch the private parts of the girls and resell them declaring them as virgins. 

  

A sex trafficking victim named "Lisa" shows her tattooed lip with the name of her pimp, in 2011. Federal officials in San Diego say such branding continues.

Those of you who think that only girls are being abused and trafficked around are totally wrong because even boys and men are victims of forced prostitution.

What happens when the victims die

When these victims die either due to torture or suicide, the pimps harvest their organs and sell it in the black market and earn a lot. This fact is horrific, disgusting and a moral n ethical sin. 

You can be their freedom

Eliminating human trafficking is a long term process but it's not impossible. You have to first look into your own behavior. Your pornographic addictions and targeting women at night clubs are fueling this nude industry.  You should see the human on the other side of pornography as a real person who is somebody's child or sister or mother or brother. These victims too have dreams and emotions. No one wants to be sold and tortured, they are forced into it. It needs more than just a behavioral  modification to change yourself, to be away and control your pornographic and drug addictions , you need a spiritual change too at a deep rooted level. If you stop your addictions, if you stop buying nude magazines, if you stop clicking on nude websites, you will surely weaken the nude industry. Once the demand from your side drops down automatically the supply of victims from other side will also be minimized.  This is what you can do at the minimum sitting safely in your home. It would be really a blessing for the victims if you can inform the police about illegal activities going around in your own backyard. 

We have A-21 campaign to help pull out the victims and keep them in a safe home. 

Please do contact - 

India - http://nlrd.org/resources-childs-rights/child-trafficking/government-notifications-advisories-child-trafficking/list-of-nodal-officers-on-human-trafficking-ahtu

Abroad - A21 camp -1109 HOTLINE number.

Delhi - 011 - 24368638, 011-32673527

Patna - 9470001390

National helpline for India CHILDLINE toll free - 1098

Indian CBI website - http://cbi.nic.in/contact.php , 011-24368638

Washington  National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC)- 1-888-373-7888

Jharkhand - 1800-3456-531

Austria IBF - 43 1-796 92 98

BELGIUM

PAG-ASA + 32 2 511 64 64Payoke +32 3 201 16 90Sürya +32 4 232 40 30

National Hotline for Children (operated by the State Agency for Child Protection and Foundation “Animus Association”): 116 111

In Hungary: 06-80/20-55-20 – Crisis Management and Information Hotline.
Abroad: 0036 80/20-55-20
Out of hours contact: Centre d’Intervention National: +352 4997 2341
SOS Imigrante, hotline for all migrant situations 808 257 257

Terrafem, a non-profit organisation that runs a national helpline for immigrant women: 020 52 10 10
Report child trafficking (in Swedish)

For more information please visit website of the National organisation for Women’s and Girls’ Shelters in Sweden.

• (02) 1343, if calling from the Philippines, and

• (632) 1343, if calling from abroad.

To access the HOTLINE from inside Malaysia, dial:
TEL : 03-7960-3030
TEL : (60) 3-7960-3030

 BULGARIA

National Hotline for Victims of Violence(operated by Foundation “Animus Association”): 0800 186 76

 CZECH REPUBLIC

La Strada SOS Hotline +420 222 71 71 71

 DENMARK

The Danish Centre against Human Trafficking hotline +45 70 20 25 50

 ESTONIA

Human Trafficking Prevention and Victim Help Hotline +372 6607 320 

 FINLAND

System for victim assistance +358 71 876 3170

 FRANCE

National Coordination for protection of victims of human trafficking hotline(Ac.Sé): 0 825 009 907

 GREECE

Human Trafficking Resource Line (operated by Α21 Campaign): 1109 (for international calls please call 0030-2310-525149)

 HUNGARY 

Hotline telephone number for victims of domestic violence or Trafficking (Available 24/7)

 IRELAND

Hotline for the confidential reporting of suspicions of trafficking:1800 25 00 25

 ITALY

National hotline against trafficking 800 290 290

 LATVIA

Hotline against trafficking (in Latvian) 80002012

 LITHUANIA

Klaipedasocial and psychological services centre 8 800 66366

Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau mailbox for providing information in connection with human trafficking.

 LUXEMBOURG

Luxembourgnational contact for expertise in the field combating and preventing of trafficking in Human Beings (Police Grand-Ducale) +352 4997 6210

 MALTA

Vice and Economic Crime, Police General Headquarters, contact for victims of human trafficking or reporting a crime in relation to human trafficking +356 2294 2000

 NETHERLANDS

CoMensha (in Dutch) +31 33 4481186

 POLAND

National Intervention and Consultation Centre for Victims of Trafficking +48 22 628 01 20

 PORTUGAL

Hotline against trafficking 800 202 148

 ROMANIA

Hotline against trafficking 0800 800 678

 SLOVAKIA 

Slovak Crisis Center DOTYK + 421 903 704 784

 SLOVENIA 

KLJUČ KEY- Society, Centre for the fight against trafficking in persons: 080 17 22

 SPAIN

Institut de la Femme 900 191 010, 900 152 152

 SWEDEN

National Support line, a national telephone support line for women who have been subjected to threats and violence: 020 50 50 50

 UNITED KINGDOM

CRIMESTOPPERS, for victims of human trafficking or people having information that will help lead to the identification and recovery of victims in the UK: 0800 555 111

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Sarah Shuhail, Executive Director of the Shelter Centres for the victims of human trafficking.

TEL : 8007283

PHILIPPINES 

Information Agency (PIA) said the “1343 Actionline Against Human Trafficking” is a project of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO).

The program aims to assist human trafficking victims who seek help at these hotline numbers:

INDONESIA

If you suspect someone you know to be trafficked anywhere in Indonesia, please call the following hot line:

National Commission for Child Protection (Komisi Nasional Perlindungan Anak)

To access the HOTLINE from outside of Indonesia, dial:

TEL : (62) (21) 8779-1818

To access the HOTLINE from inside Indonesia, dial:

TEL : (0) 21-8779-1818

 MALAYSIA

Women?s Aid Organization (WAO)

To access the HOTLINE from outside Malaysia, dial:

Help put a stop to this horrific industry. Share 

this fact with family and friends.

Today's prayer:

Annie Lobert's Testimony

Today I want to share Annie Lobert's story because it's one of the many testimonies which touched my soul.

This story is about Annie who was trapped in prostitution + drugs and who received salvation from her dark days and today she stands boldly in the midst of everyone to share her testimony and describes her journey towards finding peace, forgiveness and Christ's immense love for sinners. Annie Lobert is a very powerful speaker today . I find her very smart and beautiful. She owns a community known a "Hookers for Jesus". This community helps girls to be rescued from forced prostitution . They help the victims physically, mentally and spiritually. Annie Lobert loves pink so I'm gonna  go all "pink" with her story.

Annie's story

Annie Lobert is a survivor of more than a decade of sex trafficking. She worked as an exotic dancer and a high-class escort and was prostituted in Hawaii, Minneapolis, and Las Vegas.

Annie is an internationally recognized expert and advocate of ministry to men and women in the commercial sex industry from her personal experience. She fully understands the traumatic psychological, emotional, and physical effects of initially choosing the sex industry as a job choice-only later to be trapped, beaten and sold to the trafficker’s highest bidders.

Annie is also a survivor of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), domestic 
violence, sexual abuse, cancer, drug addiction, abortions, miscarriages, pornography, anorexia, and bulimia.

In 2003, after a serious drug overdose and an epiphany with God, Annie began her personal journey of healing and recovery to emotional, physical, and spiritual wholeness.

Annie’s mission was to go back and reach the ladies she had left behind who were working in Las Vegas as prostitutes/sex trafficking victims. What started as a pioneering, grass roots outreach to sex workers soon became a non-profit, whose focus was to Hook (outreach) Hope (Jesus) Help (housing) Heal (restoration). In 2005, Hookers for Jesus, was birthed.

Although many continue to disagree with the name, Annie moved into full time ministry using her personal experience as a guide and started mentoring and helping women who were still in and formerly in the sex industry. Many ladies had nowhere to go after they had left their traffickers and a vision was birthed in 2007 to have homes available and ready for women that wanted to leave their pasts behind.

It was through Annie’s endless efforts to rescue women and give them hope for their futures that Destiny House was officially founded. Destiny House is a safe place for women to live while healing from the serious trauma of being sex trafficked.

Annie readily offers her story, a message of grace and redemption, and effectively ministers to the men and women whose lives have been negatively affected by commercial sexual exploitation.

Annie has been featured on national broadcasts: Dr. Drew Life Changers, The 

Today Show, Nightline, Joy Behar, The Tara Banks Show, Joyce Meyer, Life Today, Help Line TV, the 700 Club, the Jim Bakker Show, TBNs Praise the Lord and many more.

Additionally, Annie filmed a three part TV-mini docu-series on the Investigation Discovery channel called Hookers Saved On The Strip. The series is about sex trafficking and involves three of the ladies rescued that Annie rescued. This series can now be found of Netflix.

Annie has been heard on radio programs and interviewed in major news publications across the nation and world:  The Associated Press, The New York Post, LA Times, Penthouse, and Charisma magazine.

Governmental organizations, judicial offices, police force training, and educational systems, in addition to community groups and churches are effectively utilizing Annie’s inside view and background to assist in educating the public and stirring them to action regarding prostitution and sex trafficking.

Annie continues her mission on reaching out to women whom have been abused while training and educating leaders, organizations, and churches to effectively help minister to sex workers and sex trafficking victims.

Annie is currently writing a book called Fallen that will be available on February 17, 2015.  It is a personal real-life story of sex trafficking in Las Vegas and how the sex industry almost ended her life, but was instead used to propel her into full time ministry.

When Annie is taking time off of her busy schedule, she spends time with her husband, Oz Fox. They were married on June 5th, 2009. Oz Fox is a founding member and current guitarist and vocalist for the heavy metal band Stryper.

Annie Lobert's testimony can be viewed on this link:

http://www.god.tv/exodus-cry/video/the-abolition-summit/annie-loberts-testimony

Hookers for Jesus community:

http://www.hookersforjesus.net

Not your problem?

Many of us ignore human trafficking and related issues thinking that

 IT'S NOT MY PROBLEM. 

Well, think again !!!

It may be happening in your own backyard, it can hit any of your friend, your daughter or your sister. No one wants to be a prostitute, they are kidnapped and tortured to commit it. I've gone through many testimonies of rescued victims and all of them were either kidnapped or born in brothels. They were abused throughout their  childhood by their own step parents, relatives and even fake boy friends, others were lured in the promise of a better job.

Imagine this most common scenario:

A man shows up and claims to be an agent from a big fashion company. He tells you that you are beautiful and have nice features/talented and you could be an international model or actress or he could get you a waitress job at a famous coffee shop in London or name any. He assures you that he can make your future shine and that he knows how you feel within. He confronts you and tells that he is the man behind many successful celebrities; and that your days of struggle are finally over;and you are going to make it very big. He will also show you few pics of him with some famous personalities to gain your trust. Girls from economically poor countries or background tend to fall for these offers. He takes your pictures/videos saying that he will edit and send it to magazine companies. You get excited and agree for few pictures. The next thing you know is that you've been selected and have been called for a modelling gig at an exotic island (name any) . You believe it's a life time deal and decide to pack up. All your dreams suddenly seem so true and you get your passport ready, bid your family goodbye, not knowing that it's the last time you'll be seeing them. 

You get on a plane and land on a country which is not an exotic island. Before you could realize your fate, your passport and documents including cash and cell phone is snatched away. When you resist to all this, you are pricked with a drug needle and you fall unconscious. You wake up after 14 hrs in a different country all tied up to a dingy bed or in a cage with many other victims.

What can be done for the victims? How can you protect yourself ?

First and foremost- Be very very careful of your surroundings. Be aware of the people you deal with and places you go and drinks that you have at parties. Never find a shortcut way to your dreams. No one becomes successful in one night. No job is low as long as you are happy and satisfied. Do not be silent if you know about any human trafficking going on in your neighborhood but help the police and NGO authorities to rescue the victim. It's always worth even if you save one life. We need to understand how critical this situation is. It can happen to anyone of us. Talk to your children and make them aware of the evil world which dazzles in the disguise of acting and modelling jobs.

In my coming posts, I will share with you the testimonies of rescued victims, about pimps who have repented and are now followers of Christ, about people who have received God in their life and were able to totally forgive themselves and also forgive those who sexually abused them in their  past.


Today's prayer: