User:Gpp105io/Human trafficking in California

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Human trafficking in California is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, and forced labor as it occurs in the state of California. Human trafficking, It is widely recognized as a modern-day form of slavery., It includes

"the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power, or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs."

California is particularly vulnerable because of its "proximity to international borders, number of ports and airports, significant immigrant population, and large economy that includes industries that attract forced labor." It serves both as an entry point for slaves imported from outside the US as well as a destination for slaves. Slavery is found throughout California, but with major hubs are centered on Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco. According to the 2011 Department of State report, California, together with New York, Texas, and Oklahoma, has the largest concentrations of survivors of human trafficking. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center reported receiving 3,609 calls and emails in 2015 about human trafficking in California.

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Overview

Human trafficking

See also: Human trafficking in the United States

Federally, human trafficking is defined as "the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery". The International Labor (ILO) states that there are 40.3 million of human trafficking globally.

The state of California, on the other hand, defines a trafficker as "anyone who deprives or violates the personal liberty of another with the intent to obtain forced labor or services, procure or sell the individual for commercial sex, or exploit the individual in an obscene matter, is guilty of human trafficking". Specifically, depriving and/or violating someone's personal liberty entails "substantial and sustained restriction of another's liberty accomplished through fraud, deceit, coercion, violence, duress, menace, or threat of unlawful injury to the victim or to another person, under circumstances where the person receiving or apprehending the threat reasonably believes that it is likely that the person making the threat would carry it out."

Differences Between Human Trafficking and Smuggling

The State of California Department of Justice defines human trafficking as "Trafficking in persons or modern-day slavery in a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts."

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Types of Trafficking

Labor trafficking

Labor trafficking involves trafficking persons—through "recruitment, harboring, or transportation"—with the intent to use them for labor-related services. Common examples of labor trafficking can include domestic servitude, janitorial work, factory labor, agricultural work (primarily including migrants), alongside construction work. Classified as a form of modern-day slavery, labor trafficking is a subset of human trafficking, which is defined by the U.N. as:

...the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion… for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.

Domestic service, agricultural work (primarily including migrants), sweatshop labor, and restaurant or hospital work comprise the most common sectors of labor in which labor trafficking arises; domestic service is reported to harbor 27.7% of labor trafficking victims, agriculture with 10.4%, sweatshop work with 4.8%, and restaurant and hotel work with 3.8%.

In California, the Latino population is reported to be at a notably high risk for labor trafficking. La Cooperativa, a job training, employment, and services resource for farmworkers and related advocates, describes the case of Flor Molina, a labor slave from Mexico whose trafficking took her to Los Angeles. It is reported that Molina's sewing class in Mexico was approached by a sex trafficker, who gave her an opportunity to immigrate to the U.S. to work in a factory there. She would work 18-hour days without being able to leave the factory. This is one of many similar cases of labor trafficking in California involving illegal immigration and illegal working conditions.

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Domestic Servitude

Domestic servitude involves women, men and even children who are coerced to work for and live in the homes of the employers. The employers exploit these their victims by forcing them to work unreasonable hours, paying them less than minimum wages and preventing them from leaving their homes. These Domestic workers could be lawfully admitted non-U.S. citizens whose have their passports are confiscated by their employers as a coercion tactic in order to force them to stay, U.S. citizens who are forced coerced by their employers to stay or by their families to provide money, or illegal immigrants who are forced to work un-desirable jobs.

In 2010 there was a domestic servitude case that got the exploiter into prison:

In November 2010, a woman received a 37-month prison sentence for forcing a Chinese woman to work without pay as a domestic servant in her Fremont home. The trafficker forced the victim to cook, clean, and perform child care services. The trafficker, who was 62 at the time of her sentencing, physically abused the victim and confiscated her passport, visa, and other documents. She also admitted to telling the victim that she needed to remain inside the house because she was an illegal alien.

Most of domestic servitude cases still go unnoticed because of the victims' reluctance to report to the authorities.

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Demographics of Trafficked Persons

Most victims of human trafficking in California, whether international or domestic, either come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds or are vulnerable to the promises and temptations of a better life and job. Some of the Victims of human trafficking may be are men, women and children born and raised in California or internationally, who are trapped in domestic servitude, forced into prostitution, or forced to work on farms far from their initial homes. Others are international men, women and children who are seduced into prostitution, forced labor and domestic servitude. In schemes involving international persons, the victims are often smuggled into California and are forced into harsh, low-paying jobs, while being indebted to the smugglers for the smuggling and transportation, and unreasonably high housing and living costs into California. Additionally, these job agreements continuously deduct high amounts of money for low-quality housing and food. The victims of international trafficking are usually helpless and thus avoid reporting the traffickers, because of their in fear of exposing their own crime for their illegal immigration status, their language incompetency, their oblivion of their own victimization, or and their wariness about the US judicial system in the USA. As immigration laws become more stringent and anti-immigrant antagonism has increases, undocumented victims of human trafficking become more prone to being forced coercion into undesirable jobs. "As codified in the California Penal Code, anyone who deprives or violates the personal liberty of another with the intent to obtain forced labor or services, procure or sell the individual for commercial sex, or exploit the individual in obscene matter, is guilty of human traffickin

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Structural Causes[edit]

The main cause of international human trafficking is the promise of a better life and job, which tempts victims who usually come from countries with lower standards of living. Traffickers and poachers tend to look for easy targets individuals without who have no families, no jobs, or no place for shelter. Given California's strategic location, The presence of major international airports and intrastate major airports, in California allows traffickers can to transport the victims with ease. These individuals are trafficked and put into slavery or some sort of sex trafficking  Thus, making human trafficking in California a profitable, low-risk and high-reward scheme. Similarly, domestic traffickers look for easy and vulnerable targets. Domestic traffickers target , particularly young aged boys and girls in schools, foster homes, and homeless-shelters and streets, by offering them money, protection, and drugs. The Traffickers psychologically manipulate these young people by being acting as a parent or a lover figure, in order to gain their trust and make them take advantage of their emotionally vulnerability.

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The National Human Trafficking Hotline Statistics

The National Human Trafficking Hotline regularly receives calls regularly regarding human trafficking. In these phone calls the topic of discussion is whether it's someone reporting of a cases or just asking general inquiries questions. In its annual report for 2018, the National Human Trafficking Hotline released an annual report for 2018 detailing the demographics of the victims of human trafficking in California and in various other states, It claims that there were 790 cases of human trafficking in California, which is the highest among all states, with sex trafficking being the leading type form of trafficking being seen in California. California State Report for It reports that of all the victims Of sex trafficking victims in California, 76.3% were females, 3.9% were males and 26.9% were minors. 5,147 human trafficking cases have been reported just in the year of 2018 alone. Additionally, over 14,000 calls were have been made in 2018 about regarding cases involving human trafficking and smuggling cases in California.

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Additional Victim Statistics[edit]

Since the nature of human trafficking is so complex and widespread, complete and accurate statistics concerning the country of origin of victims of trafficking can be difficult to obtain or conflicting may contrast with each other.

• One report states that from 1993 to 2003, 500 individuals had been trafficked from 18 different countries into California: 136 survivors came from Thailand, 104 from Mexico, and 53 from Russia, This report states that and 5.4% of the victims were from America. According to the State of California Department of Justice, an estimated 20.9 million human trafficking victims worldwide at any time. This 20.9 million includes 14.2 million victims of labor exploitation, 4.5 million victims of sexual exploitation, and 2.2 million victims of state imposed forced labor. The victims of human trafficking are often young girls and women. 55% of the forced labor victims are young girls and women and 98% of sex trafficking victims.

• Other Another reports states that 72% of trafficking victims in California are American.

Statistics also vary by region:

• In Orange County, A report made in 2015 said states that 72% out of the 225 trafficking victims in Orange County in California, 72% of victims were born in the US while 22% were not.
• In San Francisco, of the 499 reported trafficking victims, 117 were from San Francisco, 47 were from other parts of the US, 8 were from Mexico, and 6 were from the Philippines. However, there was not (Country of origin information was missing for 198 of these victims.)
• In a report detailing information reported by the National Human Trafficking Hotline, 36% of cases concerned US citizens, and 21% of cases concerned foreign citizens, and . However, 42% of cases did not contain demographic information for the victim.

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Profiles

Historical Changes

Over the last 10 years, the profiles of both victims and offenders has changed. Women still represent the majority of trafficked victims, but the share of men and children has increased in recent years, in addition to those trafficked for forced labor purposes. Further, domestic trafficking within a country's borders has also significantly increased.

Victim Profiles

These include, but are not limited to:

• Poverty
• Isolation from family and other social networks
• Separation from country of origin
• Drug addiction
• Runaway or homeless youth
• Sexual/physical abuse and incest
• Refugee status/feeling war and conflict

Moreover, it is common to see victims coming from war and conflict, as refugees are commonly targeted by traffickers who take advantage of their desperation.

Offender Profiles

A recent study conducted through interviews with traffickers found that most federally convicted offenders either operated alone (57%) or with 1-3 members through social/family ties, with no known organizational support. It was also found that female offenders often served as both victims and offenders, typically in that order. Nearly all those interviewed mentioned that their primary driver was to earn money, and that few options were available to earn a comparable sum. The other leading motivation included pressure by family members.

The UNODC found a global pattern in which men are the largest share of traffickers convicted, but that trafficking also had the highest rate of women convicted in comparison to other crimes. It is thought that the reasons behind this include the transition of victims to offenders, and the use of women to gain trust of victims.

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Law

2005-2015

• Passed in 2005, California passed Assembly Bill 22, California's first law setting higher criminal penalties for human trafficking, The law allowed victims to receive financial restitution as it relates to their trafficking experiences and for victims to bringing civil action lawsuits against their traffickers.
• Passed in 2011, California enacted a new law called the "Transparency in Supply Chains Act," The law which requires large retailers to disclose their efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from their supply chains. The law went into effect January 1, 2012, and it applies to any company that is in the "retail trade" that has annual worldwide gross receipts in excess of $100 million and annual California sales exceeding $500,000.
• Passed in 2012, California Senate Bill 1193 was passed which required certain businesses to post a human trafficking hotline in a public location.
• California criminal code specifies that the Attorney General should give priority to human trafficking matters. Law enforcement agencies are required to use due diligence in identifying victims. Additional fines are levied against people convicted of trafficking, which is to be used for child sexual abuse prevention and counseling and to serve minor victims of human trafficking.
• In June On June 24, 2015, the California state government introduced Senate Bill 84, a measure that established the Human Trafficking Victims Assistance and mandated that the fund's money go towards grants to qualified nonprofits, reimbursing them for any costs incurred when assisting victims of human trafficking. The budget behind this fund is a one-time allowance of $10 million.
• Passed in October 2015, Assembly Bill 15 passed in October, 2015. It states that for any human trafficking offense, the perpetrator(s) must undergo a civil action lawsuit within seven years of the date that the victim was freed.

September 2016

The following provisions were passed in September 2016:

• In September 2016, California lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 2498, which allows for human trafficking victims' names, images, and family information to be withheld by local or state police agencies until the related investigation and prosecution is complete.
• In September 2016, Assembly Bill 1276 was passed, authorizies minors of 15 years or younger to testify in a human trafficking cases.
• Senate Bill 1322, passed in September 2016, targets minors' involvement in commercial sex acts. Before this bill, Previous existing law deemed soliciting or engaging in prostitution, along with loitering in any public area with the objective of engaging in prostitution, a crime. Senate Bill 1322 makes this provision inapplicable to minors under 18 years old who solicited or engaged in prostituting behavior, whom law enforcement would only be able to take into temporary custody under limited circumstances if they were found committing the aforementioned acts.
• Also passed in September 2016, Senate Bill 1064 indefinitely extended the life of a pilot program intended to provide "comprehensive, replicative, multidisciplinary model to address the needs and effective treatment of commercially sexually exploited minors." It also expanded the existing legal definition of "commercially sexually exploited minor" to account for minors who have been arrested for engaging in prostitution due to the fact that they have been proven to be commercially exploited.

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Prominent Locations in California for Trafficking

Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco are included in the FBI's list of top thirteen child sex trafficking areas inn the nation. These areas' close proximity to the international border, diverse population, and presence of seaports and airports makes them vulnerable to human trafficking.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles is one of the three major entry points for human trafficking in the US, and in 2009 the FBI listed Los Angeles as one of the top 13 child sex-trafficking areas in the nation. Los Angeles is a hotspot for human trafficking because of its diverse population, international connections, and involvement in the fashion industry. This diverse population can create language barriers for survivors of human trafficking, which combined with a fear of violence and law enforcement, can help to hide survivors. Between From December 7, 2007 and to December 31, 2016, there were 2,803 total calls (the third most calls per city) made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline from the Los Angeles area, with . The hotline reported that 884 of these cases having high or moderate characteristics of human trafficking (the second largest number of cases per city).

In Los Angeles, a sex trafficker makes, on average, $49,000 per victim. The average onset age for girls and boys subjected to child trafficking in Los Angeles is 12-14 and 11–13 years of age respectively. Survivors have an average lifespan of 7 years after their first encounter with trafficking, where HIV/AIDS or homicide are the largest causes of death. It has also been noted that Los Angeles street gangs are heavily involved with human trafficking.

Because human trafficking tends to be hidden in plain sight, Los Angeles has been focusing on public awareness campaigns in hopes that more people will notice possible indicators of human trafficking. Additionally, in 2015 the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force was launched in 2015. This task force works with a number of government and local organizations to address the issues associated with human trafficking. A significant focus of this regional task force is to working with the LASD Human Trafficking Unit to treat change the way that child survivors are handled and by focusing on the fact that they are as victims and not criminals.

In 2018, Los Angeles headed the three day "Operation Reclaim and Rebuild" to create a large scale attack on human trafficking. 80 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and task forces participated in the operation. 510 arrests were made with 30 suspected traffickers and more than 50 human trafficking survivors saved (45 adults, 11 children) statewide.

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San Diego

The FBI also listed San Diego as one of top 13 child sex-trafficking areas in the United States. San Diego's close proximity to the international border, diverse population, and presence of seaports and airports makes it vulnerable to human trafficking. Survivors of Human trafficking is prominent usually experience sexual trafficking or forced labor in San Diego's fishing and agricultural industries in San Diego. Between 2007 and 2016, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 1,333 calls from San Diego (10th most calls among cities), with and 335 of these cases were determined to having high or moderate indicators associated with human trafficking (11th most) from December 7, 2007 to December 31, 2016.

The San Diego District Attorney's Office concluded that there are at least 8,000 human trafficking survivors currently in San Diego and that human trafficking is the second largest underground economy in San Diego after drug trafficking, creating an $810 million profit. Other reports have claimed that there are between 3,417 and 8,108 sex trafficking survivors in San Diego. Additionally, 31% of Spanish Speaking immigrants living in San Diego have been subjected to human trafficking.

In One report claimed that, out of 20 San Diego high schools in San Diego interviewed, all had had reported that sex trafficking recruitment had taken place on their campus, while 90% of schools had sex-trafficking cases. Additionally, around 110 gangs were found to be involved in human trafficking in San Diego. Those living in foster care or who are homeless were found to be the most vulnerable to human trafficking. Furthermore, a presence of international criminal networks used to traffic children and adults across the border was noted.

San Diego has created the Ugly Truth Campaign and Out of the Shadows in order to raise public awareness of the local presence of human trafficking in San Diego. Additionally, Out of the Shadows focuses on providing resources for survivors of human trafficking.

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San Francisco[edit]

The FBI also listed San Francisco as one of the top 13 locations in the nation where child sex-trafficking occurs. Similarly to Los Angeles and San Diego, San Francisco is vulnerable to human trafficking because of the presence of seaports and airports and diverse population.

From Between December 7, 2007 to December 31, and 2016, the National Human Trafficking Hotline reported that there were 1,102 calls and 302 cases concerning human trafficking from San Francisco area (12th most per US city).

In 2013, the Mayor's Task Force on Anti-Human Trafficking was created to eliminate gaps in services to survivors of human trafficking and create a victim-centered approach to treating survivors. This task force consisted of a Child Sex Trafficking Committee, a Labor Trafficking Committee, and a Sex Work and Trafficking Policy Impact Committee.

From July 2014 to December 2014, 291 human trafficking survivors were identified in San Francisco, with 224 being female and 118 of them being children. In 2015, 499 survivors of human trafficking were identified in San Francisco, with 122 being minors, 283 being adults, and 94 being unknown; 54% of these cases involved sex trafficking. In 2015, the National Human Trafficking Hotline noted that 80% of the calls from San Francisco concerning human trafficking involved women.

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Organizations

• Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) is a Los Angeles-based anti-human trafficking organization. that Through provides legal, social, and advocacy, and rehabilitation services, CAST helps rehabilitate to survivors of human trafficking, raises awareness, and affects legislation and public policy surrounding human trafficking.
• California Against Slavery is an organization that focused on passing the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation (CASE) Act.
• Slavery Footprint is an Oakland-based organization that seeks to raise the awareness of slavery. They investigated the supply lines of 400 consumer products to determine the likely number of slaves it takes to make each of those products. They put the information into and created an online survey where you can that allows takers to determine the number of slaves that are needed to maintain your their personal lifestyle.
• Not for Sale is an international non-profit organization based out of San Francisco, California that works to protect people and communities around the world from human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
• The Thai Community Development Center is a Los Angeles-based anti-human trafficking organization that works to bring redress and restitution to Thai victims of human trafficking.

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Documentaries

• California's Forgotten Children is a feature documentary that follows a diverse group of resilient survivors of child sex trafficking who were commercially sexually exploited throughout California and are now advocates courageous leaders fighting for the rights of victims worldwide. The film supports the stories of survivors with current statistics and perspectives of sexual exploitation from professionals in social services, law enforcement, advocates, and child welfare such as Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, California Against Slavery, and many more. It focuses on those who were wrongfully criminalized in the judicial system; manipulated and coerced by family, friends, and caretakers; and exploited by multiple slavery industries.

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See also

• History of enslavement of indigenous peoples in California

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