News Desk Update Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Human Trafficking in Eastern Europe 'Set to Rise'
Human trafficking is increasing in other parts of the world as well. In the Philippines, for example, rising unemployment is making more people vulnerable to traffickers, reports the humanitarian news agency IRIN. "Along with a possible upsurge of criminality as joblessness and poverty spread, there could be a rise in cases of human trafficking," says lawyer Ferdinand Lavin, chief of the National Bureau of Investigations Anti-Human Trafficking Division. "People will be more aggressive in finding jobs and human traffickers will take advantage of the situation."

Human trafficking, often referred to as modern-day slavery, is the second largest and fastest growing illegal industry in the world, according to the Polaris Project, a group that works with victims of all forms of human trafficking. Traffickers typically "prey on people who are hoping for a better life, lack employment opportunities, have unstable home life, or have a history of sexual abuse," notes the Polaris Project. [READ MORE>>>]


Modern-Day Slavery
INDIANAPOLIS - Slavery as blacks know it is permeated with images of Africans stuffed in ships, whipped and beaten beyond recognition, hung on trees and picking cotton. Slavery now has a new face – human trafficking. Human trafficking is often confused with smuggling, extortion or simple prostitution. When a person is a victim of human trafficking they are mandated to work under specific conditions by force. The U.S. is one of the top “destination” countries for human trafficking.

“I don’t want to devalue the legacy of slavery in this country with real shackles. For people to understand the kind of control someone is under, it's useful to think of this as a modern day form of slavery,” said Mark Lagon, executive director of Polaris Project, a national organization aimed at ending human trafficking.

Forced labor continues to be a substantial portion of human trafficking yet commercial sex dominates. According to Gayle Helart, assistant United States attorney, for the Southern District of Indiana, the crime isn't about the violence or the labor itself, but the money - especially commercial sex. [READ MORE>>>]


Brown panel urges memorial to note slave ties
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A commission established by Brown University in cooperation with the city of Providence and the state of Rhode Island has released a report that makes six recommendations on how to acknowledge the university and community's historical relationship with the slave trade.

Among the recommendations by the commission is that the Public Arts Committee at Brown be asked to commission a memorial about how slavery was intertwined with the Ivy League university's early benefactors.

Other recommendations include working with city and state to explore how they will memorialize slavery in the city and state's past.

The commission recommends that the director of Center for Slavery and Justice, when appointed, undertake a discussion how this history will be represented in the Brown curriculum and how the curriculum can be used for teaching at the K-12 level and that the university through the center.

The commission also recommends providing funds for ongoing public events, seminars and lecture on issue that help the community reflect on the history of slavery in Rhode Island and similar atrocities around the world. [READ MORE>>>]


National domestic-violence conference set
The alleged beating of pop star Rihanna by her boyfriend, R&B singer Chris Brown, has touched off a national dialogue about domestic abuse.

"Whenever something so startling involving celebrities is in the public eye, it starts people talking," said Kate Marckworth, director of the health-care task force within the Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence.

The 10-year-old coalition hopes to continue the conversation at its first national conference, titled "Innovation through Collaboration: Building a Community Response to Family Violence."

The event, which will run from April 29 through May 1 at the Hilton Columbus at Easton, is expected to draw as many as 500 domestic-abuse experts from across the country.

"We are honored to host this conference to help dedicated individuals continue their work breaking the cycle of violence in victims' lives," said Abigail S. Wexner, the coalition's founder and chairwoman. [READ MORE>>>]