Craigslist ad attracts black market baby sellers
Dec 22
CUMMING, Ga. (WXIA) — When a Forsyth County woman put an ad on Craigslist asking for someone to give her a baby, she apparently attracted black market baby sellers, too.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s office has asked Homeland Security to step-in to help track down the people who tried to sell babies to the woman. They can be charged with human trafficking.
In the Forsyth County case, authorities Elaine Williams, 47, posted an ad on Craigslist saying she would “provide a loving home for unwanted newborns,” and asked for a birth certificate and health record in an effort to get a baby for her 14-year-old daughter.
Forsyth County Sheriff Duane Piper said the ad attracted those who had a different proposition.
“People that contacted them wanted money for their babies,” said Piper.
“It doesn’t surprise us because we have many adults and parents who are selling their children every day,” said Angela Sanders, Program Director for Georgia Cares which works with child victims of sexual exploitation, but knows that some underground sex trafficking business also involves babies.
“It’s all in what the buyer wants, and as long as they have the money, they can usually get it,” said Sanders.
No one seems to know how many babies are sold on the black market.
In her book, Human Trafficking, author Louise Shelly says, “human traffickers are increasingly trafficking pregnant women for their newborns.”
“I think a lot of people not only are not aware, they don’t want to be aware. It’s something a lot of people might think is happening in other countries, but not in their neighborhood,” said Sanders.
How can the public help?
Sanders said people should report anything suspicious.
Forsyth County authorities found out about the ad on Craigslist requesting a baby because someone in the community contacted them.
Posted in UncategorizedDecember 2015 Season of Giving
Dec 142015
During this holiday season, we see pictures of happy, laughing children wherever we look. Unfortunately, not all children get to enjoy the holidays. When you’re a victim of sexual exploitation, and human trafficking there is little time for joy.
BSCC, Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition assists victims of these crimes in the San Diego region, men, women and children are exploited every day
Your support will help us maintain our services and shelters for victims of labor and sexual exploitation. Your tax deductible donation will provide shelter, food and clothing for these victims. Thank you in advance for your generous donation.
Have a wonderful holiday season.
Sincerely,
J.W. August Marisa Ugarte
President, Board of Directors Executive Director
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New study provides first clinical evidence on the serious toll human trafficking has on mental health
Dec 04A new study by researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London provides the first clinical evidence on the toll human trafficking has on mental health, including high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, amongst a patient population in South London.
Human trafficking is the recruitment and movement of people, by means such as deception and coercion, for the purposes of exploitation. The UK Home Office has estimated that in 2013 there were between 10,000 and 13,000 trafficked people in the UK, including people trafficked for forced sex work, domestic servitude, and labour exploitation in a multitude of industries, including agriculture, construction, and food packaging and processing. This study, published today in The Lancet Psychiatry, is the first to examine clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of trafficked people who have severe mental illness.
The researchers first identified 133 trafficked people, including 37 children, who were in contact with secondary mental health services at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), and compared them to a randomly selected sample of non-trafficked patients. They used an innovative text-mining tool, the Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) application, to extract data on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as history of abuse.
The King’s research team found that 51 per cent of trafficked patients had been trafficked for sexual exploitation. Among adults and children the most commonly recorded diagnoses were PTSD (39 per cent in adults and 27 per cent in children) and depression (34 per cent and 27 per cent respectively). In addition 15 per cent of the patients had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
These medical records documented high rates of prior childhood abuse among trafficked adults (43 per cent) and children (76 per cent). Among trafficked adults, medical records also documented high levels of adulthood abuse before, during, and after trafficking (60 per cent), including domestic violence and sexual assault after trafficking.
Dr Siân Oram, Lecturer in Women’s Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, said: ‘Research on the mental health needs of trafficked people is extremely limited and only based on evidence from those in contact with shelter services. Our study shows that mental health services are caring for trafficked people with a range of diagnoses, including PTSD, depression and schizophrenia.
‘The complex needs of this vulnerable group – many of whom will be far from home, cut off from their families and disadvantaged in their access to education, social activities and physical healthcare – must be taken into consideration when assessing patient risk and planning therapeutic interventions.’
Dr Oram added: ‘Although interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) exist for PTSD and depression, further research is required to assess their effectiveness in promoting the recovery of trafficked people.
‘It is also very important that mental health professionals are aware of indicators of possible trafficking and how to respond appropriately to suspicions or disclosures of this extremely serious form of abuse.’
Published on October 19, 2015 at 6:09 am Source: King’s College London
Posted in UncategorizedCSUSM Plans town hall on Human Trafficking
Dec 04 Posted in Uncategorized
Task force to combat human trafficking launches in LA County
Dec 01The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Thursday announced the launch of a new joint task force to fight human trafficking.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell speaks at a news conference at the Sheriff’s Headquarters in Monterey Park in this file photo. On Thursday, November 19, 2015, McDonnell announced the launch of a joint task force on human trafficking that brings together local law enforcement, state and federal prosecutors and community organizations.FRANK STOLTZE/KPCC
The Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force brings together local law enforcement, state and federal prosecutors and community organizations.
“We are embracing a three pronged approach that I have no doubt will be a national model as we focus on identifying and rescuing the victims and addressing their needs while working with our justice partners to aggressively investigate, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law,” Sheriff Jim McDonnell said in a prepared statement.
Human traffickers victimize thousands of people every year, selling them as cheap labor or for sexual gratification. The victims of sex trafficking can be as young as 8 years old, according to the sheriff’s department.
“This vital task force will support our mutual vision of a regional effort to combat human trafficking and target the perpetrators of child sex trafficking,” Tony Bell, spokesman for L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, told KPCC.
The Board “will continue working with our legislative leaders to initiate tough penalties for those responsible for these crimes,” Bell said.
The task force will combine resources from the United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI, Homeland Security, State Parole, the District Attorney’s Office, Probation and the Department of Children and Family Services.
Community organizations such as the Coalition to Abolish Slavery will provide assistance to victims, according to the sheriff’s department.
The Board of Supervisors has provided $1.5 million for the task force.
The L.A. County task force is one of the 16 task force groups across the country being funded by a $44 million federal grant.
It will be headquartered in Monterey Park.
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