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Combating Human Trafficking in the State of Texas

This course aims to increase law enforcement awareness of human trafficking, covering topics such as victim identification, investigation, rescue and prosecution considerations, referral and service provider availability, and the need for a coordinated community response. It also provides information on legal issues, victim service providers, the collaborative approach, and challenges to effective investigations.

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Combating Human Trafficking in the State of Texas

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  1. Combating Human Trafficking in the State of Texas Prepared By: Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education

  2. Course Registration • Please complete BCCO PCT#4 Course Registration Form. • Make sure you sign TCLEOSE Report of Training Form

  3. Unit Goal: • To increase law enforcement awareness of human trafficking by informational exposure to: • victim identification • Investigation • Rescue and prosecution considerations

  4. Unit Goal - Continued: • Referral and service provider availability • Need for development of coordinated community response, and • Inter connectivity of state, federal, and global concerns.

  5. Objectives

  6. Section 1.0 Building a Knowledge Base • Describe the concept of Human Trafficking from a global perspective • Discuss definitions of the term human trafficking based on international and U.S. laws • List the different forms of human trafficking • Summarize the history of human trafficking

  7. Discuss modern trafficking patterns • Discuss factors giving rise to human trafficking • Explain the stages of human trafficking • Describe characteristics predominant in the identification of offenders, victims, and consumers

  8. Discuss the art of control over victims • Explain the invisibility of victims and the difficulty identifying the victim of human trafficking

  9. Section 2.0 Investigation Considerations • Explain the observational and investigative cues to help identify trafficked victims • Discuss how to identify trafficking offenders based on specified indicators • Explain the differences in trafficker’s roles

  10. Discuss case management and interagency cooperation which can aide investigations • Describe victim-centered approach in investigations • Discuss best practices in investigations

  11. Section 3.0 Legal Issues • Discuss national and international perspectives concerning efforts to end human trafficking • Explain threshold requirements for eligibility of victim benefits and services • Describe victim protection under the law

  12. List recent changes in human trafficking laws • Discuss the Texas statute on human trafficking

  13. Section 4.0 Victim Service Providers • Discuss the importance of victim service providers • Summarize the types of victim service providers • List victim service requirements as defined by legal parameter

  14. Section 5.0 The Collaborative Approach • Explain the importance of inter-agency collaboration • Discuss the importance of seeking help from the community • Discuss human trafficking case studies

  15. Explain the importance of a proactive response to human trafficking • Discuss challenges and barriers to effective investigations of human trafficking

  16. Section 6.0 Review and Evaluation

  17. Building a Knowledge Base

  18. 1.1.Describe human trafficking from a global perspective

  19. What is Human Trafficking? • Modern-day slavery • Exploitation for sexual gratification or labor • Controlled by severe punishment • Prevents escapes • Inhibits victims from testifying

  20. Statistics • 21 million people are victims of human trafficking • 800,000 people are trafficked into the country each year • Some believe this number is an underestimate

  21. Men, women and children of all ages are victims • Economic and political instability • Economic prosperity and disposable incomes in countries of destination

  22. Numbers escalating • Highly profitable • Third most profitable transnational crime • Profits between $7-10 billion a year

  23. Low risk of being apprehended or punished • Drives traffickers to continue • False sense of security • Law enforcements preoccupation with sale of drugs and arms, and terrorism

  24. 1.2. Discuss definitions of the term human trafficking based on International and U.S. laws

  25. International Legislation • The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in persons defines: • The action of: recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving of persons • Bymeans of: threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power, vulnerability, or giving payments or benefits to a person in control of a victim,

  26. For the purpose of: exploitation • to include: • forced labor, • slavery or similar practices, and • removal of organs for economic gain Palermo Protocol, 2000

  27. Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 • Sex Trafficking • Recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtaining a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act • Act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or under the age of 18.

  28. VTVA, 2000 • Labor Trafficking: • Recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor services • Act is induced through the use of force, fraud, or coercion • For the purpose of involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery

  29. International vs. Internal Trafficking • International: across borders of countries • Internal (domestic): recruited, sold and enslaved in native countries • Asia (Thailand, China and Africa)

  30. Is the U.S. immune? According to report issued by University of Pennsylvania… • 300,000 children in U.S. are at risk of international traffickers • Runaway and homeless children highly susceptible to domestic trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation

  31. 1.3. List the different forms of human trafficking

  32. Essentially… • Human Trafficking is slavery or involuntary servitude that thrives on the exploitation of humans for economic gain

  33. More profitable than other transnational crimes. Humans can be sold over and over to create higher profit margins

  34. Most common forms… • Sex Industry • Prostitute, exotic dancer, exotic entertainer (most commonly women)

  35. Sex Tourism/Child Tourism • Travel to foreign locations for sexual gratification • Mexico and Latin America • Camel Jockeys, domestic servants, sweatshops

  36. Men as victims • Forced Labor • Agricultural fields for crop harvesting • Construction workers • Restaurant work • Day Laborers • Some forced to work in sex industry

  37. Is there ever freedom? • Accumulated debt • Purchase of fraudulent travel documents • Travel expenses • Over inflated living expenses • Medical expenses • Trafficker’s commission

  38. Freedom is rarely a reality because the trafficker is constantly adding to the debt

  39. 1.4. Summarize the history of human trafficking

  40. Not a new phenomenon • Dates back to the earliest civilizations…ancient Greece • Fifteenth Century Portuguese Slave Trade • Eighteenth Century Trade: humans for weapons and molasses

  41. Continued… • Nineteenth Century: 13th amendment passed but plight continued • Twentieth Century: Problem worsened despite concerted international efforts to end such practice

  42. International Convention • First international treaty signed to suppress the trade of human beings BUT, only intended to suppress the trade of white women.

  43. League of Nations (UN) 1921, initiatives to protect non-white women • Next few decades: definite plan still lacking

  44. Today… • More people enslaved today than in human history Old SlaveryNew Slavery Legal ownership asserted Legal ownership avoided High purchase cost Very low purchase cost Low profits Very high profits Shortage of potential slaves Surplus of potential slaves Long-term relationship Short-term relationship Slaves maintained Slaves disposable Ethnic differences important Ethnic differences not important K. Bales (1999) ‘Disposable People

  45. 1.5. Discuss modern trafficking patterns

  46. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime • Global Trafficking Routes

  47. 1.6. Discuss factors giving rise to human trafficking

  48. The high profitability of trafficking persons is certainly a factor that contributes to the prevalence of this crime but other factors have also contributed to its pervasiveness.

  49. Examples: • Deregulation of trading opportunities around the globe (free trade) • Economic Marginalization (feminization of poverty) • Advances in communications • Ease of travel

  50. Political Instability • Rise of regional conflicts • Weapons obtained through transnational crime • Government attention diverted • Decline in border enforcement • NAFTA

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