Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSCs) Stella Maris Province

1. Missionary Sisters of theSacred Heart of Jesus (MSCs)Stella Maris Province • Corporate Stances • To SUPPORT the rights and dignity • of all immigrants. • To STOP human trafficking.

2. With the stances in mind, the MSCs have created a coalition… • Advocacy is taking Action to help people say what they want, secure their rights, represent their interests and obtain services they need. Advocacy promotes social inclusion, equality and social justice for all.

3. Cabrini Action and Advocacy Coalition

4. 2013 Marks the 150th Anniversary… …of the day President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that paved the way for the eventual freedom of 4 million persons in captivity. 150 years later, slavery still exists in the United States with more slaves than at any point in history. In fact, there are twice as many slaves today as during the entire trans-Atlantic slave trade. (Estimated at 27 million worldwide)

5. Modern-day slavery, when it results in people being bought and sold and moved around, is called human trafficking.

6. Billions of dollars are being made at the expense of millions of victims of human trafficking. How can such a trade in human beings occur in the 21st century? Because it is a low risk, high reward crime. In many countries, either the necessary laws are not in place, or they are not properly enforced.

7. After drug dealing, human trafficking is… …tied with the illegal arms trade as the second largest criminal industry in the world, AND it is the fastest growing. The reason this is such a lucrative business is that after an illegal gun or drugs are sold, what happens?....That money maker is gone. With sex trafficking a human being can be sold and IS sold over and over and over again.

8. Different forms of trafficking Labor Trafficking People forced into indentured servitude may be found in: • Sweatshops (where abusive labor standards are present) • Commercial agricultural situations (fields, processing plants, canneries) • Domestic situations (maids, nannies) • Construction sites (particularly if public access is denied) • Restaurant and custodial work. • Nail salons

9. Sex trafficking is primarily found… …in a wide variety of venues of the overall sex industry, including residential brothels, gentlemen’s clubs, online escort services, fake massage parlors, strip clubs, truck/rest stops and street prostitution.

10. Every 5 minutes a woman or child is trafficked in the U.S. Many people assume that trafficked persons in America come primarily from other countries - illegally smuggled immigrants, tricked by the promise of employment. While this is the case for some victims, surprisingly, most victims are not foreigners. They are actually young women and children born in the United States.

11. The average age of entry for children victimized by sex trafficking is age 12 The life expectancy of someone trafficked is 7 to 9 years. They may die from malnutrition, disease, while most die from contracting HIV/AIDS and injuries sustained from sexual violence or punishment. Some commit suicide due to the life they are forced to live.

12. Trafficking • It has been reported in all 50 states, and the number of victims in the United States is estimated in the hundreds of thousands. • The U. S. Department of Justice  estimates that anywhere between 100,000-300,000 American kids are at risk of entering the trafficking trade each year.

13. Ashley’s story(2012 Trafficking in Persons Report) When Ashley was 12-years-old she got into a fight with her mother and ran away from home. She ended up staying at her friend’s older brother’s house and intended to go home the next day, but when she tried to leave he told her that he was a pimp and that she was now his property. He locked her in a room, beat her daily, raped her and advertised her for sex on websites. Eventually Ashley escaped her confinement and is now at a treatment center for girls who have been trafficked in New York.

14. Victim of sex trafficking in the United States, to her trafficker at his sentencing: “I walk around and carry the physical scars of the torture you put me through. The cigarette burns, the knife carvings, the piercings … how a human being can see humor in the torture, manipulation, and brainwashing of another human being is beyond comprehension. You have given me a life sentence.” - U.S. World Report

15. Traffickers’ use of coercion • Such as threats of deportation and harm to the victim or their family members – is so powerful that even if you reach out to victims, they may be too fearful to accept your help. Knowing indicators of human trafficking and some follow up questions will help you act on your gut feeling that something is wrong and report it.

16. Some signs of human trafficking • Is the person accompanied by a controlling person or boss? • Does the person avoid eye contact? • Does the person speak on his/her own behalf? • Does the person appear young and dressed provocatively? • Is the person transported to or from work? • Does the person live and work in the same place? • Does the person have visible bruises or other signs of physical abuse?

17. Look for… • Buildings you pass that have high security measures: • Opaque windows • Boarded up windows • Bars on windows • Barbed wire security cameras Many times these type of buildings house trafficked victims.

18. When traveling… • Be aware at rest stops/truck stops of young girls walking about and going from truck to truck. • Get descriptions of cars dropping off the girls (make, model, color, license plate) & the girls and people dropping them off or waiting near by (height, weight, hair color, etc.) • Then report it - make the call • and save lives! • 1-888-3737-888

19. How do people get trapped into sex or labor trafficking? • No one volunteers to be exploited. Traffickers frequently recruit people through fraudulent advertisements promising legitimate jobs as models, hostesses, domestics, or work in the agricultural industry. Trafficking victims of all kinds come from rural, suburban, and urban settings.

20. Be alert! Questions to ask Should you have the opportunity to speak with a potential victim privately (at a nail salon, restaurant, etc.) and without jeopardizing the victim’s safety because the trafficker is watching, here are some sample questions to ask to follow up on the red flags you became alert to: • Can you leave your job if you want to? • Are you being paid? • Can you come and go as you please? • Have you been hurt or threatened if you • tried to leave? • Has your family been threatened? • Where do you sleep and eat? • Are you in debt to your employer? • Do you have your passport/identification? Who has it?

21. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) • The NHTRC is a program of Polaris Project, a non-profit, non-governmental organization working exclusively on the issue of human trafficking. They support the national toll-free , multilingual hotline telephone number. • They are available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. If you suspect trafficking call this number: 1-888-3737-888

22. The impact of trafficking on victims Physical health: • Malnutrition • Exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS • Possible unwanted pregnancies and forced abortions • Infections and infectious diseases due to unhygienic conditions, overcrowding, lack of access to clean water • Injuries, skin infections, respiratory illnesses • Hazardous working conditions may affect the growth of a child Mental & psychological health: • Psychosomatic pain • Change in sleep patterns • Weakened immune system • Increased use of alcohol • Shock and fear • Disorientation • Nightmares and flashbacks • Difficulty in trusting • Feelings of betrayal • Tendency to isolate oneself • Suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide • In addition to these impacts, victims of trafficking often suffer from stigmatization and • non-acceptance by their family/communities after their experiences. • Via the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes

23. Modern day slavery is about people, and the way the world chooses to fight it must also be about people: restoring their hopes, their dreams, and most importantly, their freedom.