Combating Human Trafficking in Texas

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

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

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

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

Objectives

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Section 6.0 Review and Evaluation

Building a Knowledge Base

1.1.Describe human trafficking from a global perspective

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,

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

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.

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

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

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

1.3. List the different forms of human trafficking

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1.4. Summarize the history of human trafficking

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

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

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

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

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

1.5. Discuss modern trafficking patterns

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime • Global Trafficking Routes

1.6. Discuss factors giving rise to human trafficking

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.

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

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

Combating Human Trafficking in Texas