Basu: An Iowan taking on the world

Earlier this month, Luis DeBaca attended a reunion. It wasn't a nostalgic gathering of old classmates or friends from his Huxley childhood or Iowa State days, not an event replete with fond memories and school pride. The memories would best be forgotten. The pride was of a different kind.



The anniversary marked the end of 250 people's enslavement as forced laborers. Ten years ago, as a prosecutor against human trafficking at the U.S. Justice Department, DeBaca had been pivotal in freeing them from an unscrupulous garment-factory owner in American Samoa. The workers had been brought from Vietnam and kept through threats, beatings, indebtedness and food deprivation. Things came to a head after one dared to resist and was beaten to the point of losing an eye.



The survivors have moved on and up. And so has DeBaca. He recently left Justice for the State Department, and prosecutions for diplomacy. President Barack Obama appointed him ambassador-at-large for trafficking in persons.



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Children forced into prostitution being arrested

Children who are forced into prostitution are often being arrested for a multitude of offenses and sent through the juvenile justice system instead of being treated as victims, according to a nationwide report released this week.

Shared Hope International, a nonprofit that helps victims of sexual exploitation and violence, looked at data from cities throughout the country, including San Antonio. The group released its study at a congressional hearing on human trafficking and comes as Texas tries to create statewide groups to tackle the issue.

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American Child Sex Slaves Are Being Arrested, Not Rescued

PR Newswire (press release)

Ambassador Louis C. de Baca of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. Department of State will present findings from the 2009 TIP Report and panelists from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Criminal Division will discuss domestic child sex trafficking, followed by an NGO panel led by Congresswoman Linda Smith and highlighting Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

"From our investigative research gathered from 11 cities across the nation, we've found so many victims of domestic minor sex trafficking that are misidentified, and labeled as prostitutes. They are sold every day, every night in every city in America," said Smith. Watch human rights surveillance video instantly here: Read more

Human trafficking experts call for police training in D.C. bill

By: FREEMAN KLOPOTT
Examiner Staff Writer
July 7, 2009

The District is rated as one of the top 10 locations for human trafficking in the country and several nonprofit groups told D.C. Council members that police officers should be trained to recognize human trafficking cases as the city steps up its efforts to fight it.

Representatives of groups like Polaris Project, Free the Slaves and Fair Fund made their request during a public hearing on a human trafficking bill Monday. If passed in its current form, the bill would make human trafficking for the purposes of sex and labor a crime. It would allow victims to sue their pimps and require the city to keep statistics on trafficking cases.

On Monday, the anti-human-trafficking groups also asked that the bill include training for police officers and other first responders.

"Young people are not able to express their victimization in ways that clearly identify it," said Andrea Powell, co-director of Fair Fund. "Cases that are not reported result in continued abuse."

The groups said District police officers received periodic training between 2004 and 2007, but it was cut when federal funding went dry. A police spokeswoman could not immediately confirm the training history....Read more

Lee County at forefront of slavery fight

In just four years, Lee County has become a national leader in the fight against slavery.

Those who battle the crime point to swift and effective law enforcement, wide and energetic outreach and enviable interagency cooperation.

"We're light years ahead of other communities," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Molloy, who's prosecuted 20 slavery and human trafficking cases throughout Southwest Florida over the past decade, freeing 50 victims. "Because of our united community efforts, we're in a place most areas aspire to."

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A New Place to Heal

The L.A. Dream Center in the heart of Los Angeles, California, is taking a key step forward in the fight against human trafficking. They are in the process of building a shelter for women and young girls who have been rescued – where they can receive the long-term love and support, medical care, job training and counseling they need to make a new start.

“The abuse that these women and girls go through is all encompassing,” says Program Director Brittany Hernandez. “It’s emotional; it’s physical; it’s psychological. Read more