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]]>“...as we turn to this year’s Cup, there is a far more serious form of illegal movement than a footballer’s (or soccer player’s) cunning play that demands our attention: human trafficking, a global phenomenon powered by coercion and deception, which may increase around major sporting events and other times of increased transnational movement.”
... “South Africa, home of the 2010 World Cup, has been documented as a source, transit and destination country for trafficking in men, women and children, according to the U.S. State Department’s 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report. That means people are trafficked from, through and into South Africa, some for labor, while others are forced into South Africa’s many brothels. While South Africa has taken steps to pass a comprehensive anti-trafficking law, that legislation is caught up in a Parliamentary committee, where many believe it will languish for months—long after the World Cup leaves town.”
..."With the huge flow of international visitors pouring in through South Africa’s borders for the World Cup, it is possible—some say probable—that a new stream of human trafficking victims could slip past the notice of officials. Of course, when an activity is hidden and illicit, reliable statistics are very hard to come by. Still, reports are emerging of new foreign nationals—including Mozambican, Zambian, Zimbabwean, Chinese and Southeast Asian nationals—working in brothels in residential Cape Town neighborhoods. City Councillor J.P. Smith, an official responsible for safety and security during the World Cup, recently claimed in an ESPN “Outside the Lines” investigative report that “they were not here a year ago. These girls didn’t come here by themselves. ... They’re being brought here through syndicates, who have the means to manipulate immigration processes, to bribe border patrol, border guards, to bribe immigration officials.””
... “Stronger law enforcement has been proven to help. International Justice Mission views it as indispensable. In Cebu, Philippines, after two years of collaborative casework led by IJM, we saw a 70 percent reduction in the victimization of children in the commercial sex trade. This required vigilance by competent local authorities. In IJM’s experience, such partners can be identified and equipped all around the world.”
As president of the IJM Campus Chapter at the College of William and Mary, Nik Belanger learned the meaning of justice. His passion was increasingly grounded in his understanding, ultimately leading to additional leadership as co-facilitator of the campus chapter of the Virginia Organizing Project, a nonpartisan grassroots organization that seeks to battle injustice by giving people the means with which they can improve their quality of life. Together with his involvement with Circle K International, Safe Zone and tutoring individuals in his community, Nik’s life is reflective of his understanding that justice is all about human flourishing.
“International Justice Mission helped me realize that leadership is not about being the one in the limelight—true leadership seeks to build everyone up,” he said. “As an individual acting on my own, I can only accomplish so much, but real, meaningful change is made through people joining together as one.”
Nik has grasped the heart of IJM, to build bridges across society in order to accomplish together what can seldom be accomplished alone. In so doing, we realize that though the movement to fight against violent oppression throughout the world is often sparked by small cadres of like-minded visionaries, the battle will only be won when we galvanize entire communities to stand and to act with one voice.
“I’ve never wavered on my belief that people deserve justice and equality,” Belanger said. “It’s just a question of striving to live that out in my daily life.””
]]>“We are grateful to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other groups working on the ground to implement serious measures to prevent a devastating wave of human trafficking,” says Gary Haugen, president and CEO of IJM. “Our experience in combating this crime around the globe has taught us that traffickers and pimps head for countries with weak law enforcement. Unfortunately, that is the picture of Haiti today.”
As chaos continues to reign in the streets, IJM is calling for reinforcements to the United Nations peacekeeping force, most of whose leadership was killed during the earthquake, to effectively protect the vulnerable – especially women and orphaned children. “There must be focused efforts to investigate and interdict the trafficking and exploitation of children – put into action as soon as possible – as well as a clear way of reporting suspicious activity related to the abuse of children to a central location for investigation,” said IJM’s Vice President of Investigations Jeff Blom. “A hotline or reporting center could be established for this purpose.” “Additionally, there should be close scrutiny of any individuals or organizations that are involved with caring for, placing or sheltering orphaned children, and a national registration should be established to track children that have been relocated out of the country,” Blom added.
Further urgent measures should include securing a facility for detention of those violating Haitian law, in light of the collapse of the national prison and Haiti’s courts. The reconstitution of the Haitian police – and rule of law – must be a top priority of Haiti’s long-term reconstruction.
This week, Holly Burkhalter, IJM Vice President Government Relations, was interviewed by the Sonoma County CNN radio affiliate about the critical need for rule of law in the aftermath of the earthquake. Please feel free to share this resource and continue to spread the word about the need for special efforts to protect vulnerable children in Haiti.