On October 4, I participated in the Stop Modern Slavery WalkFest 2014, an annual event intended to raise awareness about human trafficking. Public awareness is a much needed element in the fight against human trafficking because of the widespread misunderstanding of what this term means. I think I have some basic knowledge to offer people who have zero background on this issue because I did a little anti-trafficking work in law school and have also been volunteering my time at an anti-trafficking organization. So for this post, I'm going to try a little awareness-raising of my own by talking about what I know about human trafficking in the U.S. and by hopefully helping debunk some myths that people may believe regarding the issue.
When hearing the term "human trafficking," most people imagine a group of young women and girls, being smuggled across borders from Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia and sold for sex. While this image is not inaccurate in the sense that it is one picture of human trafficking, it's far from a complete picture. Among trafficking victims are men as well as women and children--although the latter are affected disproportionately. Many persons are trafficked domestically and never cross any border of any kind. Sex trafficking is not uncommon, but labor trafficking is also a widespread form of human trafficking.
The laws defining human trafficking make it clear that the phenomenon is not limited to situations that often capture the attention of popular media. The legal definitions concerning trafficking at different levels of the law are not identical but are similar. For example, federal law (the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, or TVPA) defines a human trafficking victim as a person induced to perform labor or a commercial sex act through force, fraud, or coercion. Under international law, human trafficking is defined in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (Trafficking in Persons Protocol) to the United Nations Conventions against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). The Protocol defines human trafficking as "the recruitment, transport, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person by such means as threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud or deception for the purpose of exploitation." Exploitation is defined to include sexual exploitation, forced labor, and slavery-like practices. What U.S. federal law and international law have in common is that a person need not be transported across any international or non-international border, physically restrained, or exploited sexually to qualify as a trafficking victim. In addition, under either definition, the person's consent in a situation does not affect his or her status as a trafficking victim.
A very common form of human trafficking in this country is the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), or sexual activity involving a child in exchange for something of value to the child or another person or persons. What may be shocking to many people is that the victims of this form of exploitation are often young girls (the average entry into commercial sex in the U.S. being ages 12-14) who live in the community. For example, in a relatively high-profile case, a DC police officer was charged with and admitted to forcing young girls he recruited in the area to sell sex out of his apartment. The term "prostitution" has been used to describe this case, but what this man did constitutes trafficking and is, unfortunately, not an uncommon occurrence across the U.S.
Perhaps, what is even more unfortunate is that, due to the myths surrounding human trafficking, the public's focus and resources often flow more towards addressing international human trafficking. Of course, combating international human trafficking is an important task. The problem is that domestic trafficking victims and survivors often do not receive the resources they need to move forward in their lives because these resources and advocacy efforts are diverted towards international victims and survivors.
There is so much more I can write about on this topic, but for now I hope this post helped to provide a better understanding of what human trafficking really is and how it may be affecting your community.
When hearing the term "human trafficking," most people imagine a group of young women and girls, being smuggled across borders from Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia and sold for sex. While this image is not inaccurate in the sense that it is one picture of human trafficking, it's far from a complete picture. Among trafficking victims are men as well as women and children--although the latter are affected disproportionately. Many persons are trafficked domestically and never cross any border of any kind. Sex trafficking is not uncommon, but labor trafficking is also a widespread form of human trafficking.
The laws defining human trafficking make it clear that the phenomenon is not limited to situations that often capture the attention of popular media. The legal definitions concerning trafficking at different levels of the law are not identical but are similar. For example, federal law (the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, or TVPA) defines a human trafficking victim as a person induced to perform labor or a commercial sex act through force, fraud, or coercion. Under international law, human trafficking is defined in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (Trafficking in Persons Protocol) to the United Nations Conventions against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). The Protocol defines human trafficking as "the recruitment, transport, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person by such means as threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud or deception for the purpose of exploitation." Exploitation is defined to include sexual exploitation, forced labor, and slavery-like practices. What U.S. federal law and international law have in common is that a person need not be transported across any international or non-international border, physically restrained, or exploited sexually to qualify as a trafficking victim. In addition, under either definition, the person's consent in a situation does not affect his or her status as a trafficking victim.
A very common form of human trafficking in this country is the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), or sexual activity involving a child in exchange for something of value to the child or another person or persons. What may be shocking to many people is that the victims of this form of exploitation are often young girls (the average entry into commercial sex in the U.S. being ages 12-14) who live in the community. For example, in a relatively high-profile case, a DC police officer was charged with and admitted to forcing young girls he recruited in the area to sell sex out of his apartment. The term "prostitution" has been used to describe this case, but what this man did constitutes trafficking and is, unfortunately, not an uncommon occurrence across the U.S.
Perhaps, what is even more unfortunate is that, due to the myths surrounding human trafficking, the public's focus and resources often flow more towards addressing international human trafficking. Of course, combating international human trafficking is an important task. The problem is that domestic trafficking victims and survivors often do not receive the resources they need to move forward in their lives because these resources and advocacy efforts are diverted towards international victims and survivors.
There is so much more I can write about on this topic, but for now I hope this post helped to provide a better understanding of what human trafficking really is and how it may be affecting your community.
トラフィッキングについて
１０月４日、Stop Modern Slavery WalkFest 2014という毎年恒例のトラフィッキング(trafficking)撲滅を擁護するイベントに参加してきました。Human traffickingという表現は、「人の密輸」「人身売買」などと訳されているようですが、はっきり言って適切な和訳がない気がするので、私はそのままトラフィッキングと呼んでいます。トラフィッキング撲滅にとって啓蒙活動は欠かせないものなのですが、トラフィッキングという言葉は多くの人から誤解を受けている。私はロー・スクール時代の活動などを通じて、トラフィッキング撲滅活動に参加してきました。今回は、よくあるトラフィッキングに関する誤解を少しでも解けたらいいなとという願いから、自分が持っているちょっとした知識をここで提供させてもらいたいと思います。トラフィッキングという言葉を「人の密輸」や「人身売買」と訳すると、この現象が如何なるものか、一定のイメージを彷彿とさせることから誤解が生じやすい。これらの表現を耳にすると、東欧や東南アジアの若い女性や女子が、売春目的で他国に密輸される場面を想像する人も少なくないと思う。確かにこれもトラフィッキングの一種なのだが、これが全てというわけでは決してない。例えば、被害者の多くが女性や子供であることに間違いはないが、男性もトラフィッキングの被害者になることがある。また、国境やその他の境界を跨がなくても、トラフィッキングになることもある。さらに、売春などの性的搾取目的の他にも、労働搾取目的のトラフィッキングも少なくない。
なら、トラフィッキングとは一体何なのか。「国際的な組織犯罪の防止に関する国際連合条約」(United Nations Conventions against Transnational Organized Crime)の「人の密輸に関する議定書」(Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons)において、トラフィッキングは、「搾取を目的として、暴行・脅迫その他 の態様の威迫、略取、欺もう、権限または弱い地位の濫用、又は他人に支配力を有する者の同意を得るために支払い若しくは利益を提供し、若しくは、受領するという手段によって、人を募集、移送、蔵匿又は収受することをいう。搾取は、少なくとも、売春その他の性的搾取、強制労働、奴隷又はこれに類する行為、隷属又は臓器摘出を含む 。」と定義されている。つまり、トラフィッキングという行為は、被害者を移送してもしなくても、被害者を実際に束縛しなくても、性的搾取の目的を持たなくても成り立つわけである。さらに、被害者によるトラフィッキング行為への合意は無効扱いとなる。
米国社会においても、国内に止まったトラフィッキング行為が全国各地で起きている。この内、幅広くみられるのが、商業目的での児童の性的搾取(commercial sexual exploitation of children)である。このような形でトラフィッキング被害者となる児童は、多くの場合、近くに住む１２－１４歳以上の少女たち。このような搾取は、環境を問わず、全国各地で起きており、最近になって、首都ワシントンDCでも、ベテラン警官が地元の少女たちを集めて売春させていたことが明らかとなっている。メディアは、このような事件の報道にあたって「売春」や「強制売春」といった表現を使うことが多いが、これはトラフィッキング行為にあたることを忘れてはならない。
多くの人が、トラフィッキングとは国際的な犯罪でしかないといった間違った考えを持っているということもあり、不幸なことにも、特に米国や他の先進国の関心やリソースは、国際的なトラフィッキング撲滅に集中的に向けられる事が多い。国際的なトラフィッキング行為の撲滅が重要でない訳ではないが、この状態では、国内におけるトラフィッキング被害者及び元被害者が必要とするリソースなどのほとんどが国際活動に向けられてしまっている。
今回はここまでにしておきますが、少しでもトラフィッキングについての理解を深めていただけたらと思ってます。
