Dashing on Boats to Law Enforcement

We woke up at 8 am this morning, preparing for our busiest day thus far. We multi-tasked eating breakfast and making lunch and then headed to Fort Totten to meet with the deputy director of the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH). Due to a lack of funding, most battered womens shelters have to limit the people they can serve, which usually excludes victims who are prostitutes, drug addicts etc. However, DASH provides low-barrier housing for victims of domestic violence, which basically means that there are fewer restrictions upon the types of victims that they will serve. The presentation at DASH focused largely on the intersection between domestic violence and sexual trafficking. We learned about the 'Power and Control' wheel, which describes the tactics used by abusers to manipulate and repress their victims. These tactics includes minimizing, denying and blaming as well as using coercion and threats, intimidation, emotional abuse, isolation, children, male privilege and economic abuse. This was the first very interactive presentation that we attended. The representative paired us in groups of two and asked us to differentiate between the uses of these methods in domestic violence and sexual trafficking situations. We found that there were many more similarities than differences under these circumstances. Offenders in both situations used manipulations, abuse and isolation to control the victims. A big difference that arose was the transport of victims of sex trafficking to unfamiliar environments whereas victims of domestic violence experience the traumas within their own homes. Lastly, we briefly touched upon the controversial issue regarding the labels of prostitute versus sex worker, without coming to any definite conclusion.

We then traveled to Virginia to meet with Boat People SOS, an organization mainly concerned with labor trafficking in Vietnam, Malaysia and the US. These representatives stressed that victims of labor trafficking are often in fact documented workers that are coerced and forced into terrible working conditions rather than undocumented aliens. They explained the Coalition to Abolish Modern-Day Slavery in Asia (CAMSA) and Victims of Exploitation and Trafficking Assistance (VETA). CAMSA is more involved with prevention of labor trafficking cases by placing pressure on governments and corporations as well as with rescue missions. VETA, on the other hand, is concerned with helping victims once they are rescued by giving them the appropriate visa or implementing other necessary actions. The T-Visa, which treats victims as refugees, affords them access to different services, although it requires a higher burden of proof. While the U-Visa is easier to obtain, it does not give access to the same multitude of services. The representatives then gave examples of big cases they have fought such as the 2001 Daewoosa Laborers in the American Samoa. Over 250 Chinese and Vietnamese laborers were rescued in this operation. It was based on this case that the TVPA was modified to include all U.S. territories and not just the states.

We came back at around 4:30 with just enough time to order pizza for dinner before leaving for a presentation at Gaithersburg high school at about 5:45 pm.

The presentation was delivered by two law enforcement officers, and was directed at raising awareness about child prostitution, run-aways and helping parents prevent their children from engaging in risky behavior. They emphasized ensuring that the child is receiving sufficient love and attention at home so that he/she does not seek this elsewhere. This makes them highly vulnerable to offenders who prey on the insecurities and unfulfilled needs of the child in order to manipulate them. the next topic he discussed had to do with sex and the internet. He described how children who aren't having their internet browsing monitored by their guardians are at a greater risk of being preyed upon by online predators. Predators are increasingly turning to their computers to find their victims because it affords them anonymity while also increasing the number of kids they can target. He also mentioned that children need to be cautious on what they post/send on the internet, cell phone, or other electronic devices. He emphasized that once something is on the web, it is there forever. He preached to parents that in order to decrease this issue, it has to start at home. Parents need to reinforce positive ideas to instill a higher sense of self-worth and esteem for their children. By doing this children won't feel the need to involve themselves with this type of activity, and they will feel comfortable talking openly to their parents about their internet activities.

We need to raise awareness by attempting to integrate this issue into the school curriculum, as well as creating student groups that can promote advocacy and put pressure upon government officials to take action immediately and effectively. Overall, today was very busy, but very informative because all of the presentations focused on different aspects of human trafficking, such as sex trafficking, labor trafficking, child prostitution, and domestic violence.