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   What the U.S. Says:
 Last revised 11/16/05

Taken from government reports
References and more

 

Taken from government reports

 

From Human Trafficking: A Growing Criminal Market in the U.S., by James O. Finckenauer and Jennifer Schrock, International Center, National Institute of Justice, The Research, Development and Evaluation Agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, United Nations Activities:

Human trafficking has become a lucrative criminal market in the United States. The commodities involved in this illicit trade are men, women, and children.  .  .  . .

According to US Drive To Tackle Sex Trafficking, a news article by Steve Schifferes, BBC News Online in Washington, Monday, 24 February, 2003:

The US estimates that between 700,000 and 4m people each year are victims of human trafficking, one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. . . . . .

Trafficking in human beings is now estimated to earn as much money for criminal syndicates as the global narcotics trade.

From Human Trafficking: A Growing Criminal Market in the U.S., the report by by James O. Finckenauer and Jennifer Schrock, International Center, National Institute of Justice, The Research, Development and Evaluation Agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, United Nations Activities:

A review of cases since 1990 found that traffickers in the U.S. tended to be smaller crime groups and trafficking rings, gangs, loosely organized criminal networks, entrepreneurs and corrupt individuals who were victimizing their own nationals (Richard, 1999).

Also from Human Trafficking: A Growing Criminal Market in the U.S., the report by by James O. Finckenauer and Jennifer Schrock, International Center, National Institute of Justice, The Research, Development and Evaluation Agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, United Nations Activities:

Many [victims] in "safe houses" are subjected to horrible treatment including death threats, beatings and rapes in front of others, or while on the phone with their families. Some police raids have discovered sickly and beaten captives shackled to prevent them from escaping (Chin, 1999).

From What do we know about human trafficking victims in the United States?, U.S. Dept of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (VAWO):

It is believed that most victims who are trafficked are isolated and remain undetected by the public because 1) the strategies used by the perpetrators isolate victims and prevent them from coming forward, and 2) the public and the victim service providers have only recently become aware of this issue and may not be familiar with how to recognize or respond to trafficking victims.

From Trafficking in Human Beings on a web site of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime:

“Trafficking in human beings is a global issue, but a lack of systematic research means that reliable data on the trafficking of human beings that would allow comparative analyses and Trafficking in human beings is a global issue, but a lack of systematic research means that reliable data on the trafficking of human beings that would allow comparative analyses and the design of countermeasures is scarce. There is a need to strengthen the criminal justice response to trafficking through legislative reform, awareness-raising and training, as well as through national and international cooperation. The support and protection of victims who give evidence is key to prosecuting the ringleaders behind the phenomenon.”

From: Human Trafficking: A Growing Criminal Market in the U.S., by James O. Finckenauer and Jennifer Schrock, International Center, National Institute of Justice, The Research, Development and Evaluation Agency of the U.S. Department of Justice United Nations Activities  ( excerpts)

Traffickers may be individual entrepreneurs, small "mom and pop" operations, or sophisticated, organized rings. There is little consensus among those who have studied the problem as to the proportions of each of those types; nor with respect to their level of organization and sophistication. Irrespective of type, human trafficking typically intermixed with other illicit activities, including fraud, extortion, racketeering, money laundering, bribery of public officials, drug use, document forgery and gambling (Richard, 1999) .  .  .  . .

 

A review of cases since 1990 found that traffickers in the U.S. tended to be smaller crime groups and trafficking rings, gangs, loosely organized criminal networks, entrepreneurs and corrupt individuals who were victimizing their own nationals (Richard, 1999). The individual actors within trafficking networks include enforcers, who are also usually also "illegals" and are hired to work on ships to maintain order and distribute food and water; transporters (guides and crew members); recruiters; document forgers; brokers; brothel owners; debt collectors; and employment agencies. Obviously, when there are different groups and individuals focusing on different aspects of the trafficking process, this makes law enforcement's task even more difficult. .  .  .  . .

 

There is a relatively high degree of collusion with officials in the U.S. that is facilitating these clandestine operations. Indeed, there has been evidence of cooperation (involving corruption and/or intimidation of public officials, and partnerships with licit business) or at least acquiescence occurring at every level. INS reports that traffickers have reportedly corrupted senior-level officials as well as officials in key positions, such as immigration officials at airports, consular workers in U.S. embassies abroad, members of law enforcement, and officers at border checkpoints. Corrupt public officials are accepting bribes in exchange for passports, visas, citizenship and safe transit across borders (Richard, 1999). "Indeed, in this area of criminal activity, as in others, corruption provides the lubricant which allows criminal organizations to operate with maximum effectiveness and minimum interference" (Williams,1997) . .  .  .  . .

 

In the economy of human trafficking, demand is high. The risk of punishment and capture are low . .  .  .  . .

 

Another aspect critical to understanding the role of demand in this market is the willingness of many U.S. employers to hire undocumented workers . .  .  .  . .

 

The absence of laws against trafficking in some countries makes the trafficking in humans difficult to control. In particular, it allows the activity to flourish in many source countries.  Trafficking cases are often difficult to prosecute in the U.S., because the trafficking victims are the only witnesses to the crime, and are unwilling to come forward. In addition, if convicted, traffickers rarely spend much time in U.S. prisons (Kane, 1999). Because of a law enforcement tendency to view trafficking as a "victimless" crime, adequate resources are generally not devoted to investigating trafficking cases (Williams, 1997) . .  .  .  . .

 

 

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