Presenters at the “Human Trafficking: Responding to Trafficking in Persons in the Americas, conference report that the policies adopted by certain countries contribute to the flow of human trafficking. Take for example the dollarization of Ecuadorian currency. This shift from national currency to the U.S. dollar has caused a surge in migration, by people who are lured by the prospect of earning U.S. dollars. Traffickers take advantage of the constant flow of migration and have preyed on the most vulnerable.

- Sara Fajardo, CRS communications officer

Some quick trafficking notes:

In Moldova there are some orphanages that have been found to sell children for 100-200 euros a piece.

Brazil was the last country to abolish slavery in the hemisphere in 1888. Today tens of thousands continue to work in slave like conditions.

In Peru up to 33,000 people may be trapped in slave labor at mining camps.

Several Chinese slave labor scandals have been uncovered in the past few years. These were allowed with the complicit help of corrupt officials. Child slaves, working in brick kilns, were sold to other kilns when the first was forced to shut down.

- Sara Fajardo, CRS communications officer

Around 70 participants from all corners of the globe have gathered at “The Human Trafficking in Persons in the Americas,” conference being held at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington D.C. The presentations are bilingual and the room is buzzing with the sound of direct translations being whispered into people’s ears as the first panel of the day gets underway.

Nyssa Mestas has taken the stage. She specializes in Migration and refugee services for the Anti-Trafficking Program at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

There are two types of trafficking: sexual exploitation and forced labor.

Both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals are being trafficked in the United States, although they tend to be trafficked for different purposes. For U.S. citizens it is primarily for sexual exploitation, and with foreign nationals it is primarily for forced labor.

Sex trafficking is not just illegal prostitution as most might think, but runs the gamut of strip clubs, escort services, and marriage services to name a few.

Forced labor can take a variety of forms, from the legitimate business such as a nail salons, restaurants, or circus performances to non-legitimate businesses such as domestic servitude, and drug manufacturing and dealing.

These activities are not limited to specific regions of the U.S. and can be found in both rural and urban settings. Currently the top cities for human trafficking are Newark, L.A., New York, Houston and Miami.

Traffickers play on vulnerable persons, but they prey on U.S. citizens and foreign nationals differently.

Victims of domestic trafficking, according to Mestas, are usually women who are young, female, and fall within the 13-17 age range, but the USCCB has also seen as young as 12, and in some cases boys. They are coming from broken homes, in some cases living at a foster home, and end up running away or are lured away by adults over the internet. A few are kidnapped. The USCCB has heard of cases of kids being lured from malls or clubs. The traffickers tend to create an emotional dependency with the victims or foster drug and alcohol addiction in order to entrap them. They may also use violence and coercion.

In the past 2 years the USCCB has seen people from 72 different countries being trafficked into the U.S. Many are being recruited or lured and brought in by the traffickers. Many of those who are trafficked are looking for employment. They are frequently in the margins of society who are not protected, women, street youth, orphans. There are also cases of kidnapping.

They are being lured by a promise of a job, education, or marriage. Many see ads on the Internet or newspaper. Traffickers have found that recruiting is very effective tool to lure in potential victims.

- Sara Fajardo, CRS communications officer

On Sunday CRS and Catholic Charities will host the “Responding to Trafficking in Persons in the Americas” conference in Washington D.C. CRS staff and partners working in the field of human trafficking will share their experiences and best practices as they discuss trafficking for sexual exploitation and indentured servitude, special needs of child victims and trafficking risks in emergency settings.

Trafficking in human beings is a $10 billion+ growth industry. There are estimates that 700,000 to 4 million people are trafficked throughout the world each year. CRS responds to human trafficking as a profound human rights concern that disproportionately impacts the poor and the marginalized. Since 2000 CRS has implemented close to 100 local, national and cross border counter-trafficking projects In 29 countries. The dollar value of our programs in the past 8 years exceeds $15 million.

The suffering of the victims of trafficking is indisputable. Understanding the forces that create and sustain this global problem is far more difficult. A complex array of initiatives will be necessary to combat it. Trafficking does not exist in isolation or disconnected from economic, political and social forces that increase the vulnerability and desperation of the poor and marginalized, the refugee and migrant, women and children. Trafficking is one of the tragic end results of economic and social disparities that have increased the vulnerability of millions of people; allowing many within our societies to be considered little more than a commodity.

Follow us as we blog live from the conference on Monday and Tuesday. You can also receive our twitter updates.

– Sara Fajardo, CRS communications officer