Modern Slavery Exposed

Paano ang mga Ibang Babae?

2013-06-26T08:34:00.003-07:00

Makasarili ba talaga ang tao? Naiisip lang ang kanyang sariling pangangailangan. Nalilimutan niya ba na may mga ibang tao sa tabi niya. Sa ginhawa ng buhay, nalilimutan ba natin ang paghihirap ng iba? Talagang wala bang pagmamahal ang tao sa kanyang kapwa. Kahit walang pagmamahal, nalilimutan ba ng tao na kailangan niya ang iba para mabuhay.

Ako'y isang babae ng mundo, gusto ko din ang magandang buhay na puno ng mga magagandang bagay at puno ng kasiyahan. Buhay burgis! Buhay mayaman! Buhay sosyal! Malaking bahay! Nagbabiyahe sa buong mundo (sa mga 'exotic locales')!

Pero paano ang mga babae na hindi malayang makalabas sa kanilang bahay at ang mga lalaki sa pamilya nila ang nagdesisisyon para sa kanila at hindi nila ito maitunggali dahil wala silang karapatan labanan ang kanilang pamilya. Paano ang mga babae na walang kontrol sa kanilang katawan, na ginugupitan ang kanilang pagkababae (female genital mutilation), na sinanamantala ng mga lalake na kilala o di nila kilala...

Ito lagi ang nasa isip ko kapag pinapanood ko ang mga babae dito sa Washington, D. C. Ganito ako noon hanggang namulat ang aking mga mata sa mga nangyayari sa mga kababaihan ng mundo, sa mga bansa na hindi ko siguro mabibisita sa maikli kong buhay, at sa mga kultura na nalaman ko lang dahil sa nabasa ko, narinig ko, o napanood ko...

Masuwerte ako na malaya akong magdesisyon para sa aking sarili. Hindi ako linalabanan ng aking pamilya. Pwede kong gawin halos lahat... Pwede akong mag-aral, pwede akong magtrabaho, at lalo na pwede kong piliin ang aking asawa o huwag magpakasal buong buhay ko...

Ito ang nais ko para sa lahat ng mga kababaihan ng buong mundo kaya ako'y nagsusumpa sa aking sarili na gagawin ko ang lahat para sa mga babae ng buong mundo at para sa mga henerasyon na wala pa sa daigdig.

Modern-Day Slavery Thoughts (Part 1)

2013-06-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

Would people really care for the welfare of the workers that provide for their daily material needs? If people knew the horrible working conditions in farms, plantations, and factories, how would they react? Would they still buy the products? Or would they feel a sense of dread and guilt in financing the enslavement of these workers?
I have noticed that most women who have means could care less for the people that serve them in food establishments, let alone the poor Bangladeshi working in a dangerous textile factory. This selfishness and self-centeredness does prove to be quite a hindrance in the anti-human trafficking movement.
Why does the environment produce more of an attraction than the human condition? Why is animal welfare so important that it shadows the welfare of homeless persons, poor single mothers, and the people living in poverty all over the world?

NONPROFIT MARKETING... THINK OUT OF THE BOX!!!

2013-06-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to see the beautiful differences of people's languages... No, not the difference between English and French, nor between Spanish and Italian. But in their word choices, and the tone of their writing and speaking voices take. Ten years or so ago, I was seriously worried about being just another writer, about not being unique a voice to be even noticed...

I remember a communications professor being obsessed with the meaning of words. To a novice writer, this was something I found a bit too much. Today, I finally appreciate this madness called "logophilia." I realize that cultural, academic, and professional exposure has a lot of influence on a writer's style and vocabulary as it has in mine.

Here in Washington, D.C., the dominant marketing language is geared towards the military and the politicians (and their critics and advocates). Then within conservative and liberal think tanks, you will see the angry, inflammatory language used against each other.

With living outside of New York for nine years, I have noticed how the advertising on The New York Times has been very subliminal to show ultimate discretion and professionalism... But the humanity is gone especially if the advertisement is for charity. What is one to expect? The crème dela crème of New York City, especially Wall Street, is all about the bottom-line and imprinting their influence all over the world to show their strength and superiority. Speaking of Wall Street, look at The Wall Street Journal...

This is what I am also also discovering in most nonprofit marketing, even in humanitarian advertising, newsletters, and direct marketing materials. I understand that it is all about fundraising, membership acquisition, and attrition. But there is no hint of passionate anger for justice...

On the streets of Washington, D.C., there are many young people on the streets that represent Greenpeace, Planned Parenthood, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR). I admit that I am one to avoid them like the plague. But the truth is, I learn nothing new from them... Either I already know what they are telling me or they are desperate for my membership due payment, which is vital for the health of these organizations. But this hard-hitting focus on the bottom-line detracts new, old, and prospective members from the mission and vision of the organizations...

Maybe when I actually see these young activists on the streets, I should ask them why they are passionate about the organization they are representing. Many veterans of the nonprofit world seem to have lost that spark that drove them to their careers. Hence, we get unemotional appeals for donations and signatures that don't make headlines. Then, we scratch our heads why we are not fulfilling the mission and vision of our organization.

On my free time, I love walking through the art galleries of the Smithsonian Institution. The colors, the forms, and the imagery of the paintings evoke a pleasurable fascination with visuals. Artists are colorful personalities. Sometimes, they are utterly mad people that without the financial support of sometimes very wealthy patrons, they would definitely end up in the asylum. Their works give you a glimpse in their profound imaginary worlds, and access to their individual perception of reality.

Nonprofit professionals always need a dose of creativity in the ever-changing world with technological developments completely altering every medium of communication overnight. I have seen how the non-technology "word of mouth" has created the much-needed awareness of an organization, where the tried and true electronic media has failed. Then, there are times when you have to completely think out of the box by trying new channels you have never thought of using or radically changing your whole approach (i.e. rebranding).

Why not listen to some music, look at a photograph, or even read a poem... and ponder on the creative thought behind its creation? Arts, music, and literature are defined by genre and era. Why shouldn't we define marketing, advertising, and public relations in the same way? Being a communications professional is more of an art than a science. Yes, we do rely on graphs and statistics but those are only tools telling us how we can effectively use our creativity.

Be a little more colorful and passionate with your words! It's not an option, it's a given... That also goes for design and audio-visual work in marketing your organization. If we remain doing things the way we always did, we will lose our relevance in the ever-changing world, where many physical, cultural, and technological boundaries are blurring into non-existence.

Don't just sit there! Do something different! You can start by thinking out of the box...

Romney's Disaster Plan: Recipe for National Disaster

2012-10-30T12:08:00.001-07:00

Disaster-response should not be privatized! Disaster-response should stay in the hands of governments (local, state & federal) because it is their duty to serve and save the lives of their citizens! Privatizing disaster-response will only be filled with corruption and marginalized populations!

Dissolving FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is a recipe for a national disaster! You need national coordination for storms like Sandy (which covers most of the mainland United States as I write this) and this agency is doing hell of a good job.

Sorry, Mr. Romney, I disagree with you on this one!

Blue Whale

2012-10-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest dreams is to be on a one-on-one encounter with one of the largest creatures to ever lived on earth (yes, bigger than even dinosaurs), the gentle giants, BLUE WHALES... There used to be 100,000 of them at one time in Antarctica until large-scale whaling dwindled the population to 2,000 individuals. One of the many reasons why I want to help protect the ocean...

Definition, Definition... So What Really is Modern-Day Slavery?

2012-10-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

DC Stop Modern Slavery hosted the 2012 Stop Modern Slavery Walk on September 29, 2012. I have been fortunate enough to become a part of the amazing team that brought thousands to the Washington Monument grounds that beautiful Saturday.

The week before the Walk was filled with human trafficking headlines. The Sunday before the event, Washington Post covered the terrible child trafficking situation in India on its front page. Two days later, U.S. President Barack Obama devoted his speech at the Clinton Global Initiative on human trafficking in front of many world leaders. Then on Thursday (September 27, 2012), USA Today puts the United States' domestic sex trafficking problem on its front page.

But what is human trafficking? I personally find the official United Nations' definition a bit cumbersome. Just thinking about the official definition makes human trafficking hard to explain to my friends and family, who still have no clue what it is all about.

I had a quick conversation at the Walk with a man from the Caribbean. His comment made me aware that the abolitionist movements needs to work on its language. He said something like human trafficking contributes to slavery. Isn't it generally accepted that human trafficking, trafficking-in-persons is slavery, modern-day slavery?

A The New York Times editorial article ("To Combat 'Modern Slavery,' October 2, 2012) stated:

'This should be the first of several steps to bolster the attack on the scourge that Mr. Obama described as "modern slavery" in a passionate address on the issue last week at the Clinton Global Initiative.'

Apparently, the editors of The New York Times don't think it is slavery either. They must think slavery ended with the end of the American Civil War, just like most people.

(In the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Washington Post publishes a weekday tabloid that is freely distributed via human distributors directly outside subway stations and the recognizable yellow newsstand boxes on the sidewalk. It is simply called Express.)

There is 'Taken' movie review on the Express on Friday, October 5, 2012. This statement disturbs me:

'The appeal of "Taken," apart from its straightforward, unpretentious approach to otherwise pedestrian material, was Liam Neeson.'

Has sex trafficking become "pedestrian material"?

RE: Wall Street Journal's "Inside Facebook's Push to Woo Big Advertisers"

2012-08-15T10:22:00.003-07:00

Questions:
1. Is Facebook a really good advertising tool as Facebook touts itself to be?
2. Is Facebook invading our personal privacy when they give their advertising clients snippets of our private conversations, though we remain anonymous according to Facebook executives?
3. Will Facebook survive if its advertising revenue keep falling?
4. Does Facebook have an initiative in helping non-profit organizations out in marketing?
5. Is it really difficult to ask each and every single customer or buyer if they were influenced by an ad on Facebook by their purchase?

Communications Today: The Big Dis-Connect

2012-07-27T18:08:00.001-07:00

Eleven years ago, I graduated with a bachelor's degree in public relations. It was the dawn of a new century but it would be one more decade before technology revolutionized the way we communicate.

By the late 1990s, almost everyone in the urban world had a mobile phone. In the same time period, email--which is actually a contraction of electronic mail--has become the favored form of business communications. Within the last several years, social media has become a huge integral part of our everyday lives.

I did not pursue a career in communications. Instead, I spent nine years in retail banking. But today, I am finding the same mass communication issues that frustrated me in college.

Video commercials and visual advertising over-hype. "Shock and awe" always captivate attention but the public never seem to go beyond what they glimpse in less than a minute. "Shock and awe" either numbs the audience or gets them too enraged to be able to think clearly.

Look at the 2012 U.S. presidential race... I became a citizen of the United States in 2011 and have only started paying attention to party politics just recently. I am registered as an unaffiliated voter and I choose to remain so. Political observers have noticed that the fight between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney has become highly personal. Campaign staff appear to be always on guard for anything they can attack their opponent with, even if it is very far from the real truth.

Kony 2012, a movement that was mobilized by a documentary film about the abuses the child soldiers suffered under the hands of the armies of the Central African warlord Joseph Kony. Rumors, which are hard to prove, say Joseph Kony has already been imprisoned and/or crossed the border from Uganda to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It first started as a YouTube video that went viral.

(Viral is a new term popularized by social media. For readers who may not know, viral refers to mostly videos that are shared by Web users so many times that almost everyone in the world has seen it.)

This 30-minute video opened the issue of child soldier to the world. But when the filmmaker was reported to have been caught acting wildly under the influence, the media industry focused on that instead of rescuing child soldiers.

And it gets worst when public health topics are being debated... This past week, Washington, D.C. hosted the largest international AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) conference with 20,000 people in attendance. Stigmas and dangerous myths have stifled strong efforts of the medical community to eradicate the disease. In Africa, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) positive men rape virgin women believing that it would cure them. They remain positive and the poor young girls are exposed to the lethal disease.

Fear is such a strong emotion that its grip can cripple a person and a community. Evoking fear has always been a major tactic used in psychological propaganda. But fear also clouds our thoughts with wrong information and half-truths...

As is observed today, the public relations profession appears to be filled with unethical people. Advertisers make many false claims that almost always blow out of proportion. Journalism ethics seem to no longer exist either. In the world of breaking news, even CNN (Cable News Network)--a very well-respected global news source--can give a false report.

During the Affordable Care Act hearings, CNN mistakenly reported that the Supreme Court of the United States shot down the act when it was the complete opposite. For no discussion was being heard out of the court chambers, CNN was basically interpreting predictions made by politicians and experts instead of announcing the actual court decision.

Even with all the new technology that allows us to keep up to minute news, we still have not been able to get the truth across. We are bombarded by false propaganda and misinterpreted facts. We must find solutions to hold communications professionals accountable. I renew my passion for the communications industry with a strong resolve to uphold the truth; and maintain my integrity based on a principled journalist's code of ethics.

The journalist's role is a public service role. He/she is giving account of issues and event that affect his/her audience. The task is to inform them with valid information. This means that the journalist must check facts and the credibility of his/her sources. He/she should not over-hype anything in the news story. Nor should he/she de-emphasize the seriousness of the situation. This does take a delicate balance of tact, honesty and integrity.

All communications professionals, just like me, must remember that we are truth-tellers not fiction writers...

Frustration with Social Media

2012-04-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

The phenomena that social media creates displays how public opinion is based on indoctrination by mass media, governments and other societal institutions like churches and schools. The use of words play a very key role in influencing the formation of opinion. If you read different newspapers side by side, you will see that one paper leans toward conservatism and the other towards liberalism. Each writer has their own unique tone of voice. Even with a very bad writer, you will find an individual personality that is like no other. People may sound alike or read like mirror-images of each other but there will always be tiny details that will set them apart. As a writer, I know I have the power to help educate people on issues. In the past several years, I have already been able to voice out my knowledge and personal convictions on human rights, and that voice was recognized by people who have become mentors and role models. But I have many frustrations when it comes to people who are apathetic and/or not aware of human rights abuses... Talking to people that I have written about human trafficking and female genital mutilation sometimes push people away or I get a barrage of ignorant, miseducated comments that just irritates me: People tell me that it only happens in Asia. Or I get a lot of angry words that I have heard a million times before. I am very disappointed that all the effort I have been giving had not created a dent in anyone's heads. So today, I am in the search for ways to make people more aware and with a much better understanding of the issues that affect the world today. I will work with people who have balanced views on opposing arguments. I will collaborate with organizations who are on a mission to properly educate the world at-large. Comment if you want to help me!

Brief Summary of Ambassador Luis CdeBaca's Keynote Address Morning of April 13, 2012

2012-04-16T08:35:00.001-07:00

On Friday, April 13, 2012, I was fortunate enough to hear Luis CdeBaca give the keynote address at the Open Society Foundation's conference entitled "Ending Human Trafficking, or Something Else?" It was an impressive 30 minute (more or less) lecture on the current developments of the U.S. State Department's anti-human trafficking efforts both in the U.S. and around the world. Mr. Cdebaca is the current Ambassador-at-Large of the U.S. Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

He mentioned that the first sentence in the Trafficking Victim Protections Act (TVPA) says "human trafficking is modern slavery." But he said that when U.S. State Secretary Hilary Rodham-Clinton saw that. She said, "Let's just call it slavery!" Ambassador CdeBaca emphasized that anti-human trafficking efforts must have a victim-centered approach, and not just punishing the traffickers and the exploiters. We must focus on the victims' restoration, giving them a better life so they cannot re-enter the trafficking situations they've been rescued from. He also stressed the preventative approach and victim protection. This would entail working closely with law enforcement.

Ambassador CdeBaca talked about the success of the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-3737-888) operated by the Polaris Project. Experts thought people would only call to ask questions about what human trafficking was. But instead, they found actual victims and witnesses calling that turned into rescues, raids, arrests and criminal charges against the traffickers.

On the international front, he talked how foreign governments are using other laws as an excuse not to take the crime of human trafficking seriously. They'll say it's just labor violations, an illegal immigration problem and/or prostitution. Ambassador CdeBaca encouraged attendees to have the "courage to point" to tell governments and the whole world the seriousness of human trafficking.

Everyone from churches, schools and other institutions must work together to abolish slavery. But people must also remember that only governments can do certain things--to make arrest, to fine and incarcerate criminals, and to make official legislation in jurisdictions. We must work in a way where we should not use euphemisms to dilute this huge problem in our world today. It is very important to use a particular language so when we do talk to others that we know we are all on the same page. But over-using "human trafficking" and "modern-day slavery" will lead into apathy in the general public instead of action.

Ambassador Luis CdeBaca closed his address with the statement "We must advance the fulfilling of freedom for our sons and daughters." I personally think he was talking about what the flag of the United States of America symbolized...

Para Kay Inang Kalikasan

2012-02-25T16:22:00.002-08:00

Ang ating munting daigdig ay lubos sa likas yaman. Ang mga yamang ito ang nagbibigay buhay sa atin at sa ating mga lungsod. Mabuti na ito'y libreng inihahandog sa atin ni Inang Kalikasan ngunit tayo naman mga tao... ay pinagsasamantala at ginagahasa ang lupain at karagatan ng napakaliit na planetang ito.

Maganda ang pag-unlad ng ating mga bayan. Humahaba ang buhay ng tao, lalong nagiging masaya ang lahat dahil mas maganda ang nararanasan natin kaysa noong nakaraang isang libong taon.

Sa anino ng kaunlaran ay nakatago ang wasak na mga kagubatan na wala nang buhay. Dati-rati, naririnig mo ang maligayang pag-awit ng mga ibon; nakikita mo ang makukulay na bulaklak ng mga daming halaman... Ngayon, katahimikan, nakakabinging katahimikan ang naririnig mo; kalahating patay na mga puno ang iyong namamasdan...

Lessons from "Half the Sky"

2011-12-15T11:13:00.001-08:00

Finished "Half the Sky" in three days! It has changed me in a lot of ways...

1. With all the wonderful stories of women and girls overcoming the hardest odds, I am inspired by their amazing courageous spirits and I myself, will not give up without a fight.

2. Some initiatives and projects, even with very good intentions and success elsewhere, will not be effective due to local culture. So, I suggest we study the African village first before we think of some lofty idea about teaching them about women's rights.

3. That even young schoolgirls can make a huge difference in the world. Encourage them to think of ideas and support them as they implement them to make them successful. Let them create clubs, fundraisers, campaigns...

4. That the United Nations, other multilateral organizations, and national government aid agencies must evaluate their strategies because some of them are proving ineffective, but a waste of money and effort.

I learned so many other things too but these are the major points I got out of the book. Thanks to Nicholas D. Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn for writing this awe-inspiring, very educating book!!! I highly recommend that you read it also....

World's AIDS Awareness Day

2011-12-01T11:03:00.001-08:00

It's World's AIDS Awareness Day! But what is AIDS... AIDS stand for acquired immune deficiency syndrome caused by a virus that destroys the actual system in the human body that fights viruses and bacteria that are harmful to us. The virus is called human immunodeficiency virus or in short HIV. It is not easily caught like the common cold virus but without the necessary safety precautions, you can get infected too. Not too worry, there have been many cases where people actually become HIV free after several years but there are still many suffering and dying from the disease. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Here are some things you can do:
1. Educate yourself and teach others in your family, in your neighborhood, in your community...
2. Donate to AIDS/HIV research
3. Campaign to raise awareness and in increasing prevention practices
4. PRAY!!!

Human Exploitation: A Personal Perspective

2011-11-07T21:05:00.001-08:00

I can see how people can easily exploit other human beings. For almost nine years, I worked as a bank teller. Today, I work in food service. Both are customer service jobs. Here in the United States, people are so impatient. They want things in an instant. They think as soon as you order something it will be immediately in front of them.

Unfortunately, it is still a dog-eat-dog world. I don’t know why some people do not believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution when all the scientific evidence validate his theory. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST! Inside each of us are still inherent animal instincts that we grow to learn to control somewhat. But if these animal instincts are manipulated by dogmatic ideologies, they literally become “weapons of mass destruction.”

Racism coupled with perverted animal instincts has led to the murder of millions. The Holocaust is the most famous case of genocide but we have very current grim examples. All over the modern African continent, tribal militias are systematically murdering the population and morally destabilizing the psyche of other tribes thought to be inferior.

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was rooted in the European imperialistic pride that the Caucasian race (the white race) is the most superior human race in the world. It is horrible to think that this was actually condoned by the western European colonial powers. Americans believe slavery the end of the US Civil War. But this is not the reality…

The United Nations (UN) has termed it as “trafficking in persons” but it is more known as “human trafficking,” which is defined as “…recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other form of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payment or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over on another person, for the purpose of exploitation.”

Like squirrels and ants, humans have a natural tendency to hoard. Human beings believe that having more material thins lead to invulnerability and even to immortality. Many great ancient cultures of the world entomb precious jewelry and other useful things along with their royal dead in their belief of an after-life. And the growing buying power of many developing countries are contributing to that belief…

As national economies develop, a huge door of opportunity to amass more breaks wide open for those who already have great material wealth and for those who wield great political power. The saying “The rich become richer and richer; the poor gets poorer and poorer” is becoming more prevalently true as the 21st Century unfolds. There is not one simple answer to what is causing the ever-growing economic divide of the haves and have-nots. Nor is there a quick, easy solution to the worsening poverty around the world.

What I am presenting in this paper is only a small part of the problem: human trafficking, exploitation of people with no direct benefit to the exploited. People do not have to cross national borders to be trafficked. In cities around the United States, American girls are verbally, psychologically and physically abused into sexual slavery. Many young children—sometimes even as young as three—are made to work long, unendurable hours in dangerous mines harvesting diamonds, precious metals and other raw commodities from the earth.

And lately especially in China, many unsuspecting victims unfortunately succumb to having one or several of their vital organs stolen from them to be sold into the black market. The weak and the powerless become mere commodities to be used by those with more power, and unfortunately who also have no compassion for the suffering of others.

Quite frequently, they are treated worse than animals. These human trafficking victims are made to work in dangerous, unsanitary conditions. Their living quarters are cramped or sometimes they don’t even have a bed to sleep in. Food ration from the exploiter or trafficker are sometimes scarce. With a lot of sex trafficking victims, they are rewarded with only one small meal a day. Their health is of no concern. If they get sick or injured, a lot of the exploited are left to die in some dark corner or at some remote, isolated area.

Supply and demand! In human trafficking, as long as there is a demand for it, the supply will always be there. I am not trying to be a moral expert here. But I pose these questions: Should we, human beings, allow these atrocities be brought upon our brothers and sisters? What makes you think that it does not impact you? What makes you believe that you do not contribute to the supply-demand chain of modern-day slavery?

As food prices inflate around the world, cheap labor is in huge demand. It is not just about more farm hands. The whole global labor market will also feel the effects of rapidly increasing food prices. Not just in decreasing buying power but also in an increase of free labor, not volunteer labor but forced labor.

As I stated in the beginning of this essay, human beings have retained the essence of their animal ancestors. Our need for nourishment and shelter is hyped up by modern civilization. Actions of avarice are becoming more accepted by society, even considered essential for survival. Hence, we will use any means to fulfill our selfish needs. I heard of mothers prostituting their daughters to fund their drug addictions and this happens in the United States…

The Economy, Organized Crime & Money Laundering

2011-08-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

In the midst of the global financial crisis, has anybody, economists, policy makers or politicians, ever consider that the underground financial market (organized crime--i.e. illegal arms trade, drug & human trafficking) may play a huge role in the mess that the world is in? Is it possible that our "willful blindness" is leading us to a wrong perception of the situation? Maybe the solution is IN exposing all these evils we do not want to show our innocent children... The greed of Wall Street is nothing compared to the brutal abuse and exploitation of helpless children by merciless, sadistic adults. Billions and billions of US dollars are being exchanged through the trade of human flesh and the persons being traded see not even a single penny of it. Instead, they are threatened with more abuse and death, not just their own but their families too--who may or may not have an idea of their horrible circumstances.

What I am saying is true! This is not fiction. It is happening all around the globe even in Washington DC, the capital of the mighty United States of America. It is happening right underneath our lawmakers', our judges' and even our president's noses... Even underneath most law enforcers' noses because they do not have adequate training on human trafficking (or trafficking in persons, as the US Department of State has termed it). And what is worst, the profit from the exploitation of these helpless and voiceless persons are being funneled through the world's financial systems...

Bankers may recognize the common red flags of money laundering (i.e. sequential money orders, questionable large transactions especially cash deposits under $10,000--to avoid the federally mandated Currency Transaction Report) but what about the discrepancy between account addresses and the locations of frequent deposits (as I have encountered in my banking career). This is just an example of what I have seen as a banker and there is so much more strategies that these criminals hide under the guise of clean (and so-called legitimate) business.

What I am suggesting here is maybe we should get bankers better trained on how to detect human trafficking through supposedly routine financial transactions... As bankers, you do not have to do anything but report it to authorities who have the legal right and proper means to catch these crooks and stop them from doing more inhumane evil. I speak from experience though I never did see the end results of my diligent reporting of these transactions in my nine years of banking. But I believe it had led to some substantial investigations into this illegal, evil trade...

US National Sex Offender Registry and Website Development Law

2011-06-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

SEC. 123. DEVELOPMENT AND AVAILABILITY OF REGISTRY MANAGEMENT
AND WEBSITE SOFTWARE.
(a) DUTY TO DEVELOP AND SUPPORT.—The Attorney General
shall, in consultation with the jurisdictions, develop and support
software to enable jurisdictions to establish and operate uniform
sex offender registries and Internet sites.
(b) CRITERIA.—The software should facilitate—
(1) immediate exchange of information among jurisdictions;
(2) public access over the Internet to appropriate information,
including the number of registered sex offenders in each
jurisdiction on a current basis;
(3) full compliance with the requirements of this title;
and
(4) communication of information to community notification
program participants as required under section 121.
(c) DEADLINE.—The Attorney General shall make the first complete
edition of this software available to jurisdictions within 2
years of the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 124. PERIOD FOR IMPLEMENTATION BY JURISDICTIONS.
(a) DEADLINE.—Each jurisdiction shall implement this title
before the later of—
(1) 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act;
and
(2) 1 year after the date on which the software described
in section 123 is available.
(b) EXTENSIONS.—The Attorney General may authorize up to
two 1-year extensions of the deadline.
SEC. 125. FAILURE OF JURISDICTION TO COMPLY.
(a) IN GENERAL.—For any fiscal year after the end of the
period for implementation, a jurisdiction that fails, as determined
by the Attorney General, to substantially implement this title shall
not receive 10 percent of the funds that would otherwise be allocated
for that fiscal year to the jurisdiction under subpart 1 of part
E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act
of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.).
(b) STATE CONSTITUTIONALITY.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—When evaluating whether a jurisdiction
has substantially implemented this title, the Attorney General
shall consider whether the jurisdiction is unable to substantially
implement this title because of a demonstrated inability to
implement certain provisions that would place the jurisdiction
in violation of its constitution, as determined by a ruling of
the jurisdiction’s highest court.
(2) EFFORTS.—If the circumstances arise under paragraph
(1), then the Attorney General and the jurisdiction shall make
good faith efforts to accomplish substantial implementation
of this title and to reconcile any conflicts between this title
and the jurisdiction’s constitution. In considering whether
compliance with the requirements of this title would likely
violate the jurisdiction’s constitution or an interpretation
thereof by the jurisdiction’s highest court, the Attorney General
H. R. 4472—13
shall consult with the chief executive and chief legal officer
of the jurisdiction concerning the jurisdiction’s interpretation
of the jurisdiction’s constitution and rulings thereon by the
jurisdiction’s highest court.
(3) ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURES.—If the jurisdiction is unable
to substantially implement this title because of a limitation
imposed by the jurisdiction’s constitution, the Attorney General
may determine that the jurisdiction is in compliance with this
Act if the jurisdiction has made, or is in the process of implementing
reasonable alternative procedures or accommodations,
which are consistent with the purposes of this Act.
(4) FUNDING REDUCTION.—If a jurisdiction does not comply
with paragraph (3), then the jurisdiction shall be subject to
a funding reduction as specified in subsection (a).
(c) REALLOCATION.—Amounts not allocated under a program
referred to in this section to a jurisdiction for failure to substantially
implement this title shall be reallocated under that program to
jurisdictions that have not failed to substantially implement this
title or may be reallocated to a jurisdiction from which they were
withheld to be used solely for the purpose of implementing this
title.
(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The provisions of this title that
are cast as directions to jurisdictions or their officials constitute,
in relation to States, only conditions required to avoid the reduction
of Federal funding under this section.

--Excerpt "Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006" H.R. 4472

SIGNS TO LOOK FOR ON ILLEGAL HOUSES OF PROSTITUTION

2011-04-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

Source: DC Human Trafficking Task Force

Business Operating Under the Guise of a Massage Establishment
* Small business, primarily in busy business districts; cameras commonly outside of the business.
* There is a lack of easy access to the business establishment. Typically have to be buzzed in through a special door after customer is observed through a camera. Attempt to be inconspicuous within the building.
* Generally have very simplistic names like Happy Spa, Young's Spa, etc.
* Hours of operation are untraditional for most legitimate business establishments (ex.-10:00 AM to 2:00 AM)
* Most of the business advertisement is on adult websites.
* Business advertises "hot" women as masseuses who will ensure that you are satisfied in advertisements.
* The business will only service men.
* There is usually no legitimate business phone--most business is conducted via cell phones and unable to find it in a legitimate yellow pages search.
* The women who work at the massage parlor are usually young and scantily clad and customers are always escorted by another person.
* Have saunas, tubs and/or inoperable and very limited exercise equipment or massage beds.

Brothel Operating Out of a Private Residence
* Extremely transient movement in and out of a particular unit.
* High traffic of scores of different men going into and out of the designated unit/property.
* Apartment within a multi-family dwelling and occasionally a row home.
* Someone typically guarding the front door entrance.
* Refusal to serve certain ethnic populations.
* Large number of women being transported to and from the property.
* The "residents" do not appear to be familiar with the neighborhood or surrounding area.
* Women who are young or appear to be ypung "residing" at the home or regularly frequenting the home.

HOTLINE: If you suspect an illegal house of prostitution or human trafficking, please call 1-888-3737-888. Best measure is to keep your eyes open for something that just does not feel right.

HOW IS IT TO BE LOVED BY SOMEONE?

2010-12-28T22:40:00.000-08:00

How is it to be loved by someone? Genuine love can be overwhelming at times but it does lift you out of that rubble of chaos. It makes everything okay even if none of the circumstances have changed at all. It gives you hope in impossible situations.

I am quite fortunate to have experienced love from so many people and in so many ways, even in ways I could not imagine before. It is truly an amazing experience especially when trauma leads you to depression, even to suicide. You may lose all hope but God doesn't lose hope on you.

I am truly blessed to live the life I have lived in the past decade. Though the pain of betrayal and disappointment still hurt me, I know that everything was meant to be for my own good and the good of others.

Forgiveness is something I'm still trying to learn. I have learned not just from me, but also from others, how bitterness can eat away your soul. I am a child of what might be termed as a broken home though I really never will know the true pain of having divorced parents.

They are still both resentful toward each other; but they never let that get that in the way of being my parents, even now that I am an adult. They are still as supportive as ever and have always let me make my own decisions. How have I taken that for granted!

Not many enjoy the freedom I have... Many girls and young women in the world are bound by poverty and old, dangerous traditions. Some are imprisoned by abuse, neglect and ignorance. The world we live in today is still a dangerous place for a girl to be born in.

Women are being treated like animals, like slaves which men own and control. In most of the world, their education never goes beyond basic reading and writing. Sometimes, they never even go to school. They are expected to be homemakers and sometimes forced to be just that. Look at the Taliban regime in Afghanistan!

In rural China, baby girls are being killed immediately after birth. China still holds the one-child policy in strict respect though there are some exceptions. Since the Chinese culture favor boys, there is now a lack of women in China. And this has resulted in a large number of women from poorer Asian countries being trafficked into the country. South Korean women are also being abducted and sold to Chinese men as brides.

There are so many things perilously affecting women. I can only write about so many in one article. But I know that not many women have ever felt genuine love. A love that respects, protects, nurtures and cherish who they really are. Not the commodities that they are for men and their families.

That is why I have become such an advocate for women's rights. I have seen in my own life how much I have accomplished because of the opportunities given to me. I have seen what I have contributed to the betterment of the world from the support of so many wonderful people in my life. Imagine if every woman in the world had the same opportunities and support as I had!

We need to show them the love that every human being deserves. If we are to be light in this world as God has instructed us, we must not just feel compassion, we must courageously act this compassion out. I am challenging everyone, especially me, to show them how it is to be loved someone. You may have gone through abuse and neglect yourself but know this, you are also asked to love yourself as someone genuinely loves you.

TAKING IT TO THE COMMUNITY

2010-12-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

The World Wide Web has let us built campaigns against many things. Domestic violence in October now child abuse on Facebook with people's favorite cartoon character. But this doesn't really get to the heart of the problem...

It doesn't take us to the causes of the problems. It doesn't punish the perpetrators. It doesn't salve the wounds of the victims. What we need is to get to the actual communities that these crimes are being committed.

Let's take the issues of female genital mutilation or female circumcision... This is being practiced throughout Africa even in a seemingly progressive country such as Egypt. It is reported that 91 percent of Egyptian women currently aged 19 to 45 have undergone this very dangerous procedure that is mostly rooted in culture than medicine. No matter what we do even with the help of the Egyptian government, we will not be able to completely end the practice once and for all. There will always be people who are adamant advocates of tradition, even if lethal like honor killing.

Domestic violence and child abuse are very much intertwined together and not any single city in the world is immune to them. I live in Washington DC and I always hear reports of really bad incidents. They are pretty awful here. A couple of years ago, a single mother killed her daughters and put the bodies in her freezer. The bodies were found months later after police raided her apartment.

I think the best thing to eradicate violence against women and crimes against humanity is education. We need to teach not just our leaders but our fellow ordinary citizens that domestic violence, child abuse, rape and gender violence is negatively impacting our society in more ways than one. We need to show the world that there are ways to stop these things from happening. The most basic and most important thing is raising our children that it is not all right to be abused and be ripped off our basic human dignity. We must retrain men and women what it is to treat each other with equal respect and how some old traditions and thinking must be done away with. And there are so many practical ways in doing this. For example, have a child abuse workshop at your local library or a showing of documentary at a local college campus. I've seen how getting the community involved, and not just online, gets the ball really rolling...

Violence Against Women

2010-09-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, September 22, 2010 marks the 16th year in existence of the United States 1994 Violence Against Women Act drafted by then-Senator Joseph Biden (Delaware). In celebration, Vice President Biden along with his wife Dr. Jill Biden hosted a reception at their official residence in Washington, DC.

In the same week, the United Nations (UN) held a press conference to announce the formation of UN Women. UN Women will be headed by former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet who now holds the office of Under-Secretary-General of Gender Equity and Empowerment of Women. UN Women will function as the UN's arm in protecting female rights all over the world especially where women and girls are put through physical harm that are camouflaging as tradition.

Girls and women have always had been traditionally viewed as being mothers and homemakers. Boys are given more priority when it comes to health and education because males are typically the breadwinners of the family. But as we progress into the 21st Century, we are seeing that giving girls and women the same opportunity as their male counterparts is good for the economy and the general betterment of the world as a whole.

From common crimes as rape to the strangest procedure (to most people of the world) of female genital mutilation, a lot of girls and women are physically harmed and psychologically wounded. Something about the masochism of the global male population that makes them vulnerable to violent behavior especially toward females.

If it cannot be totally stopped, we as citizens of the world must do all we can to reduce the incidents that occur everyday. Education is key. Both men and women need to know the dark secret of domestic violence, rape and even honor killings. It has big societal impacts because the impaired psychological state of these women prevent them from positively contributing. Hospital and clinics are over-capacity from the injuries and complications of what has been done to their bodies.

Abuse & Exploitation That's Actually Trafficking

2010-07-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

Last Monday night I attended a D.C. Stop Modern Slavery meet up at Ellington Apartments on U Street, the speaker was Bradley Myles of Polaris Project. Mr. Myles spoke of the different ways how unsuspecting, vulnerable people fall victims to human trafficking. He said how people get trafficked into the United States by supposed employment agencies, people that needed nannies and housekeepers and people that looked they were offering legitimate jobs in restaurants and other retail settings. I learned how a lot of Filipinos fell into these same kind of traps when I was in high school in Angeles City.

In Japan, Filipino women who dream of becoming big as singers and dancers are lured to the Land of the Rising Sun to work in clubs but unfortunately, they become prostitutes. I did not hear much about their abuse in Japan but knowing how well sex trafficking victims can hide the signs of abuse, I definitely can say they were unwillingly exploited in their eagerness to travel abroad. Other Filipino women go the Middle East to work as nannies and domestic servants and reading books and online articles, I learned of the neglect and abuse their Middle Eastern employers treat them with. There was this big headliner of a Filipino nanny that got hanged to death by Singapore because the boy under her care unfortunately fell off the window and crashed to his death two to three stories below. This was in the 1990s when I was still in high school. The whole Philippine nation appealed to the government of Singapore to just send her home for extradition but Singaporeans are strict. If you get caught with marijuana possession, you are immediately sentenced to death.

So in other words, I knew that this was all happening... I just didn't know what it was called. Neither did the world... All I knew that it was wrong... Now we know what it is "human trafficking." Now we've identified the problem, let's solve it.... Reminds me of the scientific method somehow..

Personal Notes on Human Trafficking

2010-07-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

"I don't know what's going on but the closer I get to the ground on this human trafficking problem, the more human I feel and my compassion becomes more real and forgiving. As I try to get to the root of the problem and help others heal, I feel like I'm becoming more whole than the actual victims."

-Excerpt from my personal journal entry on July 24, 2010

I do believe that everyone today should become an abolitionist especially the slaves themselves as they fight for their freedom. Slavery is the most pervasive form of abuse in the world today. Most Westerners believe that it has been abolished in the 18th Century. It hasn't and we must tell them. It is still occurring in London and Washington DC, the capitals of the Anglo-Saxon world. And it is still happening in Paris, Berlin, Paris and Madrid also. People are being transported from poorer countries to these rich countries for prostitution, domestic servitude and other forms of hard labor that would be extremely expensive if done by a citizen or legal resident of those nations for they are protected by law. And have you also heard about the foreign interns of the Japanese government that died recently in factories?

Working for no pay in harsh conditions is the worst hell on this earth a human can live in. I think most can agree with me on this... Slavery has been used by the Nazis. They worked the Jews to death to help them kill other Jews. In African nations, impoverished people are being enslaved by more powerful tribes or individuals. In some war-torn countries, innocent people of the weaker minority are enslaved into farm work or domestic servitude. If the slaves try to run away, they are beaten and killed.

This atrocity must end... We are now in the 21st Century. We are making such big leaps in technological advancement and scientific knowledge. Why can't our compassion grow along with it? Are we really losing our humanity?

Human Trafficking By The Numbers

2010-07-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

From the 2010 Trafficking In Person Report of the United States Department of State

Adults and children in forced labor, bonded labor, and forced prostitution around the world: 12.3 million

Successful trafficking prosecutions in 2009: 4,166

Successful prosecutions related to forced labor: 335

Victims identified: 49,105

Ratio of convicted offenders to victims identified, as a percentage: 8.5

Ratio of victims identified to estimated victims, as a percentage: 0.4

Countries that have yet to convict a trafficker under laws in compliance with the Palermo Protocol: 62

Countries without laws, policies, or regulations to prevent victims’ deportation: 104

Prevalence of trafficking victims in the world: 1.8 per 1,000 inhabitants

Prevalence of trafficking victims in Asia and the Pacific: 3 per 1,000 inhabitants

Calling Out For Help in Teeny Ways

2010-06-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

Let's get this straight, I work full-time as a customer service representative for a bank. You may think I see money laundering as in millions of dollars. Sometimes I do but usually it's not even at an amount I can substantiate with to create a report. The US Federal Reserve may have created a somewhat comprehensive anti-money laundering policy for banks and other financial institutions to follow to prevent this but these guidelines are only after the big guns, which are very rare. In my own daily experience in dealing with the public, it is always around $5,000. Or in some instances, a few hundred dollars or even less than $20. Interacting with people in the bank setting for more than nine years has made me sensitive enough to pick up on subtle clues of people's behavior...

And then there are the real clues of human trafficking or enslavement that I can pick up on just like that. The fear and the strain in the victims' eyes are very apparent. Their souls are screaming, "Get me out of here! Please, help me!" Last week, I was helping a young Russian or eastern European lady with a credit card issue. The lady was so thin and gaunt that I was scared for her health. An older lady who appeared to be right around her ideal weight was impatiently waiting for her, appeared to be watching her every move and listening to her every word. This lady only comes in with cash to either make a deposit into her account or pay her credit card. Even with this, I cannot say that she truly is a victim of human trafficking.

Then, there are the Chinese people who do pretty suspicious transactions but it is so routine that most of my colleagues no longer question it. They have no clue that behind the accumulation of these wads of cash are people being abused and exploited for the benefit of greedy monsters. I see it everyday at work that I want to cut my hands most of the time. Before I began to fully understand the big problem of human trafficking, I just thought it was nothing but individuals trying to evade taxes or the authorities. No longer do I see it that way. My heart breaks every single evening knowing I could have freed a modern slave by just saying something but my words would surely fall on deaf ears.

Fear is mostly to be blamed for this because these people would kill you or your loved ones to silence you. But I am no longer afraid. In my own experience (personal not work), a great lack of courage has prevented justice from being served in the Philippine courts of murdered people. People are threatened and intimidated to do certain things. Vote buying has been a huge problem in Philippine elections. Just look at the headlines from the recent national and local elections... Just type in "Philippine elections" in any search engine and you'll see how dirty politics can really be.

In my own hometown, there is a red light district because of the former US Clark Air Force Base. Now, Americans, Australians, Europeans, Japanese and even Koreans can be found there as sex tourists. There has been many efforts to curb prostitution in Angeles City (my hometown). The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has a large human trafficking task force that it also sends its specialists to other southeast Asian nations to provide assistance in raids and also, give expert advice. Local officials have been doing their best to abolish prostitution here ever since the US military has set foot in this city but corruption has plagued the Philippine archipelago so much that as soon as you put one fire out in one place, another one begins nearby (which is true also of the whole world, unfortunately).

Is the World Turning a Blind Eye Towards Child Labor?

2010-06-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (June 12, 2010) was "World Day Against Child Labor." The only way people would find out that news if they were part of a network that helps to either abolish child labor altogether or improve the working conditions of child workers. In the United States, yesterday was all about the FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa because the US team was playing against England. All of Washington DC was filled with soccer fever yesterday.

But amidst all the celebratory screams for the World Cup, where heroes are made, the children of the poor are being exploited by greedy criminals around the world even in South Africa. In the host cities like Durban and Johannesburg, there are young girls under 18 being prostituted by sex traffickers to make profits on the influx of soccer fans from all over. And throughout the African continent, children who are capable of doing household chores are enslaved into domestic work for what I consider as (I'm not going to be apologetic here) insolent grown-up human pigs. If these children refuse to offer sexual favors or to do housework, they are frequently beaten, burned and sometimes killed.

A child is a human being. A child represents one human life that has so much potential if tapped properly. In all of history, vulnerable populations especially children--who are not powerful enough to fight for their own rights--have been viewed by people (who unfortunately let the animal nature take over their will) as a group whose only purpose is for their own gain like machines that can discarded or reused. We are all part of the human race. We are like a drop of water, as Mahatma Gandhi is quoted, and we all make the ocean of life. Everything we do affects others. Not one action can be separated from the whole world.

For the human race to advance into outer space (the ultimate frontier for human beings in my view), we all must make sure that we respect all human life as if it was our own. Many people think "not my child, not my responsibility." This is a wrong attitude to take. Each child represents a brighter future for all of us. Remember all the miraculous stories of child prodigies... These children were given proper care and education that made them into individuals they are. I don't think I'm being delusional to say "Imagine if this is what we did for all the world's children." Yes! This world would be the world of peace and progress we all hoped for. But as long as we neglect their needs as children who are growing into full-grown adults, we will never climb out of the mess the world is in today as it has been for millennia...

These soccer players were children too. They were nurtured with the best childcare and parenting in the world that made them the great soccer players that they are. And if we can get the whole world excited about soccer or futbol (as most of the world knows it by), why can't we create a worldwide rage against child labor?