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In late October 2005, there were police raids of residential areas in San José, California. Alleged sex workers were detained and questioned. The authorities requested the Asian Anti-Trafficking Collaborative (AATC) to assist with intake and assessment to identify whether these Asian women were victims of human trafficking. The AATC crew assured the women that AATC does not work for the government and that they are a nongovernmental partnership of four San Francisco Bay Area community-based agencies:
1. Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach
2. Asian Women’s Shelter
3. Donaldina Cameron House (Presbyterian community agency)
4. Narika (South Asian community service)
AATC provides multilingual, culturally competent legal and social services to trafficking survivors using a client-centered confidential approach. The collaborative can seek emergency housing, offer legal assistance and provide case management and counseling for clients.
The Donaldina Cameron House, a Presbyterian community agency, serves youth, women and men born in the United States or overseas. A bilingual after-school program provides volunteer tutors Monday through Friday. Youth clubs meet on Friday evenings, and some commit to Sunday church school and worship. The multilingual staff (Cantonese, Cambodian, Mandarin, or Vietnamese) meets daily with persons facing immigration, shelter, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, marital and domestic violence issues.
Background
What is human trafficking?
Human trafficking is the recruitment and transportation of children, women and men to another place or country through fraud or violence for the purpose of forced labor or servitude, including sexual slavery. Trafficking victims are forced to labor in sweatshops, factories, farm work, restaurants, prostitution and other sex work.
Following the tragic events of 9/11 and to ensure homeland security in the United States, the government has increased investigations of illegal entries and human trafficking into the United States. The United States Attorney’s Office has regional offices across the United States and now administers more than a dozen human trafficking task forces, including the Greater Bay Area Anti-Trafficking Task Force, which involves federal and local law enforcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Labor, and other governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Its aim is to develop effective protocols and procedures to prevent people from being trafficked, protect trafficked victims and to prosecute traffickers.
The general public can report incidents of exploitation to the United States Department of Justice and Department of Labor’s Trafficking in Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force by calling (888) 428-7581 (English only).
Biblical/Theological Dimensions
“ ‘ … for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. … ‘And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ … Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me’ ” (Matt. 25:35–36, 39–40).
What Can Presbyterian Women Do?
- Encourage synods and presbyteries to study On Condemning International Trafficking in and Sexual Exploitation of Children, an overture approved by the General Assembly (2006), and take the actions that are recommended. Get additional information.
- Support the efforts of ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes). See Resources for more information.
- Use only travel and tour agencies that have signed the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Commercial Exploitation in travel and tourism.
- PW groups can learn and educate others about human trafficking and modern slavery.
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Resources
Web
Threads of Justice, the Women’s Advocacy’s newsletter of the PC(USA); particularly the Winter 2007 issue.
Trafficking in Persons: A Guide for Non-Government Organizations. Civil Rights Division, United States Department of Justice.
ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes); Carol Smolenski, coordinator; ECPAT-USA. Inc., 157 Montague Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 718/935-9192.
Trafficking in Persons Report with updates. U.S. Department of State, June 2006.
Cindy Joe is a member of the Justice and Peace Committee of the Churchwide Coordinating Team of Presbyterian Women.
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Justice and Peace
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