Wasn’t slavery abolished? Actually, no. In fact, there are more slaves in the world today than at any point in our history. Slave Hunter by Aaron Cohen and Christine Buckley (New York, NY: Simon Schuster, Inc., 2009) looks at the eye-opening truth behind human trafficking from Cohen’s perspective as a “slave hunter,” documenting and rescuing victims of sexual exploitation and forced labor.

Cohen, inspired by Jubilee, a movement to forgive debt and free slaves, began his human-rights activism first by building a grass-roots campaign with his friend Perry Farrell called Drop the Debt. Believing awareness is the first step to eradication, Cohen dedicated himself to bringing public awareness to the existence of modern-day slavery. Cohen characterizes human trafficking as the new face of slavery, dedicating his book its victims.

Cohen is a “slave hunter,” identifying human beings who are trafficked and exploited for labor and/or sexual purposes. Cohen’s memoir recounts his first-hand experiences in brothels, massage parlors, restaurants, bars, and war zones. A one-time former partner with Jane’s Addiction front-man Perry Farrell, Cohen used his musical connections and social skills to promote his activism alongside Bono, Ricky Martin and the Dalai Lama.

Slave Hunter documents Cohen’s journey in distinct sections, each describing a different area of the world where he has traveled: Cambodia, Sudan, Latin America, Myanmar, and the Middle East. Cohen’s fieldwork begins with a process he calls “night frighting,” where he poses as a sex tourist collecting evidence against traffickers in brothels. He easily finds brothels through taxi drivers who earn vouchers for gas when they bring in customers. Cohen keeps a video journal, where he photographs and records interviews with trafficked women and children on his cell phone. After buying some time with them, he then engages them to talk about their lives and experiences. “Yum-yum thirty dollar. Boom-boom fifty dollar,” says one of the children he meets in a brothel. He notes for twenty dollars more a man can have unprotected sex with this child. Cohen is aware he might not be able to save the girl he is talking to at the moment, but he believes his efforts will help prevent future potential victims. Through Cohen’s words, we hear the victim’s stories: their pain, their fear, and their misery. In many cases, he helps keep hope alive for the numerous women and children he encounters.

While Cohen’s work has documented slavery, he has also seen genocide in Sudan and terrorist operations in Asia. Through his field work around the world, Cohen has identified links between the trafficked women and connections to organized crime, gangs, drug cartels, and natural resources such as oil, gold, and uranium.

Brothels usually have the backing of at least one mafia family. In situations where Cohen is able to buy the freedom of the women and children he encounters, the madams (or slave masters) and the girls sign statements that will keep Cohen and his fellow rescuers from being charged with kidnapping. While Cohen’s critics express outrage that he gives money to the traffickers, the money keeps the girls’ families safe from mafia threats. The trafficked women and children are then provided safety for the time being. Instead of sitting in meetings talking about human rights, Cohen wants to make sure trafficked victims have a safe place to sleep. After they are taken to safety, the women and children are given a chance at an education and reintegration into society.

At one point in the memoir, Cohen describes how he has hit men coming after him after he has raided several brothels. “Our actions have probably roused more than one gang boss tonight with some very bad news. By taking back nearly thirty girls, we have cut off the bad guys’ cash flow to the tune of about $3 million,” Cohen writes. He points out that ‘Canadian journalist Victor Malarek’s research would later put the average profit a trafficker could make from one woman at about $160,000.’

Many governments do not recognize trafficked women as victims, which is why Cohen’s work is so important. Cohen teamed together with Michele Clark to promote public education and awareness seminars. Clark works on the policy side of things, as a coordinator at a think-tank based at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Cohen and Clark both share a victim-centered approach towards human trafficking, which they believe is essential to anti-trafficking work. Cohen has presented his research to help develop prevention programs, and discussed the importance of the Internet in the exploitation of women and children.

We live in a global community, one in which slave labor effects everyone. Cohen exposes this world-wide problem in all the countries he has visited. In Ecuador, where there are no victim shelters, trafficked women are not considered refugees, and therefore are not admitted to refugee camps. Cohen served as a field operative and consultant in Ecuador, intending to shed more light on trafficking patterns there by documenting and photographing trafficked victims.

Cohen’s missions involved analyzing the scope of trafficking and helping locals develop a national anti-trafficking strategy. Cohen’s journeys also led him to Sudan, where he documented slave redemptions, buying the freedom of slaves for anywhere from twenty to eighty dollars each. Under Sudan’s penal code, slave redemption is a violation of sharia law, punishable by limb amputation, death or crucifixion. Cohen’s travels also led him to Myanmar, where ethnic Shans are employed by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). The SPDC uses slave labor to build infrastructure in the country’s new capital, as well as at facilities producing uranium, that is used to process fuel for nuclear reactors (which is in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions). In Thailand on another visit, Cohen documented the indigenous people from the Hmong ethnic group, who are denied political refugee status elsewhere, and wait in camps where they easily fall prey to traffickers that take advantage of their situation.

Cohen’s memoir gives us access to experiences and thoughts we may otherwise never have had. Arguably, the single most important thing to take away from reading Cohen’s memoir is that it illustrates the fact that governments and organizations, as well as individuals, are capable of making a difference in taking a human being out of enslavement. We live in a world that is growing smaller by the minute, and we must all develop a greater sense of universal responsibility for each other.

Perspectives on Global Issues’s Spring 2010 issue on Human Security will feature an interview with Slave Hunter author Aaron Cohen. The issue will be available in late April 2010.

Honor killing is an international phenomena happening mainly in impoverished and uneducated areas. In most of the cases, the crime of honor killing is committed by close relatives of the victim, who is found guilty of tarnishing the family image or reputation by her behavior. Most killers, based on Rana’s experience, are not in peace with themselves after committing such a crime because they were themselves victims of social pressures leading them to do such acts.

According to official figures, 31 women are victims of honor killing every day in the world. But Rana stated that based on her experience, the number is much higher as in many instances these crimes are not investigated by the authorities due to the taboo attached to it.

When Rana started working as a reporter for the Jordan Times in the 1980s, she realized that the crime of honor killing was a taboo subject in Jordanian society and was not reported in the media. In addition, she noticed that the perpetrators of such crimes were mostly never brought to a court or if so, faced minor prison sentences ranging from three months to a year. Therefore, Rana used her position at the Jordan Times to publish on a regular basis stories of women subject to “honor killing.” Her aim was to raise public awareness on the issue by reaching out intellectuals, officials and general public trough the Jordan Times. The newspaper received numerous letters to the editor from Jordanian citizens supporting her work and officials started to look at the issue more closely.

In 1989, she started a grass-roots movement to collect 150,000 signatures, the minimum number required by the Jordanian law to propose a change in law. Her aim was to increase the minimum prison sentence penalty for perpetrators of honor killing. Thanks to her dedication, the grass-roots movement was able to collect the required number of signatures by reaching out remote areas of Jordan. Thus, she presented to the government her proposed change in law regarding honor killing. Despite the fact that the law was not changed due to a strong resistance from religious leaders, Rana is proud to say today that her initiative broke the taboo of speaking about honor killing in Jordanian society and brought awareness to the general public. As of 2008, there were 8 reported victims of honor killings in Jordan, which is a clear victory of Rana’s awareness campaign.

In addition, Rana’s work has been and is still supported by the Royal Family of Jordan, who never stood on her way while conducted her research and work.

Jordan is currently examining the option of a special court dealing only with honor killings, as studies show that different courts in different parts of the country were interpreting the law in a non coherent manner.

According to Rana, changing the law is a first step to decrease the number of honor killings in a given country. She also highlighted the need to improve the educational system and the image of women. In addition, she is advocating for religious leaders to speak out on the issue of honor killings and to condemn such crimes which are against any religion. Furthermore, she indicated that awareness campaigns should be broader to include domestic violence against women and should be conducted in every country regardless of religion.

Finally, Rana pointed out the necessity to tackle difficulties faced by gays and lesbians in the Muslim world, which is a taboo in the Muslim religion.

Rana’s book Murder in the name of Honor is today available worldwide in English and Arabic.

A recent report by Yemeni human rights organizations presented to the United Nations Committee Against Torture reveals serious human rights violations by the Yemeni National Security Agency against Yemeni jurists and human rights activists. Moreover, Amnesty International recently reported police brutality and torture of detainees held in connection with politically motivated acts or protests. Reported methods of torture included beating with sticks, punching, kicking, prolonged suspension by the wrists or ankles, burning with cigarettes, being stripped naked, denial of food and prompt access to medical help, and threats of sexual abuse. The same report also indicates sentences of flogging being frequently carried out after being handed down by the courts for sexual abuses and alcohol offences. In addition, several protesters were reported to be killed as a result of excessive use of force by the security forces during peaceful protests. However, no independent investigations have been carried out.

Furthermore, a recent Human Rights Watch report includes allegations of serious violations of the laws of war by governmental and Huthis forces, including the use of children under 18 in combat, use of anti-personal landmines in civilian areas, and taking civilians hostage. Additionally, the same report reveals allegation of aerial bombing and artillery shelling on populated villages by governmental forces.

Gender-specific issues:

Women in Yemen face violence and discrimination on a regular basis. For instance, women are not free to marry who they want and some children as young as eight are forced to marry. Furthermore, once married, women must obey their husbands and even obtain permission to leave the house. In regards to the law, women’s testimony in court is valued only as half as that of men. Women are also denied equal treatment in terms of inheritance, if not completely denied. Moreover, the courts treat men leniently with regards to honor killings.

Amnesty International reports that violence against women is common in Yemen, perpetrated by the state, the community and the family, and no specific law protects women from domestic violence. Meanwhile, social norms allow men to hit their wives, daughters and sisters. Moreover, visible proof of domestic violence usually needs to be shown before the authorities, but women are often blamed for causing it.

The Refugee Situation:

As of mid-November 2009, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that 175,000 people have been displaced by the five-year conflict between the authorities and the Huthis tribe that escalated in August 2009. Elderly people, single mothers and children represent the majority of the new arrivals in refugee camps. The latest sudden influx of refugees due to the intensification of the combat is adding more pressure on an already dire situation, and causing overcrowding in camps.

Meanwhile, as of mid-November 2009, the UNCHR is anticipating a continuous influx of internally displaced persons in Yemen.

Additionally, Yemen hosts over 40,000 Somali refugees who survived the hazardous crossing of the Gulf of Aden, where many have drowned or been killed by human traffickers. Moreover, according to a recent report of Amnesty International, some 1,300 asylum-seekers were returned involuntarily to their countries.

Personally speaking, it’s a disappointing result – particularly given that San Francisco, arguably the most gay-friendly city in the country, is the place I call home. But it’s a reminder that there is still much fighting to be done not just for marriage equality, but for the protection and human rights of the LGBT community worldwide.

Reports of gay men being systematically killed and tortured by militia groups in Iraq began surfacing earlier this year – gritty, gruesome accounts of murders and kidnappings without so much as a flinch from authorities. The Ugandan parliament received a bill two weeks ago that would criminalize any acts of homosexuality with life imprisonment or the death penalty. Global Voices Online has documented a scamming trend in Ghana where groups set up fake dating websites targeted towards gays and then extort their unsuspecting victims for money under threat of arrest.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. It’s true that LGBT rights have come a phenomenally long way in recent years. India decriminalized homosexuality by overturning a 148-year-old ban; President Obama recently signed a bill declaring violence against gays a hate crime; South Africa has passed landmark legislation allowing gay marriage (although it has not been without loud opposition). Yet still, the mere existence of homosexuality, let alone the thought of legalizing gay marriage, has wrought so much deeply-rooted fear in so many societies that the thought of achieving full equality seems both a Herculean task and a distant ideal.

But attitudes are undeniably shifting, and perhaps as is the case with America, global tolerance will rise as the younger generation takes over. Perhaps LGBT rights will even be enshrined in international law. But how long can we afford to wait? How much more violence and denial of equal treatment will the LGBT community have to withstand until their rights are finally recognized?

During the panel, Nicholas Kristof was asked why he chooses to focus so much on issues of sex trafficking in his columns. Kristof replied that it all began with a trip that he took to Cambodia where he witnessed and interviewed two young girls who were sold to brothels.  Even after Kristof paid a sum of money to the brothel to ‘purchase’ the girls in return for their freedom, one of the girls actually returned to the brothel because of her drug addiction – a sad testament to the fact that the girl was in effect trapped within her predicament, and even money could not help her.  (Spoiler alert: Kristof later revealed in the book that the girl had a happy ending). Hopefully with the launch of this book, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn will be able to raise awareness and generate a healthy dialogue on these issues in the global arena.

For more information on the book, visit http://www.halftheskymovement.org/

From the ILAB report:

“The ILO has found that 69 percent of child labor worldwide is in agriculture, and the List contains many examples of child labor in rural, agricultural economies. However, ILAB’s research also found child labor in more developed economies, in the manufacture of goods such as Christmas decorations, fashion accessories, and soccer balls for the global marketplace.

“With respect to forced labor, certain countries and regions have a higher incidence of “traditional” forms of forced labor, often linked to long­established social structures, religious beliefs, and patterns of discrimination against vulnerable groups. Such patterns are found in parts of South Asia, West Africa, and South America. Other, more “modern” forms of forced labor are linked to globalization and increased migration worldwide.22 Increasingly, individuals migrating from one country to another ­ or even within a country ­ are entrapped by fraudulent recruitment and placement schemes that result in debt bondage, indentured servitude, and other forms of forced labor. Some victims are forcibly trafficked, while others initially accept employment voluntarily, only to find themselves in work situations from which they cannot escape without harsh penalties.”

(Thanks to my sister, who forwarded this on from the New School’s Graduate Program in International Affairs listserv.)

Here’s the data.

Here’s the Q&A about the Forgotten Crisis Assessment

We should be vigilant…

Bangladesh seeks help to repatriate Myanmar migrants

Consider Kyrgyzstan.  There a method is practiced that to our thinking might seem anachronistic, a vestige of days less democratic: bride-napping.  And it is, cultural relativism in this instance aside.  And, surprisingly, despite being illegal and contentious, it is on the rise.  With Russia’s sphere of influence retracting and cultural restrictions easing, former republics feel freer to assert their nationalist identities, at times overzealously.  At the community level residents have brought into the cultural fold old traditions, some that were at the time of Russian expansion found only in folklore.

Case in point: bride-napping.  A typical event might happen as follows: A young man sees a young women, perhaps his classmate, perhaps a stranger, and decides she will be his wife.  He finds a car, tells his family, organizes his friends, and chooses a day.  Come that day, with his friends in his car he stalks his potential wife until that critical moment when he executes an ambush.  Without qualm, the group of young men grab and hoist the unsuspecting young woman to their shoulders and dash for the car.  At breakneck speed the group then race to the groom’s hometown, making appropriate phone calls en route to alert family and relay progress, while in the backseat the young woman is beside herself with dismay.  Any stop along the way is discreet, and the young woman is never left alone or allowed to talk with anyone outside the car who might come to her aid.

Once in the groom’s hometown and within sight of his house, the horn blares and rubber burns, until into his family’s fenced-in compound his car screeches, to a halt, dust everywhere, plume trailing, and family ready and waiting.  Immediately all are to arms and abuzz.  Out of the car goes the young woman, terrified and hysterical, into a tangle of arms made by the boy’s mother and female relations.  Holding her tightly they carry her sobbing to the porch and past the door’s threshold–that impassive, possible point of no return, the point that in this context defines group morality and immorality, shame and pride, pure and impure.  But all is not lost for her.  She has until the dawn of the next day to escape or be freed.  Few, however, are working on her behalf, often not even her parents.  Most, the women primarily, are encouraging her to stay.  They each have their reasons.  Having passed beyond the threshold of a suitor’s door, the matter is now one of honor, and in the cultures of Central Asia, next to nothing trumps honor.

Honor now falls to the young man’s father, who is bound to make contact with the young woman’s parents.  If contact is not made, should he have made effort his community does not hold him accountable.  Should contact be made, the two sides conduct a suitability test, but rarely with the young woman’s interest in mind.  More important is how the histories of these two families compare, one against the other, as far back as seven generations, and how much in kalym, or dowry, the young woman’s family must pay.  If in this process no conflicts arise, the young woman’s fate is sealed: she will marry the following day, despite any personal misgivings.  Should a conflict arise, the door is flung wide, possibly upon an unknown village, and, pushed and prodded, heckled and browbeaten, she will again cross that damning threshold, perhaps now with greater understanding, to make her way to a home she might be unsure of how to find and to a family that might now not receive her.  Should she escape on her own before sunrise, despite having gained her freedom, her purity will be questioned and marriage possibly never realized.

In those final hours, with others but alone, she looks around, listens to the blathering women sitting next to her and asks herself which is her best choice: to stay where uncommitted unmentionables fade with matrimony and maternity, or to try to return home, where, though blameless, she will be blamed, where once hopeful about her future, she will feel less hope?  In bleak despair, her situation–like her inscrutable culture–must seem a mocking, half-told riddle.

For further reading, consider:

www.unfpa.org/16days/documents/pl_bridenapping_factsheet.doc

Central Asian Survey (June 2007) 26(2), 217–233, “Kyz ala kachuu and adat: non-consensual bride kidnapping and tradition in Kyrgyzstan,” by Russ Kleinback and Lilly Salimjanova