Our friends at the INITIATIVE AGAINST SEXUAL TRAFFICKING (IAST) wish to share the following ALERT.
Please Read and Pray, Saints!
The Problem:
The earthquake in Haiti has created a state of emergency. The crisis is of epic proportions, and disaster relief teams are struggling to rescue Haitians and provide food, clothing, shelter, medical assistance, and other emergency relief. Over the next weeks this work will continue, but a secondary phenomenon is already developing: hundreds of thousands of Haitians have been displaced from their homes. Many are wandering in the streets, afraid to go inside for fear of aftershocks. Thousands are migrating in search of food, clothing, shelter and medical services. From previous experience, we know that natural disasters present dangerous secondary circumstances which may, if not addressed on the front end, result human trafficking.
Victims of human trafficking may be trafficked within Haiti or abroad. Victims may be trafficked for purposes of forced and/or bonded labor, child labor, and commercial sexual exploitation (prostitution, pornography, stripping). Also, please be aware that according to international standards persons under 18-years-old cannot give consent to participation in the commercial sexual industry.
Please be alert to scams and fraud such as:
---People offering Haitians job opportunities in foreign countries.
---People claiming to be the relatives of abandoned or orphaned children.
---People luring children.
---Military, relief workers, or others, demanding sexual favors in exchange for aid.
---Warning signs of human trafficking include:
---Evidence of being controlled (rarely alone, seems to be under constant surveillance, isolated or cut off from family and friends, fearful of speaking for oneself).
---Evidence of inability to move or leave a job.
---Excessive work hours – not free to take time off.
---Unpaid for work completed or paid very little.
---Active in commercial sex industry or works "off the books" in low-paying jobs.
---Signs of physical or sexual abuse.
Recommended precautions:
Warn potential victims of human trafficking schemes.
Those providing shelter and care are encouraged to register and protect those people in their facilities, especially children including preteens and adolescents. Women and children should not be placed in isolated areas of shelters/camps. Routinely check isolated places in the shelter/camp. Also consider sleeping arrangements appropriate for families and individuals.
Those hiring new or temporary employees for relief work are encouraged to educate new hires about human trafficking and outline a zero-tolerance policy for employees involved in human trafficking and/or sexual abuse.
Respond quickly if a child or parent asks for help or appears threatened.
--End of Memo--
Thank you for your faithfulness in Prayer, Saints!
To quote our friend, Lisa Thompson of the Salvation Army,
ABOLITION!
To which we say,
AMEN!
--Livvy McDonald
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