Human Trafficking Among Latino/a Immigrants in North Carolina 1

Human Trafficking Among Latino/a Immigrants in North Carolina 1 Human Trafficking Among Latino/a Immigrants in North Carolina Leah Parrish The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Human Trafficking Among Latino/a Immigrants in North Carolina 2 Background Human trafficking is known as a form of modern day slavery. Globally, humans are no strangers to slavery, as it has existed on almost every continent at some point in time. Slavery was considered to be a domestic or private institution until the Slave Trade in the Americas in the 1600 s. Slavery in America had a different connotation as social class became less important and race became a defining characteristic for slavery justification. Although slavery was abolished in 1862, the underlying social constructions and economic practices did not cease (Androff, 2010). Human trafficking is still a major problem today for the same reasons slavery was allowed to continue for as long as it was; because it is extremely profitable. Today, human trafficking, or modern-day slavery, is considered to be the third most profitable criminal system in the world, grossing 19 billion dollars in 2001 (Winterdyk & Reichel, 2010). According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, human trafficking is an act of recruiting, transporting, transfering, harbouring or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2012). With the end of slavery, the backbone of the American economy, and no alternatives to sustain the level of production that the economy had established, it is not surprising that human trafficking became an international, underground problem. Unfortunately, human trafficking was not recognized as a criminal offense against humanity until the 1990 s. In 2000, The United Nations finally established the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, which officially recognized human trafficking as serious global issue needing to be addressed. A similar Protocol was enacted in 2003 that specifically aimed to protect women and children as well as provide a global definition for human trafficking that could be respected internationally (Winterdyk & Reichel, 2010). In recent years, there has been a significant increase in immigration to the United States. According to the U.S. Census, from 2003-2010, the population of foreign-born residents in the United States increased from 11% of the population to 13% (2003, 2010). In 2010, about 53% of foreign-born residents were from Latin America. In 1997, there were about 6,400 immigrants seeking permanent residency in North Carolina. Ten years later that number more than doubled to about 15,400, and the numbers continue to rise (Chang-Muy & Congress, 2010). The NAFTA agreement was signed, followed by the Mexican banking crisis in 1994, which allowed the United States to build a large market for produce in Mexico, putting millions of small-time Mexican farmers out of business. With few other options in their home country, immigration to the United States from Mexico became necessary for Mexican families to find work and survive. Forced by economic circumstances, millions of Mexican immigrants continue to enter the United States (Chang-Muy & Congress, 2010), and North Carolina in particular has imported more guestworkers than any other state (Smith-Nonini, 2005); therefore, Latino/a immigrants are currently of particular interest to service providers. Members of the Latino/a immigrant population in the United States face a laundry list of risks and vulnerabilities, such as a language barrier, lack of health care or other benefits because of welfare laws restricting benefits to non-citizens, difficulty finding work without documentation, social isolation, mental health issues related to transition, substance use

Human Trafficking Among Latino/a Immigrants in North Carolina 3 to cope with difficult life changes, and interpersonal violence (Chang-Muy & Congress, 2010). By being forced to seek economic security, many immigrants feel desperate to find work in the United States (Smith-Nonini, 2005). Also, Mexico is one of the two primary source countries for human trafficking victims in the U.S. (Dovydaistis, 2010). Preying on individuals lack of options and other vulnerabilities, human traffickers use force and coercion to exploit immigrants for factory, domestic, or farm labor, sex, and organ trade (Winterdyk, 2010). Current Circumstances One major issue that human trafficking services providers face is that victims are extremely difficult to identify. Although annually there are about 600,000 800,000 identified country-wide victims of human trafficking, the nature of the criminal offense makes it difficult to identify these individuals (Dovydaistis, 2010). However, it is likely that these numbers under-represent the scope of the human trafficking industry. One reason human trafficking victims are difficult to identify is that they fear being deported if they report the crimes committed against them. In 1996, the 287g policy was put into place, which delegates power to local and state law enforcement to detain and assess people for immigration status until the federal government can step in to press charges and remove that person from the United States (Capps, Rosenblum, Rodriguez, & Chishti, 2011). In other words, someone could be pulled over for a traffic violation, be detained and screened, and then deported based on their immigration status. The ease and quickness with which deportation can happen, along with a well-known anti-immigrant sentiment that exists in certain areas of North Carolina has created a real fear of police officers among Latino/a immigrants. This fear discourages immigrants from reporting violations against them to ensure their own safety (Rizo & Macy, 2011). It is also difficult to identify victims of human trafficking because of the understanding our society has about what it means to be a victim of human trafficking. Although women and children are the most vulnerable groups to trafficking, human trafficking has become a women s issue, when in reality many men are experiencing similar exploitation. Human trafficking has been closely linked with sex work, yet prostitution and sex trafficking are different. Human trafficking can include any type of service someone is forced, coerced or threatened to perform (Alvaraz & Alessi, 2012). With guestworker programs and migrant worker supports being poorly implemented, many of these laborers are trapped in low-paying jobs with high health risks, but are unable to quit because of fear of being deported or blacklisted (Smith-Nonini, 2005). If service providers, health care workers, and others coming into contact with human trafficking victims are unaware of what human trafficking is, it will be hard to identify the victims and perpetrators (Dovydaitis, 2010). More knowledgeable service providers would be an important way to identify human trafficking victims, but according to Dovydaitis, only about 30% of victims see a health care provider (2010). It is common for victims to be restricted from accessing medical care. Laborers do not typically receive health care from their employers, and are not allowed to take days off of work for preventative, or even treatment care. Sex trafficking victims are also isolated from health screenings and care because if their health status is known, and they are not considered to be healthy, they may be viewed as less valuable by traffickers. Human trafficking victims are also often moved around

Human Trafficking Among Latino/a Immigrants in North Carolina 4 frequently, isolating them from social networks and fragmenting access to resources (Dovydaitis, 2010). Because there are complex barriers to identifying victims of human trafficking, another current issue being faced by service providers is a lack of sufficient services for this population. Although awareness is growing within the public health and social work fields, there are still too few, or very fragmented services for victims of human trafficking (Dovydaitis, 2010). Limited access to health care resources is an issue among immigrants within the U.S., especially for trafficking victims who are usually restricted from accessing the services available. Under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, immigrants are not allowed to apply for Medicaid until they have lived in the U.S. for 5 years or more (Chang-Muy & Congress, 2010). Identified victims of human trafficking are eligible for government benefits under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act; however, identification and awareness of availability are again barriers for individuals to access these services. Providers who are culturally competent and sensitive to the needs of trafficking victims are also not always available, possibly scaring victims away from talking to their providers about their situations (Dovydaitis, 2010). Survivors of human trafficking may need an advocate to connect them to resources for support in meeting their needs as they re-join society. Needed services may include legal aid, mental and physical health care, substance abuse treatment, housing, and employment. A reality for victims of human trafficking and other immigrants is that it can be difficult to find service providers that speak the language of the survivor and approach the situation with cultural competence and sensitivity. There are too few providers that speak the language of their clients. Many clients that seek service from providers who speak their same language often do not receive the same level of care as their English-speaking counterparts (Chang-Muy & Congress, 2010). Waitlists and transportation are just a few other obstacles that might make these providers less accessible (Dovydaitis, 2010). Overall, identification is the first priority for addressing human trafficking, and increasing the amount, accessibility, and quality of services for immigrants in general will have a positive impact on the outcomes for victims of human trafficking. Strengths Although Latino/a immigrants are typically placed in vulnerable situations and face many stressful challenges when immigrating to the United States, this population has a robust system of internal and external support. Campbell (2008) found that although many of the Mexican women she interviewed who are now living in South Carolina suffered abuse in the past, they were more focused on their own abilities to overcome difficult situations. The women discussed the pride they felt for themselves in overcoming their past and moving forward towards their goals (Campbell, 2008). Campbell (2008) also found that the strong desire to return to Mexico to visit family members as well as the drive to build their own social communities in the United States was a source of resilience for many of the women in her study. The women also reported already being comfortable with independence when they arrived, and being more inclined to advocate for themselves to seize opportunities while in the U.S (Campbell, 2008).

Human Trafficking Among Latino/a Immigrants in North Carolina 5 The population of Mexican immigrants in the United States has been steadily increasing since the 1990 s, and because of the length of time for connections to be built and services to be implemented, there is also a growing understanding of available services. With the more recent policies and international protocols being initiated, there is a developing global awareness of human trafficking as a human rights violation. Although victims needs are not yet being met on a large scale, increasing knowledge and resources for this population has brought the topic to light as an issue that needs to be addressed (Winterdyk & Reichel, 2010). Needs In order for human trafficking to be addressed from the perspective of prevention, global economic policies need to be carefully assessed for their impact on the economies of other cultures in order to avoid stable, capitalist countries taking advantage of countries with less stability. There also needs to be a decrease in demand and consumption of goods or services that are produced by laborers or sex workers (Smith- Nonini, 2005). Combating human trafficking by making changes within communities now would involve better identification of victims in order to gain an understanding of which services are needed. Better access to and more abundance of services is already a need within communities if human trafficking victims are to be supported the way they need in order to gain independence and freedom. Selected Organization The Salvation Army of Wake County is one agency in the Triangle area of North Carolina that seeks to meet the needs of human trafficking victims. They first implemented their program, Project FIGHT (Freeing Individuals Gripped by Human Trafficking) in August 2011 and have already served 69 clients in the past year, 9 of which were minors. They reported having supported clients in sex and labor trafficking industries and that some of their clients were foreign-born, while others were from the U.S. Project FIGHT provides case management and assistance finding and connecting with community resources, as well as strives to build community awareness. Based on utilization of services in this past year, it is clear that this recognition and support is needed for victims of human trafficking in North Carolina (The Salvation Army of Wake County, 2012). More information is needed to determine the specific community and organizational needs. During the key informant interview, it will be helpful to get information about the referral process such as, who in the community is already making referrals, where the Salvation Army would expect to see more referrals, and how the agency can enable community members to identify victims. One option to explore is whether or not Project FIGHT has a screening tool for other providers to use for identification or referral purposes. Now that Project FIGHT has been serving and reaching out to victims of human trafficking for a year, it will be interesting to talk with the director about the community s response to human trafficking being a more visible topic. Knowing whether community members are resistant to addressing this issue or not could help guide next steps for the program in terms of putting the focus on community awareness, or more intensive services for victims. It is also important to know if the organization has the capacity to serve victims from other cultures (language, cultural

Human Trafficking Among Latino/a Immigrants in North Carolina 6 competency, etc.), and which measures the agency is taking to understand and be sensitive to these potential differences. Lack of sufficient funding seems to be a continual area of need for community service organizations. There is a user-friendly tool on the Wake County Salvation Army website that allows donors to choose how much money they would like to give, and to which service they would like to give their money (The Salvation Army of Wake County, 2012). It seems as though the program is already utilizing some resources in order to meet financial needs to continue to provide services to victims; however, there may be a less visible need for grants or other ongoing, stable funding. Research Outline As more information is gathered about immigrant victims of human trafficking, it seems as though more questions arise and more information is needed. My next steps for collecting information and researching this topic will include talking with Erica Snyder at the Salvation Army to gather recent statistics, learn which services are already being provided, what has worked or has not worked in the past, and get a feel for her ideas about what the Triangle area community is willing or not willing to do to address human trafficking. I may also need to investigate what has worked or not worked in the past at other agencies providing similar services. Exploring what identification tools/measures already exist and how reliable they are might be another step to learning more about the process of identifying victims. I would also like to talk with Tammy Smith, the assistant director of Not For Sale North Carolina (http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/) to get a better understanding of state-wide service providers and ideal guidelines for providing services. Next steps will be to meet with Erica Snyder and Tammy Smith within the next two weeks to provide direction for further research. After meeting with the two key informants, I will develop ideas and continue to research ways to meet community needs and provide services to the immigrant human trafficking population. I will remain in contact with both Erica and Tammy to modify my intervention ideas and ensure that they are meeting community needs. Possible barriers to finding pertinent research might be that there are many human trafficking victims that remain unidentified; therefore, it may be difficult to get accurate information about why and how to better help those victims who have not yet been identified. Statistics and existing research might also reflect information about those who have been identified, rather than individuals who are still in need of services. It may also be difficult to find specific information about the subpopulation of Latina/o immigrants in North Carolina suffering from human trafficking because human trafficking is considered a large, global problem. Because communities have just begun to respond to human trafficking in a significant way, there may not be much research available about how to best support these individuals. Services may also be in the development stage, requiring attention to meeting the more basic needs of clients, rather than targeting the more intricate aspects of victim recovery.

Human Trafficking Among Latino/a Immigrants in North Carolina 7 Resources Alvaraz, M.B., Alessi, E.J. (2012). Human trafficking is more than sex trafficking and prostitution: Implications for social work. Affila: Journal of women and social work 27(2), 142-152. Capps, R., Rosenblum, M. R., Rodriguez, C., Chishti, M. (2011). Delegation and divergence: A study of 287(g) state and local immigration enforcement. Migration policy institute. Chang-Muy, F. & Congress, E. (Eds.). (2009). Social Work with Immigrants and Refugees: Legal Issues, Clinical Skills, and Advocacy. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. Dovydaitis, T. (2010). Human Trafficking: The role of the health care provider. Journal of midwifery & women's health, 55(5), 462 467. Smith-Nonini, S. (2005). Federally sponsored Mexican migrants in the transnational South. In Peacock, J.L., Watson, H.L., & Matthews C.R. (Eds.). The American south in a global world (pp. 59-82). Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press. The Salvation Army of Wake County. (2012). The Salvation Army s Project FIGHT seeks to educate the community on human trafficking. Retrieved from http://www.keepthebellringing.org/page/69-victims-of-human-trafficking-innorth-carolina-helped-by-the-salvation-army United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2012). Human trafficking. Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/what-is-humantrafficking.html#unodc%27s_response Winterdyk, J., Reichel, P. (2010). Introduction to special issue human trafficking: Issues and perspectives. European journal of criminology, 7(1), 5-10.