Cameroon couple indicted in US on human trafficking charges
February 9 th, 2005

Designerz.com - Dawsonville, GA, USA
A married couple from Cameroon were indicted on human trafficking charges after allegedly forcing a teenage girl to work for them without pay for almost four years, the US Justice Department announced. According to the indictment, Michigan residents Joseph and Evelyn Djoumessi, who had permanent US resident alien status, forced the girl, who was 14 when she began working for them, “into involuntary servitude for financial gain.” The Djoumessis, if indicted, face up to 35 years in jail and a 250,000 dollar fine for each of three counts in the indictment.

Federal grants, new task force, aimed at human trafficking
February 4 th, 2005

San Jose Mercury News - San Jose , CA, USA
Trafficking in human beings is a growing problem worldwide, particularly in such cities as Los Angeles with its huge harbors, proximity to the Mexican border and busy international airport, according to federal officials. To better deal with it, a coalition of federal, state and nonprofit groups has formed the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area Task Force on Human Trafficking. At the same time, the Justice Department has awarded the Los Angeles Police Department and 15 other U.S. police agencies grants of $450,000 for training on how to identify trafficking victims.

U.S. may punish Israel for not acting against human trafficking
February 2 nd, 2005

Haaretz Daily – Israel
The United States may rank Israel among the group of countries not taking action against human trafficking - a move that could result in the imposition of economic sanctions. In its response to questions on the matter from the U.S. administration, the Justice Ministry noted that while Israel has seen grave cases involving the exploitation of foreign workers, and even isolated incidents that can be defined as trade for the purposes of labor, these cases do not meet the U.S. legal definition of human trafficking.