Human trafficking festers amid injustice and chaos, and the past year has brought plenty of both. Between the health, racial and economic crises of the pandemic, escalating hate violence, social and political upheaval, and a persistent homelessness crisis, Cast saw an 185% increase in urgent trafficking cases from the same time last year.

“Cast is a community where survivors connect, thrive, and discover what it means to have a home.”

Kay Buck, Cast CEO

To meet this moment, our dedicated team of advocates stepped up in extraordinary ways. We took aggressive steps even before the Safer at Home order was declared by shifting survivors out of shelters and into private hotel rooms in order to reduce their exposure to COVID-19. We launched a new Emergency Relief Fund, doubling down on support for survivors who not only lost their jobs and homes, but continued to suffer injustices caused by systemic racism. We saw a 455% increase in costs for providing basic necessities, mental health support and housing, and we continue to meet survivors at this increased cost.

Through this work, we have placed 100% of trafficking survivors in safe housing. Housing has been particularly urgent this year, as every single survivor who came to Cast was homeless since the Covid crisis began, nearly one third higher than the usual rate. Trinity, who was first trafficked at age 15, shared if it weren’t for our housing program, she didn’t ever see an escape from being sold on the streets, where she was vulnerable to COVID-19.

Nearly 50% of survivors we work with lost their jobs or saw reduced hours because of the pandemic, and we acted aggressively to get them back into the workforce. Because of our approach, nearly 80% of the graduated survivors from our programs are either employed or attending school.

These results belong to all of us. Our outcomes are a direct result of the partnership of our dedicated frontline staff, our designation as an essential business under Mayor Garcetti’s Safer at Home order, and the outpouring of support for our work from generous supporters like you.

Cast is a community where survivors connect, thrive, and discover what it means to have a home defined not by four walls and a roof, but by the people who have your back. We will not rest until we have given every survivor the sense of belonging they deserve and a path towards ending human trafficking.

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) introduced the bipartisan Emergency Family Stabilization Act. This legislation would create a new emergency funding stream overseen by the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide flexible funding for community-based organizations working to meet the unique and challenging needs of children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness. Specifically, the bill aims to provide emergency funding to underserved populations and areas, including in rural and tribal communities, who continue to see long-term repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Every child deserves a roof over their head and a safe place to sleep but unfortunately, this is not the case today. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made this problem worse due to high unemployment, unstable living conditions, and job insecurity. Recent research has also found the lack of resources in rural areas of America – like West Virginia – create additional burdens for children and youth experiencing homelessness. The Emergency Family Stabilization Act would help address this issue by dedicating emergency funding to help our children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. I am working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to include this bipartisan, commonsense legislation in the next COVID-19 relief package,” said Senator Manchin.

“Children’s Home Society of West Virginia, in our work with West Virginia children, youth and families, knows well the plight of many families and children, suffering under the dual crisis of the COVID 19 pandemic, and on-going vulnerability, instability of housing, trauma they experience. We toil daily to help children and family in our state.  We wholeheartedly support the Emergency Family Stabilization Act that is being introduced in the 117th Congress.  It will provide very effective supports and services to address many of the needs and issues facing children and families and youth experiencing homelessness and the related traumas.  We applaud the vision and research by the bipartisan sponsors of the Act.  It provides a much needed boost to those suffering during the pandemic,” said Steve Tuck, CEO of the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia.

“West Virginia’s youth are experiencing crises on a level that is historic in proportions. Poverty, lack of jobs, lack of recreation and opportunities for positive development, and the erosion of communities that is inevitable in times of crisis are ripping families, and subsequently the lives of their members apart, one person, one youth at a time. In this environment, communities become fertile ground for substance use and sales, crime, abuse, trafficking, and a spiral of people who once held one another up in times of need now victimizing and taking advantage of one another. In the work of the WV Coalition to End Homelessness (WVCEH), staff and partners have seen time and again, the need for an immediate, kinetic response to the issues that affect the youth of WV. We believe that youth homelessness can be ended in WV and are eager to see this happen soon,” said Zach Brown, CEO of WVF Coalition to End Homelessness.

“Homelessness is a traumatic experience, especially for children. Housing instability and parental stress over finances put children at a higher risk of maltreatment. West Virginia’s child advocacy centers coordinate the local response to allegations of child abuse and neglect, and we are seeing a drastically increased need for basic support for families living on the edge – including rent support, utility payments, food, and hygiene products. By introducing this bill, Senator Manchin is demonstrating the compassion and foresight we need from our lawmakers to reduce trauma and adverse childhood experiences during this uniquely challenging time,” said Kate Flack, CEO of West Virginia Child Advocacy Network.

Original cosponsors of the legislation include U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ). Companion legislation will soon be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives John Yarmuth (D-KY-3) and Don Bacon (R-NE-2).

The Emergency Family Stabilization Act will:

• Create a new emergency funding stream through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for local agencies that currently receive ACF grants, or have experience in serving children, families, and unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness.
• Provide $800 million in direct flexible funding to meet the unique needs of children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness in the wake of the coronavirus.
• Give special consideration to programs serving families and youth who face barriers in accessing homeless services, as well as the needs of pregnant women, pregnant and parenting youth, children under age 6, children with disabilities, families experiencing domestic violence, survivors of sexual assault or human trafficking, and historically marginalized and underserved communities of color.
• Permit funds to be used for a wide range of emergency housing, health, education, and safety-related activities, including but not limited to: purchasing PPE, food, hygiene supplies, mental health services, transportation services, emergency child care, communications and connectivity needs, education, training and employment-related needs, eviction prevention, motel stays, assistance in seeking housing placements, assistance in accessing unemployment and other federal benefits.
• Set aside specific funding for tribes, tribal organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations and ensures funds are distributed to urban, rural, and suburban areas.

Fact sheet on the Emergency Family Stabilization Act can be found here.

Bill text can be found here.

Timeline of Senator Manchin’s work to address homelessness can be found here.

This legislation is supported by the following West Virginia organizations: Child Protect, Child & Youth Advocacy Center, Florence Crittenton Services, Inc., Harmony House CAC, Harrison County CAC, Just for Kids, Logan-Mingo CAC, Monongalia County CAC, Randolph-Tucker CAC, REACHH CAC, Safe Haven CAC, Sarah’s House, Team for West Virginia Children, The Lighthouse CAC, Think Kids, Tri-County CAC, The Children’s Listening Place, Women & Children’s Hospital CAC, National Association for Social Workers – West Virginia Chapter, West Virginia  Child Advocacy Network, West Virginia Behavioral Healthcare Providers Association, West Virginia Child Care Association, West Virginia Primary Care Association, West Virginia Infant/Toddler Mental Health Association, West Virginia Parent Training and Information, Inc., West Virginia Children’s Home Society, WV Coalition to End Homelessness, and the West Virginia Head Start Association.

This legislation is supported by the following national organizations: A New Path, A Way Home America, American Association of School Superintendents – AASA, Alliance for Excellent Education, Alliance for Period Supplies, Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking – ATEST, American Art Therapy Association, American Federation of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, American Medical Student Association, American School Counselor Association, Bethany Christian Services, Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice, Child Care Services Association, Child Welfare League of America, Children’s Health Fund, Children’s Home Society of America, Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, Covenant House International, Family Focused Treatment Association, Family Promise, First Focus Campaign for Children, Foster Club, Low Income Investment Fund, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health, National Association of Counsel for Children, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Center for Housing & Child Welfare, National Children’s Alliance, National Community Action Fund, National Crittenton, National Diaper Bank Network, National Education Association, National Head Start Association, National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, National League of Cities, National Network for Youth, National Runaway Safeline, National Safe Place Network, Polaris, Psychotherapy Action Network, Rights4Girls, Safe Horizon, SchoolHouse Connection, StandUp for Kids, Strategies for Youth, The Forum on Youth Investment, The McCain Institute for International Leadership, The Next 100, Third Way, Vital Voices, Youth Homes of Mid-America, YouthBuild USA, Zero To Three.

LOS ANGELES — As COVID-19 cases surge, another hidden issue is taking its toll on our country’s most vulnerable. Human trafficking cases have risen 185% compared to this time last year, one human rights organization says.

Human trafficking “involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Common industries for labor trafficking include domestic work, manufacturing and agriculture, while common venues for sex trafficking include massage parlors and strip joints, according to the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, one the nation’s largest provider of services to survivors of human trafficking.

The rise aligns with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced many into economic hardship, said Kay Buck, the CEO of CAST.

That desperation has led to more people being tricked into what can be described as modern-day slavery.

“A lot of people don’t make the connection that human trafficking is a human rights issue,” Kay said. “As a human rights issue, human trafficking intersects with so many other issues: homelessness, economic justice, racial justice, gender justice, health disparities, immigration reform.”

About 89% of CAST’s clients are people of color. And while women and girls make up a larger percentage of individuals who are trafficked, Buck said about 21% of CAST’s clients are men and boys.

CAST has also seen a dramatic rise in homeless clients since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. One-hundred percent of its cases classified as “urgent” human trafficking cases have been comprised of homeless survivors.

“In order for us to really tackle this issue, we need to come together as a community and really move forward. All of these issues around racial justice and gender justice, immigration reform, and addressing homelessness once and for all,” said Kay.

To learn more about CAST and how you can help support their efforts in the fight against human trafficking, visit www.CASTLA.org.

The City of West Hollywood recognizes National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in January. Advocates, organizations, and individuals will unite this month to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking.

The lanterns on Santa Monica Boulevard between N. Robertson Boulevard and Hancock Avenue will be blue through Tuesday, January 19, 2021. Blue is the international color for human trafficking awareness.

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is observed on Monday, January 11, 2021. On this day, the City of West Hollywood will participate in raising awareness about #WearBlueDay, an initiative of the Department of Homeland Security DHS Blue Campaign, a national public awareness campaign that encourages community members to help spread the word about human trafficking by taking photos of themselves, friends, family, and colleagues wearing blue clothing and sharing them on social media using hashtag #WearBlueDay.

The DHS Blue Campaign is designed to educate the public, law enforcement, and other industry partners to recognize the indicators of human trafficking and how to appropriately respond to possible cases. The campaign leverages partnerships with the private sector, non-governmental organizations, law enforcement, and state/local authorities to maximize national public engagement on anti-human trafficking efforts for the prevention of human trafficking and protection of exploited persons. For more information about the DHS Blue Campaign and how to participate go to www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign.

Department of Homeland Security reports that human trafficking is: “modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.” Victims of human trafficking are of all genders, ages, races, countries, and socioeconomic statuses. While human trafficking can happen to anyone, people who are already in vulnerable situations — including migrants and refugees fleeing conflict or disaster, homeless LGBT youth, women and girls, and children in poverty — are preyed upon and may be more likely to be targeted by traffickers. The different kinds of human trafficking include sex trafficking, forced labor, and domestic servitude. Any person under the age of 18 involved in a commercial sex act is considered a victim of human trafficking.

The Polaris Project, which publishes data based on calls, text messages, webforms, emails and webchats with the National Human Trafficking Hotline, states over 25 million people are trafficked worldwide, and California is one of the largest sites of human trafficking in the United States.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline has seen a 40 percent increase in emergency calls during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), a Los Angeles-based human rights organization and one of the nation’s largest provider of services to survivors, has seen 185 percent increased cases during the pandemic, compared to last year.  Additionally, 100 percent of CAST’s most urgent trafficking cases have been homeless people who were trafficked.

If you are a victim of human trafficking or if you are aware of a trafficking situation, there are resources to help:

• The National Human Trafficking Hotline connects victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking with services and support to get help and stay safe. The hotline also receives tips about potential situations of sex and labor trafficking and facilitates reporting that information to the appropriate authorities in certain cases. Toll-free phone and SMS text lines and live online chat function are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days. To contact the hotline, call (888) 373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree or 233733. Deaf or hard of hearing or speech-impaired people can contact the hotline by dialing 711.
• The Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) helps people who have been in forced prostitution, forced labor, and slave-like conditions by providing legal and social services. To request services or report tips regarding potential human trafficking cases, contact the toll-free, 24/7 hotline at (888) Key-2-FREE or (888) 539-2373.
• Journey Out provides comprehensive services and support to help victims of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. For assistance call (818) 988-4970 or email info@journeyout.org.

For more information about National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Community Events Coordinator Larissa Fooks at (323) 848-6413 or lfooks@weho.org.

Cast is outraged by the violent attempt to interrupt democracy at our nation’s Capitol on Wednesday, and calls on those responsible to be held accountable. It was nothing short of an insurrection. White nationalists and QAnon conspiracists forced their way into the building and threatened our democracy and the lives of people inside. The police response was vastly different from what we saw during peaceful protests not long ago, providing yet another example of systemic racism and inequality.  

Inciting violence that results in abhorrent attacks threaten social justice and the democratic values and core beliefs that are the foundation of Cast’s mission. As we prepare for another pivotal year and advancing our vision for a just and equitable future, we know the path forward will be an arduous one. We are resilient and ready.

Lyresh McGee | Human Trafficking Survivor

Months ago, I woke up to the news of yet another innocent Black man who lost his life to racism.

The nightmare didn’t end as the news continued to reveal the deaths of more innocent Black people than I could imagine. The world was mourning, and I mourned with them. It wasn’t until the death of Breonna Taylor that I realized—it could have been me.

I am all too familiar with racism. I grew up in a poor neighborhood in Loma Linda, California at the peak of the crack epidemic in the 1980s, which ran rampant in Black communities across the U.S.

Addiction ripped my own family apart, forcing me to be self-sufficient even before I hit my teenage years. After graduating from

high school, I attended Concorde Career College, became a Certified Medical Assistant, and immediately entered the workforce.

By age 20, I was a single mother of two children. Though I had already faced many obstacles, life could never prepare me for what was to come.

In 2009, I was working in an optometry office when the recession hit. I lost everything. After being evicted from my home and losing custody of my children, I got into a homeless shelter on Skid Row in Los Angeles. Just when I thought I hit rock bottom, I met someone. He was a glimmer of hope and I looked to him to help me get back on the right path. He was there for me and for the first time in a long time, I felt supported and safe.

That hope was short-lived. Very soon after we started ‘dating,’ he began exploiting me for commercial sex. I did not know rock bottom had a basement until I realized I was being trafficked.

Unfortunately, my story isn’t unique. Like me, so many others have faced financial ruin only to fall victim to human trafficking. Since I was in a particularly vulnerable place, I suppose I was ripe for exploitation. This trafficker disguised himself as someone who could help me and my family. As his abuse worsened, the more he asked of me until I didn’t even recognize myself. I was under threat and feared for my life.

America has had a history of racial injustice since its inception. It bleeds into all areas of life, also for victims of trafficking. Through no fault of their own, Black women and girls are at higher risk of being convicted of crimes their traffickers force them to commit than those from other communities. Often, the crimes they commit are

completely out of their control because they have been manipulated into doing them and threatened if they do not.

It was only when I decided to escape my trafficker that I realized how pronounced racial injustice was in my community, particularly against human trafficking survivors with previous arrest records.

Abuse and fear keep victims from leaving their exploiters. Like many victims, I spent so long thinking about escaping but I did not have anywhere to go for help if I left. I eventually went to the Santa Monica police department. They provided me no help and treated me like a criminal and a menace—as if I were trafficked by choice. With my criminal record and the racial biases that filled the air, I was denied help.

After losing years of their lives to trafficking, survivors should not be treated as delinquents. While I was able to escape, so many

survivors return to the street and back in the hands of their trafficker because they have been turned away by agencies and systems designed to protect them.

It’s a vicious cycle of abuse. If it weren’t for the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST), a Los Angeles-based human rights organization, I would have never been able to start my life again and thrive. At CAST I received emergency shelter and housing, counseling, education, and legal services to remove my record and get back on my feet. With CAST’s  longtime partnership with Paul Mitchell Schools, I received a scholarship to complete the program and earned my cosmetology license.

Human trafficking continues to be a critical threat to Black communities. We need better support that doesn’t criminalize survivors but protects our rights instead. Standing in solidarity with Black lives also means speaking up for the injustices plaguing Black

Human trafficking continues to be a critical threat to Black communities. We need better support that doesn’t criminalize survivors but protects our rights instead. Standing in solidarity with Black lives also means speaking up for the injustices plaguing Black communities that are overwhelmed with trafficking victims.  First, we must understand the disparities that disproportionately affect Black trafficking survivors. Then, we must do a better job supporting survivors when they escape. Many victims struggle with a long list of criminal offenses that follow them for the rest of their lives.

The time is now to stand with Black and marginalized human trafficking survivors.

To take a stand against human trafficking click here to learn how you can support CAST and stand with Black and marginalized human trafficking survivors.

The county ordinance — which is expected to cover both sex and labor trafficking — is expected to allow for routine inspections of businesses where trafficking is suspected and fines and penalties for those who fail to post the hotline notice.

By City News Service • Published September 15, 2020 • Updated on September 16, 2020 at 1:27 am

• 

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to develop an ordinance to crack down on human and sex trafficking, targeting motels, hotels, massage parlors and sports and entertainment venues.

Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Janice Hahn co-authored a motion calling for enforcement at the local level.

“Organized criminal enterprises have been known to transport victims — many of them underage — to large-scale athletic competitions in order to sell them for sex,” Ridley-Thomas said. “With Los Angeles destined to host the Super Bowl in 2022 and the Summer Olympics in 2028, it is not too early to prevent the depraved and often clandestine crime of human trafficking.”

The ordinance as envisioned would require a wide range of businesses to post a hotline number for reporting human trafficking. State law requires postings at locations where such crimes are known to occur, like strip clubs and other adult businesses, and where victims might seek help, such as hospitals and urgent care centers. However, that law has been inconsistently enforced across jurisdictions, according to Ridley-Thomas.

In Los Angeles County, the National Council of Jewish Women/Los Angeles and the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking have been among the strongest advocates against trafficking. CAST did a study more than six years ago that found that 300 of the 800 businesses covered by state mandates were in unincorporated areas subject to county oversight.

Trained volunteers subsequently reached out to business owners and managers but found that they resisted displaying the poster with the hotline number. Advocates concluded that the county’s power to levy fines for noncompliance could make a difference.

The county ordinance — which is expected to cover both sex and labor trafficking — is expected to allow for routine inspections of businesses where trafficking is suspected and fines and penalties for those who fail to post the hotline notice.

The city of Los Angeles approved an ordinance earlier this year to add hotels, motels and inns to the list of locations required to post notices, and county and city officials have been working to align their approach, Ridley-Thomas said.

The county has long adopted an enforcement strategy that penalizes those who buy sex, while decriminalizing the act of selling sex. The emphasis has been on resources and counseling to help those selling sex, especially those who are underage, find a better way of life.

Two Filipino caregivers who were trafficked share their stories and urge all Filipinos to support anti-trafficking legislation

Like thousands of Filipinos, Angela Guanzon was attracted to the promise of America.

So when she got the opportunity to find gainful employment through a recruiter, she didn’t ask any questions. It’s notoriously difficult to uproot and the recruiter made it sound so easy: all Guanzon had to do was come to the United States on the P-1 visa reserved for athletes traveling to participate in sporting events.

When Guanzon arrived in the U.S. by the recruiter (who had brought more than 10 other Filipinos), she realized that the recruiter’s promise that she would give Guanzon a legal work visa once she arrived in the U.S. was a lie.

Guanzon said that she immediately was told that she owed $12,000 for transportation to the U.S. and expenses for the visa. The recruiter, who turned out to be a trafficker, said that Guanzon’s salary would be $600 a month with $300 deducted each month for her debts. It would take more than a decade to pay her off.

Guanzon was then sent to work 18-hour days at a retirement home in Long Beach, California. She had to work seven days a week without any days off and the housing that she was promised turned out to be a floor in the hallway, and food would be table scraps.

This experience is so alarmingly familiar to many foreign workers who were swindled and then exploited by traffickers. Sometimes victims don’t immediately recognize that they’ve been caught in a trafficker’s scam, but even if they do, escaping is not exactly simple.

Traffickers often threaten victims by saying they’ll call the police or warn them that if they get stopped by law enforcement, they will be arrested since they don’t have any I.D. (By this point, victims like Guanzon will have had their passports or any documentation taken away.)

“We don’t know anyone here, we don’t know where to go and sometimes you have to try to reason with yourself that, with a trafficker, at least we have a roof where we can sleep and we have food to eat,” Guanzon shared in an Instagram Live event hosted by Freedom United and the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) on Thursday, August 13.

Guanzon spoke to a fellow trafficking survivor Jayson De Guzman, who is also Filipino and was recruited by the same trafficker. The two became family in their shared crisis, providing support to each other.

“We became like brother and sister,” Guanzon recalled during an emotional moment during Thursday’s event. “The experience was bad, but I’m glad Jayson was there with me because it also helped me go through the day.”

De Guzman’s experience mirrored Guanzon’s story with the recruiter “showing her true colors” by the time it was too late to turn back. Like Guanzon, De Guzman found himself stripped of his documents and vulnerable to the recruiter.

“I didn’t really understand what my rights were, so I just had to depend on my trafficker and what she was telling me to do,” De Guzman said, noting that he met Guanzon at the same retirement facility in Long Beach.

In California, thousands of foreign workers are trafficked into forced labor every year.

Because of its economic promise, it attracts more temporary foreign workers than any other state, and many of these workers travel through third-party foreign labor contractors (FLC).

Some FLCs are legitimate recruiters, but many of them take advantage of workers in the Third World who, by the time they’re locked into their unlawful employment in the U.S., depend on the traffickers for food, shelter and visas.

California lawmakers have attempted to mitigate worker exploitation for years. In 2014, SB 477 was designed to establish a robust system of oversight for FLCs by requiring the following: registration of FLC; penalizing of California employers for use of non-registered FLC; transparency and honest disclosure of the working terms, conditions and fees before workers are recruited and transported and penalties for violation of these requirements.

SB 477 was signed into law in 2016, but there was an error in the way the law was enforced into “existing legal provisions for farmworkers” Freedom United said.

That means that as it is, the bill allows for a loophole that would limit the bill’s scope to only apply to non-agricultural workers on H-2B visas, meaning that SB 477 would only protect about 3% of migrant workers on temporary work visas.

Along with CAST, Freedom United is urging California to close the loophole by amending SB 477, starting out by putting forth a petition to garner wider support across the Golden State.

Guanzon and De Guzman were lucky in that there was eventually a light at the end of the tunnel. Two years into their unlawful employment, the FBI stepped in when a neighbor noticed that neither ever had a day off; in criminal court, they both testified against their trafficker, who got a five-year prison sentence.

But both Guanzon and De Guzman emphasized that so many victims, particularly Filipino victims, are still trapped in forced labor situations with the COVID-19 pandemic tightening the hold that traffickers have on their victims.

As advocates for CAST, both De Guzman and Guanzon urge Californians to sign the petition to amend SB 477.

“There’s a lot of our impact by telling our story and by sharing our story,” said De Guzman.

“Public action is the best way to make social change, and we need to show that in California, we all care about our immigrant workers and we need more people to advocate on their behalf.”

Human trafficking survivors need your help. California is considered one of the largest epicenters of human trafficking in the United States and every day, vulnerable women, children, and men are forced into servitude. Governor Newsom and the Legislature have the opportunity to address this epidemic and provide critical supportive services to human trafficking survivors in next years budget.

Together we can send a strong message to Governor Newsom and the Legislature that will get survivors the support they need:

• Traffickers commonly exploit sex and labor trafficking victims by providing access to shelter and necessities.
• Traffickers prey on vulnerable populations such as the homeless, those fleeing abusive relationships, and immigrants through recruitment into what seems like legitimate employment.
• California’s high unemployment rate makes those seeking work even more vulnerable to trafficking.
• Higher rates of trafficking are expected as the pandemic continues globally.

With $30 million in additional funding, California can prevent human trafficking before it occurs and provide the resources necessary to survivors during and after this crisis.

Take a moment to listen to Deborah, a survivor of trafficking, speaking about the importance of funding to prevent human trafficking here.

Human trafficking has many faces. Imagine a teenage girl pressured into prostitution by her boyfriend to pay the rent; a foreign national tricked into domestic servitude with promises of a better life; a fisherman trapped at sea working for wages that never materialize. These are just a few accounts of the estimated 40 million people who are enslaved across the world today.

July 30 marks the United Nations’ World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, a time to raise awareness around human trafficking and amplify efforts to stop it. With the COVID-19 pandemic contributing to the retraumatization of survivors and increasing risk among individuals experiencing disadvantage, the need is even greater to shine a light on the work Catholic sisters are doing to address the realities of human trafficking, both domestically and abroad.

Human trafficking is commonly defined as the exploitation of another human being for commercial sex or labor through the use of force, fraud or coercion. Broader characterizations include child soldiers, the sale of organs and forced marriage. Human trafficking is notoriously difficult to expose, and yet the International Labor Organization estimates that it is a $150 billion criminal enterprise – the third largest illegal activity in the world, behind drug trafficking and arms dealing. Traffickers may elude authorities by crossing international borders, or they may be part of domestic networks that crisscross regional lines. 

Although many people are just beginning to recognize human trafficking as a critical human rights issue, Catholic sisters have championed the anti-trafficking movement since the first widely recognized case of human trafficking in the United States surfaced over 20 years ago. In 1995, over 70 Thai nationals were found enslaved in a makeshift garment factory in El Monte, CA, shocking an array of human rights leaders, including sisters in the Los Angeles area. Sister-led ministries, such as the Good Shepherd Shelter and Alexandria House, as well as congregations, such as the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, all rallied around survivors. Nonprofits, such as the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (Cast), were founded to support anti-slavery efforts.

Today, Cast is a well-known anti-trafficking organization that has received accolades from the U.S. State Department and the United Nations. However, when Cast first began, Catholic sisters were among its only allies. While others didn’t want to believe that slavery still exists or were afraid of getting involved, sisters immediately recognized the significance of this issue and provided trafficking survivors with long-term shelter in their houses and convents. As the anti-trafficking movement has grown, Catholic sisters have faithfully led the way. Sisters, who serve people without regard to religious beliefs, provided Cast with the first shelter in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to trafficking survivors, who have distinct needs due to the nature of the trauma they have experienced. 

At an international level, Catholic sisters have also pioneered the prioritization of human trafficking as a top line issue. In 1998, the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), the worldwide leadership association of Catholic sisters, initiated a formal study of and collaborative effort against trafficking in persons. Two years later, the United Nations adopted its landmark Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons. Within six months of the UN resolution, the UISG officially made a commitment to address human trafficking “insistently and at every level” through working in solidarity with other congregations across the world. Catholic sisters have taken this mandate to heart. Today, UISG ministry Talitha Kum has an active membership of 2,600 sisters and their collaborators located in 92 countries, making it the largest anti-human trafficking network in the world.https://www.youtube.com/embed/vp9mNLlpiu4?feature=oembed&rel=0Learn more about Talitha Kum, the International Network of Consecrated Life Against Trafficking in Persons.

Talitha Kum is translated from Aramaic as “Little girl, arise!” and is a reference to the biblical passage Mark 5:41, in which Jesus heals a young girl who is thought to be dead. The expression speaks to the possibility of transformation and wholeness even in the most extreme situations. The effectiveness of Talitha Kum has been recognized by the U.S. State Department, which publishes an annual Trafficking in Person (TIP) Report, the world’s most comprehensive source of information on human trafficking. In 2019, the TIP Report recognized Comboni Missionary Sr. Gabriella Bottani as a TIP Hero for her role as the international coordinator for Talitha Kum.

Catholic Sisters and the Restoration of Human Dignity

Catholic sisters, also known as women religious, have unique qualities that make them especially apt foils for human traffickers. Trafficking intersects with the extreme and abusive drive for money, sex and power. Through vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the lives Catholic sisters lead are a testimony to the futility of subjugating people to abuse in order to gain power and control. Thus, sisters possess a piercing moral authority and clarity that is underscored by their life-long commitment to the restoration of human dignity. Catholic sisters, who are grounded in years of prayer and personal reflection, are experts in exposing the lie that any human being is worthless or can be forgotten. 

One of the most insidious aspects of human trafficking is the way traffickers break down the self-worth of victims to the point that force is oftentimes no longer necessary to keep them enslaved. Traffickers attack the human dignity of victims through abuse, unspeakable degradation, and threats both to the person and their loved ones. Catholic sisters are committed to lives of compassion and mercy, and are attuned to recognize people under duress. In fact, when sisters conduct awareness campaigns, it is not uncommon for them to be in conversation with young people who suddenly realize that they themselves are victims of human trafficking.  Women religious instinctively see the wounds of others and, through acts of kindness and attentiveness, are able to awaken a sense of common humanity within survivors, who may be numb to their own reality. 

The root causes of human trafficking are complex: forced migration, domestic abuse, profits from commercial sex, armed conflict, and even climate change are all factors that contribute to human trafficking. However, the most common factor is poverty.  This lack of basic necessities makes people vulnerable to predators who use psychological tricks to build false trust and hope. With their sacred vows of poverty, Catholic sisters can look people experiencing extreme disadvantage in the eye, rightly recognize them as equals, and walk with them side by side into wholeness. This act of accompaniment – physical, emotional and psychological support – contributes to a healing process that nurtures the resilience in survivors to deal with past trauma.

Although women religious work on behalf of victims of human trafficking regardless of gender identity, Catholic sisters stand in special solidarity with fellow women. The UN’s 2018 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons estimates that over 70 percent of all human trafficking victims are female. The low esteem that many cultures hold for women and girls contributes to their risk for being trafficked, often through the complicity of family members and people in the local community. With 700,000 women religious serving in over 200 countries, any statistical analysis would show that a percentage of Catholic sisters have had first-hand experience with the same discrimination and exploitation that affect women and girls worldwide. Sisters can identify with the pain of other women, and they possess a deep understanding to offer practical, compassionate support.

Catholic Sisters on the Frontlines

In Pastoral Orientations to Human Trafficking, Pope Francis declares, “We are facing a global phenomenon that exceeds the competence of any one community or country,” and therefore, “we need a mobilization comparable in size to that of the phenomenon itself.” Pope Francis himself has recognized women religious as “Super Nuns” who are a mobilized network of global frontline actors. While sisters do provide first-rate direct services, they differ from international non-governmental organizations in their life-long commitments to the communities where they serve. Moreover, sisters work in remote villages and poverty-stricken areas that are especially prone to trafficking, and where large international NGOs do not often reach.

To show the scale of Catholic sisters’ ministries, the Arise Foundation estimates that at least 900 women religious are working against exploitation in the state of Assam, India, a region known for its eponymous tea. Tea plantations require intense physical labor, and are often sites of forced child labor. In addition, poor living conditions in rural areas such as Assam make villagers prone to the deceit of human traffickers who promise better lives in the city. By sheer numbers, the 900 Catholic sisters in Assam alone match the workforce of the largest anti-slavery NGO in the world.

The ministries of Catholic sisters typically include one or more components of the internationally recognized anti-trafficking framework of prevention, protection, prosecution and partnership. For example, in Nigeria, Talitha Kum member Committee for the Support of the Dignity of Woman (COSUDOW) is a partnership formed among more than fifty congregations of women religious. COSUDOW members unite to disrupt a familiar, heart-rending narrative: a young person in poverty seeking a better life encounters someone who seems trustworthy. Honest employment is offered in Europe or the Middle East, but the young person is instead trafficked for labor or sex. 

To prevent this tragedy from gripping youth in their communities, Nigerian sisters conduct awareness campaigns in schools and churches, and provide job training so that young people can find livelihoods in their hometowns instead of seeking employment abroad. Nigerian sisters also offer hope and restoration for survivors who have been sent back home to Nigeria through psychological support and shelter. In addition, COSUDOW leaders have partnered with civil society in drafting and passing anti-trafficking legislation. This legislation provides the necessary framework for human traffickers to be prosecuted for their crimes.

Because poverty is the most prevalent risk factor for human trafficking, the ministries of many Catholic sisters intentionally include practical job skills as part of a holistic continuum of care for survivors. Southeast Asia is a known hub for sex tourism, where the boundaries between the sex trade and human trafficking are often blurred. In Pattaya, Thailand, Our Lady of the Good Shepherd Sisters run the Fountain of Life Women’s Center, where young women who have been involved in commercial sex can learn skills such as hair dressing, jewelry-making and computer literacy. In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Maryknoll sisters direct the Horizons Vocational Training Institute, where former commercial sex workers take part in a two-year residential program that employs a skills-based curriculum developed for the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Participants take classes in basic math, science, reading and English, as well as classes in essential hotel operations, such as reception, catering and housekeeping.

In India, where the sex trade also thrives, Sisters Adorers manage the Nava Jyoti Dan center in the red-light district of Kolkata. At the center, young women learn skills like tailoring and making handicrafts. Likewise, Las Adoratrices Sisters  provide sewing and cooking classes for sexually exploited women at the Kredita no ba center in Cape Verde, an island off the west coast of Africa that has been a historic stopping point for the slave trade into Europe. The faith of women religious has led them to envision these centers, dotted across the globe, in which former sex workers can “arise” to more fulfilling lives.

Young women at these centers learn job skills but, equally important, they also experience the unconditional love of Catholic sisters, who value them as people made in the image of God. At all of these centers, sisters provide counseling services that support the inner healing necessary to recover from years of trauma and degradation. Women religious have learned that self-acceptance and the ability to generate income work together in the restoration of the dignity and wholeness of women who have been trafficked for sex.

Catholic Sisters as a Voice for Change

In addition to providing direct services, women religious advocate for broad scale social change. In the United States alone, the advocacy efforts of Catholic sisters run the gamut from government policies to corporate social responsibility and technological breakthroughs.

For example, sisters periodically partner with Cast to reach out to Congress for reauthorizations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, landmark federal legislation that protects survivors, prosecutes traffickers, and funds prevention efforts around the world. Sisters have also activated their networks to support first-of-its-kind state legislation, such as California’s Transparency in Supply Chain Act and Foreign Labor Contractor Registration. California’s $3 trillion economy is the fifth largest in the world and engages hundreds of multinational corporations. So, the state laws that sisters advocate for often serve as model legislation for the country and have international impact.https://www.youtube.com/embed/xlweIqr2eCI?feature=oembed&rel=0Learn more supply chain transparency from Sr. Anne Victory, the board chair of U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking.

In 2020, Talitha Kum member U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking (USCSAHT) joined forces with a coalition under the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to leverage the collective voice of Catholic organizations to promote transparency in seafood supply chains. The seafood industry is notorious for forced labor and inhumane working conditions. The Labeling for Lent campaign focused on Sysco Corporation, a global food producer that supplies many Catholic hospitals and universities. While Sysco’s corporate social responsibility report does prioritize the fair treatment of workers, Labeling for Lent pressed the company to provide clear product identification so that consumers can guarantee that their purchases are free of forced labor. 

The TraffickCam is perhaps one of the most innovative tools against human trafficking that women religious have catalyzed through their advocacy. Many congregations of women religious insist on staying at hotels with anti-trafficking protocols.  As sisters educated Nix Conference & Meeting Management staff, the corporate meeting organizers realized that sex trafficking was occurring at hotels with which they were very familiar. Realizing that victims could be identified by the hotel rooms in which they were advertised online, Nix partnered with Washington University to create the TraffickCam app. Nix credits Catholic sisters as the impetus behind their anti-trafficking initiatives, which have earned accolades from the FBI and ECPAT.

With the TraffickCam app, ordinary travelers take pictures of hotel rooms that are uploaded to a vast database that federal, state and local law enforcement access to identify victims and prosecute traffickers. The pointed questions that women religious posed to business associates have led to the creation of a powerful, nationwide tool to stop human trafficking. Like leaven working itself through bread, sisters are working behind the scenes in ways that raise the level of society’s engagement in anti-human trafficking, and thus raise the value placed on human dignity.

Catholic Sisters Meet the Challenges of Today

COVID-19 has disrupted systems the world over, including the anti-trafficking movement. The International Coordination Committee of Talitha Kum reports that already vulnerable populations have been made exponentially more at risk to human trafficking. Loss of income, hunger, housing insecurity and debt due to COVID-19 have exacerbated the exploitation of women, children, ethnic minorities and foreign citizens, especially those without documents. In addition, the shift of sexual exploitation from public to private places is making human trafficking more difficult to identify and address.

In Los Angeles, Cast reports that the emergency needs of survivors have more than doubled since COVID-19 restrictions began. With stay-at-home orders, victims who have not yet escaped trafficking situations are at risk of even greater abuse, as they are effectively trapped with their traffickers. Moreover, minors are at increased risk of sex trafficking as it moves further online, and school structure and other supports have been removed.

Women religious have a long history of faithful service in the world’s most troubled times, including previous pandemics. Across the world, sisters have been meeting the challenges of today through leaning into their spiritual commitment, sharing information and best practices, and doubling down in their efforts to protect survivors. Talitha Kum reports that shelters run by sisters worldwide are implementing new protocols of hygiene and social distancing. In addition, sisters are producing and distributing masks to vulnerable groups, as well as providing food packages and information on hygiene. Counseling and spiritual accompaniment continues via telephone and online platforms. 

In the United States, USCSAHT reports an increase in general anxiety in the shelters that their members run. Stay-at-home orders can trigger feelings of captivity and loss that can re-traumatize survivors. Catholic sisters are doing their best to reassure survivors and create positive atmospheres by hosting community nights with special foods, games and other fun at-home activities. Sisters are also continuing to do what they can to help survivors achieve their dreams. This includes purchasing additional computers so that survivors can access online education, as well as providing basic necessities, such as healthy meals and personal hygiene items. 

Recent immigrants and women experiencing homelessness have also found shelter in the homes of sisters, which are dedicated to survivors of trafficking, but open to all who suffer from extreme need. New residents need clothes, furniture and other household goods. Due to the stay-at-home orders, shelters across the country are experiencing an increase in costs for utilities, internet and food. While COVID-19 presents a potent health challenge to many women religious who are elderly, the pandemic also positions sisters with an opportunity to truly shine in their acts of mercy and self-sacrifice. 

Partnership with Catholic Sisters

The current pandemic has not shaken the life-long commitments of Catholic sisters who are dedicated to supporting survivors of human trafficking. As pioneers in the anti-trafficking movement, sisters continue to provide holistic ministries that incorporate best practices in prevention, protection, prosecution and partnership. Women religious form the largest, and arguably most effective, organized network against human trafficking. However, outside of Catholic circles, women religious are rarely recognized as key actors in the anti-trafficking movement. This is in part due to the humility of sisters, who would rather focus on the work at hand than garner acclaim. However, if we indeed seek to end human trafficking as a society, then partnership with Catholic sisters – who collaborate with all people of goodwill – cannot be overlooked. Their contributions and considerable assets must be recognized as essential building blocks of the anti-trafficking movement.