1. Human Trafficking: Information for ESOL Teachers Part I
Vania Llovera, M.S., Assistant Director
&
Robin H. Thompson, J.D., M.A., Program Director
Florida State University
Center for the Advancement of Human Rights

2. Project Support and Funding
State Leadership Grant from Florida Department of Education
1st year – Curriculum Development
2nd year – Statewide Training
Seeking comments and opportunities to provide training and technical support to ESOL programs statewide

3. Presentation Overview
Understanding Human Trafficking
Who are Traffickers?
Who is Trafficked?
Legal Issues
Importance in ESOL
Resources

4. Experiences Have you ever encountered a victim of trafficking?
How did you know?
How might an ESOL program/ teacher encounter a human trafficking situation?

5. What Is Human Trafficking?
Trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transporting, providing or obtaining, by any means, any person for labor or services involving forced labor, slavery or servitude in any industry, such as forced or coerced participation in agriculture, prostitution, manufacturing, or other industries or in domestic service or marriage.[1]
[1] Definition used by the Freedom Network, based on the federal criminal law definitions of trafficking.

6. Scope of the Problem
In the U.S. 14,500-17,500 annually, 80% women and children
Globally, accounts range from 600,000 to 4 million people trafficked worldwide each year (United Nations)
Twenty seven million people in slavery around the world
$9.5 billion business

7. Three Elements of Trafficking*
Recruiting OR
Harboring
Moving
Obtaining
a person, 1
PROCESS by
Force OR
Fraud
Coercion 2
MEANS
For the purposes of
Involuntary Servitude OR
Debt Bondage
Slavery
Sex Trade 3
END
For Mod 2
A woman came to see Aurelia’s mother in her Mexican village to offer Aurelia a job as a cook in America. She promised that Aurelia would make $200 per month and could go to school. The woman brought Aurelia into the U.S. by car and took her to a bar in Texas. Aurelia was told she would be working in the bar and had to pay off a $7,500 debt to the owners by working as a prostitute. When Aurelia refused to do the work and asked to go back home, the owners beat her and threatened to harm her mother if she did not do the work.
*Freedom Network Training Institute

8. If you are an ESOL teacher…
What should you do?
Who should you call?
What is your role and responsibility?

9. Human Trafficking Is On The Increase
World poverty has increased
Millions of the world’s poor are desperate for economic survival
Traffickers prey upon people’s hopes for a better life in a new country

10. Human Trafficking Is Difficult To Stop
The problem is fueled by government corruption in many countries
Effective prevention requires international cooperation between law enforcement agencies and many others
Trafficking is result of search for cheap labor (people come to the US with a work visa and then are trafficked)

11. Traffickers Use Brutal Means to Control Their Victims
Beatings, burnings, rapes, & starvation
Isolation
Psychological abuses
Threats of deportation
Threats against the victim’s family members in the home country
Drug/alcohol dependency
Withholding of documents
Debt bondage

13. Modern-Day Slavery: A Prison Without Walls*
Threats of deportation
Withholding documents
Threats to family members in home country
Isolation
Verbal abuse
Psychological coercion is often coupled with threatened or actual physical violence and sexual assault
*Freedom Network Institute
Human Trafficking is commonly referred to as modern-day slavery..
The face of modern-day slavery is a different one than the old form of chattel slavery, characterized by physical chains and forced removal that dominated the transatlantic slave trade .
Rather it is a prison with no walls, in which the tactics used are more underhanded and involve psychological coercion in the form of
We now see threats of deportation, often victims do not know they are in the country illegally so they are told that after and that in the process the authorities will hold them in jail, and abuse them.
Often, victims have their passports and papers confiscated as a control mechanism
Traffickers often control victim’s communication with family members, not allowing phone calls or mail to be received
Verbal abuse is often used as a way to deplete their self-esteem
Physical violence and sexual assault are also common elements in these types of situations.

14. Video Presentation “Dreams Die Hard” – www.freetheslaves.net
Look for elements of trafficking:
Process, Means, End
ESOL, community, personal life – could YOU have seen these victims?

15. Who Are Traffickers? Organized crime
Neighbors, friends, family members, village chiefs, returnees
Labor subcontractors
Agricultural operations
Owners of small or medium-sized businesses
Families (including diplomats and “mom & pop”, small or medium businesses
Females as well as males
Diplomats

16. Who Are Traffickers?
Often members of the victim’s ethnic or national community
In the United States with legal status and maintain close contact with their home country
Fluent in English as well as a native language
Have significant social or political status in their home countries

17. Smuggling versus Trafficking*
Crime or violation against a person
Contains element of coercion (cannot consent to enslavement)
Subsequent exploitation and/or forced labor
Trafficked persons seen as victims by the law
Smuggling
Unauthorized border crossing
No coercion
Facilitated illegal entry of person from one country to another
Smuggled persons seen as criminals by the law
*Freedom Network Institute

18. Labor Exploitation On the continuum with human trafficking
Labor exploitation can be present without there being trafficking. This is still illegal.

19. Federal and State Laws
The Trafficking Victim Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) Defines new crime of human trafficking under federal law
Florida has state human trafficking laws too
Both criminalize a variety of human trafficking offenses
Federal law increases prison terms for slavery violations from 10 to 20 years and adds life imprisonment
Federal law also provides relief to victims and prevention activity in US and globally

20. What Are The Options For Relief And Recovery?*
Criminal prosecution
Civil law remedies
Repatriation
Immigration
Even without documentation, every person in the United States is protected by US labor & criminal law.
*Freedom Network Institute

21. Why is it important in ESOL?
Due to limited English proficiency, students may be vulnerable
Teachers and their students will be able to help others who may be trafficked or be vulnerable
Many students feel that their ESOL class is a safe environment
To an extent, teachers are service providers to their students

22. Why is it important in ESOL? (cont’d)
Teachers will know what to do if they suspect a student is a victim
Teachers will learn to recognize traffickers
Students will be able to help themselves and others to know what human trafficking is, how to get help safely and their legal rights
Students will know how to guard against recruitment.

23. Resources in Florida Robin Thompson, Project Directoror
Vania Llovera, Assistant Executive Director
Florida State University,
Center for the Advancement of Human Rights ;

24. Resources in Florida Florida Department of Children and Families,
Office of Refugee Services, Holly Merrick or
Florida Freedom Partnership:

25. Federal Resources Health and Human Services:
Referral to aid organization in the victim's area.
Toll-free number ( ) (
Department of Justice:
Trafficking in Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force Complaint Line
(voice and TTY).

26. End of Part 1
Questions?