Teen Sold as Sex Slave on Craigslist

Experts say 100,000 children in the U.S. are sold for sex every day.

According to Congressional estimates, every day in our country 100,000 children are being sold for sex. Enterprising pimps prey on young girls, and turn them into sex slaves.

But it was at a neighborhood Safeway store in northern California where the sex slave problem became a terrible reality for one family. In 2008 Vicki Zito’s daughter was abducted there, then forced into unthinkable acts.

Vicki’s daughter was a 17-year old high school senior at the time, but developmentally disabled. She had asked her mom if she could go down to the store with a friend.

“And so we said yeah, okay, go grab a soda,” Vicki recalls. “How innocent is that? And it’s the one decision that I’ll regret for the rest of my life,” Vicki says, tears welling up in her eyes.

Vicki’s daughter was abducted by a man who sold her for sex by posting ads for ‘erotic services’ on the web site Craigslist. She was enslaved for seven days in motels around the Bay Area.

At home, Vicki prayed. “Once the sun went down it was unbearable,” Vicki says, sobbing quietly. “I’m sorry, but it was. It was horrible. I would just stand at the window, watching, waiting, wanting so badly for her to come home.”

After a week, Vicki got a late-night call from authorities. “They told me they’d found my daughter. And that she was alive. And in that brief moment of , ‘Oh my god my daughter’s alive, she’s okay,’ it was followed with ‘But I’m sorry to tell you… Are you sitting down?'”

Authorities told Vicki that her daughter had been sold for sex, over and over again.

“It was more than I could bear,” Vicki says. “That’s when I learned about sex trafficking, what it was, and what it meant that my daughter had been enduring for the past seven days.”

Ultimately her abductor, 25 year-old Rishi Sanwal, was arrested and convicted. He’s serving a 12 year sentence for sex trafficking.

About Sanwal, Zito says, “I don’t waste a lot of time on him. Do I believe in hell? Yes I believe in hell. Do I hope some day he burns in it? That’s harsh…but yes. Because he can do his time in prison, but he’ll never be able to undo what he did to my daughter.”

Vicki also has a few choice words for Craigslist, the web site that posted Sanwal’s ads for ‘erotic services.’

“Pull the plug. Now. Pull the plug,” Zito says. “Do you have to have the erotic section of your web site to be profitable? Or in order to stay in business? Because if that’s what it takes for you to stay in business? You shouldn’t be in business.”

Zito thinks some major changes need to be made regarding online postings. “It’s absolutely unacceptable that you have a spot on your web site where somebody can go, and at the click of a button, buy another human being for sex.”

The Zito family’s story has come to the attention of California Against Slavery, a non-profit group actively lobbying to strengthen anti-sex slave laws in California. Its executive director Daphne Fung says the Zitos’ family tragedy serves as a cautionary tale.

“The Zitos’ story shows that no child is safe from human trafficking, that it can happen to any of us,” Fung says. “Vicki is a caring mom, her daughter comes from a caring family, and it happened to them,” Fung points out. “No child is safe from human trafficking.”

And according to Fung, the problem is getting worse across the country. “Now, they’re going down in age from 18, 16, 14, now we have girls started being recruited as prostitutes at the age of 11, 12 13.”

As a result, today Vicki Zito is on a mission to speak out so that no other family will have to endure the horror that her family, and her daughter, have faced.

“The reason I speak out is that 95 percent of the girls that are victims of this crime, exactly like my daughter was, have no home, no mom, no family, nobody that’s looking for them,” Zito says.

“If just one other life is spared, if just one other life is able to heal and recover and move on from this, then all of my efforts will be worth it.”

For more about the efforts of California Against Slavery to strengthen California’s anti-human trafficking laws, and its signature-gathering petition efforts for a statewide ballot initiative, go to http://www.californiaagainstslavery.org/.

source: http://www.ktla.com/news/extras/ktla-sex-slaves-sweeps,0,3561067.story

Human Trafficking at The Oscars

Last year was a banner year for the issue of human trafficking at the Oscars, with Slumdog Millionaire taking home the Best Picture trophy. Slumdog tells the story of a young Indian boy who survives being abducted by a child trafficker, among other things, to eventually win the heart of his true love and enough money to support her on a tv game show. This year, the issue of human trafficking is also present in the film Kavi. But can Kavi follow in Slumdog’s footsteps?

Kavi, nominated for Best Live Action Short Film, is also set in India. It tells the story of title character Kavi, a young boy forced to work making bricks. It has already won the Student Academy Award for Best Narrative Film. Kavi’s category is diverse this year, with films touching on Chernobyl, magic, paper fish, and haunted houses. It may not have the star power or media attention that Slumdog did by this time last year, but Kavi has a lot of heart. The film also focuses much more closely on the realities of child trafficking in India than Slumdog Millionaire did, and aims to educate as much as entertain. Their website offers some great resources for getting involved in the fight against modern-day slavery for those inspired by the film. Here’s the trailer, with more on human trafficking at the Oscars after the jump.

But 2009 was by no means the first year the issue of human trafficking was present at the Academy Awards. In 2006, the short film Fields of Mudan, about child trafficking in China, was nominated but didn’t win. And of course, in 2005, Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar for their controversial song “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp”. This victory was a slap in the face for the abolitionist community from the Oscars, who had been fighting to get pimps recognized as the exploiters that they are.

So tune in tomorrow and cheer for Kavi to carry on the good traditions of the Academy Awards being a vehicle for bringing attention to human trafficking.

Kavi (www.KaviTheMovie.com) from Gregg Helvey on Vimeo.

source: http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/human_trafficking_at_the_oscars_2

Should College Spring Breakers Worry About Being Trafficked?

College spring break: it’s a season of small bathing suits, large beers, and photographs you desperately try to untag yourself from on Facebook. College spring breakers may be famous for making poor choices and getting themselves into bad situations, but most of them are solved with a trip to the free clinic or a phone call to Uncle Tony for bail money. However, this year spring breakers are being warned: you might be abducted and trafficked into the modern-day slave trade while partying in Cabo. But is human trafficking something spring breakers really need to worry about?

While there are some real risks to partying abroad, worrying about being trafficked should be pretty low on the list for spring breakers. At least, that’s true for U.S. college kids jetting down to Cabo, Cancun, or the Bahamas to dance and drink themselves silly. There have been a few recorded cases of Americans being kidnapped and trafficked while traveling in foreign countries, but these make up a tiny percentage of cases at best. In general, traffickers prefer to prey on people who are not well-protected. American tourists are perceived to have documents, connections with family back home, and financial resources, which makes them less attractive as targets. When American college students go missing, a huge international investigation might take place, i.e. Natalie Halloway (who, incidentally, may have been kidnapped to be trafficked, but was killed once the media blitz scared her captors). Many traffickers prefer to target local women as opposed to foreigners.

Spring break travelers may, however, encounter human trafficking victims while on their trips abroad. They could be cleaning your hotel room or working at the local strip club. If you suspect something is a trafficking situation, don’t try and intervene. Call the local authorities or a hotline number and report it. Intervening directly could put you and the victim at more risk for harm.

30 Days of Justice: KlaasKids

During a slumber party in October of 1993, 12-year-old Polly Klaas was abducted at knifepoint from her California home. For 65 straight days, the hunt persisted for Polly. A mass distribution of 2 billion images of Polly was sent worldwide. She had soon become a symbol of love and lost innocence. Then one December morning, the nation was greeted with the news that Polly Klaas had been murdered. The country was outraged. The public cried out for change in legislation and pro-action in crime prevention. “Polly was faced with a choice few people ever have to make,” said her father, Marc Klaas. “By putting herself in mortal danger to protect her family and friends, Polly has become my greatest teacher.” Marc Klaas immediately dove into a campaign to put children higher on the national priority list. With no prior media, political or public speaking experience, he immediately became savvy in affecting proactive legislation, and sought to advocate children’s issues and speak out on crime prevention.

Within a year the KlaasKids Foundation was formed. KlaasKids exists to help missing and exploited kids across the country. On their informative website, you can find information on how to create and maintain one of the most effective anti-crime and ant-terrorist grass roots programs ever developed, access to Beyond Missing, a revolutionary new Internet destination that provides free poster making and distribution capabilities for missing children, a 27-minute instructional video that educates parents on the steps to take if their children are kidnapped, and so much more. Through KlaasKids, Marc Klaas is helping others not have to experience the loss that he once did.

KlaasKids is also instrumental in ending Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking as well. Did you know there are 300,000 child prostitutes in the U.S.? Working with anti-human trafficking agencies, like the Florida Coalition, and law enforcement, KlaasKids wants to ensure that children are not being exploited in this tragic, yet so prominent, crime. Every day 2300 kids go missing in our country. And 2/3 of them will be lured into sex industry within 48 hours. Those are just a few reasons why organization like KlaasKids is so essential. KlaasKids goes to the streets, armed with information and photos of the missing, to bring these children back to their families safely. With warriors like Marc Klaas, Brad Dennis, and other team members of KlaasKids lives literall are being saved through KlaasKids.

source: http://bindingthebroken.blogspot.com/2010/01/30-days-of-justice-klaaskids.html

CHILD ABDUCTION PREVENTION

* Never assume your child will not be abducted – always act as though it could happen.

* Establish solid communication with your child. Develop open dialogue so he/she can confide in you in case of trouble.

* Never leave young children unattended.

* Make certain your child knows his/her full name, your name, address and telephone number, including area code. Teach him/her to use the telephone. Help may be available by dialing 911 or “O”

* Have pictures taken yearly. For preschoolers, pictures should be updated quarterly.

* Keep records of fingerprints, footprints, dental and doctor information, birthmarks and birth certificates. You should keep copies of x-rays as hospitals do not keep such records for more than a few years.

* Tell baby-sitters or friends caring for the child not to let your child go with anyone but you.

* Teach your child to avoid people they don’t know.

* Explain to your child that a stranger is someone they do not know, nor do you.

* Teach your child that adults usually do not ask children for directions. If someone should stop In a car asking directions, tell your child not to go to the car.

* Have your child practice the buddy system until old enough that this system is not necessary.

* Caution your child not to play in deserted places. There is safety in numbers.

* Teach your child the facts of abduction early. If handled simply as another fact of life – another coping skill – children need not be inordinately frightened by the idea of abduction.

* Establish strict procedures regarding who will pick up your child from school and be meticulously consistent.

* Have your school establish a “School Call Back Program” and visitor check-in policies.

* Teach your child never to go anywhere with anyone who doesn’t know a family “Code” word.

* Make sure that your child does not have his/her name on a visible place such as clothing or belongings. It makes it harder for strangers to be on a first name basis with your child.

* Know as much as possible about your ex-spouse and his/her friends and relatives. Pay attention to threats of stealing the child. Watch for attitude changes and/or unstable behavior in your ex-spouse. Be aware of how a life-style change by you or your spouse might affect him/her.

* Explain to your child that if they are home alone not to open the door for anyone except previously designated persons. This includes a salesperson or delivery person.

* Teach your child never to answer the telephone and tell anyone that he/she is home alone. If someone should call, instruct your child to make a prepared statement such as , “Daddy/Mommy cannot come to the phone right now… can I take a message.”

* Teach older children to come home at dark.

* Remind older children to phone home.

* Know who your child’s friends are, where they live, and their telephone numbers.

* Beware of any adult that showers your child with an inordinate amount of attention and/or presents. No one should care more about your child than you.

* Be aware that a pedophile is usually an adult whose sexual preference is confined to youngsters. The classic pedophile preys on runaways or children from unhappy homes. He showers the child with affection. By the time sexual activity takes peace, the child is often an uncomplaining partner and it goes unreported. Please show your child appropriate affection.

* Teach your child that if they are being followed not to hide behind bushes, but to go where there are people or to a safe house.

* Teach your child that it is appropriate to “make a scene” if he/she senses danger from an adult. Teach him/her to yell “HELP!”, or “I DON’T KNOW YOU!”, not just scream.

source: http://www.projectsafekids.org/prevention.html

Maryland Sex Offender Denies Killing Kidnapped Girl

Volunteers line up outside Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Md., to help search for an 11-year-old girl who police say was kidnapped from.

SALISBURY, Md. — An attorney for a man charged in the disappearance of an 11-year-old Maryland girl says his client denies harming the child.

Authorities say Sarah Haley Foxwell was abducted from her home last week. Her body was found in the woods on Christmas Day after a search that involved thousands of volunteers.

Registered sex offender Thomas Leggs Jr. was charged with kidnapping and burglary a day after the child was reported missing.

His public defender says Leggs “has denied and continues to deny any involvement in this crime.”

The 30-year-old is being held without bond. Police say he is being separated from other inmates.

source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,581468,00.html

China executes 2 men for abducting, trafficking children

BEIJING — China has executed two men for abducting and selling 15 children, many of whom were taken as babies or toddlers and have not yet been reunited with their parents, state media said Friday.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Hu Minghua, 55, and Su Binde, 27, were executed Thursday morning, according to a statement from the Supreme People’s Court.

Hu was convicted of kidnapping and selling nine children from April 1999 to Oct. 2005. He was detained in January 2006. Five of the children, all boys now aged from 3 to 6, have been returned to their families, while the parents of the remaining ones have not been found.

Su was convicted of abducting six children between Sept. 2005 to July 2006. Five of the children were rescued by police while a sixth remains missing.

Child trafficking is big problem in China, where traditional preference for male heirs and a restrictive one-child policy has driven a thriving market in baby boys, who fetch a considerably higher price than girls. Girls and women also are abducted and often used as laborers or as brides for unwed sons.

Thousands of children go missing every year though the exact numbers of victims are difficult to obtain. Earlier this year, Chinese police announced they had rescued about 2,000 abducted children as part of a nationwide crackdown on widespread trafficking of women and children.

In October, China’s Ministry of Public Security set up a Web site — “Babies Looking for Home” — to reunite rescued children with their families.

State media have reported hundreds of rescues and arrests since the campaign began in April, and the new site had photos of dozens of children rescued from kidnappers but who had not yet found their families. The ministry set up a national DNA database earlier this year.

source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-as-china-child-abductions,0,3907372.story?obref=obnetwork