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In this episode of Speaking for the Silenced, we will be focusing on two stories of sex trafficking that occured in New Jersey, not far from where we are now. 

• In January of 2018, state troopers found a 17 year old girl was found alone, in the middle of the night on the side of Interstate 295 (
• Eventually she revealed she was sex trafficked by Ashley Gardener and Breon Mickens of Trenton
• For the days before she was found, Gardener had arranged between 5 and 15 men for the teen per day
• While Gardener was the so-called mastermind of the operation, Mickens did the grunt work
• As of 2021, Mickens has been sentenced to 5 years in prison while Gardener has received 50.
• This is a reminder that sex trafficking is a very real and present threat.
• The next story will focus on the an international human trafficking ring exposed in 2021 run by a considerably larger group.

• In early February of 2021, Authorities announced the charging of 22 members of a sex trafficking operation that made its base in Bergen County.
• More than 50 women, most of them immigrants from Mexico, were caught up as victims
• Had over 1500 clients
• Victims ranged from anywhere in the late teens to the mid-30s
• They were promised jobs and shelter but were then forced into prostituion
• The crime ring was reportedly bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars every month from the work of the captive women
• The women were compensated with half of what was paid for the prostitution, but most of it was used to pay off their “debt”
• Currently, the prosecutor’s office is coordinating efforts with the Covenant House to provide shelter and crisis care for the 50 plus women rescued from the trafficking sting.

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Tune into this week’s episode of #SpeakingfortheSilenced!

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In this episode of Speaking for the Silenced, we will be discussing one the most pervasive forms of human trafficking, which is sex trafficking. This crime reportedly makes up 79% of human trafficking instances all across the world. Virtually everyone knows or has heard of it, yet sex trafficking is still not given enough attention in mainstream media.

• Definition of sex trafficking is the use of force, fraud or coercion to cause a commercial sex act with an adult or cause a minor to commit a commercial sex act.

Includes prostitution, pornography, and sexual performance exchanged for any item of value.

• May occur at brothels, clubs, hotels, and other night-time locations to sell their services
• As of 2019, the National Ceter for Missing and Exploited Children has estimated thatn1/6 runaways were likely sex trafficking victims
• Sex trafficking victims are both genders, although a majority are women and girls
• Sexual assault among males is given much less attention

• Common misconception that sex trafficking only occurs in “shady dealings”; this is untrue
• By establishing trust early on and a degree of intimacy, the traffickers can exploit this later
• Prositution is often looked down upon but can often overlap with sex trafficking
• Many of these women have their appointments arranged for them by men known as pimps, who are individual traffickers
• However, not all sex work is sex trafficking. 
• In general, the stigma that exists around sex work has caused many of the workers to fear going to law enforcement 
• Contributes greatly to the insidious nature of human trafficking

• The best thing the average person could do is learn to recognize the signs of sex trafficking
• Unstable living conditions
• Imbalanced power dynamics with the employer
• Abuse, threats, or clear signs of manipulation

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In this episode of Speaking for the Silenced, we will end a two-part segment discussing organ trafficking. Today, we will focus on a real-life incident of trafficking that occurred in Kosovo in 2008.

• Victim’s name is Yilmaz Altun, located in Pristina, Kosovo
• Fainted in middle of airport due to wound from organ removal
• It was found that the organ donation was conducted a clinic in Pristina called Medicus
• Medicus was a chain of organ trafficking clinics that were designed solely for the purpose of making profit.
• Preyed on the poor and vulnerable
• Crime ring was operated by Lutfi Dervishi and his son, both Kosovo physicians.
• Actual organ removal was conducted by Yusuf Ercin Sonmez, a Turkish surgeon
• The main operators of Medicus had been on the run for some time, evading capture since their operations were exposed in 2008. 
• However, a few have been incarcerated

• The Medicus Case has an even more complex twist
• Council of Europe found connections with Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)
• Terrorist group that sought to seprate Kosovo from Yugoslavia
• The KLA reportedly began organ trafficking in 1999
• People and authorities have even began to suspect that Hashim Thaci, Prime minister of 
• So how is the link between Medicus and the KLA established?
• Kidneys harvested from the Serbian captives were transported to Sonmez, the doctor who was involved in the transplants in Medicus
• Public hoped that Medicus could be linked back to the KLA and ex Prime Minister Thaci. 

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Tune into this week’s episode of #SpeakingfortheSilenced!

You are listening to Speaking for the Silenced podcast with your host(s) Jacqueline Sun.

In this episode of Speaking for the Silenced, we will begin a two-part segment discussing organ trafficking, perhaps one of the least visible forms of human trafficking. 

• Involves a lot of stealth and intricacy, many crime groups participate in it
• Organ demand is much higher than supply, what makes the practice so lucrative
• Most traded are kidneys
• Average wait time for a kidney is around 3-4 years
• Time is much too long, people take desperate measures

• Traffickers target the most vulnerable as in other forms of trafficking
• Offer a lump sum of money
• Engage in insanely upscaled reselling
• Actual removal of organ is done without care for the patient
• Organ buying and selling is illegal in many countries, many engage in something known as “transplant tourism”, which is legal
• Little regulation on transplant tourism
• CoVID-19 has bred the perfect conditions for an influx of organ trafficking
• Influx of debt, traffickers can more easily extort organ removals
• Hospitals are backed up with COVID-19
• Waiting lists for organs increases, demand increases

• Tracking through the monetary transactions
• Raising initiative: Project Protect initiative
• Legislation targeting transplant tourism and organ trafficking
• Involving the private sector
• Working through social media platforms, where many ads are posted for organ buying and selling

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In this episode of Speaking for the Silenced, we will finish a two-part segment discussing child soldiers and their roles in wars. This week’s episode will focus on the country of Yemen specifically, a place infamous for their frequent employment of children in fighting. Yemen is a desert country in Western Asia.

• Yemeni Civil War fought between Houthi Rebels and Saudi Arabia starting in 2014
• In 2011, there had been political uprising, led to the war
• Now given support by Iran, a Shia majority nation
• Shia and Sunni Muslim divide + conflict
• Yemeni Civil War predicted to end quickly, continues today
• Both sides exploit child soldiers

• Villages left impoverished, no food/resources, disease
• Houthis and Saudi Arabia coalition take advantage of this, target the villages
• Offer jobs to the unknowing children before throwing them into the war
• Houthis engage in form of indoctrination in summer camps
• Make fighting out to be a holy, noble purpose
• In 2020, the UN had counted 163 cases of children being turned into soldiers by Yemen.
• In 2021, Houthis have continued their advancement
• US is trying to pull out of support for Saudi coalition

• Organizations and groups are fighting child soldiers in Yemen
• Believe it violates International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute ban on child soldiers
• Trying to have the UN intervene
• CRUCSY program that reintegrates children
• Prioritizes safety and assimilation
• Issue is at its roots connected to the Civil War, so hard to pinpoint exact solution
• Visit the Children And Armed Conflict UN website or the Borgen Project to learn more about the issue.

Tune into this week’s episode of #SpeakingfortheSilenced!

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In this episode of Speaking for the Silenced, we will begin a two-part segment discussing child soldiers and their roles in wars. A child soldier is someone who is under 18 years old who is compelled through force or fraud to engage, directly or indirectly, in armed conflict. They may work under the military or a non-government organization.

• 93000 children found to be soldiers around world
•  South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
• First use in Iran-Iraq war

3 causes

1. Poverty/Bad Home Conditions

• Find food/income/home

1. Survival/Protection in Warring Zones

• Outside threats of attack/organizations coerce families or child themselves

1. Force, Coercion, or Indoctrination (as seen in the Iran-Iraq war, where it all started)

• Young, weaker, and more easily manipulated.

It is an extensive form of trafficking

Never a truly voluntary choice

Not always used in direct combat.

3 main uses:

Fighting: 

Child more vulnerable, experience chronic injury or mental illness

Sent on suicide missions, talk about the Iraq-Iran war experience

Reconnaissance: 

Due to unassuming nature, act well as spies

More trustworthy, experience less resistance, bring information back to their organization

Sexual services: 

Girls are frequently targets, given to adult soldiers as compensation

Suffer physical and mental trauma, highly susceptible to STIS

PTSD plays huge role :

Adults more likely to find help, children more likely to shut down

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In this episode of Speaking for the Silenced, we will conclude the Labor Trafficking segment with the third part and discuss a real life, local story of labor trafficking. This took place at a BAPS Hindu Temple in Robbinsville, just a 25 minute drive from where I am now. BAPS is a Hindu Denomination that is also a volunteer driven organization, with locations all over the world. 

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In this episode of Speaking for the Silenced, we will continue the Labor Trafficking segment with the second part and go in depth on the most common forms of forced labor occurring across the world. I will focus on three in particular, which are factory labor, agricultural labor, and domestic work.

• Labor trafficking is in the context of the manufacturing of goods.
• Men, women, and children are all virtually equally exploited, many workers caught in factory labor are immigrants. 
• In these industries, the trafficked take on jobs involving repetitive, systemic labor. 
• Meat processing industry: not strenuous, but mind-numbing.
• Garment industry: far more dangerous (fire, machinery)
• In November 2012, Tazreen Fashions Garment Factory burned down (112).
• Ali Enterprises burned down (250)
• Many more industries are involved in labor trafficking, but there are too many to count.

• Labor trafficking is also a common occurrence in the agricultural industries.
• Latin America is especially guilty of this.
• Labor is not confined to one region, not constant throughout the year.
• Irregularity and isolation makes the workers more vulnerable. 
• North Carolina especially exploits immigrant workers.
• RTI International found 25% of all workers in NC experienced threats of violence/deportation, 39% experienced abuse.
• Law enforcement were unaware of the trafficking. 
• Their words contrasted with what was actually happening.

• Domestic Labor is the last form we are focusing on.
• Mostly involving women.
• 65% of domestic workers in the US are immigrants or people of color.
• The trafficked workers often work 12+ hours a day 6 or 7 days a week in their employers’ homes.
• Employers exploit their workers’ lack...

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In this episode of Speaking for the Silenced the Podcast we will discuss the history, modern presence, and future impact of forced labor. This will be the first episode of a three part segment on forced labor. In the second episode, we will be going in depth on the most common forms of forced labor, and in the third, I’d like to recount to you guys a real life, local story of labor trafficking and what we can do to prevent it in the future.

• Forced labor has been commonplace and diverse in form throughout history, so let’s start from the beginning.
• Its first form can be found in slavery, which began as many as 9000 years ago in Mesopotamia.
• Slavery, as we know, is a form of existence where all self-autonomy and powers are removed.
• Slavery spread West, entered European society
• In certain regions of Europe, particularly the northern regions, slavery was losing relevance and being replaced by serfdom instead, another form of forced labor (around 12th century).
• America fought for independence, took on slavery anyways, irony in doing that, american south especially prominent in doing so
• emancipation proclamation “ended” slavery yet it and other forms of forced labor continued

WW2

• Nazi Germany and Concentration Camps
• Russia and Joseph Stalin’s infamous Gulags
• Examples listed are only the most prominent forms of trafficking as we know it
• UN only formally criminalized human trafficking through the protocols regarding Transnational Organized Crime Groups (TOC) in 2000, just 21 years ago.

• It is estimated that around 21 million people around the world today are caught in some form of forced labor.
• Many of the victims aren’t even visible, human trafficking is very hard to detect. 
• Most of these laborers are caught up in the agricultural, mining, construction, and marine industries
• What lies behind the wide-spread use to exploit forced labor is the desire for profit

90% of forced labor can be found in private industries

Example: Bananas in south american countries, such as ecuador:

• Why are they so cheap?
• Underpaying and mistreatment of workers, many of whom are paid less than 10$ a day
• Some of the more exploited aren’t even paid.

1. Prison Systems

• Focus on the US prison system, containing the largest percentage of prisoners in the world.
• These prisoners act as laborers during the day, often working in mechanical or industrial factories
• Whether prison labor is forced labor or not is an ongoing, controversial debate. 
• Prisoner laborers are paid anywhere between a few cents to a few dollars in a day.
• 13th amendment bans slavery or involuntary servitude unless “as a punishment whereof the party shall have been duly convicted”
• Therefore, prison labor is technically legal.
• Organized prison strike of 2018 called the labor “prison slavery”.
• Line between prison labor and forced labor is very blurred. 
• Certain demographics of prisoners are more exploited than others: illegal immigrants + African-Americans.

1. Uyghur Persecution 

• Chinese Government’s persecution of Uyghurs, a Turkish ethnic group that is predominantly Muslim. 
• Chinese Government forcibly removing them from their lands
• Many of them sent to remote so called reeducation...

Introduction: Speaking for the Silenced Podcast

The Speaking for the Silenced Podcast is a student-run podcast that examines the world-wide issue of human trafficking. Join podcast host, Jacqueline Sun, as she breaks down many examples human trafficking including forced labor, bride trafficking, and more.

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