Sex Trafficking2006
United States US
Marisol Ramirez, a 37 year-old woman from the Dominican Republic, headed the prostitution ring with Roberto Rivera-Miranda, 31 who assisted her. Ramirez, who was deported from the U.S. in 1997 for operating prostitution services, recruited women chiefly from Mexico and Central America. Twenty-three other defendants have been accused of promoting the ring through the distribution of business cards advertising the services in Spanish, operating or working in brothels, transporting the victims, or supplying drugs or condoms. Eighty percent of the perpetrators were living in the U.S. illegally. The defendants allegedly lured both illegal immigrants as well as legal residents into the operation where they were forced to perform sexual services for the financial advantage of the defendants. All forms of the victims' documentation were taken. Heinous and crude conditions included two victims having to service 80 men in a single night. The prostitution ring was linked to activity in 30 other states.
Domestic Servitude2008
United States US
A Somali family not related to the young girl. Instead they came to her village and approached her parents and asked if they could take the girl, their daughter, to America with them. The young girl's parents agreed. The family brought her to the U.S using a different name and reporting that the girl was their daughter. When the girl arrived to this country, the new family wanted her to do all the housework, baby-sit their other children and completely serve them. The family was also abusive to the young girl. When the young girl refused to cooperate, the family contacted the child protection authorities and reported that they could not keep the child. The young girl was taken by the child protection authorities and was raised in the foster system.
Domestic Servitude2008
United States US
An elder woman in the community where the victim lived. The trafficker offered to let the teenage victim live in her home while the victim was having family problems. The victim accepted and moved in. For over two years the victim was locked in the home and was not allowed to leave. The trafficker was abusive and threatening and forced the young woman to care for the trafficker's children. The trafficker also forced the young woman to sell Khat. The trafficker stole the victim's identity and used it to collect government benefits for herself. After the young woman had escaped the trafficker continued to harass and threaten the victim.