CSEC2009
United States US
Ballard’s case dates back to 2005 when he met a 14-year old runaway girl on Metropolitan Avenue in Atlanta. The teen moved in with him and he immediately began having sex with her. Within a month of meeting the victim, he began to beat and pistol-whip her on a consistent basis and eventually began to prostitute her. At times, Ballard would send the teen out to Metropolitan Avenue to solicit men, other times he brought “clients” to their home. In 2006, the victim’s mother, who had previously reported her daughter as a runaway, spotted the teen walking down the street. She called police who responded immediately and questioned the victim about her eight month ordeal. Ballard was arrested a short-time later.
Domestic Servitude2009
United States US
DOJ Press Release - 12/9/09 ================= Minister and Wife Charged with Human Trafficking and Immigration Violations for Exploiting Woman from Swaziland Defendant Allegedly Enticed Victim to Travel to the U.S. from Africa Intending to Force the Victim to Work as Their Housekeeper and Nanny . http://atlanta.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel09/at120909.htm . ATLANTA Between about March 2005, and continuing until on or about February 7, 2007, JUNA GWENDOLYN BABB and MICHAEL J. BABB allegedly conspired to compel the labor of the victim by enticing her to come to the United States from the Kingdom of Swaziland, Africa, by falsely promising her a lucrative, short-term opportunity to provide catering services at the wedding of a family member of the BABBs. However, upon the victim’s arrival to the United States, the couple allegedly conspired to, and did harbor her for the purpose of obtaining and maintaining her labor as a housekeeper and nanny in their home through the use of debt and threats of arrest and imprisonment. . Specifically, after the victim's arrival in the United States, the defendants confiscated her passport and return airline ticket, and told the victim that she owed them a debt for the costs of her travel to the United States. The BABBs allegedly then compelled the victim's labor by using the debt that they claimed the victim owed them, and by threatening her with arrest and imprisonment by immigration authorities once her tourist visa expired. The couple then allegedly required the victim to clean the homes of their friends and associates, and to assist with MICHAEL BABB's construction business. The indictment also alleges that the defendants required the victim to work long hours every day of the week, for which the victim was grossly underpaid on those few occasions that the BABBs paid her at all for her labor and services.
Sex Trafficking2009
United States US
police followed the victim, a minor, to a location where she meet her pimp. he along with the motel manager were arrested.
Forced Criminality2009
United States US
43-year-old Ismael Alvarez and several other men held the three victims in an apartment on East Riverside Drive after the victims had crossed illegally into the country in September, according to the affidavit. Ismael Alvarez was arrested.
Sex Trafficking2009
Gambia GM
Gambian authorities questioned 63 Ghanaian children ages 12 to 18 who were trafficked into the country as sex slaves and domestic workers for a group of Ghanaian fishermen living off the coast of Gambia, known as "Ghana Town." They were smuggled into Gambia without official papers to satisfy the sexual desires of older men. They were also forced to work long hours smoking fish and selling gari. Some were crowded into rooms with 12 girls to a room. Some boys were also forced to work as fishermen. The masters forbade the slave children to contact their parents at home. More information: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=48765
Forced Criminality2009
Ghana GH
A resident of Brepro Nkwanta near Bawdie in the Wassa Amenfi East District of the Western Region admitted to attempting to sell a man, a carpenter of the same village for traditional ritual purposes. The Inspector said on June 19, 2007, the complainant received a call from Tekpey who informed him (the complainant) that he lied when he said he wanted him to assist him secure a kiosk, rather he wanted him (the complainant) to assist him sell the man in the Sewfi area where a human head could be exchanged for a KIA vehicle.
CSEC2009
United States US
Girl was discovered to due to routine traffic stop. Was eventually transported to LA Childrens of the Night shelter.
Sex Trafficking2009
United Kingdom GB
Simon Dempsey (39) and Chen Rong (33) Both Simon Dempsey and Chen Rong have been charged for facilitating the UK arrival of Chinese girls for sex trafficking purposes. Dempsey, a former Police Service of Northern Ireland officer, acted as the enforcer while Rong acted as the "controller of the brothels". A group of 6 girls were rescued in Belfast & Londonderry, Northern Ireland. These girls were trafficked from China through a Chinese Mafia ring and have since been forced to work as sex slaves in England and now Northern Ireland. This operation has been a long time in the planning and have numerous partner agencies involved in bringing women over from China to work all across Europe. In this particular Northern Ireland case, the women were told they would be working as nannies/babysitters in the UK. Both Dempsey and Rong are now awaiting a final sentence.
Domestic Servitude2009
Benin BJ
A stranger convinced the parents of a 13 year old Beninese boy that he should go to neighboring Togo for a better life. He ended up in domestic servitude working long hours every day and being regularly beaten. More information: http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Benin.htm
Sex Trafficking2009
Nigeria NG
A 22 year old girl was recruited by a family friend, telling her mother he would "help" her "travel out." The poor mother, who sold snails at a local market to eek out a meager living, thought her daughter was obtaining a good job. Instead she was sent to Spain where she was forced to work as a prostitute for ten months, until she was deported. The girl was charged for the cost of her trip, putting her into debt bondage. She paid her "madam" 25,000 Euros in 10 months, but was told she must work until the madam was "satisfied." Others familiar with sex trafficking between Nigeria and Spain say it is not uncommon for girls to have to pay back $50,000. Her pimps forced her to have sex with them and beat her into submission. Further, on the day of her departure, her intimate hairs and nails were shaved and given to her captor so that he could "curse" her in case she decided to escape.
Sex Trafficking2009
Nigeria NG
A Nigerian high chief was arrested for allegedly sending a young woman abroad without her consent for purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. The girl was being sent to Italy, but was currently trapped in Libya. The chief claims it was actually a sister who requested him to recruit the girl to work in her beer parlor in Italy, but the sister denies this. The family has been able to speak briefly to the girl by phone, but she did not seem free to talk, answering only yes or no, and her captor is demanding 500 Euros for her freedom. At other times Libyan officials have claimed that the sea through which the girl must travel to Italy is not yet safe. The trafficker calls itself a “sponsor” and lures young people with the offer of living abroad. Their lure has captured virtually every family in the Edo State, but most are unaware their children have been trafficked, knowing only that they are “living abroad”. The two most common destination countries are Spain and Italy. Victims also pass through an intermediary country—Libya for Italy and Morocco for Spain. They normally spend months in that transit country, and many of them die there. While there, they are taken to a juju (voodoo) priest, who performs rituals to ensure that they never reveal the secrets of the trafficking trade. They are wrapped in a wrapper that has been removed from a corpse, and are sometimes made to drink water from a dead body, while swearing to different gods. One of the juju priests admitted that there are three major oaths they administer to the girls being trafficked : One is ,if she gets to that place, she should not run away with any body they ask her to stay with. The other one is; if she gets there, she should not arrest her sponsor with the police. And the third is: any thing she knows that can kill her sponsor without alerting her, she will be punished too. And at the end of the day, if she does not violate any of the oaths, she will get whatever she wants in her life. These are the claims made by the juju priests. The traffickers are believed to have residency permits in Europe, and use people in Nigeria as their messengers. Those who are sent to Libya become sex slaves of the security guards tending them. More information: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/09/18/benin-herbalistschiefs-caught-for-human-trafficking/
Sex Trafficking2009
Nigeria NG
In September 2009, over 500 girls were returned to Nigeria who had been held in underground jails in Libya as sex slaves for nearly a year. This group told police that over 2,000 others had died in Libyan jails since January 2009, most of them killed in the desert by the security forces. The trafficker calls itself a “sponsor” and lures young people with the offer of living abroad. Their lure has captured virtually every family in the Edo State, but most are unaware their children have been trafficked, knowing only that they are “living abroad”. The two most common destination countries are Spain and Italy. Victims also pass through an intermediary country—Libya for Italy and Morocco for Spain. They normally spend months in that transit country, and many of them die there. While there, they are taken to a juju (voodoo) priest, who performs rituals to ensure that they never reveal the secrets of the trafficking trade. They are wrapped in a wrapper that has been removed from a corpse. More information: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/09/18/benin-herbalistschiefs-caught-for-human-trafficking/
Sex Trafficking2009
United States US
Agents arrested a 33 yrs old, who was described as an illegal alien who had been deported to Mexico after being arrested in a similar sex trafficking case. Sources said he returned to the US and ran a new trafficking ring that brought in several unwitting women from Mexico to become prostitutes. While in Mexico he began a romantic relationship with the teen and later paid a smuggler to bring her to the US in April 2007.
CSEC2009
United States US
Between April 2007 and November 2009, the defendants, who are Mexican nationals, used physical violence, threats, and intimidation to force a 17-year-old Mexican woman (the victim), to work as a prostitute in and around New York City and elsewhere. The victim was not permitted to leave the apartment where she lived with the defendants in Brooklyn except to work as a prostitute. Half of the money she earned was taken by Salazar, and the balance was kept by drivers who transported her to work locations. The violence used against the victim included Salazar punching her in the face and body and beating her with a brick and a wooden board, and Mendez cutting her with a knife.
Forced Labor2009
United States US
The U.S. Department of Labor levied fines totaling more than $36,000 against eight growers in Michigan for violations of migrant housing and child labor laws — including an allegation of a 6-year-old picking blueberries — and retailers have already discontinued doing business with some of the companies. Two blueberry growers, Adkin Blue Ribbon Packing Co., South Haven, and Jawor Bros., Ravenna, were assessed penalties of $2,584 for child labor violations after the investigation allegedly found children under 12, including a six-year-old, picking in the fields.
Domestic Servitude2009
United Kingdom GB
The perpetrator was arrested and the victims were released, after one of the victims had escaped and reported to local authorities. In a news report, one of the victims makes a statement that she had previously not known of help in the police, and she now encourages other women who are in similar circumstances for hope in turning to the police.
Sex Trafficking2009
United States US
Chappell (trafficker) was sentenced to 336 months in prison on one count of sex trafficking a minor. "June of 2007, the Bloomington Police Department conducted surveillance at a hotel, where they found four adult women in a room rented by Chappell. Police later learned that Chappell was prostituting both adult and juvenile females, promoting his business through computer ads on the Internet sites CraigsList and Backpage.com." -News Release
Sex Trafficking2009
United States US
The man was charged with human trafficking and forced labour. His bail was set at $1 million. He is 23 years old and lives at Sherwood Lane in Bonita Springs, FL. He is originally from the same village as the girl that he smuggled into the states is.
Forced Labor2009
Germany DE
Following more than a year-long investigation, the German Federal Police have busted an international ring involved in smuggling Sri Lankan Tamil people into European countries, with the connivance of certain French and British authorities. Police, during simultaneous raids on 37 places from early morning last Wednesday in Germany and elsewhere abroad, arrested 16 suspected German, French and British nationals of Sri Lankan origin, diplomatic sources said. According to these sources, a special team from the German Federal Police has been investigating the activity of a German-based Sri Lankan Tamils smuggling ring under cover since August 2008, on the orders of the public prosecutor in Osnabrück. Out of the 16 suspects arrested, four are from Germany and more arrests will follow, according to German Police. Among the arrested is the leader of the smuggling ring. He is a 44-year-old Tamil known among the diaspora as an ardent supporter of the LTTE,” sources added. The report also stated that the suspect was residing in a small town called Borken in the Federal State North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) where there is a large concentration of Sri Lankan Tamils domiciled in Germany. Warrants have been issued for the arrest of two more Tamils in Germany – from Rhine and Lingen.
Bonded Labor2009
United States US
Abrorkhodja Askarkhodjaev, 30, Nodir Yunusov, 22, Rustamjon Shukurov, 21, citizens of Uzbekistan living in Mission; Ilkham Fazilov, 44, Nodirbek Abdoollayev, 27, citizens of Uzbekistan living in Kansas City; Viorel Simon, 27, Alexandru Frumasache , 23, citizens of Moldova living in Kansas City, Kan.; Kristin Dougherty, 49, of Ellisville, Mo.; Andrew Cole, 53, of St. Charles, Mo.; Abdukakhar Azizkhodjaev, 49, a citizen of Uzbekistan living in Panama City, Fla.; and Sandjar Agzamov, 27, and Jakhongir Kakhkharov, 29, citizens of Uzbekistan who recently left the United States
Sex Trafficking2009
Botswana BW
Botswana police are investigating a human trafficking ring thought to be responsible for trafficking more than 1000 Batswana from the country and selling them for cheap labour, sexual exploitation, servitude and debt bondage in Europe. Police investigations are focusing on Business Consultants who are believed to be spiders in the extensive web that is believed to have trafficked at least 1000 Batswana. A source close to the investigation believes that it is more. So far, eight business consultants and six other suspects believed to be part of the human trafficking ring are already in police custody.
Forced Criminality2009
United States US
Manatee Sheriffs office, I.C.E., and F.B.I. were all involved in the investagation which lead to the arrest of both traffickers.
CSEC2009
United States US
A Brownsville couple has been sentenced for running a sex trafficking ring that brought women and teenage girls into the United States for prostitution.
CSEC2009
United States US
ICE made arrests on both of the traffickers. Coronado and Zeiger are charged with one count of conspiring to harbor illegal aliens in October 2008, one count of importing aliens for prostitution purposes, one count of attempting to import a minor alien for prostitution purposes, and two counts of harboring aliens for prostitution purposes.