Since after WWII, the practice of adopting children to form a family has become common in the United States. While some families only wish to adopt babies who are of the same race as themselves (and are thus put on long domestic waiting lists), other families adopt children of different races from impoverished countries, using the logic that they are saving their new child from an otherwise horrific and underprivileged life.
International adoptions are constantly seen in the news, and are perceived by the American public as a good thing. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have now adopted three children (Maddox from Cambodia, Zahara from Ethiopia, and Pax from Vietnam). Madonna's attempt to adopt a little boy from Malawi was highly contested in the news, as she seemed to break regulations regarding adoption rules in that country. The latest celebrity to join the international adoption craze was Katherine Hiegl, who adopted a special needs girl from South Korea.
These lucky celeb babies are not alone- The Office of Immigration reported 18,120 international orphans entering the United States in 2000, and 19,087 in 2001. If the majority of these orphans did enter for adoption purposes, this accounts for a little less than 15% of all adoptions that occurred during those years.
Though celebrities give a mostly positive impression of international adoptions, there is an additional side to such adoption cases that needs to be considered. People who adopt babies from other countries for the purpose of giving them a better life are not doing wrong in any way; however, this practice provides the opportunity for exploitation and possible human trafficking. Impoverished families can be coerced into giving up one child to help feed the rest of their families, or may be outright forced to part forever with their child to a stranger. Though these families may believe that their child will be sent to the United States or Europe to live with a rich family and have a life with better opportunities, there is no guarantee that their child will not end up being sold into slavery, exploited for labor or sexual purposes, or killed so their organs be sold for exorbitant profits on the black market. As exiledmothers.com points out, "Once in the possession of "adoptive parents" it will be assumed a child is safe and no one checks up."
In order to protect against possible exploitation of the families giving up their children for international adoption, and against the very real possibility of those children ending up enslaved somewhere, The Hague Conference on Private International Law sponsored the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The convention does not have specific legal power, but provides guidelines for forms to ensure consent of parents giving up children, medical reports, questionnaires, and general practices that should be followed. This convention at the very least provides a means through which people can become more informed about the issues involved in international adoption, and how to ensure that the children obtained in international adoptions have been given up by the parents with full consent and understanding of where their child is going.
International adoption is a very tricky situation to deal with, as exemplified by the recent group of Americans caught trying to get children out of Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. While some people are well-meaning and truly want the best for young children, unfortunately there are individuals in the world who know they can make profits off of ignorance and apathy; the only way to combat this atrocious ordeal is to raise awareness and make sure that those adoptions which do take place are legally and morally sound.
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Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Resource Guide
Below are 15 websites that I have found useful in my quest for knowledge about human trafficking:
1. http://www.polarisproject.org/
The Polaris Project is an international, national, and local effort to stop slavery. Their organization does more than just provide information about slavery; they find viable ways to stop slavery through legislation, grassroots campaigns, and help for freed victims of human trafficking. The Polaris Project has an entire section of the website, the "Action Center," which provides multiple ways for people to become involved.
2. http://www.humantrafficking.org/
This website is a great resource for learning about human trafficking around the world. It goes into recent and historical events within disparate regions and nations. While part of the website is devoted to taking action, this is more useful for research and awareness purposes.
3.http://www.unodc.org/unodc/index.html?ref=menutop
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime includes a subsection on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling which provides useful information. Specifically this website shows what the UN is doing about this global problem, as well as providing basic information for people who are unaware about human trafficking.
4. http://www.justice.gov/olp/human_trafficking.htm
This website is along the same lines as the UNODC, except this is specifically for American cases of human trafficking. The links to the documents, such as the Trafficking Victims Protection Acts, are especially handy for those doing in-depth research into the legal side of human trafficking in the United States.
5.www.humantraffickingsearch.net/
This website primarily serves as a search engine for visitors to find other websites about human trafficking, child labor, sex slavery, and forced labor. It also provides current news about human trafficking cases, links to videos about human trafficking, and maps to show current statistics about slavery across the globe. If the sites I have listed aren't enough, this website is a good way to find more!
6. http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/
This website details the history of human trafficking from 2000-2010 in countries all over the world. This includes a brief description of each country's economic status, as well as government documents, personal testimonies from freed slaves, efforts to combat human trafficking, and archives of relevant news stories. This website is a great way to find information about one specific country, the types of human trafficking occurring there, and why that country is currently susceptible to this global dilemma.
7. http://www.madebysurvivors.com/
This is a really cool website that creates a market for products created by people freed from slavery. Sometimes those who are freed can be worse off because they have lost their livelihood and have no knowledge about how to support themselves, but foundations such as The Emancipation Network can provide an outlet for their products. This is important because it reintegrates freed slaves into social and economic circles, as well providing their children with an education and helping them psychologically.
8. http://www.examiner.com/x-24740-Human-Rights-Examiner
This blog provides a daily rundown of all the human trafficking cases worldwide. It gives a very good idea of how widespread cases are, and also provides a jumping-off point for more in-depth research into specific cases.
9. http://www.laborrights.org/
The International Labor Rights Forum discusses cases of inequality in labor globally. This site also includes a link to a list of the products suspected to be produced by slave labor, as of September 2009 (at http://www.laborrights.org/news/12103). This information can be insightful, especially in raising awareness of how ignorant consumers are supporting slavery without their knowledge.
10. http://www.catwinternational.org/
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women specifically focuses on women stuck in slavery, especially sex slavery. This website provides information in 9 different languages about the fight against prostitution and sexual exploitation of women's bodies. CATW has many campaigns and programs internationally, including one to decrease the male demand for prostitution and another to reform laws regarding prostitution in many different countries. The website also has "fact books" about trafficked women in countries all over the world, with specific cases and governmental policies.
11. http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
Not For Sale is an international grassroots campaign to raise awareness and bring about social change regarding modern day slavery. The programs and events put on by Not For Sale are effective in raising awareness and getting viewers involved. This campaign definitely seems to be aiming for widespread involvement from all sorts of people by declaring that anyone can help end slavery, and that every person can contribute some skill to the fight. Not For Sale has few projects worldwide, but they are deeply involved in those places they have set up campaigns.
12. http://www.freetheslaves.net/
Free the Slaves is focused on a comprehensive plan to end slavery. Liberating slaves and helping them adjust to free lives is the main focus of this organization, as well as research into the best way to free all slaves and reintegrate them into normal society. This research includes recording stories of freed slaves, documenting what approaches to freeing slaves works for future knowledge, and working with companies and governments to discuss viable options for freeing all slaves.
13. http://www.justice.gov/crt/crim/smuggling_trafficking_facts.pdf
This is a pdf from the Human Trafficking and Smuggling Center providing basic information about human trafficking and how it differs from human smuggling. Though the pdf is from 2005, it still provides useful information to help readers understand the reality of human trafficking. Since human trafficking is an invisible form of slavery and therefore not widely recognized, documents such as this one can help newly informed people recognize and acknowledge human trafficking for what it is: slavery.
14. http://doctorsatwar.org/
This organization provides medical care to victims of human trafficking, and raises awareness of some sobering facts: 30% of slaves will be treated by medical professionals who will not recognize them as victims of human trafficking; many of the victims of human trafficking will become HIV positive, malnutritioned, and otherwise ill from mistreatment. Doctors At War are trained to recognize victims of slavery, as well as treat freed slaves who cannot afford their necessary medical care. This website provides opportunities to get involved, either as a doctor or as a volunteer, in this important step in freeing slaves before sending them out into the real world.
15. http://www.endhumantraffickingnow.com/pages/default.aspx
This website provides some detailed information about what businesses can do in order to stop human trafficking; while most action websites focus on individual volunteers, this information can be helpful for companies who want to do their part to fight slavery. The information End Human Trafficking Now provides is a lot more straight-forward than some of the other action websites; this is the only one I have found that discusses who traffic people, not just who is trafficked. This website also provides access to the Victims Assistance Database, which provides contact information for businesses and individuals in countries around the world to which victims of human trafficking can turn for assistance.
Click HERE to open the feedback tool.
1. http://www.polarisproject.org/
The Polaris Project is an international, national, and local effort to stop slavery. Their organization does more than just provide information about slavery; they find viable ways to stop slavery through legislation, grassroots campaigns, and help for freed victims of human trafficking. The Polaris Project has an entire section of the website, the "Action Center," which provides multiple ways for people to become involved.
2. http://www.humantrafficking.org/
This website is a great resource for learning about human trafficking around the world. It goes into recent and historical events within disparate regions and nations. While part of the website is devoted to taking action, this is more useful for research and awareness purposes.
3.http://www.unodc.org/unodc/index.html?ref=menutop
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime includes a subsection on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling which provides useful information. Specifically this website shows what the UN is doing about this global problem, as well as providing basic information for people who are unaware about human trafficking.
4. http://www.justice.gov/olp/human_trafficking.htm
This website is along the same lines as the UNODC, except this is specifically for American cases of human trafficking. The links to the documents, such as the Trafficking Victims Protection Acts, are especially handy for those doing in-depth research into the legal side of human trafficking in the United States.
5.www.humantraffickingsearch.net/
This website primarily serves as a search engine for visitors to find other websites about human trafficking, child labor, sex slavery, and forced labor. It also provides current news about human trafficking cases, links to videos about human trafficking, and maps to show current statistics about slavery across the globe. If the sites I have listed aren't enough, this website is a good way to find more!
6. http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/
This website details the history of human trafficking from 2000-2010 in countries all over the world. This includes a brief description of each country's economic status, as well as government documents, personal testimonies from freed slaves, efforts to combat human trafficking, and archives of relevant news stories. This website is a great way to find information about one specific country, the types of human trafficking occurring there, and why that country is currently susceptible to this global dilemma.
7. http://www.madebysurvivors.com/
This is a really cool website that creates a market for products created by people freed from slavery. Sometimes those who are freed can be worse off because they have lost their livelihood and have no knowledge about how to support themselves, but foundations such as The Emancipation Network can provide an outlet for their products. This is important because it reintegrates freed slaves into social and economic circles, as well providing their children with an education and helping them psychologically.
8. http://www.examiner.com/x-24740-Human-Rights-Examiner
This blog provides a daily rundown of all the human trafficking cases worldwide. It gives a very good idea of how widespread cases are, and also provides a jumping-off point for more in-depth research into specific cases.
9. http://www.laborrights.org/
The International Labor Rights Forum discusses cases of inequality in labor globally. This site also includes a link to a list of the products suspected to be produced by slave labor, as of September 2009 (at http://www.laborrights.org/news/12103). This information can be insightful, especially in raising awareness of how ignorant consumers are supporting slavery without their knowledge.
10. http://www.catwinternational.org/
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women specifically focuses on women stuck in slavery, especially sex slavery. This website provides information in 9 different languages about the fight against prostitution and sexual exploitation of women's bodies. CATW has many campaigns and programs internationally, including one to decrease the male demand for prostitution and another to reform laws regarding prostitution in many different countries. The website also has "fact books" about trafficked women in countries all over the world, with specific cases and governmental policies.
11. http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
Not For Sale is an international grassroots campaign to raise awareness and bring about social change regarding modern day slavery. The programs and events put on by Not For Sale are effective in raising awareness and getting viewers involved. This campaign definitely seems to be aiming for widespread involvement from all sorts of people by declaring that anyone can help end slavery, and that every person can contribute some skill to the fight. Not For Sale has few projects worldwide, but they are deeply involved in those places they have set up campaigns.
12. http://www.freetheslaves.net/
Free the Slaves is focused on a comprehensive plan to end slavery. Liberating slaves and helping them adjust to free lives is the main focus of this organization, as well as research into the best way to free all slaves and reintegrate them into normal society. This research includes recording stories of freed slaves, documenting what approaches to freeing slaves works for future knowledge, and working with companies and governments to discuss viable options for freeing all slaves.
13. http://www.justice.gov/crt/crim/smuggling_trafficking_facts.pdf
This is a pdf from the Human Trafficking and Smuggling Center providing basic information about human trafficking and how it differs from human smuggling. Though the pdf is from 2005, it still provides useful information to help readers understand the reality of human trafficking. Since human trafficking is an invisible form of slavery and therefore not widely recognized, documents such as this one can help newly informed people recognize and acknowledge human trafficking for what it is: slavery.
14. http://doctorsatwar.org/
This organization provides medical care to victims of human trafficking, and raises awareness of some sobering facts: 30% of slaves will be treated by medical professionals who will not recognize them as victims of human trafficking; many of the victims of human trafficking will become HIV positive, malnutritioned, and otherwise ill from mistreatment. Doctors At War are trained to recognize victims of slavery, as well as treat freed slaves who cannot afford their necessary medical care. This website provides opportunities to get involved, either as a doctor or as a volunteer, in this important step in freeing slaves before sending them out into the real world.
15. http://www.endhumantraffickingnow.com/pages/default.aspx
This website provides some detailed information about what businesses can do in order to stop human trafficking; while most action websites focus on individual volunteers, this information can be helpful for companies who want to do their part to fight slavery. The information End Human Trafficking Now provides is a lot more straight-forward than some of the other action websites; this is the only one I have found that discusses who traffic people, not just who is trafficked. This website also provides access to the Victims Assistance Database, which provides contact information for businesses and individuals in countries around the world to which victims of human trafficking can turn for assistance.
Click HERE to open the feedback tool.
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