Effects Of Human Trafficking

The effects of human trafficking (physical {sleep deprivation, poor diet, diseases} and psychological {stress, fear, depression, suicide})

Quotes:
• “Under normal conditions, workers in industries are given masks and clothing to protect them. They are also given lunch breaks and shorter hours of work. But people who are enslaved are given no protection. And often, when their day is done, they have no soft bed to sleep in. They have no bathrooms in which to take showers. They also have little food to help rebuild and nourish their bodies. In most situations, these exhausted, poorly fed, and unwashed workers sleep in close contact with one another. Therefore, if one person is infected with a disease, the illness will quickly spread. More dangerously,
if one person has a potentially deadly disease, such as tuberculosis…could wipe out an entire group” (Page 33).

• “Some victims are forced to take drugs.
Traffickers might give the victims drugs to remain passive and easily controlled. Once victims are addicted to the drugs, they will constantly want to do more…also, traffickers can use drugs as punishment. They might take the drugs away until the victims do what they tell them to do” (Page 34).

• “Almost all victims of human trafficking are placed in a situation of high stress…worried about the families that they have left behind…worried they will be beaten…fear immigration officials and being deported…afraid of being killed” (Page 35).

• “Constant stress can lead to depression…depression robs a person of energy makes that person feel he or she is worth nothing. A person who is suffering from depression might even believe that the only way to relieve this great sadness is to kill him or herself” (Page 35).

Source: Scaperlanda, Michael A. "Human Trafficking in the Heartland: Greed, Visa Fraud, and the Saga of 53 Indian Nationals "Enslaved" by a Tulsa Company." Loyola University Chicago International Law Review. 2005. Accessed January 16, 2016.
http://lawecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1130&context=lucilr.

Notes: This article exploits the John Pickle Company, a Tulsa, Oklahoma based oil company that was accused of trafficking fifty-three skilled workers from India. These men were charmed and lured to the United States with false promises of high-paying jobs and a better life for themselves and their families. Many of the men shut down their own businesses in India to take full advantage of the job opportunity that was presented in the United States. These men suffered tremendous physical and psychological abuse. Personal narratives, of those that survived, expose horrid details of their time trapped in Tulsa, Oklahoma. John Pickle was greedy, and he abused these Indian citizens for his own economic advancement.

Quotes:

• Toofan Mondal recalls what was promised, “ I would have a good future in America and I would make a good salary. He told me that food, travel, medical insurance, and accomodations would b provided free…this would be a long term contract and hat after two years, I would be allowed to bring my family to America also” (Page 229).

• Mr. Bharathakumaran Ramachdran Nair (a welder from India) describes his conversation with Mr. Pickle (false promises),
“John Pickle told me that I would be given an apartment to share with at most four people. He told me there would be a swimming pool, health club, and other amenities common to apartments in the United States…I had been given very good living arrangements while I worked in the Middle East. I assumed that what was given in the United States would be even better because of the reputation of the United States” (Page 229).

• “Nair remembered: When I first saw the dormitory, I felt bad. It was not at all what I had expected…In the dormitory, I saw bunk beds tightly packed together…it had two toilets and two urinals…there were four showers….we were told not to go anywhere or leave the dormitory…most of us had to stand or sit on the floor while we ate” (Page 232).

Notes: The men were moved to a new dormitory a few months later, but the new facility was no better.

Quotes:
• “The new dorm…was larger, but we were adding eighteen men to our number…no peace or privacy was afforded in the dorms…. the dorm was directly adjacent to the workshop. There were no protections against the hazardous materials in the workshop. X-ray machines used for the plant were often operated along the workshop wall directly adjacent to our dorm” (Page 232).

Notes: Similarly, the kitchen and food portions were not as promised. If any of us complained, Pickle threatened to deport us back to India.

Quotes:
• Toofan Mondal (the cook) o “The kitchen was very small, too small for so many people…nothing like what John Pickle had described…the utensils were not appropriate to prepare a bug quantity of food. It took very long to prepare the meals. The first week, Mr. Pickle allowed us to purchase spices to cook with our food. After the first week, he would no longer buy spices and the quality of food he bought was very bad. Mr. Pickle said that the spices were too costly…Our duties starts at 3am to have breakfast ready before 6am. As soon as breakfast was over, we had to begin preparing lunch…we worked at least 16 hours a day and sometimes more, seven days a week…I received $500 per month regardless of the amount of time I worked. I worked so many hours that I had to sleep in the kitchen” (Page 233).

o “Mr.
Pickle began to ration food. Only one small glass of milk was given every three days…. we served eggs only on days without milk, but only two days a week. I was made to use one egg for omelets and split the omelet into two pieces to serve two people. Apples were rotten. I had to cut out the bad parts, and cut the apple into pieces to share between the men. Many of the men began to complain of stomach problems. We all began to lose weight” (Page 233)

Source: Kara, Siddharth. Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009.

Notes: Personal testimony of a victim who survived the brutal sex trafficking ring in Florida The Cadena family trafficked vulnerable girls and women from Mexico with the hopes of a better life. These young girls and women were stripped of their identities and personal freedoms, and endured many brutal physical beatings.

Quotes:
• “We worked six days a week and twelve hours a day. We mostly had to serve 32-35 clients a day. Weekends were worse. Our bodies were utterly sore and swollen. The boss did not care…. we worked no matter what…they did not protect us from client beatings. Also, at the end of the night, our work did not end. It was the bosses turn with us. If anyone became pregnant, we were forced to have abortions” (Page
107).

Source: Edmiston-Lange, Rev. Dr. Becky. "The Slave Next Door." Emersonhouston. September 23, 2012. Accessed January 16, 2016. http://www.emersonhouston.org/uploads/1/1/2/7/11271028/the_slave_next_door.pdf.

Notes: Personal testimony from a survivor - Mariano came to the United States from Guatemala with the hope of making a substantial amount of money, so that he could send it back home to help defray many of his ailing parents medical expenses. He had been promised room and board.