Today I went rummaging through www.slaverymap.org ‘s map reports. I read one in particular that blew me away. I’m sitting here thinking…”How do we help THESE people?”

Here’s the link to the direct story for your read:

These children were stolen away from their families and were forced to work and had ZERO outside communication, not even the internet. Now, Slavery Report’s goal and mission is to enable a wider range of reporting to be conducted with more precise information. We have to keep in mind that some of these reports might not be 100% accurate, simply because of the shroud of darkness that envelopes each and every case of Human Trafficking. However, those we can set free because of the efforts of this website and the tons of users of our mobile app on a daily basis are worth the margin of error.

But those who have no contact with the outside world, how are they to be saved? Well, that comes by YOU. Yes, that’s right…YOU are the awaiting hero that so many of these people have been seeking, some their entire known lives. I applaud Not For Sale‘s Not For Sale Academy, because it trains individuals like you and me to be able to properly spot Human Trafficking when we see it, but the only downside is that it’s so distant. I would encourage Not For Sale to start and online academy, one that has a teacher and a course, but is conducted online. Either that, or branch out the academy to more and more locations. We need to be able to spot Human Trafficking and accurately report it if we have any hopes at all in saving these lives.

Remember, a tip, a report, an official record, those play a very large role in what may be SOMEONE’S LIFE. How can I say this? Because victims’ lives are dependent on the image of this organization. If our reports are repeatedly inaccurate then our credibility will go down and someone’s life who could have been saved and redeemed will have a much harder chance.

We need dedicated members, dedicated soldiers, dedicated volunteers who will conduct themselves professionally and become knowledgeable enough to save a life. A Victim of Human Trafficking is relying on the credibility of Abolitionists everywhere…Sroda Xedagbui needs your credibility.

With that we here at Slavery Report ask humbly that each of you remain vigilant, professional, and dedicated towards emancipating victims of Human Trafficking like Sroda Xedagbui.

This is a story I saw on facebook just now. I know it’s a few months old but…OMG. Through the tears in my eyes, I find it hard to even share this with you. Please bear with me….

Bethany, OK – On December 21, Bethany Police Chief announced the arrest of Francisco Gomez, 31, who has been charged with multiple drug trafficking charges and is believed to have knowledge of the grisly murder of 19-year-old Carina Saunders.

    

Gomez’ co-defendant, Jimmy Lee Massey (aka “Big Country”), 33, was already in custody. Both are allegedly members of a drug/sex trafficking ring operating in Oklahoma.

According to an affidavit, Massey has admitted to kidnapping another woman and forcing her to watch as Saunders was tortured to death on October 9, 2011. Massey also told investigators how the young woman’s body was then dismembered.

On October 13, Saunders’ remains were discovered inside a duffel bag behind the Homeland grocery store at NW 23 and Rockwell Avenue. She had been beheaded and could only be indentified through dental records.

Massey also told and investigators  that Saunders was killed simply to send a message of to the kidnapped woman as well as other women to comply with those running the prostitution ring.

Chief Cole expects more arrests in the case. Many of those now under investigation are said to be Mexican nationals and the drug/sex trafficking ring is reportedly directly connected to one of the cartels.

Though the mainstream press has failed to report on the growing cartel and Latin American gang violence in this country, beheadings and torture killings are nothing new.

-In 2005, two MS-13 members were convicted in an Alexandria, Va. United States District Court for killing a 17-year-old pregnant girl. A rope was placed around the neck of Brenda Paz, she was then stabbed repeatedly. Her body was then left along the muddy banks of Virginia’s Shenandoah River. The murder was retribution for the girl’s cooperation with a federal investigation into the gang’s activities.

MS-13 (or Mara Salvatrucha) was formed by Salvadoran, mostly illegal immigrants in the 1980’s, during El Salvador’s civil war. While the gang was originally made up exclusively of Salvadorans, they now accept all Central Americans as well as Mexicans. MS stands for Mara (slang for mob), Salva (El Salvador), Trucha (slang for on-guard).

MS-13 began in Los Angeles and as members moved deeper into the country, more loosely structured gangs or cliques were formed. However, these cliques continued to communicate with one another, and the network was formed.

Over the years, MS-13 has become better structured, and the FBI believes that the gang’s L.A. members have a higher status among the group. The gang typically targets high school and even middle school students for recruitment.

-In October 2007, three Mexican nationals were charged with first-degree murder in the death of Mario Lopez, 27, also a Mexican national whose decapitated body was found a month earlier in the Atchafalaya River.

-On April 8, 2008, while testifying before the Florida House of Representatives in support of tougher immigration enforcement measures, Bill Stewart, Deputy Chief of Staff for Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum said: “Florida is the number one state in the nation for human trafficking. And I will just leave you with a recent story that occurred in the panhandle.”

“There were several girls that were trafficked into the panhandle from Mexico.  These girls were raped repeatedly over a week’s period of time, and one of them actually resisted while she was being raped.”

“So the smugglers grabbed all of these girls, chained them in chairs, and put them in a room. They brought in the girl who refused to be raped, and they beheaded her, in front of all of the other girls that were in that room. And they left them there, with her body, and those little girls, for several hours,” Stewart concluded.

-In March 2011, police in Chandler, AZ, announced that the man found beheaded in his apartment in October 2010 was killed after he stole from Mexican drug smugglers, who in turn, hired assassins to murder him.

According to Chandler police, Martin Alejandro Cota-Monroy, 38, stole 400 pounds of marijuana and methamphetamine from the El Chapo drug trafficking organization, and told the cartel that the drugs had been seized by the Border Patrol.

When the cartel discovered that Cota-Monroy lied to them, they hired hitmen to kidnap and murder him.

On October 10, 2010, Cota-Monroy’s neighbor found him lying in a pool of blood, decapitated.

Chandler police Detective David Ramer told reporters: “It was a very gruesome scene. Anytime you see a headless body stabbed multiple times, obviously that’s gruesome. And this is a message being sent — not only are they going to kill you but they’re going to dismember your body, and ‘If you cross us, this is what happens.’”

As the cartels and foreign gangs specializing in drug/sex trafficking continue to spread throughout the United States, there will undoubtedly be more little girls forced into prostitution as well as more grisly murder scenes.

Americans need to know that just because the mainstream press doesn’t cover it…doesn’t mean it is not happening.

Source: http://usopenborders.com/2012/01/cartel-violence-is-here-teen-tortured-beheaded-in-oklahomapress-silent/

I found this online and thought I would re-blog it. VERY USEFUL INFORMATION!!!

• Victim Assistance Program (PDF – 2 pages. 737 KB)

Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Program

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents investigate a variety of federal crimes, including human trafficking. This information will help you understand your rights under federal law as a victim of human trafficking in the United States as well as assistance that is available to you throughout the investigation and beyond. If you have questions at any time, we encourage you to contact your ICE case agent or the ICE Victim Assistance Coordinator.
The Crime of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.

Human trafficking victims are found in all legitimate and illegitimate labor sectors, including sweat shops, agricultural fields, restaurants, hotels, massage parlors, and domestic service. If you have been forced or deceived into working against your will and are unable or afraid to leave employment, you may be a victim of trafficking.

If you are under 18 and engaged in prostitution, you are a victim of trafficking under U.S. law.

Violence is often present in human trafficking situations, but exploitation can occur without physical violence and traffickers often use subtle methods of coercion to induce fear and exert power over their victims.
How to Know If You Are a Victim

If you have experienced one or more of the following situations you may be a victim of trafficking.

• When I came to the United States I was told I would provide childcare and would work five days a week for an agreed upon wage. Instead, I have been tricked or forced to work in some other job and am paid very little, if anything.
• My employer took my identification and travel documents when I got to the U.S. I am not allowed to keep them myself and have not seen them since I arrived.
• My employer told me that if I left his employment, he would use his connections to hurt my family members back home.
• I work really long hours in very poor working and living conditions. I have been threatened with jail or deportation if I stop working.
• Someone where I live and work is always watching my every move. My contact with the outside world is very restricted.
• I’ve witnessed other people try to escape and get beaten or threatened. My employer uses these people as an “example” of what will happen to others if we try to leave.

Even if you knowingly entered the country illegally, you could be a trafficking victim if you were forced or coerced into working against your will.

ICE’s primary concern is victim safety and ensuring that victims of human trafficking are not victimized again. ICE can connect victims to other organizations that can provide long-term assistance and support.
Victims’ Legal Rights in the U.S.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act is a federal law that guarantees certain legal benefits and services to victims who are in the United States because they were trafficked. The law provides several options for immigration relief that to be explored with the help of an attorney. If you do not yet have legal representation, ICE can help refer you to a non-profit organization that specializes in immigration issues.

Once ICE or another federal law enforcement agency has determined that an individual is a victim of trafficking, he or she will become eligible for Continued Presence (CP). CP is a temporary status that allows you to remain in the U.S. for one year (renewable if necessary) during the ongoing investigation or prosecution of the trafficker. Once you obtain CP you can also get a work authorization.

A T Visa is a four year non-immigrant status that enables victims to stay in the U.S. and assist federal and/or state authorities in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases. For those older than 18, in order to receive a T Visa a victim must be complying with reasonable requests for assistance from law enforcement unless unable to cooperate due to physical or psychological trauma. A T Visa recipient must be likely to suffer extreme hardship upon removal from the U.S. Receipt of a T Visa also enables recipients to bring certain family members to the U.S.

There are other forms of immigration relief that may be applicable depending on your unique circumstances. We encourage you to explore all options with an immigration attorney.
Other Forms of Victim Assistance

Freedom is only the first step to rebuilding your life and restoring your well-being.

There are many types of assistance available at no cost, including:

• housing
• food and other basic needs
• medical care
• mental health services and counseling
• case management
• legal assistance
• transportation
• translation and interpretation
• English language classes
• job skills training

There are a number of governmental, non-governmental, and community-based organizations that can assist immediately with a range of services.

An ICE Victim Assistance Coordinator can help connect you to these resources.
Contact

By mail or phone:
ICE Victim Assistance Program
Office of Investigations
500 12th St. SW, Mail Stop 5101
Washington, D.C. 20536-5101

Phone: 866-872-4973
Fax: 202-732-5876

Source: http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1270568285419.shtm

Recently I sent an email to Sally Kern, the Oklahoma State House Representative who is drafting a new bill to help combat Human Trafficking. To my surprise, a response was given! Representative Kern said she would pass along our email to a few of her associates who are involved with aiding Human Trafficking victims and would help promote our website.

Thank you Sally Kern for your support!

-Slavery Report and Human Trafficking Victims worldwide salute you