Trafficking

January 11th is internationally recognized as the "Human Trafficking Awareness Day" and I have to admit that I was not even aware of this until I moved to a part of the world where people are affected daily by the devastation that results from trafficking in persons. Peace Corps Moldova has an organization run by volunteers called Moldova TIP (Trafficking in Persons) which works as a liaison between local anti-trafficking groups in Moldova and Peace Corps volunteers. Because our position here as volunteers prevents us from getting directly involved in specific trafficking cases, Moldova TIP strives to gather and provide as much information as possible about the issue of human trafficking to PC volunteers so that we can, in turn, go back to our villages equipped with the necessary information in hopes that we can increase awareness and spread knowledge about the problem and methods of prevention among ourcommunities. For those of us in the education programs, this information is especially relevant since many of our students are in the age range often targeted by traffickers. I have attended some of the meetings of Moldova TIP and hope to continue my involvement in the organization as my service here continues over the next couple of years. There are many people here who are unable to find adequate means of support for themselves and their families, and as a result of this, they fall prey to trafficking schemes promising jobs abroad (jobs like nannies, waitresses, models, dancers, maids, etc). Some people are so desperate for a chance of employment that they overlook the warning signs and agree to work abroad with nothing more than a promise from a near-stranger. I have included a few links to some very interesting articles on the subject and I hope you will take the time to read them. These stories sound like the stuff of Hollywood movies, but for many here in Moldova, they are a reality...a devastating, daily reality.


The Countertraffickers
Rescuing the victims of the global sex trade.
by William Finnegan
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/05/080505fa_fact_finnegan?currentPage=all

This is an article from our very own Houston Chronicle, published in recognition of Human Trafficking Awareness Day
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6808673.html

This is the US Department of State's Trafficking In Persons Report for 2009
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/