US emergency trafficking hotline says calls spiked under lockdown

New York, US Thomson Reuters Foundation The number of people seeking emergency shelter to escape human trafficking surged in the month following US lockdown orders implemented to slow the spread of coronavirus, a leading anti-trafficking group said on Monday. The economic and social turmoil of the pandemic created conditions conducive to people falling victim to […]
Trump declares anti-human trafficking push but some stay away
Mexico City, MexicoThomson Reuters Foundation US President Donald Trump on Friday vowed to boost measures to fight human trafficking, but several anti-trafficking groups skipped the White House event amid criticism that his immigration policies enable modern slavery. In next year’s government budget will be a request for $US70 million to fight trafficking, and an anti-trafficking […]
A simple debit card can help fight human trafficking, UN banking group says
New YorkThomson Reuters Foundation Dozens of banks have signed up to a UN program to offer trafficking survivors accounts and debit cards, organizers said on Friday, providing tools they may lack if their captors stole their financial identity or ruined their credit. The banking coalition, launched during the annual General Assembly meeting of the United […]
Fear of authorities, deportation is silencing trafficking victims, US group says

New York City, US Thomson Reuters Foundation Reports of human trafficking in the United States hit a record high last year but calls about labor trafficking dropped, according to research on Tuesday that also said immigrants and minorities are likely to be afraid to speak up. Calls to a national hotline totaled nearly 11,000 in […]
“Unworkable” US system traps former sex slaves with criminal records
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation Trafficking victims who sell sex, drugs or steal in the United States often end up with criminal records that make it hard to find jobs or rent a home, legal experts and activists said on Thursday, calling for reform to help them rebuild their lives. Most arrests and convictions […]
Foreign workers in US fall victim to traffickers – report
Thomson Reuters Foundation Foreigners with temporary work visas in the United States are falling victim to human trafficking as recruiters and employers exploit flaws in a system that includes several government agencies, an advocacy group said. Guest workers are often tied to one employer and can be deported if they change jobs or quit, making […]
Hike in calls to US trafficking helpline shows new forms of abuse
Thomson Reuters Foundation A rise in the number of calls by human trafficking victims to a US hotline has revealed new types of exploitation, including children forced to sell candy or beg on the street. The anti-slavery charity Polaris said on Wednesday that calls to its national human trafficking hotline and a text message service […]
Airbnb vows to tackle sex trafficking in rental homes
Thomson Reuters Foundation Short-term home rental company Airbnb said on Monday it would invest in new technology to crack down on modern slavery amid concerns that traffickers are turning its properties into “pop-up brothels” to sexually exploit vulnerable women and girls. Airbnb exclusively told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that it has teamed up with anti-trafficking […]
Sex trafficking in US massage parlors a $US2.5 billion business, study finds
Thomson Reuters Foundation US traffickers make $US2.5 billion a year forcing women to have sex in massage parlors, according to a report on Wednesday describing victims as new immigrants with debts and no language skills. The illegal massage parlor business is the second largest US human trafficking industry after escort services, the anti-slavery group Polaris […]