Baby Trafficking?!

Source

According to an Australian Broadcast Corporation report,  a company in Thailand has been exposed for its "terrifying surrogacy ring."  Make no mistake, this isn't a case of surrogacy where a contractual agreement exists between a childless couple and a willing surrogate mother participant.  The company known as Baby 101 is accused of holding thirteen Vietnamese women captive in order to bear children for Taiwanese clients.  Because gestational surrogacy is illegal in Taiwan, the Thai company provided a black market solution for some childless Taiwanese couples.  The only problem is, the "surrogate" mothers aren't technically free agents; they're victims of human trafficking.  Their unborn children haven't even breathed their first breath outside the womb and they're trafficking victims, too.

BANGKOK - THIRTEEN Vietnamese women, seven of them pregnant, have been rescued from an 'illegal and inhuman' surrogate baby breeding ring in Thailand, officials said on Thursday.

Police said the company, called Baby 101, received orders by email or via agents from childless couples and in some instances the male partner would provide sperm to inseminate the women.

'This is illegal and inhuman. In some cases it looks like they were raped,' said Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, who added that those carrying children would be cared for in a private hospital.

The Vietnamese women, some of whom were offered thousands of dollars per baby, were held in two houses in Bangkok and had had their passports confiscated.

The women were freed after they were able to send an email to the Vietnamese embassy, which tipped off Thai authorities.

'Nine of the women said they had volunteered to work because they were told they would earn US$5,000 (S$6,400) for each baby. Four said they were tricked,' said Deputy Immigration Commander Major General Manu Mekmok. -- AFP  [Straits Times]

This scenario presents a terrifying (not necessarily) new (but yet widely unheard of) scenario where not only are young women (often children themselves) bought and sold as chattel for sex and domestic labor (which is bad enough) they're baby machines to boot.  In the business sense of global human trafficking, it makes scary sense.  Human trafficking exists widely because of demand and the supply for demand.  In the case of Baby 101, the company saw a demand by childless couples in a country where surrogacy is illegal.  So Baby 101 supplied that demand.

Nearly 40 women, who are identified only by a numbered code, are pictured in various poses on a website believed to be run by the company, many of which seem to be around a swimming pool at the same property.

The surrogacy service, from egg and sperm donation to the delivery of a baby, is advertised on the site for $32,000 plus other expenses.

It appears to be aimed at Taiwanese customers and says that because running a commercial surrogacy business in that country is illegal it conducts its operations in other locations.

Offices were listed in Bangkok, Phnom Penh in Cambodia and Vietnam.

The website says Thai women are not used as surrogates and adds "the protection of the law is absolutely (sic)".

It says where the women live "there are security lookout in every entrance, severely control the person and vehicles that pass in and out to the community, the guards routinely patrol around 24 hours a day all year".

Pictures of pregnant women in the house are also shown.

The company describes itself as "eugenics surrogate" and promises no "connection between consignor (client) and surrogate mother".

"We could create the finest procreation condition for your baby, mainly through the efficient embryo refining, only the superior left for implanting," it adds.

"It is really really critical for the investigators to get to the bottom of this," said Phil Robertson, of New York-based Human Rights Watch.

"This is human trafficking in its most perverse and horrific form, sexual exploitation and rape, the mind boggles that something like this could happen," he said. [ABC News]

Fortunately in this case, charges are expected against at least one member of Baby 101's deprave organization.  On a grim note, however, I fear what other "commodities" trafficking rings around the world have exploited for financial gain at the detriment of enslaved women and children.  We only know what's been brought into the light, but we'd be fools to think there's not more injustice hiding in the darkness.

Grimly,

RF

Education Crisis

This evening's news heralded more coverage here in St. Louis on the Albert Pujols contract dilemma with the Cardinals.  ESPN speculated the following in a report today, Albert Pujols talks break off.   

"Is Albert Pujols worth $30 million per season?  He is a year and a half younger than Alex Rodriguez was when he signed a 10-year, $275M contract in 2007, and based on the numbers here, one could say that Pujols has been underpaid." 

Another issue that is on the Greater St. Louis area's plate is more budget cuts for one of our largest school districts.  This evening Francis Howell School District announced that it expects to lay off nearly one-hundred employees (mostly teachers) this week during a board decision meeting.  The almost certain decision will affect nearly every school in the district.

Check out KSDK's Francis Howell School district layoffs expected video report.  (Technical note, when I embed this particular source it defaults to automatic play on my blog's home page, long story short it's rather irritating hence the provided link).

My brother and I are products of the Francis Howell School District.  While I attended a private secondary school, my entire primary school education was through FHSD.  My brother will graduate this May, a K-12 product of the district.  Not only is FHSD one of the largest districts in the area, it also offers a myriad of extended learning services including top quality support for disabled and mentally handicapped students.  While the district, like other St. Louis area districts, has faced budget cuts in the past, I feel that at some point enough is enough.  I am not in any way criticizing the decision Francis Howell will most likely make as they are responding to their budget cuts the best they can.  My problem is in the budget cuts, and education funding in general.

In a larger sense, education budget cuts are a national trend;  St. Louis is not unique in this regard.  Money is a hot button topic and everyone loves to complain about the darned economy.  Yet at the same time, our entertainment industry seems to be doing just fine.  I don't have access to credible figures, but I'd be willing to bet that an obscene amount of money is funneled into the entertainment industry annually in the U.S.  Take James Cameron's 2009 Avatar, for example, which cost a whopping $237M to produce and grossed $2.7B worldwide.  Criticisms regarding the content of the film aside, I wouldn't say it was completely hopeless (if you ignore the "unobtanium" moniker); but in the grand scheme of things, do we really think this film was worth the money?  Here's the kicker, Avatar isn't the only movie out there to cost mega mullah.  I guarantee that the majority of the films that make it to theaters blew through millions as well; and for what?  To offer a lineup of new movies every few months - a ridiculously small percentage of which are even worth a fraction of the cost to go see it at the theater?

I realize it might seem a bit odd to take education cuts and the entertainment industry and discuss them side by side when they represent two very different systems.  Education is government sanctioned while the entertainment industry is comprised of private corporations.  The way I see it, however, there is a common denominator: the public (i.e. everyday Joe Schmoes, e.g. yours truly).  Our tax dollars support the education budget in our states.  Our money also directly funds the entertainment industry.  The only difference is that taxes are compulsory and going to the movie theater or buying a DVD is elective.

This is not to condemn paying for a movie or sports ticket, entertainment is there for a reason.  That said, I still take offense that we can so readily support one industry for our pleasure and then nickel and dime another.  The possible solutions to this conundrum I guarantee would be met with heated criticism.  Politics aside, this is our children's education that is at stake here.

To even begin to address our society's aspirations, that liberty and happiness our government was founded on to ensure, we absolutely have to educate our children.  They are our future.  If we neglect them now, we will certainly pay the price.  This is not to say that a thrifty education system cannot provide a quality education, but with continual budget cuts we run the risk of jeopardizing the quality the system is able to offer for the sake of money.

I bring this up because I am passionate about public welfare.  In a year I plan to graduate with a B.A. in Criminal Justice.  Even in the short period of time I've been exposed to the Criminal Justice field, I can resolutely affirm just how crucial a supportive education is for society.

The money exists that would benefit education; the question is how do we as a society ensure that it's used in the best way possible?

Candidly, I wonder what it would take to organize a "Movie Tickets for Education" event?  What if there was a way to encourage people to donate the cost of just one movie ticket's worth to their local school district?

Just some food for thought.

Signed,

RF

We didn't start the fire

I'm sure most people have heard about the Florida pastor who announced plans for "International Burn a Koran Day" on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks last September.  Well for some crazy reason, England didn't much like it when said pastor, Terry Jones, was invited to speak at a political function in their fair country.  So they banned him.  From the UK. 

Cited in this recent BBC article, which is worth a read, the reason for this exclusion was due to the government's position on extremism.  Meanwhile, Jones claims:

"I'm not against Muslims, we are not against their religion.  We have, here in the West, freedom of religion and limited freedom of speech which we don't have in other countries."

Let the record stand that Terry Jones is not against Muslims, in the same way people who burn American flags out of malice are not against Americans, or people who burn Bibles are not against Christians.  It's actually how they show their love, silly misguided simpletons.  Even better was his additional comment:

 "What I am against is the radical element.  If I came to England we would expect Muslims to rally with us."

I'm sure England's Muslim population is just devastated that that doesn't look to be a possibility anytime in the near future.  Sarcasm aside, Jones went on to complain that it wasn't fair for him to be kicked out of England permanently because his daughter and grandchildren live there.  He said the ban was unfair on a human basis.

The irony here is palpable.  It wasn't exactly "fair" on a "human basis" for the millions of Muslims who were (rightly) offended by Jones's actions.  I guess there's some poetic justice in Jones's current predicament.  The bottom line here is, hate has consequences.  When you spread enmity and discord, it's only just if you experience even a slight discomfort as a result.

So I'm not sorry, Terry Jones, that England has chucked you out.  The people you insulted with your little holiday idea lost far more than you have, their dignity.

We might not have started the fire, but it's actions like Terry Jones's that sure dumps a whole lot of oil on those proverbial flames.

The cost of free speech, a message to the Westboro Baptist Church

The Bill of Rights did not come into existence at the behest of ignorant people who wanted to picket military funerals with anti-anything signs.  The Founding Fathers put those rights into the Constitution to protect the common man (and woman) against oppression.  Furthermore, the soldiers who have died defending this nation over the centuries did not do so lightly.  It is no small gift, the freedom we have, yet there are some in our midst who seem to treat it like garbage.

Enter the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) protesters.  Recently the controversial group made good on their promise to protest in front of an administration building in St. Charles, Missouri, near my hometown.

From an article entitled 'Cowards, go home' Peaceful but vigorous counter-protest compels Westboro protesters to exit early:

"Nothing WBC protestors could say was audible with hundreds of counter protestors drowning out the unwelcome visitors, waving flags and shouting them down.  Military veterans, Tea Party organizations, youth groups, and ordinary citizens were on hand to greet the five or six WBC members upon their arrival.  Whatever message the WBC had planned to deliver was literally drowned out. "

This ladies and gentlemen is a fine example of honoring the meaning of our First Amendment rights.  Yes, you have the "right" technically to say a lot of things in the public arena (such is one of the beauties of our country), but the sacrifices that gave you that right also give you a certain responsibility to use it appropriately.  The truth in a quote popularized in the 2002 Spiderman movie, "Remember, with great power comes great responsibility," we would do well to acknowledge.

To the members spearheading the WBC's message of hate and slander against service men and women I have this to say, the heroes who have given you the right to stand up and say whatever (cowardly) message you want have made a sacrifice none of us will ever begin to deserve, you least of all.  You call yourselves Christians, followers of Christ, yet there is not one record in the Bible of Jesus Christ condoning your behavior.  Furthermore, it was Jesus Christ who said "Truly, I tell you whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).  You may be "Christians" but you are not Christians.

A funeral, regardless of who the deceased was, is a time for mourning.  The privacy of the family and friends, and the dignity of the deceased is of the utmost importance.  It is not appropriate for complete strangers (such as the WBC and the people they've protested) to ever make slurs against these people, much less at their funeral.  Add the fact that the people in question are service men and women who've fallen in defense of this nation.  The absolute fury I feel at this is indescribable.

To the rest of America, I ask what will we do with the freedom that has come at such a dear price?  Will we use it to crucify the very people who've ensured such protection, or will we use it to honor them and live the lives they've fought to ensure us?  I only hope I can begin to live up to the great responsibility given to me, and even then I know I am indebted far beyond my ability to repay.

Respectfully,

RF

Modern Slavery

Today CNN reported on a human trafficking ring that was recently thwarted in the Newark area.  Human trafficking, i.e. slavery.  Right here in the United States.  In 2010.



For the full CNN report, refer to "Held as slaves, now free" from CNN's website 

This is kind of a hot button issue for me.  Human trafficking awareness is something I am very passionate about.  I began researching about a year or so ago on the subject, after hearing about it essentially for the first time (or at least, becoming more aware of it) in a violent sex crimes class.  I'm a Criminal Justice major with a hope of doing something in the realm of working against trafficking in women and children.

The following is the introductory paragraph from a final paper for one of my CJ classes this past semester:

If someone asked me what I would buy with fifty dollars, I would think of a dinner for three at Applebee’s, a jacket from Target, or a tank and a half of gas for my truck.  I would never think that for fifty dollars, I could buy a human being.  Every day, in nearly every country across the globe, from China to our own backyard, human beings are bought and sold in a vast system where they are exploited by slave traders and holders.  This global phenomena is known as Human Trafficking.  In the United States alone, more than 100,000 people are enslaved at any given time while an additional 17,500 new victims are trafficked across our borders each year (David Batstone, Not for Sale).  While statistics do inference “at risk” populations, the viral industry that is Human Trafficking typically does not discriminate by race, nationality, or gender.  Any human being can be trafficked.  

I have compiled a survey of some of the research I have done on this subject:

• Globally, 80% of trafficking victims are female.  50% are children. (Hidden Slaves)
•  Johns pay to have sex with enslaved girls as young as five years old.  They often view their payment as earning the right to take a child's liberty. (The Client)
• Traffickers will groom their victims to earn their trust; they eventually convince their victims to travel with them, most often to a foreign country, often under the guise of a well paying job or an education
• Once victims reach their destination, they are stripped of their identifying documents (passports, driver's licenses, etc.) and often brutalized.  Traffickers will often use rape, especially if their victims are virgins, as a control device.  In many cultures, an unmarried woman who has sex regardless of the circumstance is considered despoiled and a shame on her family.  Traffickers know this well and brutally use it to shame victims into staying with them
• Traffickers essentially create a situation where their victims are utterly dependent on them.  A victim may find herself in a foreign country where she doesn't speak the language, where she is told that if she goes to the police they will put her in jail for illegal immigration (which in some cases is sadly true), where she has no personal identification documents.  She is completely at the mercy of her captors.  
• It is from there that traffickers exploit the women and children who are their victims, selling them for domestic and/or sexual slavery to the highest bidder or pimping them out, allowing them to be raped over and over again, daily. 
• Trafficking is not just a problem in Asia, Europe, or Africa.  It thrives in the U.S. as well.  

While I am hopeful that CNN's coverage of this particular case of the women from West Africa will gain  more attention to the problem of trafficking in the U.S., I know that for cases like this one that make the News there can be hundreds more that go unnoticed.  There are people in our own country who are enslaved, many of them pass under the public eye without a hitch.

Here are some sources I highly suggest for more information:

• Not for Sale, by David Batstone
• Trade, 2007 film
• The Client, pdf 
• Hidden Slaves, Forced Labor in the U.S., pdf

Signed,

RF