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 Modern-day slavery alive and well in
Florida
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Terry Coonan, executive
director of the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights at Florida State
University, left, holds a copy of a human rights report. |
Report: Modern-day slavery alive and well in Florida
Wednesday, February 25, 2004 Posted: 9:23 AM EST (1423 GMT)
Center for the Advancement of Human Rights
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) -- Modern-day slavery is alive and well in Florida,
the head of a human rights center said Tuesday as it released a report on people
forced to work as prostitutes, farmworkers and maids across the state.
Human traffickers bring thousands of people into the United States each year and
Florida is believed to be one of the top three destinations, along with New York
and Texas, according to the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights at
Florida State University.
Although there have been several prosecutions of human trafficking in Florida,
no one knows how many people in Florida are under the control of traffickers,
said Terry Coonan, the center's executive director.
In south Florida, federal prosecutions have indicated hundreds of farmworkers
were victims of human trafficking, and a forced prostitution ring identified as
many as 40 young women and girls brought from Mexico. The center also cited a
case of "domestic servitude" in southwest Florida.
But the problem is not limited to those areas or those industries, according to
Robin Thompson, director of the research project.
"All you have to do is look where cheap labor is required and where there is a
potential for labor exploitation, which pretty much can put you anywhere in our
state," Thompson said.
The center organized a "working group" of advocates and law enforcement
officials to study the issue. The project was funded by a federal grant under a
2000 law designed to increase protections for victims of human trafficking.
The center's report emphasized that not all victims of human trafficking are
illegal immigrants. Many enter the United States legally but because of their
poverty or inability to speak English are exploited by traffickers.
And some victims are Americans, Thompson said, pointing to the homeless,
addicted and runaways as potential victims for traffickers.
"The greater the awareness, the more likely these cases will be reported and
prosecuted," Coonan told reporters. "This is almost an invisible crime because
the victims are kept out of the public eye. We need to crack this code of
silence."
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