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UNWLA Branch 7 5 Hosts Lecture on Trafficking by Danusia Lukiw Throughout the year, UNWLA Branch 75 members have hosted or participated in various events, ranging from fundraising for breast cancer awareness in Ukraine to fundraising for the Ukrain ian Museum in New York City. Branch members have sponsored art exhibits and fundraising dances; the group has also attended a yoga class and lecture on nutrition and exercise for women. Branch 75 members live in or around Maplewood, New Jersey; monthly branch meetings are held at members' homes. At a recent meeting, held at the home of Branch 75 member Olia Lukiw on May 6, 2005, the focus of attention was trafficking of women and children, a theme that has become painfully signifi cant to the Ukrainian-American community and to Ukraine. The guest speaker at the meeting was Theodore Romankow, a human rights activist who currently serves the State of New Jersey as Union County Prosecutor. Mr. Romankow began by reminding those present that the problem of human trafficking exists everywhere. According to the US State Department, he explained, about 600,000 to 800,000 people an nually are trafficked across national borders, which does not count millions trafficked within their own countries. Human trafficking or sex slavery, he stated, "doesn't occur only in third world countries or economically deprived countries." He empha sized that sex slavery occurs everywhere. It is a worldwide problem infesting countries such as Greece, Italy, Romania, China, South Korea, Russia, and Ukraine. It also exists in Canada and the United States, in small towns and large cities, regardless of their economic status or their prestige. "This could be happening right under our noses," he said. The Union County Prosecutor underscored this comment by citing examples of trafficking and sex slavery in local communities. "In Union County," he stated," we have problems with a lot of women involved with human trafficking," He pointed out that there are twelve massage parlors operating in Springfield, New Jersey, adding that in North Plainfield, Mexican women were held captive as slaves and forced to perform sexual acts on at least six men a day. He also cited the recent arrest of several men who had held a woman captive in Short Hills, another New Jersey community. Mr. Romankow then spoke about the vic tims of human trafficking. "No one," he remarked, "signs up to be a sex slave." The prosecutor pointed out that the traffickers target mostly women and un derage girls, luring them with promises of careers in acting or modeling. In most cases, the women and girls are then kidnapped, beaten, tortured, and brainwashed. Their passports are stolen and they are forced to become sex slaves. "It's not just sex," he said. "It's their lives totally changing." Mr. Romankow then mentioned The Nata shas: Inside the Global Sex Trade by Victor Ma- larek, which documents the journey of several traf ficking victims. According to the book, Interpol es timates that an exploited young woman can bring in $75,000 to $250,000 a year. A girl who is bought for $1,500 can bring in over $100 an hour, allowing the buyer to make back his investment in just a few nights. Human trafficking, according to experts, is the number two criminal enterprise in the world (af ter gunrunning), bringing in eight billion dollars an nually. Mr. Romankow also spoke about Ukraine's trafficking problems, commenting on how rising unemployment, poverty, and a weakened social structure lead some parents to sell their children to traffickers. The victims fear for their own lives and their families' lives. Traffickers beat them to instill fear, telling them that if they run away or contact authorities they will be murdered and their families will be tracked down and killed; many are eventu ally murdered by their captors. Even those who manage to get away are irreparably damaged. Many contract sexually transmitted diseases; many suffer psychological problems. "A lot of these girls won't go back home because they are embarrassed," Mr. Romankow said. The United States has recently recognized that human trafficking must be a governmental con cern. In 2002, Congress passed the Anti-trafficking Act. Under this legislation, the maximum penalty for trafficking is a 20-year sentence in prison. Mr. Romankow noted that New Jersey's Governor Richard Codey recently signed a law that provides 16 “Н А Ш Е Ж ИТТЯ”, ЛИПЕНЬ-СЕРПЕНЬ 2005 Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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