Tag: #sex trafficking

Conspiracy Theories Fly With Epstein’s Death

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By D. S. Mitchell

Twitter On Fire

There is a great deal of discussion about whether sex trafficker and pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide, or was murdered. OMG, if you have been on Twitter; or watching the 24/7 cable news, over the last week, the hue and cry has been thundering.  The conspiracy theories are flying, and they aren’t flattering to many high profile men, such as Prince Andrew, Alan Dershowitiz, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and strangely, AG William Barr’s father, Donald Barr.

Failure Of Explanations

I have a few times in my life knowingly and eagerly embraced a “conspiracy theory.” The reason of course, was because I could not accept the unbelievable government “explanations.”  The first and second were the murders of JFK and RFK. I just have felt that the Kennedy brothers made some very powerful enemies. Their enemies believed the Kennedy’s were dangerous to the country.

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Trump Friend Arrested On Sex Trafficking Charges

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Trump Associate Arrested

By D. S. Mitchell

Big News

The big news Saturday July 6th, 2019 was all about the Jeff Epstein arrest in New York. Epstein, a hedge fund billionaire, and registered sex offender has been the center of scandal and corruption for decades.

Head Banging

Donald Trump, our current president, has been a long-time Epstein friend and associate. I wonder if Trump has spent this week-end banging his head against the wall? Whether he is head-banging or hair-pulling, I bet Trump is throwing a mindless fit.

High Flyers

Trump told New York magazine in 2002 that Epstein was “a lot of fun to be with.” Epstein was known to entertain his high-flying friends on his private Caribbean island or at the Gatsby-like parties he threw at his luxury homes in Manhattan, New Mexico and Palm Beach, Florida.

Prince Andrew

Prince Andrew, younger brother of Prince Charles was reportedly close with Epstein. Andrew was forced to step down from his prominent position as special UK representative for trade in 2011, after it was reported that Epstein had once arranged a sexual encounter for the prince with a 17-year-old girl — one of a number of under-aged girls Epstein allegedly groomed to entertain his powerful male friends.

Princes And Presidents

Andrew wasn’t the only prominent man who was caught up in the Epstein sex scandal.  It is well known that at one point, Epstein also hung out with both Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, the Washington Post reported. 

In The Old Days

Trump commented in a 2002 interview that Epstein, “likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” Trump has had at least 22 women make allegations of sexual assault against him. Furthermore, there is a very dark story about Trump at an Epstein party many years ago. The oft repeated tale, alleged by a then 13-year-old girl, is that Trump raped her. Epstein was given a very sweet deal in Florida, let’s see if his money and powerful friends will be coming to his aid in this now very public case in New York.

 

GLOBAL SEX TRAFFICKING: PART VI-AUSTRALIA

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GLOBAL SEX TRAFFICKING:

PART VI – AUSTRALIA 

By Trevor K. McNeil

On the Surface

Australia is generally seen as a tough, sporty, happy-go-lucky western democracy. A small isolated continent surrounded by water in a geographic region known as Oceania. A tangle of contradictions and mix of traditions making it one of the most unique, unusual and interesting nations on earth. Sadly it is also a tier 1 level country in terms of international human and sex trafficking. This despite consistently complying with minimum requirements.

Not Enough

It turns out the minimum is not quite enough. Trafficking is rampant in Australia in terms of both labor and sexual exploitation. It is difficult to know exactly how bad the problem is, as there is little reliable data on the issue. The government is quite scattershot in terms of acknowledging the issue. Often downplaying it as not to sully their international reputation.

No Significant Steps

According to a report by the United States Justice Department, while levels of sex trafficking are relatively low, it remains a persistent problem. Mostly due to a lack of significant steps on the part of the government. Of the 87 cases of sex trafficking in 2014, less than half ended in prosecution. Despite cases such as a 15-year-old girl who, after suffering horrific abuse requiring surgery for severe damage to her anus, was sold to an undercover police officer for $5,000.

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Global Sex Trafficking: Part V-North America

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Global Sex Trafficking:

Part V: North America

By Trevor K. McNeil

“Sex terrorism is the use of illicit sex, violence and threats to intimidate or coerce to the state of fear and submission. Sex trafficking includes the transportation of persons by means of coercion, deception and /or force into exploitative and slavery-like conditions, and is commonly associated with organized crime,”–Erika Klein, activist, writer.

Show Me The Money

Poverty and the desire to get out of it can be a very powerful motivator, although capitalism can also be a motivating factor. For everyone who “pulls themselves up by their boot-straps,” as per the American Delusion, there are more who pursue a darker journey. Taking advantage of the freest of markets in the world. The one that is completely free of any regulation, because it operates outside the law. An estimated two-thirds trafficking victims in the United States are U.S. citizens. With foreign-born women, government statistics estimate between 15,000 and 50,000 are trafficked into the country each year. Foreign born sex trafficking victims for the most part come to the United States legally on various types of visas.

The Need and the Damage Done

The most lucrative illegal market is narcotics. It is the only vice to have a democratic government declare “war” on it. Some of the richest people in North America are drug dealers. As evidence of that fact, Massachusetts has just brought suit against the billionaire Sackler family and their company, Purdue Pharma. Massachusetts claims Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers personally and actively pushed their highly addictive narcotic pain-killer, Oxycontin on an unsuspecting populace.

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Global Sex Trafficking: Part III-Europe

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GLOBAL SEX TRAFFICKING:

PART III – EUROPE

By Trevor K. McNeil

More Than Meets the Eye

Europe is not the first place that comes to most people’s minds when they hear the term “sex trafficking”. Europe is generally seen as a bastion of civility and progressive politics. Particularly by those who live outside of it. In the minds of many, the UK, The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Norway are Western Europe. However, the continent is huge and varied

Lots of Space to Hide

Russia is among the worst nations in Europe for sex trafficking. The Russian Federation is a massive nation made up of millions of people. The Federation covers 11 time zones and 2 continents. It is also characterized by decades of severe austerity and deep corruption. All of which make it a ripe spot for international sex trafficking. The secret nature of sex trafficking skews the statistics. Sex traffickers moved over half-a-million women and girls from Russia between 1992-2002. The average cost of each woman, $5,000.

Changing World

Corrupt officials, Russian mafia, globalization and the inter-connectedness of that phenomenon, technological advances, cell phones, internet, and fast travel merged to facilitate human trafficking. The changing world has allowed the growth of an international network of criminals who use lies, drugs, imprisonment, debt bondage, exploitation, and abuse to create a criminal empire that rakes in billions of dollars annually through sex trafficking.

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Global Sex Trafficking: Part II-Asia

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GLOBAL SEX TRAFFICKING:

PART II – ASIA

 By Trevor K. McNeil

Denied

Human trafficking is quite simply the exploitation of a human being. Trafficked people typically have limited access to the basic necessities of food, sleep, hygiene, safety and medical care. Traffickers subject their victims to terrible physical and psychological abuse. Social isolation, being one of the worst. Violence and harsh exploitive treatment often leads to serious health risks including HIV/AIDS. Furthermore serious mental health issues result from such treatment. Anxiety, fear, stress, insecurity and trauma are common. The few studies done on the results of trafficking on its victims show high levels of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in formerly trafficked persons. The Trafficking experience can also lead to cognitive impairment, memory loss, depression, and even suicide.

Another Side Of Human Trafficking

Sex trafficking is an element of the globalized human trafficking trade.  The casual observer does not see the harmful consequences of the underground criminal trafficking business. Trafficked children are of course the most vulnerable.  Sadly, trafficking whether for labor or sex or a combination of the two will have a detrimental impact on a child’s emotional, physical, and overall psychological development. Human trafficking is slavery.  Slavery is at its greatest level in human history.

Human Costs

Human beings are social creatures. Social isolation is a devastating result of trafficking. A sex trafficker’s evil intent is to separate a slave from their family and support system. There is no mechanism for the enslaved to reach out for help. The traffickers send victims to international destinations cutting them off even further from empathetic social contacts due to language, geographic and cultural differences. Rescued sex slaves report facing stigma and isolation both during and after their trafficking experience, most hurtful from family and friends.

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Global Sex Trafficking: Part I-Africa

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GLOBAL SEX TRAFFICKING:

PART I – AFRICA

By Trevor K. McNeil

As Common As Sunshine

Sex trafficking is one of the most common and lucrative criminal enterprises. Sex trafficking is second only to narcotics trafficking in profit. It is no accident that the two take on similar attributes in terms of root causes and methods. One of the regions worst affected by sex trafficking, particularly involving children, is Africa.

A Matter Of Scope

It can be tempting to think of Africa as a sort of amorphous mass. There are even those in the present day who still mistake it for a country rather that a continent made up of 54 independent member nations. That said, one of the things common to nearly all of them is the tragedy of sex trafficking. International statistics show that 89% of African nations are challenged by the issue.

Economies Of Scale

The most obvious cause for sex trafficking in Africa is severe poverty in many of the member nations. Poverty is a reason both for the traffickers and those who give either themselves, or their children to the trade. At least in cases where choice is involved. The economic situation so dire in many member nations that even a relatively small amount of cash can be enough to induce someone with no previous inclination to get involved in sex trafficking.

Demand

Another major cause in all cases of sex trafficking and particularly on the African continent is supply and demand. A situation created in part by a large population of economically depressed people, combined with fear over the AIDS crisis, and shortage of females. There is a shortage of available women in many countries. This is due to the strong cultural preference for sons, leading to an imbalance of the genders. Similar to imbalances  found in China and other Asian countries.

Risks

Sex trafficking is a relatively low risk activity for the traffickers. Even in nations in which it is expressly illegal, this can also often be gotten around though the judicious careful use of bribes. It is no secret that many African governments suffer from core corruption. A fact which traffickers use to their advantage.

Effects

The physical and psychological effects on the victims is devastating. Sex slaves will often commit suicide to escape another day of rape and abuse. There are other, not so visible effects of the corruption that supports human trafficking such as funneling money into criminal gangs, making their syndicates more sophisticated, better able to payoff officials and better arm their private armies if things ever get nasty. Corruption this deep can have a devastating effect on the security and prosperity of a nation.

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