Human trafficking in New York

Last updated October 05, 2023

Human trafficking in New York is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, and forced labor. It occurs in the state of New York and is widely recognized as a modern-day form of slavery. It includes, "the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power, or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs."^[1]

In 2016, New York State implemented a plan to focus on the main areas of trafficking. The plan included raising awareness, helping to identify the victim, providing better services, and legislative and programmatic advocacy.^[2] The purpose was to educate people, train them to identify warning signs and understand how to assess a situation where trafficking has occurred. There were 1,541 confirmed victims of human trafficking in New York State in 2019.^[3]

History of slavery

"Almost every businessman in 18th-century New York had a stake, at one time or another, in the traffic in human beings".^[4] In New York, up to 20 percent of the population was enslaved African Americans. The first slave was brought into New York in 1626.^[5] Most of the city's local economy came from supplying various ships with the trade of slaves and the goods that they produced. The captains of the boats would buy or sell the slaves along the coast of Africa or even at the local bars of their city. A few of the main items that were produced by slaves were sugar, tobacco, indigo, coffee, chocolate, and cotton. The slaves had built many well-known buildings in New York including the prisons, hospitals, and churches. They even built the first city hall and the wall from which Wall Street got its name. Even though slavery was different in New York, it was equally as brutal. Slaves were beaten and humiliated in public by their punishments and threatened with death every day.^[4] In 1799, New York passed a law that eventually released all the slaves. The last legal slave was freed in 1827.^[5]

Historical murals and monuments

In the State of New York, there are several historical murals and monuments that depict slavery and human trafficking. Some murals have been hidden away or destroyed over time but there were many over the years that have survived and made public or national monuments. One of the monuments that is known on a national scale is the "African Burial Ground Monument" which depicts some of the first continental human trafficking on a massive scale. This also honors the lives of the slaves that were buried there in New York City after the "long-forgotten chapter in New York’s history when enslaved Africans helped build New Amsterdam".^[6] Another monument is the ark of return, a monument in the New York City branch of the United Nations.^[7] The monument honors over 18 million slaves that were trafficked during the time of the middle passage. The Swing Low: A Memorial to Harriet Tubman, in New York City.^[8] This monument was erected in memory of Harriet Tubman and her freeing of many slaves over her lifetime. The mural that was erected in Syracuse, New York, with depiction of slavery, is in the Syracuse Marriott Hotel.^[9] Although the full mural has been covered by the staff, it still remains a part of the hotel's history.

Demographics

In New York, human trafficking and all other forms of slavery are illegal and have been illegal since 1840,^[10] after an extensive court proceeding that pushed for the freedom of all slaves in New York began in 1799. However, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center keeps statistics on the number of reported cases of human trafficking and slavery in New York State. In 2011, the Department of State reported that New York, together with California, Texas, and Oklahoma, had the largest concentrations of survivors of human trafficking.^[4]

2007-2018^[11]
Statistics
Total calls	6,453
Total cases	2,147
Total victims	Moderate 2,575	High 2,510

These are the current call logs from 2007 to 2018.^[11]

"Victims & Survivors Identified 2018"^[11]
High Indicators	Moderate Indicators	Calls From Victims & Survivors
229	502	92

These numbers are the current documented victims and survivors of Human trafficking within New York State from 2018.^[11]

"Types of trafficking 2018"^[11]
Sex Trafficking	Labor Trafficking	Sex & Labor	Not specified	Total
151	25	17	13	206

The numbers above are the different types of human trafficking within the State of New York from 2018.^[11]

"Top Venues/ industries for labor trafficking"^[11]
Domestic Work	Other Industries	Retail/ Other Small Businesses	Agriculture	Restaurants/ Food Services
6	4	Less than 3	Less than 3	Less Than 3

These numbers show the documented industries in which human labor trafficking was discovered within New York State in 2018.^[11]

"Top Venues/ industries for sex trafficking"^[11]
Illicit Massage/ Spa Business	Residence-Based Commercial Sex	Hotel/ Motel-Based	Escort Services	Online Ad, Venue Unknown
21	14	13	13	13

These are the industries in which sex trafficking was discovered and documented in New York State in 2018.^[11]

"Gender Age and citizenship"
Gender		Age		Citizenship
Male	30	Adult	116	U.S. Citizen	28
Female	170	Minor	64	Foreign National Citizen	48
Non Binary	4

The chart above shows the gender, age, and citizenship status of all the known and documented cases of human trafficking within New York State in 2018.^[11]

Profiling in trafficking

Historical changes

Throughout the course of contemporary human trafficking, the profiles of victims and perpetrators have changed slightly. In New York, women are still the primary target for trafficking, but the number of men trafficked across U.S. borders has increased. 60% of those trafficked in the U.S. are women.^[12]

Common forms

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has found that the majority of human trafficking victims in the U.S. are women, and the largest proportion of human trafficking is sex trafficking and the sexual exploitation of young women.^[12] These trends are reflected in New York in recent years.^{[ citation needed ]}

Perpetrators

A study conducted by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) found that the majority of convicted offenders were found to operate alone or with a small group of family members, rather than entire organizations. The study also found that most of the offenders were men.^[13]

Laws

The New York State Anti-trafficking law was created in 2007. It created the crimes of Labor Trafficking and Sex Trafficking, provides immunity for victims and gives benefits and services to the victims.^[14]
New York State Safe Harbor for Exploited Children Act was created in 2008, giving exploited children protection from the Family Court and access to services.^[15]
In June 2018, New York passed harsher sex trafficking laws. These laws were primarily made to better combat what was once viewed as weaker child sex trafficking laws.^[16]
In August 2018, Senator Patrick M. Gallivan presented three possible bills to try and put an end to trafficking within the state.^[17]

Legal cases

Examples of legal cases involving, slavery and/or human trafficking in the state of New York include:

Derek Harris, a sex trafficker in Buffalo. Tried and found guilty in November 2017, Derek was the first person to be tried in Erie County under New York's 2007 Anti-Trafficking law.^[18]
Occurring in 2018, a proclaimed "self-help guru" (Keith Raniere), was discovered in New York to be running an illegal sex trafficking ring. Raniere was the head of a group located around the Albany area, and known as NXVIM, which is a self-help marketing company, likened to a cult and pyramid scheme. Raniere was listed to have branded his victims (listed as his "sex slaves") with his initials, before partaking in non-consensual intercourse. The trial for this case began Tuesday May 7, 2019.^[19]

Organizations

New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition is an umbrella group of more than 140 anti-trafficking organizations, and work toward raising public awareness, pass laws, improve law enforcement, and providing services to victims of human trafficking.^[20] Together with Sanctuary for Families it launched New York's New Abolitionists campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking.^[21]
Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS) is a non-profit organization that provides services to commercially sexually exploited and domestically trafficked girls and young women, typically underage youth exploited by pimps and traffickers. The organization was founded in 1998 by Rachel Lloyd and is based in Harlem, New York City.^[22] The organization has helped several hundred young girls transition out of the sex industry and get back to their full potential.^[22] They also participated in lobbying for passage of the Safe Harbor Act for Sexually Exploited Youth, which provides that girls under the age of 16, who are arrested in New York for prostitution will be treated as victims, rather than criminals.^[23] The bill was signed into law in September 2008.^[24] The work of GEMS is the subject of the 2007 documentary Very Young Girls .^[25]

Related Research Articles

Trafficking of children is a form of human trafficking and is defined by the United Nations as the "recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, and/or receipt" kidnapping of a child for the purpose of slavery, forced labour, and exploitation. This definition is substantially wider than the same document's definition of "trafficking in persons". Children may also be trafficked for adoption.

Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery. Perpetrators of the crime are called sex traffickers or pimps—people who manipulate victims to engage in various forms of commercial sex with paying customers. Sex traffickers use force, fraud, and coercion as they recruit, transport, and provide their victims as prostitutes. Sometimes victims are brought into a situation of dependency on their trafficker(s), financially or emotionally. Every aspect of sex trafficking is considered a crime, from acquisition to transportation and exploitation of victims. This includes any sexual exploitation of adults or minors, including child sex tourism (CST) and domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST).

Human trafficking in South Africa occurs as a practice of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation among imported and exported trafficked men, women, and children. Generally, South African girls are trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude, while boys are used for street vending, food service, and agriculture. Anecdotal evidence suggests that South African children can also be forced to provide unpaid labor for landowners in return for land occupancy, living accommodation, or for maintaining labor tenancy rights. In any case, this form of unpaid labor has caused human trafficking to be described as a modern form of slavery. Human trafficking is the result of a combination of several factors, including gender inequality, economic instability, and political conflict. Since Africa experiences all of these, it is an active hub for human trafficking. Many urge for the need of a cultural shift to reduce instances of human trafficking by lessening the demand for sex and unpaid labor.

The United Kingdom (UK) is a destination country for men, women, and children primarily from Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe who are subjected to human trafficking for the purposes of sexual slavery and forced labour, including domestic servitude. It is ranked as a "Tier 1" country by the US Department of State, which issues an annual report on human trafficking. "Tier 1" countries are those whose governments fully comply with The Trafficking Victims Protection Act's minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The TVPA is a federal statute of the United States. It is believed that some victims, including minors from the UK, are also trafficked within the country. It is also believed that migrant workers are trafficked to the UK for forced labour in agriculture, construction, food processing, domestic servitude, and food service. Source countries for trafficking victims in the UK include the United Arab Emirates, Lithuania, Russia, Albania, Ukraine, Malaysia, Thailand, the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.), Nigeria, and Ghana. Precise details about the extent of human trafficking within the UK are not available, and many have questioned the validity of some of the more widely quoted figures. In 2020, the US State Department estimated that there were 13,000 trafficking victims in the UK.

Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation. Human trafficking can occur within a country or trans-nationally. It is distinct from people smuggling, which is characterized by the consent of the person being smuggled.

Human trafficking in Canada is prohibited by law, and is considered a criminal offence whether it occurs entirely within Canada or involves the "transporting of persons across Canadian borders. Public Safety Canada (PSC) defines human trafficking as "the recruitment, transportation, harbouring and/or exercising control, direction or influence over the movements of a person in order to exploit that person, typically through sexual exploitation or forced labour. It is often described as a modern form of slavery."

In the United States, human trafficking tends to occur around international travel hubs with large immigrant populations, notably in California, Texas, and Georgia. Those trafficked include young children, teenagers, men, and women; victims can be domestic citizens or foreign nationals.

Sex trafficking in Thailand is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Kingdom of Thailand. Thailand is a country of origin, destination, and transit for sex trafficking. The sexual exploitation of children in Thailand is a problem. In Thailand, close to 40,000 children under the age of 16 are believed to be in the sex trade, working in clubs, bars, and brothels.

Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for goods and products, a great location for trade in the seas. Costa Rica is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea making it a source of imports and exports. Costa Rica is approximately 19,653 square miles of land, making it smaller than West Virginia. To a lesser but increasing extent, Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to conditions of forced labor, particularly in the agriculture, construction, fishing, and domestic service sectors. The economy greatly depends on the exportation of bananas and coffee, making high demands of agriculture work. Costa Rican women and children are forced into commercial sexual exploitation due to high rates of poverty and violence. Women and girls from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Colombia, and Panama have been identified in as victims of forced prostitution. Child sex tourism is a serious problem, particularly in the provinces of Guanacaste, Limón, Puntarenas, and San José. Child sex tourists arrive mostly from the United States and Europe. Young men from Nicaragua, Vietnam, China and other Asian countries are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Costa Rica. Adults have been identified using trafficked women and children to transport and sell drugs. Neighboring countries and cities are victims as well to forced labor many times trafficked to Costa Rica.

Sex trafficking is defined as the transportation of persons by means of coercion, deception and/or forced into exploitative and slavery-like conditions and is commonly associated with organized crime.

Human trafficking in California is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, and forced labor as it occurs in the state of California. Human trafficking, widely recognized as a modern-day form of slavery, includes

"the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power, or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs."

Sex trafficking in the United States is a form of human trafficking which involves reproductive slavery or commercial sexual exploitation as it occurs in the United States. Sex trafficking includes the transportation of persons by means of coercion, deception and/or force into exploitative and slavery-like conditions. It is commonly associated with organized crime.

Sex trafficking in China is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the People's Republic of China. China, the world's second-most populous country, has the second highest number of human trafficking victims in the world. It is a country of origin, destination, and transit for sexually trafficked persons.

Sex trafficking in Myanmar is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Myanmar is primarily a source and transit country for sexually trafficked persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in Vietnam</span>

Sex trafficking in Vietnam is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Vietnam is a source and, to a lesser extent, destination country for sexually trafficked persons.

Sex trafficking in the Philippines is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Republic of the Philippines. The Philippines is a country of origin and, to a lesser extent, a destination and transit for sexually trafficked persons.

Sex trafficking in Macau is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Macau is predominantly a destination country for sexually trafficked persons.

Sex trafficking in Japan is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the country. Japan is a country of origin, destination, and transit for sexually trafficked persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cybersex trafficking</span> Online sexual exploitation

Cybersex trafficking, live streaming sexual abuse, webcam sex tourism/abuse or ICTs -facilitated sexual exploitation is a cybercrime involving sex trafficking and the live streaming of coerced sexual acts and/or rape on webcam.

Sex trafficking in El Salvador is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Republic of El Salvador. It is a country of origin, transit, and destination for sexually trafficked persons.

References

↑ United Nations (2000). "U.N. Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking of people, especially Women and Children" (PDF). Retrieved March 3, 2012.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
↑ "2017 Annual Report" (PDF). Criminaljustice.ny.gov. November 2018.
↑ "New York State Interagency Task Force on Human Trafficking 2019 Annual Report" (PDF).
1 2 3 "History of Slavery in New York". Slaveryinnewyork.org.
1 2 en:History_of_slavery_in_New_York, oldid 886796188 ^{[ circular reference ]}
↑ "Basic Information - African Burial Ground National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
↑ "Permanent Memorial | International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 25 March". www.un.org. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
↑ "Swing Low, Harriet Tubman Memorial Sculpture Dedication : Photo Gallery : New York City Department of Parks & Recreation : NYC Parks". www.nycgovparks.org. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
↑ "Marriott Syracuse Downtown". Marriott International. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
↑ New-York Historical Society. "When Did Slavery End in New York State?".
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "New York". National Human Trafficking Hotline. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
1 2 UNODC (2016). Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2016. United Nations Publication. pp. 89–93.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Drucker, Omri; et al. (2017). Human Trafficking Organizations and Facilitators: A Detailed Profile and Interviews with Convicted Traffickers in the United States. NCJRS.
↑ "New York laws" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-10-09.
↑ Safe Harbour Project Archived 2015-09-08 at the Wayback Machine
↑ "Bills to Combat Human Trafficking Are Signed Into Law". NY State Senate. 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
↑ "This Week's Votes in the NYS Senate". NY State Senate. 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
↑ Miller, Melinda (2017-10-24). "Sex trafficker who lured teenage girls into prostitution pleads guilty". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
↑ "Trial opens in sex-trafficking case against self-help guru". The Daily Progress. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
↑ New York state anti-trafficking Coalition
↑ "'New Abolitionist' anti-slavery campaign launches in NY: TRFN". Reuters . Archived from the original on 2016-03-11.
1 2 Feldman, Cassi (April 24, 2007), "Report Finds 2,000 of State's Children Are Sexually Exploited, Many in New York City", The New York Times
↑ Haberman, Clyde (July 8, 2008), "Helping Girls as Victims, Not Culprits", The New York Times
↑ Governor Paterson Signs Law to Protect Sexually Exploited Youth, September 26, 2008, archived from the original on April 23, 2010
↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (July 4, 2008), "Children Without Childhoods", The New York Times

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[1] United Nations (2000). "U.N. Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking of people, especially Women and Children" (PDF). Retrieved March 3, 2012.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[:0-2] "2017 Annual Report" (PDF). Criminaljustice.ny.gov. November 2018.

[3] "New York State Interagency Task Force on Human Trafficking 2019 Annual Report" (PDF).

[:2-4] 1 2 3 "History of Slavery in New York". Slaveryinnewyork.org.

[:3-5] 1 2 en:History_of_slavery_in_New_York, oldid 886796188 ^{[ circular reference ]}

[6] "Basic Information - African Burial Ground National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-22.

[7] "Permanent Memorial | International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 25 March". www.un.org. Retrieved 2019-04-30.

[8] "Swing Low, Harriet Tubman Memorial Sculpture Dedication : Photo Gallery : New York City Department of Parks & Recreation : NYC Parks". www.nycgovparks.org. Retrieved 2019-04-30.

[9] "Marriott Syracuse Downtown". Marriott International. Retrieved 2019-04-30.

[10] New-York Historical Society. "When Did Slavery End in New York State?".

[:1-11] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "New York". National Human Trafficking Hotline. Retrieved 2019-03-05.

[:4-12] 1 2 UNODC (2016). Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2016. United Nations Publication. pp. 89–93.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[13] Drucker, Omri; et al. (2017). Human Trafficking Organizations and Facilitators: A Detailed Profile and Interviews with Convicted Traffickers in the United States. NCJRS.

[14] "New York laws" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-10-09.

[15] Safe Harbour Project Archived 2015-09-08 at the Wayback Machine

[16] "Bills to Combat Human Trafficking Are Signed Into Law". NY State Senate. 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2019-04-16.

[17] "This Week's Votes in the NYS Senate". NY State Senate. 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2019-04-16.

[18] Miller, Melinda (2017-10-24). "Sex trafficker who lured teenage girls into prostitution pleads guilty". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2019-05-07.

[19] "Trial opens in sex-trafficking case against self-help guru". The Daily Progress. Retrieved 2019-05-07.

[20] New York state anti-trafficking Coalition

[21] "'New Abolitionist' anti-slavery campaign launches in NY: TRFN". Reuters . Archived from the original on 2016-03-11.

[nyt1-22] 1 2 Feldman, Cassi (April 24, 2007), "Report Finds 2,000 of State's Children Are Sexually Exploited, Many in New York City", The New York Times

[23] Haberman, Clyde (July 8, 2008), "Helping Girls as Victims, Not Culprits", The New York Times

[24] Governor Paterson Signs Law to Protect Sexually Exploited Youth, September 26, 2008, archived from the original on April 23, 2010

[25] Catsoulis, Jeannette (July 4, 2008), "Children Without Childhoods", The New York Times

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v t e Human trafficking in the United States
States	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Federal law	Human Trafficking Prevention Act Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2013 (2015) Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act Tariff Act of 1930 Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act
Types of trafficking	Commercial sexual exploitation of children Contemporary Slavery Forced marriage Forced prostitution Labor trafficking Sex trafficking Sexual slavery
Famous cases	Disappearance of Jessie Foster El Monte Thai Garment Slavery Case Headley v. Church of Scientology International Lakireddy Bali Reddy United States v. Kil Soo Lee
Initiatives	Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Operation Coyote Operation Stormy Nights Polaris Project Run for Courage Safe Horizon Truckers Against Trafficking
Media	California's Forgotten Children Human Trafficking (miniseries) Spartan (film) Trade (film) Very Young Girls