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American Morning
Concern Escalates Over Growing Sexual Slavery Trafficking Around the Globe
Aired June 20, 2001 - 10:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Even in this, the 21st century, a century that includes things like cloning, the practice of slave labor continues here even here in the United States. A jury in Oakland, California yesterday convicted a local landlord of importing teenage girls from India to serve as sex slaves.
Joining us now is a guest who is all too familiar with this worldwide abuse. She is Frances Sullivan. And she works for the International Organization for Migration.
Thank you very much for taking your time with us this morning, Ms. Sullivan. Can you tell us: How big of a problem is this, really, in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world?
FRANCES SULLIVAN, INTL. ORG. FOR MIGRATION: Well, here in the U.S., actually, it's just beginning to become known. We estimate approximately 50,000 persons being trafficked to the United States every year. Around the world, however, it's upwards of 700,000 to two million persons a year.
HARRIS: Now, what I have heard is that there is something of a growing market for this sort of thing happening in Eastern Europe. Is that correct?
SULLIVAN: This has been growing, actually, for several years. We've been charting it over the last decade. Yes, unfortunately, there's a growing market for younger children, for women and men of all ages in Eastern Europe.
HARRIS: Well, give us some particulars. Why is there a growing market? Where are the girls and children coming from? And what is there being done about this?
SULLIVAN: Well, we believe that the growing market is because of the growing networks of criminal activities that are seeing this as a very lucrative option for them. It's like drug-trafficking. But with people-trafficking, unfortunately, you have a commodity that can be used over and over again. It's really terrible. The women and children are coming from Eastern European countries like Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, from as far south as Africa, Nigeria, Sierra Leone. And they are coming because they think they are going to make a better life for themselves. HARRIS: As a matter of fact, I want to ask that question of someone who is joining us right now by telephone. We're joined right now on the phone from Bucharest, Romania by Romona, who I believe is 17 years old.
Is that correct, Romona?
ROMONA, CHILD PROSTITUTE VICTIM: Yes.
HARRIS: And, Romona, as I understand it, you were leaving your home -- or ran away from your home to go out and to do what you thought was going to be just working or escorting on going on dates to make money to send home or to keep for yourself, and you got waylaid into a different life is, correct?
ROMONA: That is correct.
HARRIS: Can you tell us your story, please?
ROMONA: So my story starts from September, when I ran from my house, and I was escorted to two guys and another one girl. And that guy told to us that we were going to Italy. And this was just a lie.
HARRIS: So you did not go to Italy. Where did you go?
ROMONA: In Kosovo.
HARRIS: You went to Kosovo. And that is where you were forced into prostitution, correct?
ROMONA: Yes. Yes.
HARRIS: How long were you doing that?
ROMONA: Eight months.
HARRIS: Eight months? Did you try to escape?
ROMONA: One time.
HARRIS: What happened?
ROMONA: It was very bad because after this, my boyfriend, he beat me very bad.
HARRIS: Are you OK now?
ROMONA: Sorry?
HARRIS: Are you safe now?
ROMONA: Yes.
HARRIS: How did you come to be safe right now? Who helped you?
ROMONA: Policemen. Some policemen. HARRIS: You went to the police?
ROMONA: Sorry?
HARRIS: Does this...
ROMONA: Can you repeat?
HARRIS: I am sorry. Does this -- did you go to the police for help?
ROMONA: No, they come there and they raid the bar. And helped by the police and the (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
HARRIS: Does this happen to a lot of the girls that you know?
ROMONA: Yes.
HARRIS: Romona, thank you very much for telling us your story.
This is the kind of story that does not surprise you, I am sure, Frances Sullivan.
SULLIVAN: The story -- Romona's story is so typical, so typical of so many girls in Eastern Europe. And it's very fortunate that we are, in the international community, starting to get some ways of helping them through my organization and through other U.N. agencies, some of the local NGOs. But it's very difficult to get a grasp on the whole situation.
HARRIS: Well, how are you tracking these girls? How are you are finding them?
SULLIVAN: What we are trying to do is set up mechanisms where we can work with the border police and some of the other international federal agencies dealing with criminal activities, but also working with the domestic groups that are helping women and children in various ways to be able to find when they are in need.
And when we can do that, we can offer assistance to them: some return assistance, integration assistance. But a lot of work has to be done. We still need to track data. We need to be able to exchange information and share information amongst all the agencies. We need to be able to get the word out to prevent other women in Eastern Europe -- in Eastern European countries from taking the same option that Romona did.
HARRIS: I am curious about the governments involved in these countries. What are they doing? Are they interfering? Are they actually helping either this side in this issue? Are they just waiting and, I guess, expecting and then taking advantage of the extra money that is coming into their economies because of this?
SULLIVAN: It varies. It varies a lot. But I think, for the most part, the countries that we are talking about, the source countries like Ukraine or Romania, Bulgaria, they are trying their best. They're trying to become specialized in looking for opportunities to provide legal help to the potential victims. In the countries of destination in Western Europe, there's a lot of work to do.
So, yes, of course, there is probably some complicity involved in some of the local authorities. But for the most part, we are working very closely with them and trying to get them to do a better job of finding these girls and helping them.
HARRIS: Before we go, is Romona still on the phone with us or is she gone? Do we have Romona with us?
Romona, are you...
ROMONA: Yes.
HARRIS: Romona, I want to the ask you, what are you going to do right now with the rest of your life?
ROMONA: I want to work and...
HARRIS: Are you going to go back home to your family?
(LAUGHTER)
ROMONA: No. I want to get to -- I want to get on with my own -- my life.
HARRIS: Yes. Well, Romona, we wish you very much luck in the future. Good luck to you. You have been very strong. You have been very brave to talk to us about your story. We wish you the very best.
Frances Sullivan, we thank you very much for your time this morning. We wish you well as well...
SULLIVAN: Thank you.
HARRIS: ... in dealing with this troubling issue.
SULLIVAN: Thank you.
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