Dozens of sex trafficking victims saved

DHS Open Source Enterprise Daily Human Trafficking and Smuggling Report 18 October 2011 

Russian Sex-Trafficking Suspects Pack Orlando Courtroom [Florida]: Eleven members of a suspected Russian sex-trafficking ring accused of operating in Central Florida will pack into an Orlando courtroom today.… The suspected ringleader, Roman Caraiman, is the only one of the 12 named in the 27-count indictment who will not be at trial — because he hasn't been arrested. Earlier this year, Caraiman told the Orlando Sentinel he fled the United States and was in Europe. He left behind his baby and ex-wife, Tatiana Belinschi, who will be one of the 11 defendants in the courtroom today. … Caraiman is accused of bringing people from Russia, and seeking women from other countries to work in the sex trade. Prosecutors say he used the Internet to recruit non-U.S. citizens to work here. [HSEC-3.10; Date: 18 October 2011; Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/crime/os-russian-sex-trafficking-ring-20111018,0,1958065.story]

Malaysian Police Rescue 21 Ugandan 'Sex Slaves' [Malaysia]: Malaysian police said Tuesday they have busted a sex slave ring and rescued 21 Ugandan women who were forced into prostitution after being lured to Malaysia with promises of jobs as maids. Criminal investigation chief Bakri Zinin said in a statement that police found the women, aged between 19 and 42, holed up in four apartment units in central Selangor state during a raid on Friday. He said three Ugandans - two women believed to be pimps and a man suspected of being a customer - were detained. Initial investigations showed the 21 women were promised jobs as maids in homes and hotels with a salary of $1,000 a month, but instead forced to become "sex slaves" to pay off travel fees and other costs totaling $7,000, he said. The women were brought into the country via China, and were threatened verbally and physically to stop them from running away, the statement added. A police official said Tuesday that investigations were focused on how long the ring had been in operation and who the masterminds were. [HSEC-3.10; Date: 18 October 2011; Source: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/17/3986706/malaysian-police-rescue-21-ugandan.html]

Two Teenage Sex Slaves Rescued In India With Help From Christian Organization: Two teenage girls were rescued from a brothel in India after a Christian organization alerted police that the girls had been forced into sex slavery.… The India Rescue Mission (IRM) told local police that two girls named Roopa, 16, and Gowri, 17, were trapped in a prostitution ring in the city of Prune…. After police were told of the girls' presence, they raided the brothel and arrested its owner. In the statement given by Gowri after the rescue operation, she said that she was tricked into coming to India from Bangladesh by being promised a job, which eventually led to her being forced into sex slavery. "She was made to attend customers by force and if she denied them then she would be beaten. She was kept in captivity for four months," said James Varghese, the founder of the IRM. … The two girls' plight is an example of the grave problem of child prostitution facing India. [HSEC-3.10; Date: 17 October 2011; Source: http://global.christianpost.com/news/two-teenage-sex-slaves-rescued-in-india-with-help-from-christian-organization-58306/]

2 Human Trafficking Victims Rescued [Philippines]: The Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) of the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) has rescued two victims of human trafficking in the city, a top police official said Monday. Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo, ZCPO director, said the victims were rescued around 4:25 p.m. Sunday at a budget hotel along Gov. Alvarez Avenue, Zamboanga City. De Ocampo withheld the victims' identities but said they are all women and one of them is a 25-year-old resident of Cabanatuan City while the other is a 24-year-old from Valenzuela, Metro Manila. The alleged recruiter, whose real identity is not also known, was not around when the WCPC personnel raided the budget hotel and rescued the two victims, de Ocampo added. [HSEC-3.10; Date: 17 October 2011; Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/local-news/2011/10/17/2-human-trafficking-victims-rescued-185542]

Cabinet Probes Child Trafficking Syndicate [Namibia]: Cabinet has started probing an alleged child-trafficking syndicate that involves several European countries and some self-styled social welfare organizations in Namibia. Secretary to Cabinet, Frans Kapofi, confirmed this upon inquiry on Friday. Kapofi said the executive had received a detailed report from the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, whose inspectors uncovered the syndicate. New Era understands that several juvenile offenders are quietly flown in from Europe and immediately dispatched to farms in the Otjozondjupa and Omaheke regions as part of their rehabilitation. They are under the custodian of several local welfare organizations, who pocket hefty fees from European governments as payment for hosting the young offenders. The shocking revelations were unearthed in February this year when labor inspectors undertook a series of ad hoc visits to farms in the regions. [HSEC-3.10; Date: 17 October 2011; Source: http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=41194&title=Inferno%20destroys%20shack]