Human trafficking is, at its core, a modern day form of slavery that destroys families and communities around the world.  In 1994, the U.S. Department of State began to monitor human trafficking in response to reports of Human Rights Practices focusing on trafficking of women and girls for prostitution.   

Human trafficking is considered one of the leading criminal enterprises of the early 21st Century, and it is estimated that more than 700,000 people are trafficked across the borders every year and that an estimated 17,500 people, primarily women and children, are trafficked to the United States annually. (US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2006).   

Trafficking is a problem that affects every part of the world with the flow of trafficking coming from less developed countries to the more industrialized nations.   It is believed that the largest number of victims are transported from South and Southeast Asia, with the former Soviet Union having a huge number of victims trafficked for prostitution.   

While there are many reasons for the increase in human trafficking, in general, this criminal enterprise focuses on areas that are impoverished, in a crisis, or simply ignorant to the results of this type of recruitment promising a better life.  To the contrary, trafficking victims are often subjected to cruel mental and physical abuse and forced into prostitution.

The NOBLE Civil Rights Committee is resolved to ensure that NOBLE supports the efforts of state and local law enforcement to work towards combating such heinous crimes, such as the trafficking of persons, whether for labor or sex-related enterprises.  

Our commitment to these efforts is evidenced in our recognition of The Human Trafficking Civil Rights Task Force, FBI Memphis, Tennessee.  The FBI Memphis Squad 8 initiated a complex human trafficking investigation resulting in federal search warrants executed on seven brothels throughout Memphis.  The investigation confirmed that a 14-year-old female, who had been smuggled from Mexico, was brutally raped shortly after her arrival in the United States and forced to have sex with as many as 60 men per day.

The NOBLE Civil Rights Committee challenges all member agencies to take an active role in identifying and taking proactive action towards eliminating the problems of human trafficking.  

Source:   USINFO.State.Gov