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Human trafficking in CNMI up almost 50 percent
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Posted on May 21 2008
The incidence of human trafficking in the CNMI almost doubled for calendar year 2007, according to the Karidat Social Service.
Fifty victims of human trafficking sought assistance from Karidat’s Guma Esperansa House of Hope for CY 2007, up from the 28 reported in the previous year.
Compared with other U.S. territories, this figure is far way up, with American Samoa Hawaii and Guam recording less than 10 put together.
According to research, the U.S. Department of Justice itself considers the CNMI a hotspot for human trafficking due to its close proximity to many Asian countries and its lax immigration system.
During her recent visit to the CNMI, Samantha Vardaman, director of programs for Shared Hope International, said one of the reasons why the CNMI was selected as one of the 10 locations to undergo human trafficking study is because “the CNMI has had extensive experience with human trafficking prosecutions.”
SHI is a non-profit organization with the mission to rescuing and restoring victims of sex trafficking.
While on island, Vardaman met with local officials and community organizers to gather data on the scope of the human trafficking problem in the Northern Marianas. She expressed her interest in young women who are being brought to the islands for prostitution.
According to Vardaman, the CNMI has had a number of successful investigations leading to convictions and prosecutions for sex trafficking.
“The FSM [Federated States of Micronesia] is not far from here and it is happening. Women and girls from the FSM are coming to Guam and Saipan and are being exploited. We know this, there are cases that prove this out and that are being pursued. It’s something to keep aware of a whole community,” said Vardamn
Karidat Social Service executive director Angie V. Leon Guerrero said that victims of the alleged crime are of different ethnicities.
“It can happen to just anybody,” Leon Guerrero said.
Vardamn said the CNMI has an issue that larger cities do not have such as the ease of transportation among the islands.
According to research, 12 is the worldwide average age of entry into prostitution.
