Human trafficking topic of Cooley forum Trip to India opened law professor's eyes to need to raise awareness

By Steve Thorpe Legal News Slavery and human trafficking are horrors that seem far away, both in time and distance, but experts say it's still a very real problem and sometimes surprisingly close to home. Thomas M. Cooley Law School is hosting a program on Friday, Feb. 10, to raise awareness of global human trafficking and to explore solutions for ending it. Recent reports suggest there may be as many as 27 million slaves around the world. The program, simulcast live from 6-9 p.m. to all four Cooley campuses in Auburn Hills, Lansing, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor, is free and open to the public. A question and answer period is planned at the end of the program. Speakers from all four campuses will discuss the state of slavery and global trafficking and what can be done to stop it. Presenters include Wendy Sale, co-chair of the Community Committee of the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force; Dr. Sabrina Black, vice chair of the Michigan Rescue and Restore Coalition; Stephanie Hamilton, International Justice Mission; Sarah Warpinski, of the Michigan State University Abolitionist Society; Cooley Prof. E. Christopher Johnson Jr.; and Assistant Attorney General Forrest Pasanski. Johnson is leading the school's efforts to educate citizens about human trafficking and is also reaching out to government and business and asking them to address the issue. He became a passionate advocate after a recent overseas trip. "I went to India last year, right about this time, and got to see the effects of human trafficking in Mumbai," he said. "The ministry we were working with had a full range of services for women involved in the trafficking. Some estimates are that upwards of 100,000 women are prostitutes just in that city." Prostitution is sometimes lumped in with so-called "victimless crimes" when the prostitute is a consenting adult. That's frequently not the case with trafficked young women and girls. "Because the demand has outstripped the supply of willing women, there are now many young girls enslaved into the trade," Johnson said. "The young women are repeatedly raped and they're confined to small rooms until their spirit is broken. They're threatened and there are often threats to their families. I couldn't imagine if it was my daughter. My wife and I returned from the trip resolved to do something." After his return, he became involved with the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force and discovered that the problem can exist close to home. "It's all over. You have massage parlors, escort services, strip joints -- many of which are fronts for prostitution and many of whose women are trafficked," Johnson said. "It is happening in Michigan." In major corporation supply chains, there's always a possibility that slave labor exists, although it may be halfway around the world. "There was a story about Victoria's Secret, who thought they were getting all their cotton from safe farms and it turned out it was slave labor and child labor," Johnson said. "It calls for vigilance by corporations that there is no slave or child labor buried in their supply chains." Some laws intended to prevent human trafficking are outdated and need revision to address modern wrinkles in this ancient trade. "We have a trafficking law in Michigan, but it needs to be more victim-centered," Johnson said. "We also need more rehabilitation efforts to see that these victims get the help they need. We're going to need better laws on the books and the attorney general's office is working on it." On Jan. 11, named as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said, "Every day across America, and right here in Michigan, men, women and children are bound by the chains of modern-day slavery. Even more alarming, approximately 40 percent of human trafficking cases involve the sexual abuse of a child." For more information on the event call 248-751-7800 ext. 7783. Published: Fri, Feb 10, 2012

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