UI hears of trafficking in children Posted Friday, March 01, 2002 Heather Woodward University reporter, Iowa City Press Citizen As Upala Devi Banerjee began speaking at the University of Iowa on Wednesday, she told the story of a 9-year-old girl from Nepal. The girl was abducted, trafficked into India and forced into sex work, said Banerjee, the Indian representative to the International Chapter of the AFL-CIO. Five years later, the girl was rescued, put into rehabilitation and was found HIV negative. Banerjee called this girl one of the "lucky ones." "These children are born into very poor countries, are trafficked; they serve 14 or 15 years in sex work until they are found HIV positive," she said. "Then they languish in rehabilitation centers until they die. These are their stories. "This is growing so much that almost no country is unaffected, even the United States." She said fair-skinned girls with delicate features and a vulnerable look are constantly in high demand. After leaving the audience of about 45 with these horrific images, Banerjee cited some alarming statistics: One to two million people are trafficked each year. Most are forced into sex work. The average age of children forced into sex work is falling to around 7 or 8 years old. Trafficking is the third largest source of income for organized crime. Banerjee said the world should have stronger laws and greater public awareness about the problem. She said there needs to be more police training and staffing to address the issue in the poorer nations. She's right. In fact, the UI Center for Human Rights is working on initiatives along those lines. The center has a three-year contract with the U.S. Department of Labor to combat trafficking, child prostitution and other violations of child labor laws. The center also is working to educate blue-collar workers about such violations. Such initiatives at the center are a good beginning. But as Banerjee pointed out this week, much more must be done. The problem is a growing one that can only be solved if we band together. Heather Woodward covers the University of Iowa for the Press-Citizen. Used with permission.
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