NCJ Number
179762
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 47 Issue: 10 Dated: October 1999 Pages: 219-227
Date Published
1999
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Trafficking of women and children for sexual slavery and as indentured servants is a major activity of Russian Organized Crime (ROC) syndicates in the United States and other countries and requires efforts by police agencies and non-governmental organizations.
Abstract
The tri-state region of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania has been one of the top areas in the United States for the relocation of Russian emigres and has also brought the ROC syndicates and other criminals. The ROC syndicates conduct the most sophisticated criminal operations ever seen in the United States, based on their access to expertise in computer technology, encryption techniques, and money laundering facilities. About 30 ROC syndicates operate in the United States. The trade in women involves naive women who seek a better life, a good marriage, or a lucrative job abroad and find themselves in situations of forced prostitution, sweatshop labor, exploitative domestic servitude, or battering and extreme cruelty. Trafficking in women and children is a problem of corruption, organized crime, and law enforcement. This global human rights issue requires a response from both government and non-government organizations worldwide. Police officers need to become familiar with this type of victimization and investigate suspected abuses. They should contact the nearest Immigration and Naturalization Service Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or a State investigative organization if unsure of actions to take. United States policy should emphasize increased public awareness, increased economic opportunities for women at risk, and an emphasis on national civil rights laws and international human rights treaties. Needed programs and services include victim services, shelters for victims, effective anti-trafficking laws, and law enforcement resources focused on the issue. Photograph and source of further information