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Saturday's letters: The huge toll of human trafficking

 
Published July 29, 2016

Yes, human trafficking ranks No. 3 in world crime | July 26, PolitiFact

Human trafficking's terrible toll

I am proud of Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and her deep commitment to shining a light on human trafficking and her efforts to end sex and labor trafficking. She used her speech at the Democratic National Convention to raise awareness of this terrible crime. It is an ugly, hidden, underreported crime and one that is extraordinarily difficult to quantify. The general public doesn't know how to recognize trafficking or where to go for help if they do suspect it. Law enforcement doesn't always recognize it. If they do, there are not adequate services available and victims are often mixed in with other populations and never recognized as trafficking victims. Women are often arrested for related crimes, but the underlying trafficking victimization is not recognized or recorded.

In addition, victims are groomed, abused, often forcibly addicted and psychologically manipulated in ways that lead them to not recognize themselves as victims. Only very recently have we learned the right questions to ask victims to uncover trafficking exploitation and identify them specifically as trafficked victims. The research we have on very small sample sizes indicates that the problem is much larger than previously reported, and it is difficult to accurately extrapolate these studies to larger areas. There are many obstacles to estimating the costs and profits of human trafficking, as well as the number of trafficked victims.

The International Labor Organization's 2012 estimate of $150 million in trafficking profits are as good as we have. From my work on countering human trafficking, and anecdotally, I believe the numbers are far higher. The human costs of those profits are even higher in the number of devastated lives of children and adults.

The McCain Institute is exploring the feasibility of a national human trafficking incidence study. To date, other attempts to derive a national number of trafficked persons have failed. If a new methodology can be created to determine the victim numbers of this hideous crime in the United States, then perhaps from that will come new estimates of trafficking profits.

Cindy H. McCain, McCain Institute's Human Trafficking Advisory Council, Phoenix

Democratic convention

Thumbing nose at the law

In covering the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, the Times gushed admiration for almost all the speakers. But there were three speakers who were not mentioned: the three illegal immigrants who spoke. They were thumbing their collective noses at the law and no one called them on it.

Marilyn Calora, Oldsmar

Reason for all to celebrate

Political affiliations aside, women all over the world have cause for celebration.

A woman has been nominated from a major political party to be president of the United States for the first time in our 240-year history. Women in our country were granted the right to vote by ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on Aug. 18, 1920. Today, 96 years after women won the right to vote, we unite in celebration.

Marie Cunha, Hudson

Campaign 2016

Time to move on

Did I feel the Bern? Yes, and I am sorry he lost. Did the Democratic National Committee treat him unfairly? Probably, but the DNC has been behind Hillary Clinton since her loss to Barack Obama.

Bernie is not a Democrat; he is an independent. The rules were set well before he decided to run for office, so you can't complain about the rules after you enter the game. What is disturbing is the "Bernie or bust" mentality among progressives who would vote against the party platform and Clinton to make a statement. The only statement they will be making is: Welcome, President Donald Trump.

Don't forget the 2000 election of George W. Bush was made possible by the third-party candidacy of Ralph Nader. Electing unqualified demagogues has twice in recent history taken a great toll on both our economy and our security. So if you want to take your ball and go home, so be it. But if you wake up to a Trump presidency, don't tell others that "I didn't vote for him" because yes, you did.

Ray Day, Spring Hill

Trump as an employer

I was employed by Donald Trump for about 11 years starting in 2000 in a supervisory position with a good salary. I worked with men and women of all nationalities and many races from all over the world. The head of the casino was a woman, along with other supervisory woman.

When Trump walked around the casino, he was always smiling and waving. I had only one rule of thumb: If you do your job, you get ahead. I left there as a credit executive associate because the casino was sold.

Barbara Rizzo, Spring Hill

Terrorism

Root of the problem

"Political freedom cannot exist in any land where religion controls the state, and religious freedom cannot exist in any land where the state controls religion," said the late U.S. Sen. Sam Ervin. Muslims do not separate church and state; to them religion is both their faith and their form of government. Until the West understands this, we are doomed to fail in our war on terror. Until Muslims renounce the power of their religion over the power of the state, we will never be able to live together.

Gerald A. Cerveny Sr., Tampa

State okays increasing chemicals in waters July 27

This isn't protection

The Florida Environmental Regulation Commission has voted to protect our water by increasing the amount of benzene, among other toxins, to 2 parts per billion. The federal standard is 1.14. Who wanted the increase? Does someone profit by the increase? How is this protection?

Paul Lupone, Spring Hill