[ti:Human Trafficking a Problem in Major Cities Across US] [ar:Doug Johnson] [al:Development Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]This is the VOA Special English [00:02.86]Development Report. [00:04.56]Each year since two thousand one, [00:08.05]the American State Department [00:10.29]has published a Trafficking [00:12.08]in Persons Report. [00:13.71]It measures efforts by countries [00:16.40]to fight human trafficking. [00:18.25]This year's report, out Monday, [00:21.63]adds the United States [00:23.96]for the first time. [00:25.46]The Federal Bureau of Investigation says [00:29.14]people are being trafficked [00:31.29]into major cities nationwide. [00:33.72]Tim Whittman at the F.B.I. [00:36.70]is an expert on the problem. [00:39.15]He says about twenty percent [00:41.94]of the cases involve victims from Mexico [00:45.32]-- the largest number [00:47.21]of any foreign country. [00:48.91]Bradley Myles is [00:51.89]with the Polaris Project, [00:53.48]an organization that fights trafficking. [00:57.01]He calls it "a very serious problem [01:00.56]in the United States." [01:02.00]He says some of the victims [01:04.93]are forced to work in homes [01:06.72]of the wealthy and at restaurants. [01:09.73]Activists say some cases of modern slavery [01:14.21]involve forced labor in agriculture. [01:17.65]But more than eighty percent [01:20.54]of suspected incidents [01:22.43]involve the sex trade. [01:24.57]That was the finding of a study [01:27.70]by the Human Smuggling [01:29.83]and Trafficking Center, [01:31.33]established by Congress. [01:33.28]The Polaris Project operates [01:36.66]a telephone hotline that receives calls [01:39.85]from around the country [01:42.16]-- from states such as Texas, [01:44.86]California, New York and Florida. [01:48.25]Bradley Myles says [01:50.49]one of the top five cities [01:52.53]where calls come from is Washington. [01:55.11]Victims in the nation's capital [01:58.90]include women from South Korea, [02:01.19]China and Latin America. [02:03.57]Some victims are American citizens. [02:07.12]Tim Whittman from the F.B.I. says [02:11.10]illegal sex businesses often [02:13.69]limit their customers [02:15.39]to avoid being caught. [02:17.03]TIM WHITTMAN: "If a person, [02:19.56]for example, from Korea [02:21.39]is brought in to the United States [02:23.28]under false pretenses [02:24.13]and then forced into prostitution, [02:25.32]very much that place [02:27.86]where the prostitution occurs [02:29.75]is within, then, the Korean community [02:32.61]in the United States." [02:33.76]Deborah Sigmund started a group [02:36.05]called Innocents at Risk. [02:38.14]She says most of the victims [02:40.68]of human trafficking come from [02:42.72]economically troubled countries. [02:44.87]DEBORAH SIGMUND: "They want to think [02:46.66]that they can come to America [02:47.95]and have a great job, [02:49.15]so it's very easy to fool them." [02:51.94]Tim Whittman says the smugglers [02:54.42]often threaten their victims and make it [02:57.45]difficult for them to pay their debts. [02:59.60]The threat may be against their family [03:02.93]back in their home country. [03:04.68]But there are other ways [03:07.26]to pressure victims to stay. [03:08.88]TIM WHITTMAN: "A common threat [03:10.32]is 'If you leave, I'm going [03:12.71]to report you to immigration [03:13.65]and you'll be arrested. [03:14.99]You'll be kept in prison [03:16.54]for a long time.'" [03:17.34]But in reality, there is help. [03:19.96]Victims of human trafficking [03:22.41]can sometimes get a special visa. [03:25.16]It permits them to stay [03:27.59]in the United States [03:28.88]for up to four years. [03:30.83]During that time, they can request [03:34.22]to stay permanently. [03:35.91]But with threats, a language barrier [03:39.79]and fear of the legal system, [03:42.08]victims are often unwilling [03:44.66]or unable to seek help. [03:46.50]And that's the VOA Special English [03:50.48]Development Report, [03:51.93]with reporting by Elizabeth Lee. [03:54.64]I'm Doug Johnson.