Romanian Father and Son Found Guilty of Human Trafficking

 A Quick Post...

While glancing at the CNN homepage today, I saw the main story: Sex slavery: A family business - The CNN Freedom Project: Ending Modern-Day Slavery

Here's a synopsis, if you don't want to read the whole article (although I would definitely suggest it): A Romanian man, Marius Nejloveanu (23), was sentenced to 21 years in prison -- the longest sentence ever given for human trafficking in Britain. He and his father, Bogdan Nejloveanu (51), were convicted of running a sex trafficking ring, luring several women between the ages of 15 and 23 from Romania to work as prostitutes in Madrid and Manchester. One of the girls was Marius' cousin; their close family is in denial the father and son have done anything wrong. The two would beat some of their victims with a guitar. The UN calls Romania a "hot spot" for trafficking victims.

- C.I.

P.S.: The post I meant to put up a couple of weeks ago will also be up soon.

Sex Trafficking XLVI

I don’t know much about football. Basketball maybe (I’m from LAkers), but football is a serious fumble for me. Supposedly though the NY Jets are doing well, and the Super Bowl XLVI is approaching.

The most recent news that pops up when I search sex-trafficking online is sex-trafficking at the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl has become the area where sex trafficking is sold and in high demand for Americans; many use the event to sell sex. Many of the attendees are men who are inebriated, though not all I'm sure. The average age of these victims is 13 years old and mostly children. Those that are trafficked at the event have an average life span of seven years.

Sex trafficking at the Super Bowl is just starting to have awareness brought about it, but supposedly this has been a disturbing sort of “tradition” for many of the buyers who attend the Super Bowl. The Dallas police claim a no tolerance policy this year to focus on preventing and catching the trafficking on event day, and advocacy groups have created the I’m Not Buying It campaign.

On change.org, there is a petition you can sign commending the Super Bowl for their entertainment and sports achievements but asking for the Super Bowl Committee to use some of their money and influence to really put an end to this horrible market here.

The petition includes:

- Funding a set of strategically located electronic billboards for one month.
- Equipping your volunteer airport greeters, hotel welcome desk volunteers and transportation volunteers with I’m Not Buying It informational cards to hand out to Super Bowl tourists.
- Playing a 30-second PSA on the stadium jumbo tran during the Super Bowl.
- Displaying an I’m Not Buying It banner in the stadium during the game.
- Contributing to the building of the Traffick911 safe house for children who are victims of this crime.

At first I read this and thought, would the Super Bowl really do this? Would they really play a PSA about sex trafficking on the jumbo tran at the Super Bowl? I couldn’t imagine banners and signs that advocated against trafficking in the middle of the game, because perhaps the committee would not comply with bringing in something disconcerting on a day that’s supposed to be fun and focused on a game. A rain on the parade. Then I thought, still, that’s what the truth is sometimes, uneasy. Uneasiness is not an excuse for irresponsibility or looking the other way. Uneasiness shouldn’t be the determinate for what is appropriate and inappropriate for the Super Bowl image if it links and indirectly fosters sex trafficking. It should be an emergency warning to all event goers that is to protect and not a matter of politics or advertisement.  I urge the Committee to take responsibility for the abuse of these children that is generated on their grounds and under their name. 

You can sign the petition here: to help end trafficking at the Super Bowl. 

-T