MISSION STATEMENT

Global Centurion is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to assist communities, states, and countries in eradicating child slavery by focusing on the demand side of the slavery.

THE PROBLEM

International Child Trafficking

The U.S. Department of State estimates that approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year. Of those 800,000 victims, 80% of them are women and girls and over 50% are minors.  In addition, a recent count found that over 20,000 people are trafficked into the United States from over 55 countries.

Domestic Child Trafficking

These numbers do not include the epidemic of domestic trafficking (trafficking of U.S. citizens for purposes of commercial sexual exploitation). As many as one quarter of our children experience some kind of physical or sexual abuse while growing up in the U.S. This abuse makes them vulnerable to being trafficked in the future, as they often run away from home, become promiscuous, or engage in other self-destructive behaviors. Researchers estimate that there are anywhere from 100,000 – 200,000 runaways in the U.S. and 10,000 – 20,000 homeless children on the streets in the U.S. every year. Once on the street, these children are the targets of pimps, traffickers, johns, and other exploiters.

Child Sex Tourism

In addition to international and intra-national sex trafficking, child sex tourism is on the rise in many countries. Child sex tourism involves people who travel from their own country, often a country where child sexual exploitation is illegal or culturally abhorrent, to another country where they can engage in commercial sex acts with children. The U.S. Department of State estimates that each year over one million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade. Child sex tourists often travel from developed countries to developing countries looking for anonymity and availability of children. This terrible crime takes place in countries that have few or no laws, weak law enforcement, corruption, and often severe poverty. Previous cases of child sex tourism have included respected U.S. citizens such as a pediatrician, a university professor, and a retired military official. Many other resource rich countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East also have cases of child sex tourism involving their citizens.

Forced Labor, Domestic Servitude, Child Soldiering and Sexual Exploitation

Finally, children in many countries in the world are trafficked for purposes of forced labor, domestic servitude, or soldiering.  Often this trafficking also involves sexual exploitation.  In Africa, children as young as 9 and 10 have been forced to fight in brutal rebel wars, and the girl children are forced to become sexual concubines.  In India, children are victims of intergenerational labor trafficking.  In the Middle Eastern countries, such as Yemen, children are forced to beg; in Haiti, poor parents give their children to elites to become “restaveks”,  or domestic servants, only to find  the girl children are used by the males in the households. These examples are just a few of the serious child trafficking problems around the world.

The Problem of Child Slavery

Child sex trafficking, child sex tourism, child trafficking for labor and servitude, and commercial sexual exploitation of children are all part of a growing global phenomenon of child sexual slavery – one of the most serious human rights abuses we face in the 21st century. It is critical to eradicate these new forms of slavery, as children used in this way are often physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually devastated.

POLICY

POLICY: FOCUS ON THE DEMAND SIDE OF CHILD SEX SLAVERY

Human trafficking, like drug trafficking, involves a triangle of activity: supply, demand, and distribution. Since the passage of the TVPA, the focus has been on the rescue, rehabilitation, and restoration of victims. In the last ten years, thousands of anti-trafficking organizations have formed to build shelters and provide services to victims of sex trafficking.  Hundreds more are focused on education and awareness-raising about human trafficking. While these efforts are important, they do little to stop child sex slavery. The only effective method for eradicating child sex trafficking is to target demand.

Why is the focus on demand essential? Just as in any other market, basic economic principles are at work. Supply is a result of demand: when demand goes up, supply grows to meet the demand. Conversely, if demand goes down, so too will the supply. As long as people can buy and sexually exploit children, there will continue to be a market for them. For this reason, Global Centurion designed a program that addresses the demand side of child sex slavery. By targeting child predators for arrest, prosecution, and successful conviction, Global Centurion will help to eliminate the demand fueling this heinous crime.