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We started our podcast in October to give a policy and academic examination of human trafficking.

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Rohingya: Forced Migration and Trafficking

Over 400,000 Rohingya are being forced to migrate from Myanmar. Hosts Seth Daire and JJ Janflone explain the context and how this makes the Rohingya, a stateless population, even more vulnerable. Rohingya have previously been subject to human trafficking while migrating, and International Organization for Migration noted that hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in Myanmar are “at the mercy” of human traffickers. Sources:...

Duration: 00:36:42

Forced Gang Recruitment in Central America

Forced gang recruitment is a big problem in the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras), with migrants fleeing out of the region to other countries, including the US. Many are unaccompanied minors due to the fact that gangs are often targeting youth. Guest Amber Moffett joins host Seth Daire to discuss the problem and how human trafficking occurs within gangs and how it's creating hundreds and thousands of migrants, which are then vulnerable to trafficking en route to wherever...

Duration: 00:55:39

Traveling Magazine Sales Crews

Magazine sales crews are promoted as an exciting way for youth to travel and make money. While a good experience for some, the largely unregulated industry can also involve labor violations and false promises, which sometimes becomes human trafficking. Hosts Seth Daire and JJ Janflone discuss what labor trafficking looks like for some youth on magazines crews and give some recommendations on what to do if you suspect youth are being exploited. Sources: http://www.magcrew.com/...

Duration: 00:41:50

Orphan Black: Can Clones Be Owned?

The TV show Orphan Black just finished it's 5-year run of exploring an intersectionality of themes, with the amazing Tatiana Maslany playing the clones. Seth Daire and JJ Janflone discuss the show and relate it to reality, which includes a brief explanation of cloning in reality and how existing US law may inform the Orphan Black scenario. From there, they dive into two big questions: Can clones be owned? Are clones truly human? Sources: http://www.bbcamerica.com/shows/orphan-black Green,...

Duration: 00:53:20

Congressional Human Trafficking Legislation in August 2017

There are multiple bills relating to human trafficking that have passed the House or Senate this summer. Seth Daire and JJ Janflone discuss what several of them mean, including H.R.2200, Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017, which reauthorizes the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Links are below. Sources: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2200/text...

Duration: 00:55:42

British Model Chloe Ayling Taken in Milan

British model Chloe Ayling was drugged and kidnapped in July 2017 in Milan to be sold in an online auction in the Middle East. Seth Daire and JJ Janflone gives their 'hot take' on this still unfolding story, which is still under police investigation. While assuming it's true unless proven otherwise, they give reasons why this could be true based on existing trafficking narratives and why it could be false based on oddities with the entire story, especially with the kidnappers. Sources:...

Duration: 00:55:11

Drugs and Human Trafficking

The drug trade snares people into human trafficking through drug smuggling, forced addiction, and luring people who are addicted. Seth Daire and JJ Janflone give an overview of drug trafficking into the United States and then talk about how drugs overlap with human trafficking. Sources: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-40480405 https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/mexicos-cartels-will-continue-splinter-2017...

Duration: 01:04:08

Bar Women and Bar Men

Women known as 'bar girls' or 'taxi girls' entertain men in countries around the world, though most famously in Southeast and East Asia. These bar women, and sometimes bar men, may also be pressured to provide sexual services. In some cases, these people are in trafficking situations. Hosts Seth Daire and JJ Janflone talk a bit about what they've seen and what trafficking looks like for bar women and men. Also, JJ explains why good statistics are hard to find. Sources: Photo: Flickr

Duration: 00:53:25

2017 Trafficking in Persons Report

The Department of State released their annual Trafficking in Persons Report on June 27, 2017. Seth Daire and JJ Janflone give an overview of the report, including an explanation of tiers, a discussion of methodology, and how politics has affected tier rankings from the beginning. JJ also provides a case study of China, which was dropped to Tier 3 this year, where they should be. Sources: https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2017/index.htm...

Duration: 01:00:33

Comfort Women: WWII Japan’s Military Sex Slaves

This episode contains graphic descriptions and explicit content. Women were recruited, coerced, and abducted on a mass scale, to be systematically raped by soldiers and officers, by order of the Japanese military during World War II. Seth Daire and JJ Janflone shine light on the horrific abuse these women experienced. While the Japanese government has partially acknowledged what happened, they have failed to take full ownership of a war crime they had instituted as official policy in 1937....

Duration: 01:01:30

The Handmaid’s Tale: Slavery Reborn

SPOILERS. Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale is based on Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel. Seth Daire and JJ Janflone explain the context of the story, then discuss the similarities with American antebellum slavery, how the story conveys agency and oppression, and why it's an example of slavery rather than trafficking. Sources: https://www.hulu.com/the-handmaids-tale Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1984. Nelson, David. Women's Issues in Margaret Atwood's...

Duration: 01:01:27

North Korea: Internal Forced Labor and Prison Camps

What do we know about forced labor in North Korea? Seth Daire and JJ Janflone discuss key research and investigative reports about how forced labor is utilized in North Korea, which a specific focus on the kwan-li-so political prisoner camps. JJ also discusses North Korea's abduction project. Source: https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2016/258797.htm https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/07/05/north-koreas-caste-system...

Duration: 00:38:09

North Korea: External Trafficking to China and Russia

North Korean citizens are trafficked to other countries. JJ Janflone and Seth Daire discuss how North Korean women are forced into marriage in China and how North Korean men have been forced to do labor in Russia. JJ also gives some context on how North Korea relates to China and Russia. Sources: http://www.newsweek.com/china-north-korea-trump-allies-economy-583883 https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/07/19/problem-north-korean-refugees-china-and-possible-solutions...

Duration: 00:52:26

Strippers and Labor Rights

Do exotic dancers deserve workers rights? Denver dancers join the ranks of erotic services workers across the US with a lawsuit against club Shotgun Willies, that demands these dancers no longer be treated as exploited independent contractors, but rather as respected employees. Exotic dancing, lawful protection and worker rights, and how erotic service providers are often trafficked or exploited are all discussed by hosts Seth Daire and JJ Janflone this week. Sources:...

Duration: 00:26:07

Fair Trade Roses, Bananas, Cosmetics, and Fashion

A look at Fair Trade for other products. Seth Daire discusses fair trade standards for hired labor on plantations by looking at reports for roses and bananas. JJ Janflone discusses fair trade for cosmetics by looking at Lush, Shiro, Dr. Bronner's, then finishes with a discussion of fashion. Sources: https://www.fairtrade.net/fileadmin/user_upload/content/2009/resources/140212-Worker-Empowerment-Ecuador-Flower-Plantations-final.pdf...

Duration: 00:53:39

Can Clones Consent? Star Wars and Slavery

SPOILERS. The Star Wars universe includes multiple instances of slave-like practices. On this May the 4th, guest Robert Grant joins hosts Seth Daire and JJ Janflone to discuss clones, stormtroopers, Jaba's criminal organization, sentient droids, voluntary life debt, and how science fiction and fantasy give us a context to reflect on our own world.

Duration: 01:02:17

Does Fair Trade Mean Slave-Free?

Fair Trade certification is one approach to improving the lives of farmers, particularly coffee producers. Hosts Seth Daire and JJ Janflone discuss what fair trade means and how it doesn't really address the needs of the farmworkers who harvest the coffee. Though the certification prohibits forced labor, no evidence has been presented that shows fair trade certifiers actively inspect or prevent conditions of slavery on farms. Fair trade has improved its focus on workers over the last few...

Duration: 00:48:37

Psychological Coercion in Human Trafficking Laws

The role of psychological coercion within human trafficking was codified in the Trafficking Victims Prevention Act (TVPA). Hosts Seth Daire and JJ Janflone give an overview of anti-slavery legislation leading to the TVPA and explain why coercion can be hard to prove. JJ also talks about Colorado House Bill 1072 which amends current Colorado law to add better victim protection and claim affirmative defense. They close with a few words about Patty Hearst. Sources:...

Duration: 01:02:09

Psychological Abuse is Inherent to Human Trafficking

Nonphysical abuse through psychological and emotional means is an integral component of trafficking and slave-like practices. Hosts Seth Daire and JJ Janflone discuss Seth's unpublished paper on the topic that ties together psychological coercive methods used in trafficking, torture, and domestic abuse. The loss of control and identity that can be a part of trafficking are traumatic. To be controlled to the degree required for slavery and trafficking means that even if there are no rapes,...

Duration: 01:02:29

LGBTQ People and Human Trafficking

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, and queer people are among those trafficked for sex and labor. Hosts JJ Janflone and Seth Daire discuss how they can be vulnerable to trafficking and ways to address the needs of LGBTQ people. Sources: http://www.med.monash.edu.au/gendermed/sexandgender.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-isaacs/why-were-adding-the-q_b_8535208.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephanie-farnsworth/why-lgbt-and-sex-worker-rights-go-hand-in-hand_b_9367888.html...

Duration: 00:49:19

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