Human Trafficking, and In-Depth Report

As a result, the city’s elite business classes now include drug dealers, smugglers and pimps—the type of people who rape newly trafficked women to “break” them, beat migrants who haven’t paid their passage or bribe officials so that all this illicit work may continue. The downtown is dotted with Western Union signs and storefronts for banks. Brand-new McMansions are sprouting up on the fringes of town. Just taking photographs of these homes can be dangerous.

...If you walk through the back door into an open-air courtyard, you’ll find its real income source: a dozen near-starving migrants, sleeping on plastic mats, waiting to be loaded onto trucks destined for Libya. Then there's the Nigerian restaurant that doubles as a brothel, located on a road a short stroll from the main mosque. After the sun goes down and devout Muslims answer the fifth and final call to prayer, the pimps release the prostitutes they lock up all day into the streets to approach potential clients.

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calamity said:

Sometimes Huffpo puts out a very well done piece. This is one of those times.

These Are The Criminals and Corporations That Have Gotten Really, Really Rich Off The Refugee Crisis - The Huffington Post

It's a thorough look at human trafficking, with a close look at four countries: Niger, Italy, Turkey and Germany.

Niger:

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joG said:

On the other hand people are willing to pay for them substantial amounts for help to get out of very unpleasant circumstances. is it bad to establish a business that caters to relieving a need? Lumping all the different activities under the term "trafficker" is not legitimate at all. It might be practical to get harsh laws past and shift the eire of the population from mismanagement by bureaucratic elites. But it is dishonest.

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calamity said:

I like the story about the guy who started out as a migrant, but then saw the opportunities and became a "passer,' earning a nice living by managing the movement of people from the hinterlands into Agadez, Niger.

I totally identified with that guy because he is doing pretty much the same job I am, but in a completely different industry. My favorite line was when he explained why he remains calm, even as mountains of problems develop. I have exactly the same attitude. Problems are part of the job; remaining calm is the only way to see through the smoke and initiate solutions.

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