DAWN.COM | Pakistan | 150 gangs of drug, human smugglers unearthed:

ISLAMABAD: An intelligence agency has unearthed more than 150 gangs of drug smugglers and human traffickers and warned the government of a looming diplomatic embarrassment over the issue.

According to sources, the agency suggested that law-enforcement personnel posted along the Iranian border should be transferred periodically because postings for long durations provided them an opportunity to develop links with human traffickers and their agents.

Expressing concern over human and drug smuggling to Iran, the agency warned the prime minister and relevant authorities that relations with Iran might be affected if the menace was not eradicated.

It said Iranian authorities were disturbed over a rise in human and drug trafficking from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

It said human smuggling from Afghanistan to Pakistan was also continuing. The routes of Chaman, Nushki, Rabat, Chagai, Gulistan, Mand Ballu, Turbat and Punjgur and Taftan were being used by the gangs to take people to Iran for onward journey to Europe, it said.

The report said that the number of illegal Pakistani immigrants deported by Iran had increased and more than 1,100 people had been deported during the current year. Most of the illegal immigrants belonged to Gujranwala division.

Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan

N.C. human trafficking case shows plight of girls forced into prostitution | McClatchy:

Each day, Flores prayed to Santa Muerte, or “Saint Death,” joined by the teenage girls whom he forced to have sex with as many as 20 men a day.

Flores, 45, was a notorious operator in a city that has become a center for sex trafficking along the East Coast.

Local and federal authorities are not sure how extensive the Charlotte sex rings have become. They say Flores’ ring brought in hundreds of young women each year to work as prostitutes.

Flores was convicted of trafficking in April. But authorities say other pimps in Charlotte continue to prey on young girls from poor countries.

“I don’t think we really realized how big this was,” says Delbert Richburg, assistant special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of Investigations in Charlotte. “We’re probably just scratching the surface.”

The growth is so extensive that this month ICE stationed a team of agents in Charlotte to focus on human trafficking, smuggling and exploitation. Across the Carolinas, immigrant sex rings have been broken up in Monroe, Durham and Columbia.

The Powerfully Stunning, Shocking, yet Redemptive Human Trafficking Conference - Christian Newswire:

Alongside illegal trade in arms and drugs, human trafficking is among the most profitable types of crime and one aspect of organised crime. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that each year, two million people fall prey to human trafficking as victims for the labour market, the sex trade and trade in human organs. Only a fraction of them can be returned to their home areas. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Europe may have as many as half a million prostitutes and sex slaves whose transport to Europe fits the characteristics of human trafficking.

Human Trafficking Focus Of Walk - Jacksonville News Story - WJXT Jacksonville:

Eson and Crystal Freed chair the Northeast Florida Human Trafficking Task Force that’s hosting a large gathering in San Marco Saturday to let the community know that this type of thing happens, and what to look for. “If you see a large number of people confined to an area, led by one person, and no one can have contact, that would be an indicator,” said Eson. Sometimes these young people are forced into prostitution, and often when they’re arrested, JSO looks to see if there’s more to the crime.

CBC News - British Columbia - Human-trafficking fight draws criticism:

The Salvation Army is coming under fire for what it calls a “weekend of prayer for victims of sex trafficking.” But Vancouver advocacy groups say the event is misleading and degrades sex trade workers. The Salvation Army’s national website recommends people conduct prayer walks near strip clubs and massage parlours during this weekend’s campaign, which is focused on human trafficking in the sex trade and its connection to the 2010 Olympic Games.

Romanian Times – Home > General News > Human-trafficking gang dismantled:

A human trafficking gang who were luring young women by offering allegedly well-paid jobs in Italy has been dismantled by police, it was announced today (Fri).
D.S., 35, was arrested and D.D., 29, is being searched for on charges of transporting young women and minors from Romania to Italy. Both are from Slatinain Olt county in southern Romania

Once they arrived in Italy, their victims were taken to Cerano and Cossol Nova and   exploited, being forced to work for them or to prostitute themselves, and were continuously under threat.

The victims were forced to steal from stores for the benefit of their exploiters. Police confiscated laptops, video cameras, TVs and other IT products raids on their homes.

Now focus is on human trafficking:

Much to the embarrassment of President Zardari, the State Department report said parents in Pakistan sell their daughters into domestic servitude, prostitution, or forced marriages, and women are traded between tribal groups to settle disputes or as payment for debts whereas NGOs contend that Pakistani girls are trafficked to the Middle East for sexual exploitation.

The police boss said his officers have identified unregistered guest houses which are being used by human trafficking agents to accommodate foreigners. According to a police officer who declined to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media, the current influx of illegal immigrants is a result of the increasing number of porous routes at Kiunga in Lamu and Vanga in Msambweni. He said the immigrants have taken advantage of the illegal routes to sneak into the country without being registered by immigration officers at the border points. “Human trafficking is on the increase because of porous border points and they take advantage of the laxity of police at the borders to sneak into the country. Even drug traffickers use the same routes to supply drugs,” said the officer.