hello and welcome to mosaic. benefit information is all around us, the good, the bad. we know today just how much evil there is in the world, some oft right under our noses. today, among the leading stories of the boston marathon bombing. we are going to talk about trafficking, human trafficking. we have someone here who knows so much about it. holy family sister. thank you so much. we know you know a lot because you didn't

bring any notes. so you are ready. where do people start talking about trafficking? >> i think it's a global issue. it takes place in every country in the world, in the states and within blocks of us. >> it can happen here? >> yes. estimated at 20 million people. >> all ages? >> men, women and children. it's estimated that more women and children. yes, it has many faces around the world. some of the faces that can be forced to become child soldier's, women to be forced to

prostitution, children in factories, men and women in factories, families in charcoal farms, children in coco field. >> where does it go on here snt united states? >> human trafficking has two elements: it can be sex trafficking or forced labor. we see both of them in our country. we see a lot of them. here in the bay area we see around national blvd and anyone under 18 that ends up in prostitution is in the traffic system. we see people in construction, people in small businesses,

domestic servant, street peddling and begging. i thought people why begging for themselves and now we learn they are begging for someone else. there are dish washers, and people working in hotels. >> these people that are being trafficked, these individuals are they generally citizens of this country, immigrants to this country? is that a necessary elements? >> immigration status has nothing to do with human trafficking. in our country we can traffic our own citizens and it happens. we can have someone come into the country legally and then be trafficked. so someone that is lured here for a promise of a better life might come on a travel or work or student visa and once

they get here they may owe a debt when they get here and their documents can be taken away. >> what kind of transition is it for them? do they find out about it. what are the fears that they live with that keep them with that fagian let's say. what's keeping them? >> threats to them and their family. you can bring shame on your family. we'll report you and you will be deported because in some parts of the world law enforcement are part of the traffic ring. if you come from a country where law enforcement is part of that enslavement, then you are not going to trust law enforcement in another country. sometimes victims that come from another country

say i'm better off here no matter how bad this is or no matter how i'm treated. they begin to identify with their trafficker. everything i need from this person. >> where do traffic people live, how do they live, where do they get food, how are they treated? >> they can be forced to work long hours. we had a case where a woman ended up being brought to this country by friends of her family. >> let's get back to that. that sounds like a door we want to open. we are coming back to mosaic. stay with us.

>> welcome back to mosaic. today we are talking about a difficult topic. we are talking with sister mary about human trafficking. since 2008 you have won an award and you have a ministry toward this evil. >> we really look, there is three areas we focus in around human trafficking. raising awareness. we do a lot with the community, service groups and the more people that know about human trafficking and can identify, then we have more victims that can be rescued and we work with centers in the local area to work with victims. we do not work with any victims and then we work with

legislation and how do we support victims of human trafficking. >> let me go back to that point that people are even turned in by friends. do they have enough feet to get in all these doors? >> lots of people are getting trained on this, law enforcement that is being trained on the federal level. department of labor that can go in and trained to look at labor situations to say is there something more happening here on a federal level. ordinary people, most people in this country are rescued because ordinary people report this suspicious behavior. when someone notices something is wrong in this situation. i heard a man recently

doing gardening work and when he saw a woman cleaning windows, he said i'm a prisoner, please help me. labor is ordinary. somebody washing windows. >> is there any, like might we go to a mace of business and someone could be a traffic person? >> yes. someone recently went to a local shop and said my family brought me over from here country and they forced me to open the store in the open and close it at night and she said, i need help. i need to get out of this situation. >> did someone help her? >> yes. by reporting. we see these run by organized crime, family and people who know them. friends that can

happen. what we know is with human trafficking, when we talk about international victims, people are recruited from their own ethnicity. so someone that owns a business. there was a case in south dakota that ran a comfort in. they were filipino that brought these people. they owed more because they had to pay for their room and board. they owed more than they made. they had to sign their pay checks over every friday. >> what happens to traffic persons when they are relieved of that status. do they get deported and what about the people who are in this country legally? >> an international victim of human trafficking that is option of returning home and they do. some don't because that's where their

traffickers are because they are afraid for their own lives and their families. they can choose to stay here. there are a number of organizations that provide services, mental health, legal services, job training. >> if we google trafficking are we going to find enough information. do you have a website? >> i would suggest the poly polaris project. they are collecting data and resources and have contacts across the nation. no matter where you are in the country. it's a great place to say, how do i get some help and what do you know what's happening in my state.

>> does it go back to slavery? >> it goes long before slavery. it's considered slavery because people are held against their will and forced and can be abused, killed, anything. >> we are coming back on mosaic. it's trafficking.

plead guiltywelcome back to mosaic. we are talking about an evil around us.

we are here with sister mary who is deeply involved in trying to rid the world of this awful thing. how is it for you? is it tiring? >> it's exhausting to hear the types of trafficking and the types of people and the victims and the numbers. we have no idea of the real numbers. we hear as high as 27 million. we hear in the estimated report it's 9 million. it's too many that people are held in this country with slavery where we thought slavery had ended. >> you talk at all levels, you say organized crime, friends. it's something that has been found to

be a way of doing businesses with people. >> the department of public health and human services estimate it's a $30 billion business. many drug dealers are moving into trafficking because it's more lucrative. when you sell an ounce of cocaine, it's gone. but a human, you make money continuously. >> where you have people with families do you know of something carried through with families? >> i know of one in the area where yes. this is happening. >> it really does. these nightmares come true. >> that's right. >> what can we do.

you talk about the polaris project. the hotline. >> 888-373-377888. you can report anonymous ly. somely. some people don't want to get involved. the polaris project is in washington d.c. that's where the hotline is staffed. they call the local authorities. that's where it's investigated. >> what should we do? do we have to discern at all what we think we

might be seeing? >> if someone is saying please help me. i'm held a prisoner. i need help. if someone is saying i have been mistreated, often victims can end up in emergency rooms because they have been beaten and abused. let law enforcement sort it out. we never want to put a person at risk. you want to call law enforcement and report it and let law enforcement deal with it. even when you call the national hotline and report, there may need to be several weeks or months of investigation before law enforcement can move in because they are bound by the law. they can't break into somewhere because i called. >> as unfortunate as it is, the awful way the traffic people are treated, the people who handle them, that is probably just the beginning o

how ruthless they can be. we really have to be careful to not get ourselves involved. >> that's right. because it's one thing if it's an individual or family that might be treating someone like a slave versus organized crime. because of the internet, people can be bought and sold anywhere in the world because of easy transportation. people are moved around if they think law enforcement is moving in. >> is this going on around us? >> yes. >> are there methods, kinds of list where people go? >> well, you know several years ago we did a lot around craigslist, if you remember several years ago there was a lot of concern around craigslist people being sold.

>> because there is no scrutiny on that? >> right. craigslist decided to work and do more screening of people that were being sold, but we know that people lie. traffickers lie. if you say someone is 18, but they are really not. if someone advertises, now back page is another place. if they are 18 between 15 and 20. there is something not quite right. >> we are coming back. remember that hotline. 888-3787. stop trafficking.

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the national hotline for human trafficking. my guest is sister mary. that is putting a stop to human trafficking. they are one of the worst ills of the world today. >> that's right. >> it's all around us. i can't help but go back to that. it's right here and it's not even disguised. >> it is all around us and it looks ordinary. one of the myths is that it happens in other countries, somewhere else, it happens in poor countries, but it's happening in our own country, in the bay area. >> it's happening through legitimate channels. >> here in the bay area. >> i'm at a loss for words.

we have a few minutes here. can you give us a workshop in this. what do you tell people? >> i tell people that human trafficking is modern day slavery, it's a global issues. millions of people, there are more slaves today than anytime in history. it has many many faces. it is not just sex trafficking, but labor. there is more labor trafficking than sex trafficking. there are more women and children than men being trafficked, but men, women and children are being trafficked. it's happening in our own country. since 2000 we have made it a felony to traffic someone. it has nothing to do with status. the person can be a citizen, can come to this country legally or illegally. it has many faces in this country and it happens all around us.

>> what if someone needs help from you that know about it. do you have a website they can go to. >> holy family sisters.org. they can come and talk to us. we give a lot of speeches to organizations, communities. the more people that know about human trafficking and how to report suspicious behavior, then more people are arrested. we know every time there is training in this country or raising awareness, there is a national hotline and more people being rescued. >> how do they deal with this? do they not believe it or are they surprised? what was the reaction? >> i think people r are surprised it's happening in our neighborhood. they believe it's happening in other

countries. many believe it's only prostitution or sexual trafficking. >> are people willing to help? >> i think people are more than willing. we ask them to put this number so they can report this behavior. >> 888-3787. have you been like christ come and follow me, have people followed you? >> i think many people, i have been involved since 2008, there is a lot more collaboration among law enforcement communities working together to bring an end to human trafficking. that's a positive note. i think there are a number of service organizations that really

support victims and survivors of human trafficking because when someone has been trafficked, it can take as long as 18 months to 2 years to normalize and stable their lives again to move on, to receive services. >> give us the best 30 seconds that you have. >> i think we all need to put the national hot lines on our phone and report suspicious behavior and become modern day advocates especially when we remember the anniversary of the emancipation. >> let's call it a good time. thank you so much. the hotline 888-3787. polaris project.org, holy family sisters.org. will you come back?

>> i will. >> thank for joining us on mosaic. trafficking, do something.

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