April 22, 2020
Research led by a U.S. trafficking group stated that arresting survivors of human trafficking for their testimony in criminal prosecutions creates more trauma (REUTERS). According to The Human Trafficking Legal Center (HTLC), witnesses who do not want to testify can be detained (REUTERS). Victims who are detained risk losing custody of their children, jobs and […]
April 12, 2020
Naason Joaquin Garcia, the self-proclaimed apostle of the Guadalajara-based evangelical church, La Luz del Mundo, was arrested last June for 26 felony crimes in Southern California (REUTERS). On Tuesday, a California appeals court ordered the dismissal of the criminal case and charges of child rape and human trafficking against Garcia on procedural grounds (AP). The […]
March 20, 2020
A jury in New Zealand found Joseph Auga Matama guilty of 13 counts of human trafficking and 10 counts of slavery on Tuesday (TG). The offenses took place over a 25-year period (BBC). He faces up to 20 years in prison or a fine of $300,000 for human trafficking and modern slavery convictions (RNZ). This […]
February 17, 2020
This year’s World Day of Prayer, Reflection and Action against Human Trafficking saw nuns and lay people marching in the streets of Rome to St. Peter’s Square. Pope Francis stated that fighting the very real plague of human trafficking requires a unified commitment (AP). According to the Pope, the issue is “a global phenomenon that […]
