Progress Report # 3

Maggie's findings -
Kathleen Davis:

Davis covers many of the important questions regarding the issue of Human Trafficking that occurs over the North Korean and Chinese borders. These important questions include why is there crossing the border, who is being trafficked and how many, how does the smuggling and crossing the border process occur, what are the victims subjected to, and what is being done to help by the international community. According to Davis, the increase in the border crossing is a direct result of the lagging economy in North Korea. The stagnant economy post Cold War has caused there to be a lack in food available, thus leading to rationing and women being subject to a low economic status in North Korea. Additionally, because of Chinese child-bearing laws, there is a shortage of wives available in China, thus leading men to look to North Korea for women they can essentially purchase for a wife. Davis reports that nearly 80-90% of women who do cross the Chinese and Korean border are trafficked. Men typically use coercion, abduction, force, threat and money to obtain the women who are being trafficked. There are "distributors" who often times can "re-sell" the trafficked women, and often times, these distributors depend on border patrol who turn a blind eye or pretend to arrest the women found crossing the border and then traffic the captives. As a captive, these women are subject to physical abuse in labor camps, sexual abuse, and mental abuse but cannot escape this inhumane treatment because of their illegal status. If they were caught, they would be subject to more labor and sexual abuse and then deported back to their home country, where they are often regarded as outcasts. 

One of the more disturbing finds from Davis is the response of both the Chinese and the North Korean governments; both have given a response of denial. International pressure exists to both of the countries and there is a continued desire for both the countries' involvement in the UN Trafficking Protocol. 

Davis, Kathleen. "Brides, Bruises and the Border: The Trafficking of North Korean Women into China.." SAIS Review of International Affairs. 26.1 (2006): 131-141. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://kg6ek7cq2b.search.serialssolutions.com.ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/?genre=article&isbn=&issn=19454716&title=SAIS Review of International Affairs&volume=26&issue=1&date=20061215&atitle=Brides, Bruises and the Border: The Trafficking of North Korean Women into China.&aulast=Davis, Kathleen&spage=131&sid=EBSCO:Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)&pid=>.

Katharine Moon:

In Moon's scholarly article also covering human trafficking between the Korean and Chinese border, she discusses much about human rights currently in North Korea. There is a significant lack in protection of and involvement in human rights efforts by the government officials of China and North Korea and other international powers. The government officials continue to "turn a blind-eye" to the activities going on at the borders. According to Moon, there is a disconnect with regards to punishing those responsible for the human trafficking because anti-trafficking efforts are hard to impose. Both countries need to be held accountable; China needs to look to those crossing the border into China as refugees instead of criminals, and thus need to help them and grant them amnesty instead of deporting them. Furthermore, China needs to be more involved in UN involvement and treaties discussing human trafficking.
Moon, Katherine H.S. "Beyond Demonization: A New Strategy for Human Rights in North Korea.."Current History. 107. (2008): 263-268. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/eds/detail?sid=4b33ff37-99d3-4d08-b1ec-27896165ab01@sessionmgr104&vid=4&hid=1>.


Mark Lagon
In Lagon's scholarly article, much of the trafficking that goes on in China is discussed. Today, in China, North Korea continues to be one of the top sources of trafficked women. The labor and sexual abuse are conditions that the women and girls are subjected to could be considered modern day slavery. According to Lagon, North Korean women in China are the most vulnerable trafficked women because of their illegal status in China and their fear of deportation back to their home country. Lagon's article does an excellent job of highlighting what is going on in China in terms of human trafficking and how this connects to women trafficked from North Korea. 

Lagon, Mark. "Human Trafficking In China." DISAM Journal of International Security Assistance Management. 30.1 (2008): 40-41. Print. <http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=afec1ee7-013a-4da6-be4b-8f22dbe80436@sessionmgr11&vid=9&hid=115>.

Ashley's findings:

Louise Shelley discusses the issue of human trafficking in North and South Korea and how they are different.  While South Korea is considered one of the largest economies in the world, fewer women are available for prostitution, and therefore, women are often imported from other countries such as the Philippines, Russia, and Thailand.  On the other hand, human trafficking in North Korea is different in that the government regulates the population.  Human trafficking is important to their economy in that it produces money for the state.  Since there is such a tight control over population, North Korean women are often exported to serve as wives to China.  Since the one-child policy exists in China, there is a shortage of women to marry.  She also discusses the different clients that participate in this global “business”.  These clients are military personnel but also foreign tourist from Europe, North America, the Middle East, and many other places.  Shelley explains that “different nationalities serve different clienteles”.  For example, Russian women serve both American and Korean clientele, while Filipinos are required to work at “clubs” that serve American servicemen because of their understanding of English.

“Human Trafficking: A Misunderstood Global Scourge”, discusses the importance of human trafficking in the United States.  Hilary Clinton refers to the issue as “one of the world’s largest and most pressing human rights concerns”.  Clinton also explains that human trafficking is also an American problem, arguing that, “It doesn’t just take place in the sweatshops of impoverished Indian village or in Thai brothels, but on US streets from San Francisco to New York.  This article could be used in our discussion of what the United States is doing to help these countries regarding this issue and also the fact that it is occurring in our own country.


Bibliography:

Shelley, Louise. “Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective” Cambridge University Press, 2010

<http://books.google.com/books?id=XY8uJoYkNBsC&pg=PA155&lpg=PA155&dq=human+trafficking+in+north+korea&source=bl&ots=MBFyZj9G1C&sig=4e0Lecg2qx2TRnGfwJMjTXAxYJQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=46B1UOy2JOjy0gHimYH4Aw&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=human%20trafficking%20in%20north%20korea&f=false>

Hanes, Stephanie.  “Human Trafficking: A Misunderstood Global Scourge”.  The Christian Science Monitor.  Web. 9 Sept. 2012.

<http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-Issues/2012/0909/Human-trafficking-a-misunderstood-global-scourge>