Marlboro Targets Human Trafficking

The Marlboro Township Council approved a proclamation last week declaring the week of Jan. 11, 2014 Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

“It’s a problem that happens in this country and beyond,” said Mayor Jonathan Hornik. “We don’t know the effect on Marlboro Township, but we wanted to recognize it because it’s very important.”

According to the proclamation, "the Marlboro Township Council recognizes that New Jersey is a prime location for Human Trafficking because it is a major national and international transportation corridor and a culturally diverse state.” 

The proclamation came about as part of an effort by the Freehold Branch of the American Association of the University of Women to bring attention to human trafficking.

“Back in September our branch began thinking of a focus for the next year, and after having heard the Atlantic city Prosecutor’s office, and the fact that 75 to 80 percent of women are victims of human trafficking, we decided to make that our mission,” said AAUW member Deirdre McNamara.

McNamara said Human trafficking involves "recruiting harboring, transporting, providing or obtaining a person for compelled labor and commercial sex through force, fraud or coercion.”

She said 58 percent of detected activities involves sexual exploitation, 36 forced labor. Children made up 27 percent of the cases.

According to the proclamation, “human trafficking is a borderless crime against individuals that violates the most basic human rights and deprives victims of every shred of personal freedom.

"Human traffickers target impoverished and marginalized children, women and men, isolating them from society and supportive networks and exploiting them for personal and monetary gain."

In addition, human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world today, and is tied with arms smuggling as the second largest international criminal industry, falling behind the illicit drug trade, according to the proclamation.

The United Nations’ International Labour Organization has estimated that at least 12.3 million adults and children worldwide are currently in forced labor, bonded labor or forced prostitution; it is estimated that more people are now harmed by Human Trafficking worldwide than have been at any other point in human history; approximately 80 percent of the victims are women and girls, and 50 percent are younger than age 18. Many those victims don’t seek help because they do not understand English.