Union County Prosecutor Romankow addresses issue of human trafficking

by Danusia Lukiw

UNION, N.J. - Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow shared some eye-opening facts and statistics on human trafficking during a meeting of Ukrainian National Women's League of America Branch 75 on May 6.

Although human trafficking is prevalent in Ukraine, Russia and South Korea, Mr. Romankow stressed that sex slavery occurs everywhere.

"In Union County we have problems with a lot of women involved with human trafficking," Mr. Romankow, a human rights activist, said.

No one signs up to be a sex slave, but the problem of human trafficking exists everywhere. Human trafficking or sex slavery doesn't only occur in Third World countries or economically deprived countries, like Ukraine. It's also a worldwide problem infesting countries such as Greece, Italy, Romania, China, Japan and even Canada and the United States, he explained.

Human traffickers have been targeting local towns, no matter the size of the town or the prestigious value it may hold, setting up massage parlors and strip clubs while holding women and children captive, the county prosecutor said.

He said that in Springfield, N.J., there are 12 massage parlors; in North Plainfield Mexican women were held as slaves and forced to perform sexual acts on at least six men a day and in Short Hills there was a recent arrest after men held a woman captive.

"This could be happening right under our noses," Mr. Romankow said.

He pointed out that traffickers target mostly women and underage girls, luring them with promises of becoming actresses or models, and then betraying the girls by stealing their passports, kidnapping them, beating and torturing them, brainwashing them, starving them and eventually holding them captive as sex slaves.

"It's not just sex," Mr. Romankow said. "It's their lives totally changing."

According to the U.S. State Department, about 600,000 to 800,000 people annually are trafficked across national borders which does not count the millions trafficked within their own countries.

Mr. Romankow mentioned the groundbreaking book "The Natashas, Inside the New Global Sex Trade," by Victor Malarek, which documents the journeys of several trafficking victims.

According to the book, Interpol estimates that an exploited young woman can bring in $75,000 to $250,000 a year. A girl who is trafficked for $1,500, can bring in over $100 an hour, allowing the buyer to make back his investment in just a few nights.

Mr. Romankow also talked about Ukraine's trafficking problems and observed how the parents of these girls sometimes are intimately involved in the process of giving up their children and selling them to the traffickers due to rising unemployment, poverty and weakened social structures. Once the traffickers get hold of these women and children their lives are at risk and they are prone to contracting sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS or being murdered by the traffickers. Thus, they become sex slaves, he stated.

The victims fear for their own lives and their family's lives, causing them to distrust the police and authority. Traffickers beat them to instill fear, telling the girls that if they run or go to the police they will be murdered and their families will be tracked down and killed, he continued.

"A lot of these girls won't go back home because they are embarrassed," Mr. Romankow said.

Human trafficking is the No. 2 criminal enterprise (after gun running) in the world, bringing in $8 billion per year.

The United States has recognized the human trafficking problem and in 2002 enacted the Anti-trafficking Act, which provides for penalites of up to 20 years in prison for traffickers.

Gov. Richard Codey of New Jersey recently signed a law stipulating that traffickers will be subject to life in prison - a higher punishment than that provided by federal law.

UNWLA member Christine Demidowich asked Mr. Romankow "What could we do to stop trafficking?"

"Keep your ears and your eyes opened," Mr. Romankow said. "And report any suspicious behavior to the proper authorities."

UNWLA Branch 75 members are involved with various events throughout the year, including fund-raising for breast cancer awareness and The Ukrainian Museum in New York City, sponsoring art exhibits, and learning about nutrition and exercise for women.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, July 3, 2005, No. 27, Vol. LXXIII

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