According to a CNN Story reported July 12 by Michael Martinez and Chandrika Narayan, a woman who was later identified as a Saudi Arabian princess has been charged with one count of human trafficking after multiple "domestic slaves" were found in her California home.
That's right, domestic slaves.
The slave who came forward actually managed to escape from the home of 42-year-old Meshael Alayban when she got on a public bus and subsequently received help from a fellow bus passenger. She is a native of Kenya who was trafficked to Saudi Arabia in March, 2012, for her services. She was under the impression that "her salary was set at $1,600 a month for working eight hours a day, five days a week." However, once she arrived at Alayban's family's home in Saudi Arabia, she was surprised when her passport was taken away, and "she was paid only $220 a month and forced to work 16 hours a day, seven days a week." She arrived in California at Alayban's home this past May, along with four other girls who carried "similar contracts."
This particular case impacts three countries (at least based on the knowledge of this particular story). The now emancipated slave came to Saudi Arabia (one) from Kenya (two), and was eventually illegally moved to the United States (three). Why aren't governments - particularly, the United States, the apparent Land of the Free - paying more attention to potential trafficking situations?
For one, it could look like racial profiling in disguise. It is a common assumption (again, based on films like Taken) that human trafficking only takes place outside the United States. If our government spends time investigating homes such as the vacation home of Meshael Alayban, no doubt some advocacy group will take a stand - without evidence - and claim racial profiling along the lines of, "aren't you only investigating their home because they're Arabic?"
However, even the article states that there is legislation in place in California to combat human trafficking. Proposition 35 passed this past November, which "increased the penalty for human trafficking" within the state of California. Perhaps a monetary penalty and increased prison time is not enough of an incentive - regular home inspections of suspicious households may do the job. (Click here for a full outline from the State of California of Proposition 35).
I want so badly to say that I have a solution - and as difficult as this is for me to admit - the truth is that I don't. It's easy for me to say that home inspections need to be more frequent, perhaps be a precedent not just in California but everywhere. However, I'm not familiar enough with home privacy laws to know what a good solution would be - just when does Big Brother get too big? Is it possible that even with further enforcement of legislation, those who want to traffic would still find a way? Especially royalty of another country - would it not make sense to say that Saudi Arabian royals would have resources to continue to traffic in disguise?
There is one thing that I do know for sure - even going off my last post on Muammar Gaddafi - even trusted leaders of nations are guilty of the crime of human trafficking. Whatever the solution is (at least in the United States) even world leaders need to be subject to it.
That's right, domestic slaves.
The slave who came forward actually managed to escape from the home of 42-year-old Meshael Alayban when she got on a public bus and subsequently received help from a fellow bus passenger. She is a native of Kenya who was trafficked to Saudi Arabia in March, 2012, for her services. She was under the impression that "her salary was set at $1,600 a month for working eight hours a day, five days a week." However, once she arrived at Alayban's family's home in Saudi Arabia, she was surprised when her passport was taken away, and "she was paid only $220 a month and forced to work 16 hours a day, seven days a week." She arrived in California at Alayban's home this past May, along with four other girls who carried "similar contracts."
This particular case impacts three countries (at least based on the knowledge of this particular story). The now emancipated slave came to Saudi Arabia (one) from Kenya (two), and was eventually illegally moved to the United States (three). Why aren't governments - particularly, the United States, the apparent Land of the Free - paying more attention to potential trafficking situations?
For one, it could look like racial profiling in disguise. It is a common assumption (again, based on films like Taken) that human trafficking only takes place outside the United States. If our government spends time investigating homes such as the vacation home of Meshael Alayban, no doubt some advocacy group will take a stand - without evidence - and claim racial profiling along the lines of, "aren't you only investigating their home because they're Arabic?"
However, even the article states that there is legislation in place in California to combat human trafficking. Proposition 35 passed this past November, which "increased the penalty for human trafficking" within the state of California. Perhaps a monetary penalty and increased prison time is not enough of an incentive - regular home inspections of suspicious households may do the job. (Click here for a full outline from the State of California of Proposition 35).
I want so badly to say that I have a solution - and as difficult as this is for me to admit - the truth is that I don't. It's easy for me to say that home inspections need to be more frequent, perhaps be a precedent not just in California but everywhere. However, I'm not familiar enough with home privacy laws to know what a good solution would be - just when does Big Brother get too big? Is it possible that even with further enforcement of legislation, those who want to traffic would still find a way? Especially royalty of another country - would it not make sense to say that Saudi Arabian royals would have resources to continue to traffic in disguise?
There is one thing that I do know for sure - even going off my last post on Muammar Gaddafi - even trusted leaders of nations are guilty of the crime of human trafficking. Whatever the solution is (at least in the United States) even world leaders need to be subject to it.
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