Speaker For The Living 'human Trafficking' Podcast

Seth and JJ explain what a T Visa and U Visa are, and how they can help victims of human trafficking get temporary nonimmigrant status. They also explain how Trump administration policies have affected these visa, including how they are slowing down processing times. Nevertheless, applications numbers have risen, but so have denials since 2016 along with a growing backlog of pending applications. Sources: Information for Law Enforcement Agencies and Judges, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/victims-human-trafficking-other-crimes T Visa Applicants Must Have Been “Trafficked” Into the U.S., NOLO https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/differences-between-t-u-visas.html Victims of Human Trafficking: T Nonimmigrant Status, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/victims-human-trafficking-other-crimes/victims-human-trafficking-t-nonimmigrant-status Victims of Criminal Activity: U Nonimmigrant Status, U.S. Citizenship and Immigrati

Jeffrey Epstein has been arrested and formerly charged with sex trafficking by the Southern District of New York. Seth and JJ discuss the new charges and information that has come to light. Sources: Jeffrey Epstein Is Accused of Luring Girls to His Manhattan Mansion and Abusing Them, The New York Times $56 Million Upper East Side Mansion Where Epstein Allegedly Abused Girls, The New York Times Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Once Hosted a Party for “28 Girls” at Mar-a-Lago, VICE "So. More on the modern slave trade...", Virginia Heffernan Julie K. Brown: "Quite A Few Powerful And Important" Names Will Come Up In Jeffrey Epstein Sex Trafficking Case, RealClearPolitics Why Q-Anon Is Celebrating the Arrest of Jeffrey Epstein, Washington Monthly The next big question about Jeffrey Epstein, CNN United States of America v. Jeffrey Epstein, United States District Court Southern District of New York More Than a Dozen Jeffrey Epstein Accusers Have Come Forward Since His Indictment, Rolling Stone Jeffrey

Seth and JJ discuss Joss Whedon's most controversial work, Dollhouse, which intersects with themes of human trafficking, prostitution, ownership, identity, and consent. While it's been 10 years since Dollhouse debuted for a two season run, Dollhouse's complex portrayal of trafficking is still good for a nuanced conversation of the issues. Sources: Dollhouse, Hulu Why Dollhouse Really Is Joss Whedon's Greatest Work, Gizmodo In defence of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, Den of Geek Joss Whedon's Dollhouse: Confounding Purpose, Confusing Identity - Edited by Sherry Ginn, Alyson R. Buckman, and Heather M. Porter lnside Joss' Dollhouse - Edited by Jane Espenson Joss Whedon and Religion: Essays on an Angry Atheist's Explorations of the Sacred - Edited by Anthony R. Mills, John W. Morehead, and J. Ryan Parker Joss Whedon Versus the Corporation: Big Business Critiqued in the Films and Television Programs - Erin Giannini The Philosophy of Joss Whedon - Edited by Dean A. Kowalski and S. Evan Kreider Readin

Seth and JJ gives updates on previous trafficking stories they've covered. NXIVM leaders Allison Mack pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy and racketeering charges. We find out who the primary victim was for Jeffrey Epstein's case. Law enforcement backtracks on their claims that sex trafficking occurred at the Orchard Spa where Robert Kraft was a client. Cases are costing R Kelly money and he claims victimhood. Lindsey Lohan admits she misread a situation she's now Instafamous for. And Chloe Ayling feels vindicated after her trafficker was convicted and sentenced. Sources: Here Are All the Major Players in the NXIVM Case, Where Women Were Allegedly Held as 'Sex Slaves', TIME She was the victim in Jeffrey Epstein’s secret plea deal. She didn’t even know it, Miami Herald New Jeffrey Epstein accuser goes public; defamation lawsuit targets Dershowitz, Miami Herald Prosecutors Say There’s No Evidence of Sex Trafficking In Robert Kraft Case, Rolling Stone R. Kelly breaks his silence on sexual abuse claims:

Seth and JJ review the movie Nona, primarily analyzing how it portrays human trafficking. The movie has an intelligent script, strong characterization, and beautiful cinematography shot on location in multiple countries. It's depiction of trafficking is more nuanced than most films involving trafficking, with the focus more on dialogue and interactions within relationships. Sadly, the movie falls apart in the final scene. Spoilers ahead. This is the story of Nona (Sulem Calderon), who met a guy named Hecho (Jesy McKinney) in her hometown in Honduras. He offered to travel with her to the United States, where she hoped to reunite with her mother, but upon crossing the border, found herself trafficked. During the first two-thirds of the movie, she and Hecho traveled through Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. We are given glimpses of her life through the well-crafted dialogue between the characters. This part of her journey resembled a travelogue similar to movies like Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise. Once she

The Trump Administration claims a humanitarian crisis at the "southern border as human traffickers victimize countless women and children." JJ examines what Trump has said about human trafficking and at looks Trump administration policies, including the wall, and how their claims compare to statistics. Sources: Remarks: Donald Trump Discusses Human Trafficking and the Border - February 1, 2019, Factbase Human Trafficking News, US Department of Justice Thirty-Six Defendants Guilty For Their Roles In International Thai Sex Trafficking Organization, US State Attorney's Office District of Minnesota Texas couple convicted of keeping African girl as slave for 16 years, Independent Interview: Donald Trump Interviewed by Margaret Brennan on CBS's Face the Nation - February 3, 2019, Factbase Tim Ballard: I've fought sex trafficking at the border. This is why we need a wall, Desert News 2018 TIP Report, United States, US Department of State Attorney General TIP Report FY2017, Scribd Speech: Donald T

Seth draws on his experience living in New Zealand to reflect on the country and discusses "The Great Replacement" narrative that has seeped into the mainstream right, and how these narratives can increase dehumanization and marginalization, which can make people more vulnerable to various forms of exploitation, including human trafficking.

Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse case is facing renewed scrutiny due to the way his case was handling, which included not properly notifying victims about the plea deal, which was really lenient given what he was accused of. Seth and JJ go through the timeline of accusations and reported evidence, along with how the plea deal came about. Epstein's connections to Bill Clinton and Donald Trump are also briefly explored. Sources: Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who is friends with Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, explained, Vox Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein: I’m a sex offender, not a predator, New York Post Flight Logs Put Clinton, Dershowitz on Pedophile Billionaire’s Sex Jet, Gawker Flight logs show Bill Clinton flew on sex offender's jet much more than previously known, Fox News Jeffrey Epstein: International Moneyman of Mystery, New York Magazine The Friendship Between Trump And A Billionaire Pedophile That Nobody Wants To Talk About, The Daily Caller Pedophile Pleaded The Fifth When As

Patriot's owner Robert Kraft was charged in Florida for solicitation of prostitution. Lanyun Ma of the East Spa was charged with human trafficking. JJ discusses massage parlors, the prostitution sting of the Johns, the situation the victims were in, and how this appears to be a case involving human trafficking. Sources: Trafficking probe that ensnared Robert Kraft began when inspector saw signs women lived at spa, CNN Florida sex trafficking bust is bigger than Robert Kraft -- Here’s why it matters, Fox News Victims of alleged human-trafficking ring that ensnared Robert Kraft were forced to live in massage parlors and perform sex acts, according to police, Business Insider Masseuses, men, and massage parlors: An expoloratory descriptive study, Women & Criminal Justice Methodological and Ethical Challenges to Conducting Human Trafficking Studies: A Case Study of Korean Trafficking and Smuggling for Sexual Exploitation to the United States, Women & Criminal Justice Why is there only one human traf

Cartels based in Kenya recruit East Africans into trafficking situations by pretending to be legitimate labor brokers for real jobs. JJ explains how they do it, which includes brazenly advertising in newspapers. Sources: Why human trafficking is still rife in Kenya, The Star Illicit Trafficking and Eastern Africa, UNODC KENYA: Tier 2, Office To Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Kenya is run by mafia-style cartels, says chief justice, The Guardian Merchandised: Human trafficking cartels in Kenya, YouTube Photo: Standard Digital

In 2010, Seth purchased a vegetable share from Grant Family Farms CSA, in Wellington, CO. Little did he know that a subcontractor had committed labor trafficking of undocumented workers 5 years prior, with a judge awarding $7.5 million to the 5 men for numerous violations of federal law in 2009. Seth tells their story, and how farmworkers are vulnerable to trafficking. Sources: Fields of fear for Colorado illegal farm laborers, The Denver post Does v. Rodriguez, CaseText John Doe v. Moises Rodriguez, Sherloc Human Trafficking For Labor Purposes AnAnalysis Of Immigration Policy And EconomicForces Within The United States, University of Central Florida Grant Farms entity again files for bankruptcy, Coloradoan Subcontractor Scheming: Holding Agricultural Companies Liable for Human Trafficking, Human Trafficking Search Immigrant Workers in US Agriculture: The Role of Labor Brokers in Vulnerability to Forced Labor, Verité Colorado Legal Services Photo: Zimbio  

JJ discusses the alleged and documented incidents of R Kelly's abuse of women and girls, and whether they meet the criteria of trafficking, based on what we know. Seth and JJ begin the show with a quick look into the Pope's admission that some nuns are sex slaves. Sources: Sexual Abuse of Nuns: Longstanding Church Scandal Emerges From Shadows, The New York Times AIDS exacerbates sexual exploitation of nuns, reports allege, NCR Online R. Kelly scandal: A timeline, CNN Kelly accused of sex with teenage girls, Chicago Sun Times R. Kelly arrested in child porn case, CNN Parents Told Police Their Daughter Is Being Held Against Her Will In R. Kelly’s “Cult”, BuzzFeed News Photo: Wikimedia

Sex-trafficking victim Cyntoia Brown was granted clemency by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam on January 7, 2019. JJ discusses Brown's childhood, her trafficking situation with Cut Throat, the incident where she killed Johnny Allen, the complexities of the case, how her story gained publicity, and why she attained clemency. Sources: Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story, iTVS How The Justice System Failed Cyntoia Brown, Refinery29 Cyntoia Brown: National legal groups join appeal to free woman sentenced to life at 16, Tennessean Cyntoia Brown Is Granted Clemency After 15 Years in Prison, The New York Times Johnny Michael Allen: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Heavy Fact Sheet: Safe Harbor Laws, National Council of Jewish Women Human Trafficking Issue Brief: Safe Harbor, Polaris  

A recent Washington Post article noted that according to Federal data, young black men are disproportionately prosecuted for human trafficking. While recognizing that these men are perpetrators, African-Americans are also victims, and racial stereotypes and white saviorism are still found in law enforcement and anti-human trafficking. Sources: Who’s disproportionately prosecuted for human trafficking? Young black men., The Washington Post Types of Trafficking, Human Trafficking Data Human Trafficking: Not All Black or White, Human Trafficking Search Human Trafficking, VictimsofCrime.org The Racial Roots of Human Trafficking, UCLA Law Review An Empirical Analysis of the Intersection of Organized Crime and Human Trafficking In the United States, National Criminal Justice Reference Service Photo: Pexels

Four versions of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) were recently passed into law which reauthorize the original law from 2000. The last version had passed in 2013, and expired in 2017 along with funding allocations to anti-trafficking efforts. The new versions include additional funding, more protections for victims, better data collection, and improved criteria for tier rankings, though the Trump administration has opted out of some of the requirements. Seth and JJ give an overview of all four TVPA laws. Sources: Presidential Proclamation on National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, 2019, White House President Donald J. Trump Is Fighting to Eradicate Human Trafficking, White House Remarks by President Trump in Signing Ceremony for S. 1862, the “Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act”, White House S.1311 - Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017, US Congress Statement by the President, White House S.1312 - Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2017, US Congre

Seth and JJ tackle the complicated case of NXIVM--how did an MLM that sold itself as an “executive success program” under the direction of Keith Raniere end up with massive public attention...and more importantly, with many arrests and federal indictments on sex and labor trafficking? We detail how a group (DOS, or the Vow) within a group (Jness) within a group (NXIVM) ended up with a 2019 trial on human trafficking--and more broadly, how cults and human trafficking have a lot of overlap. Sources: Barcella, Laura. "NXIVM: What We Know About Alleged Sex Trafficking, Forced Labor." Rolling Stone. June 25, 2018. Edmondson, Sarah, and Sarah Berman. "Why I Joined a Secret Society That Branded Me." Vice. November 03, 2017. Grigoriadis, Vanessa. "Inside Nxivm, the 'Sex Cult' That Preached Empowerment." The New York Times. May 30, 2018. Accessed November 15, 2018. Hopper, Elizabeth, and José Hidalgo. "Invisible chains: Psychological coercion of human trafficking victims." Intercultural Hum. Rts. L. Rev. 1 (

In this episode, Seth and JJ break down white slavery--the history, the reasoning, and the myths that continue to be present in the field of modern human trafficking. Listen in for a lot of nuances about eotic service provision, JJ yelling about exploitation films (and penny dreadfuls) from the 1920s, and a deep dive into US laws. Where does the “myth” of white slavery come from, and how has it persisted? Bonus points: we take on “Taken” once again. Sources: Doezema, Jo. "Loose women or lost women? The re-emergence of the myth of white slavery in contemporary discourses of trafficking in women." Gender issues 18, no. 1 (1999): 23-50. Donovan, Brian. White slave crusades: race, gender, and anti-vice activism, 1887-1917. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2006. Keire, Mara L. "The vice trust: A reinterpretation of the White slavery scare in the United States, 1907-1917." Journal of Social History 35, no. 1 (2001): 5-41. Grittner, Frederick K. White slavery: myth, ideology, and American

This week, Seth and JJ tackle a "god" in the field of human trafficking work--William Wilberforce himself. Why do we as a field focus on only certain kinds of historic abolitionists as models? Should modern anti-trafficking workers still call themselves abolitionists? What about leaders from affected populations--has a lack of focus on them really been the result of white supremacy? We try to tackle this tough subject with humor, yelling, and and a whole lot of 1800s court transcripts. Sources: William Wilberforce (1759 -1833): The Politician, The Abolition Project William Wilberforce and abolition, Revealing Histories Will the real William Wilberforce please stand up? (Part 2), Pambazuka News SLAVERY AND THE BIRTH OF WORKING-CLASS RACISM IN ENGLAND, 1814–1833, Cambridge University Press 5 Black Heroes of the Abolition Movement in Britain, Heritage Calling Photo: Statue of William Wilberforce, Hull, cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Hillas

The US is once again pulling out of the International Coffee Agreement. The collapse of the previous ICA in 1989, with the US pulling out, is one factor that led to the coffee crisis in the early 2000s. Seth discusses how a series of events, including Mexico implementing US policy recommendations for liberalization, hurt indigenous coffee farmers in Southern Mexico, to the point where coffee and corn were no longer sustainable, and they migrated north, with many coming to the US. Reports show that emigration from Southern Mexico, and immigration of farmers from Southern Mexico to California, correlate, and that the timelines correlate with the coffee crisis. Sources: US State Department Confirms Withdrawal from the International Coffee Agreement, Daily Coffee News The Global Coffee Crisis: A Threat to Sustainable Development, International Coffee Organization NAFTA and the Mexican Economy, Congressional Research Service The structural changes in the Mexican coffee sector: effects on the transaction