2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

A CLOSING NOTE FROM THE DRAFTERS OF THE REPORT
Vulnerable men enslaved—and cast into the sea
The terms vary: trafficking, forced labor, involuntary
servitude, slavery . . . but the basic elements are the
same. Someone seeks a better life and takes a risk by
accepting an offer of employment—often outside his
or her country—and finds a hell of servitude instead.
We have shed light on the most vulnerable—women
and children—but in the modern age of exploitation
through debt and deception, there are many
men who fall prey to traffickers. This Report
shows the servitude suffered by so many men
who have taken risks for themselves and their
families, but end up enslaved by labor recruiters
and employers.
At the age of 22, Ko Maung left his home in
Mon State, Burma with his new bride to find
work in a neighboring country. The newlyweds
dreamed of earning enough money to return to
Burma and build a home for their children. Ko
Maung’s wife went to work in a fish-processing
factory; he took jobs aboard fishing vessels that
took him to sea for two to three months. In
2003, he accepted what, he thought, was a safe
offer of work on a fishing boat for two years.
“You stay here, he told his wife as he left. “I will
come back with money and we can go back to
Burma.” Later, his wife was told he had died
during the final months of the fishing boat’s
three-year voyage.
From accounts of survivors who made it back, Ko
Maung and 30 other Burmese recruited to work on a
fleet of six fishing boats died at sea from forced labor,
starvation, and vitamin deficiencies. They had been
forced to remain at sea for years, denied pay, and fed
only fish and rice. Workers made repeated requests
to leave the boats, but were denied. They requested
medical attention but were ignored. As one after
another grossly exploited man died at the end of the
fishing voyage, their bodies were unceremoniously
dumped overboard. They were used in forced labor
until they could breathe no more. Those who survived
were not paid for their work—which amounted to
three years of enslavement.
This Report is dedicated to Ko Maung, who paid the
ultimate price of slavery, and to his family whose
dreams were crushed. Through the courage of his
compatriots, and advocates who assist male victims
of slavery, we have heard his voice of agony. We
pledge to project his voice, breaking down the walls of
indifference and corruption that protect businesses that
rely on this despicable trade in disposable humans.
Thank you for your support. Thank you for joining us.
Rebecca Billings Eleanor Kennelly Gaetan Sally Neumann Felecia A. Stevens
Kathleen Bresnahan Paula R. Goode Amy O’Neill Richard Mark B. Taylor
Jennifer Schrock Donnelly Megan L. Hall Gayatri Patel Caroline S. Tetschner
Dana Dyson Mark P. Lagon Catherine Pierce Jennifer Topping
Shereen Faraj Amy LeMar-Meredith Solmaz Sharifi Rachel Yousey Raba
Barbara Fleck Carla Menares Bury Jane Nady Sigmon Veronica Zeitlin
Mark Forstrom Jennie Miller Andrea Smail
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