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Russian and Chinese women were trafficked for the purpose of prostitution
to the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, a U.S. Territory. Minors trafficked
from the Philippines and China for prostitution, and 100 Russian women, mostly
from Sakhalin Island, were found in brothels. (William Branigan, "Human rights
abuses found on US island," The Washington Post, 30 March 1998)
Traffickers are luring people from China, the Philippines, Bangladesh and
other nations to the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory,
for a fee of up to $7,000 each, telling them they'll get lucrative work and
a chance at U.S. citizenship. Instead, some are forced into slave labor and
prostitution, and others told investigators they were forced to have abortions.
(Laura Myers, "Sen. Panel Hears of Marianas Abuses," Associated Press Online,
31 March 1998)
Policy and Law
Federal laws against child labor, civil rights violations, human smuggling
and sexual abuse do not apply to the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States
(US) territory. The US government has been accused of allowing abuses to increase
over the years since the Islands were seized from Japan during World War II.
(Laura Myers, "Sen. Panel Hears of Marianas Abuses," Associated Press Online,
31 March 1998)
Official Response and Action
Abuses of foreign workers should stop in a Clinton administration bill to
extend federal wage and immigration laws to the Northern Mariana Islands,
a United States territory, passes. Guest workers now outnumber U.S. citizens
in the islands more than 42,000 compared to 28,000 Americans. Pedro Tenorio,
governor of the islands, said he is dedicated to rooting out abuses, which
he called isolated. But he said the Marianas' economy would suffer if the
government is forced to raise its $3.05-per-hour minimum wage to the federal
level of $5.15. And he said local authorities also will tighten their own
immigration rules. Congress exempted the Mariana Islands from federal wage
and immigration laws in 1976 when it approved the covenant extending U.S.
sovereignty. As a result, the duty-free economy boomed as foreign workers
arrived in droves. (Laura Myers, "Sen. Panel Hears of Marianas Abuses," Associated
Press Online, 31 March 1998)
Official Corruption and Collaboration
Hundreds of Filipina women were trafficked under false pretenses to the Northern
Marianas Islands by Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Island labor officials,
where they were coerced into prostitution. The trafficking occurred with the
collusion of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration executives
and officials of the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands. (Solita Aguirre,
consul general in Honolulu, Jerry Espianda, "Marianas ‘Stench’: Probe POEA,
gov’t urged," Philippines Daily Inquirer, 4 April 1995)
Case
Two women doctors from Harbin, China said they paid a Chinese trafficker
$3,700 each to obtain jobs performing abortions on Saipan. Upon arrival, they
were forced into prostitution. (William Branigan. "Human rights abuses found
on US Island," The Washington Post. 30 March 1998)
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