The monster who puts kids in cages has no credibility on sex trafficking (or anything else for that matter.)
15
Can we count the slave labor that makes Donald’s hats and Ivanka’s shoes?
9
About Trump's sensationalist exploitation of underage girls exploited in global sex trafficking, activist Rachel Lloyd opined, "It’s bad enough. You don’t need to make it worse.”
But that's the thing. Everything that Trump touches is made worse. Everything. No exceptions.
14
Are we just supposed to have forgotten about Trump's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?
9
Kristof deserves the Presidential Medal Of Freedom. But let’s wait to award it when we have a leader in the White House.
5
Seriously?! Obama instituted the separation of kids from 'parent' all because of child trafficking. It was a good idea - kids that were with people claiming falsely to be the parent or guardian should be separated from those traffickers. This is not a Trump invention, but the current progressive stance does act to encourage it.
7
It is sad that this trafficking is still happening in our "postmodern" world. It is beyond prehistoric. And that the current administration is using it in this way is appalling.
Dignity. Sympathy. Humanity. Start with those precepts.
6
I’m glad to see you raise this topic - thank you.
A focus on prevention should address the mindset that allows ordinary people to think it’s okay to use another human being, a CHILD at that, for selfish gratification. Does having money give a person that entitlement?
Also, why talk about foreign countries when the world’s biggest market for sex with children is right here in the USA? Who are these people buying sex with kids? They are not foreign or alien - they are the people all around us. Isn’t that something worth examining?
Finally, while it’s common to talk about trafficking in girls and women, there are plenty of boy children being trafficked as well, and I’m not sure why they seldom get mentioned. Moreover, men who like to have sex with boys often like to hurt them too, and many boys end up dead, hidden from oversight in corrupt orders of the vast foster care system.
7
Trump fails to live up to the hype. Surprising no. I laud those who daily challenge, poke holes in Trumps alternative reality bubble. I am not one to cast the President as a psychological wreck in explaining what we see. More fundamentally his failings stem from being an unprincipled man. A simple but scathing assessment proven true daily.
In one very real sense his lack of principle ought to be the issue in the upcoming election. Regardless of the eventual Democratic nominee he or she offers something Trump can never be; a decent human being. A minimal standard for an American president.
9
Sadly, Trump is all about Trump. He appears unable to empathize and therefore only promotes his fantasy of what trafficking might be. Meanwhile as with any other humanitarian effort, he minimizes the effect and reduces the money spent to combat the issue.
It is not only women and children who are trafficked, nor is it always about sex. An intellectually disabled man in my town was forced into slave labor at a local restaurant for years before the manager was finally arrested and convicted. The restaurant is owned by the manager's relative and is still open. No word on the man who was enslaved lately. I strongly suspect the number of cases reported are only a drop in the bucket compared to real totals.
25
We're supposed to suspend rational thought and believe the guy that palled around for decades with J. Epstein at private "parties" attended exclusively by himself and scores of naive teenage girls (delivered there secretly and paid by discrete underlings, ie: "trafficked"), buddies around with R. Kraft (accused of frequenting South Florida massage parlors staffed with undocumented young Asians by a close Trump confidant and regular Mar-a-Lago guest), ogled barely dressed underage contestants back stage at his Miss Teen beauty contests, trademarked Trump Escort Services and Trump Massage Parlors in China, has been using undocumented women to press his golf shirts and slacks for decades and posed his future wife on his private jet lying naked and handcuffed on a polar bear rug (GQ magazine photos by Antoine Verglas, Jan 2000) is the guy that will put all his weight (it's a lot) behind chasing around those "unscrupulous" sex traffickers?
20
Hi, Nicholas Kristof. I have no other way to communicate this to you. I am a journalist who has been doing communications for human rights organizations in Latin America, Africa and Asia for the last 15 years. I am currently writing an essay on compassion fatigue and came upon the article by Scott R. Maier on the journal Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly that analyses the effect of your stories on humanitarian and human rights issues. I have been a reader of yours for a long time and I think you are one of the best journalists in the world. Reading this article ("Compassion Fatigue and the Elusive Quest for Journalistic Impact: A Content and Reader-Metrics Analysis Assessing Audience Response") has only further convinced me of that. Thank you for all the work you do to contribute to a better world where we care more about people in need. Thank you for reading the studies by psychologist Paul Slovic on compassion fatigue and research on psychic numbing and looking for the best way to convey the information in order to bring about behavioral change and ultimately, structural change. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
18
Thank you Nicholas Kristof, and god bless you. You keep talking about topics that are unpopular. You continue to bring untouchables into the light.
David blogs at InconvenientNews.Net
9
Quite a sensational headline given the content. It was not clear from reading that the situation is worse under Trump, only that the approach being taken is different and that some foreign victims of sex trafficking may be unintentionally caught in a wider immigration clampdown.
I understand this is a sensitive issue for the author but it does not help to blame everything on Trump.
5
Wow. So, good PR for the Trump family is the best way to solve all the world's worst problems. How did we not know this before?
"Lloyd said that when she realized that the administration was only engaged in a P.R. effort..."
6
May the good Lord bless Mr. Trump and his wonderful daughter for bringing this immeasurably important issue into the spotlight, so that all of those people who are of good will among the public and among policy makers will be better equipped, hopefully, to do their part to confront and ruin it as much as is possible in the world. This issue is, very sadly, both one of the most terrible of things that exist in the world, and yet one of the most terribly neglected issues too.
4
Proves there is no bottom (or semblance of humanity--just insanity) for these bottom-feeders.
10
I am not sure what the complaint is. That Trump uses Trumpian rhetoric in describing human trafficking? Well, he is Trump. That he uses the issue for political advantage? Well, he is a politician. Shouldn’t any high-level initiative drawing attention to this terrible problem be welcome? If not enough countries tighten their laws to regulate human trafficking, it is hardly the fault of the US. As to what can be done on the global scale to prevent trafficking, I would say that contraception and abortion should be on top of the list. If you have ten kids, the loss of one or two is not a big deal. Selling children into slavery to pay debts or improve the family’s finances was routine in the ancient world. If women are empowered to work for themselves and limit their family size, trafficking will diminish. It is a matter of supply and demand.
44
@Mor My complaint is that Trump is actually making things worse for kids who have been trafficked. He has: 1.) reduced federal prosecutions of traffickers; 2.) reduced pressure on foreign governments to crack down, so fewer laws have been tightened; 3.) reduced T visas for trafficking victims; 4.) frightened victims from applying for T visas; 5.) reduced help for survivors in expunging convictions and starting over.
Even if you're not concerned about the hypocrisy of claiming to help girls whom he is actually harming, it should be problematic that he is making life worse for kids who have been abused and assaulted.
218
@Nicholas Kristof I appreciate how you respectfully remind readers of the core issues about which you have written.
24
“I’m not sure what the complaint is”?
Let’s see, maybe that the person in his position can probably do actual things to end this scourge is actually giving it lip service while cutting funding and actual efforts to fight it. All the while bragging that he is doing so much!
Oh, don’t forget the children in cages.
39
There are just no levels so low to which Trump and his administration will not sink.
Please vote him out before he destroys the country irreversibly. There's already been a lot of irreversible damage, particularly to the environment. But there are a lot of human casualties as well. In addition to the immigrants and their separated, caged children he's hurt, the continuing victimization of schools and the subjugation of the general population to gun death and injury, and the exacerbation of racism and bigotry is hurting ALL Americans. There is an evil psychopath illegitimately occupying the White House. He's got to go ASAP!
Any and ever Democrat would be better. So would almost any Republican. Just get him out now!
16
Didn't Trump divert money from sex trafficking to partially pay for his Border Wall?
9
Trump is part of the sex trade...look who his friends are and were. Funny how the biggest one is not around anymore.
16
Ivanka where are you? Your signature effort. So far you are ineffective but its not too late if you really care. We are watching you looking for your actions to match your words.
54
@Lori Rhodes That's one reason I wrote the column. It's never too late for the administration to engage in actions to help those in need. I would be thrilled if the Trumps did what they claimed and actually helped vulnerable kids.
54
@Lori Rhodes you're kidding, right? Those self-serving grifters aren't going to help anyone but themselves.
10
Agreed.
5
Trafficking in America looks a lot different than in other parts of the world. That's why prosecuting travelers (Americans who go to foreign countries for sex with trafficking victims) is also important. But, those cases are resource intensive and require victims be given visas to come to court and testify. Trafficking isn't really this administration's priority. It's talking about trafficking and using it to fearmonger and get praise that is the priority.
1
Trump exploits everyone. People are nothing but props to him.
13
Trump and Ivanka are masters of the spin, and this is evidenced in the photo your editors chose to match with your editorial.
The Trumps know their supporters could care less what the facts are. Their supporters will look at this picture and they will see a victim of color being consoled by her white savior. That becomes the "truth" of Trump's abandonment of children who are exploited and exploitable.
Perhaps every service provider should say "show me the money" before agreeing to be used for the Trump public relations machine.
5
Mr Kristof may not choose the photos that accompany his columns, but the NYT editor for this piece could not have picked a better shot. Trump looking impatiently and disdainfully toward a trafficking survivor, with Ivanka appearing to forcefully embrace a girl whose facial expression evokes her sense of being re-exploited, says it all.
5
I don’t know if the numbers cited by Nickolas Kristoff are correct or not in comparing what was done about this issue before Trump, but what I do know is that Trump is so self centered and narcissistic that he turns every conversation about any issue into a self serving, self aggrandizing discourse on how great he is and how wonderfully his administration has performed. He doesn’t offer statistics, numbers or any tangible fact to back up his declarations.
I am glad he is speaking of the issue of human trafficking but it is way too little to speak about it when you don’t have the numbers to back up your policies.
1
'“We are losing the ‘war on trafficking,’ mostly because we have made this all about prosecutions,” Vandenberg said. '
And yet, the first point the author makes about the Trump administration is :
'The Human Trafficking Legal Center reports only 146 federal trafficking indictments in 2019, down from 204 in the last year of the Obama administration.'
Just who is making this all about prosecutions?
8
Remember when family separation first hit and there was the story "Where are the girls?" All of these teenagers and young women were taken somewhere and never really accounted for aside from a brief blip supposedly showing where some of them turned up. My immediate thought was the Trump administration and sex trafficking. ICE has committed numerous sexual assaults ever since and now they are not even going to be documented in any real way. Trump used pageants and Jeffrey Epstein parties to recruit young women. The private event where it was just him and Epstein and those 18 & 19 year old women. There is video and audio of this everywhere. He walked in on the Miss Teen USA contestants dressing room and joked about it.
Why doesn't someone investigate the story about the young women who "disappeared"? Is it really too shocking to believe and sound too conspiratorial to pursue as a story? Many said that about the priests, gymnastics coach and Hollywood mogul too.
5
This is shy I love your column. I learn something new from a perspective I had not heard before. I did not know indictments were down or that the president had put a false spotlight on this issue. Thank you for your hard work!
3
Trump's malignant presence damages everything it touches, even when he kinda sorta does something that seems to protect vulnerable people. Except his main concern is generating sound bites about "better than anyone has done for a long time" (= "I am better than Obama.")
Not to go off subject, but if Democrat primary voters do decide they want Bernie, party leaders better get it together and support him 150%. Ask yourself every time you hear a story like this -- this out of control President damaging efforts to help exploited children while bragging that he is the best ever at helping them -- would Bernie do something like this? Would a Sanders Administration "dismantle protections for trafficking survivors," as the person interviewed for this column described Trump's actions? Sounds like those poor kids could use a little democratic socialism.
3
@T.H. Wells
Sanders is one of (one of) my top picks as well but I wonder if he would be the most likely to focus attention on this issue with policy/actions to put a stop to its growth in the US and elevate US participation in global solutions. Actually I can see Warren more likely bringing an urgent focus to human trafficking issues. This is a topic that could - should - be addressed at an upcoming debate.
2
“People are dispensable and disposable in Trump’s world.” If Trump is elected President, he warned, “the millions of people who voted for him and believe that he represents their interests will learn what anyone who deals closely with him already knows—that he couldn’t care less about them.”
— Tony Schwartz, who penned "The Art of the Deal" for Trump
Trafficking is a ghastly evil, so Trump should be especially sensitive to the issue, it’s victims, and their views and needs. He should have a thoughtful, comprehensive policy approach to it, not PR pandering. Thanks for the article.....sunlight is the best disinfectant.
3
Somehow I am sure trump supporters will turn this against Mr. Kristof.
Over the years, the DoJ has prosecuted brothels or call girl operations for Tax Evasion, Money Laundering, Use of Interstate Commerce Facility in Aid of Racketeering, Witness Tampering etc. One example is the Denver Players or Denver Sugar. These places log on to the internet and enter bank card numbers and expiration dates in order to be paid. It is the vendor's choice how much information to enter and how to describe the transaction --- as long as the cardowners don't challenge the transaction, prostitution can be described as investment advice etc. When the feds or state officials pursue these cases, they get all the transaction detail including the cardholder names and addresses and they also get dates, times, locations etc. When the DoJ prosecuted Brenda Stewart of the Denver Players / Denver Sugar, 9 News of Denver, an NBC affiliate, claimed that their staff had seen customer lists with names, nicknames, and cell phone numbers of prominent people (former federal judge Edward Nottingham etc.) Yet even though so many "johns" were clearly identified, and maybe some bribery, extortion, and trafficking was involved too, the feds let the defendant plea to very little, did not prosecute any related crimes, and the johns were not prosecuted for misdemeanor pandering or trafficking by local authorities. See PACER District of Colorado 10:cr:00580.
"How can you say you love us? You don't love us! You don't even love yourself. You just love your money."
-- Donald Trump Jr., then 12 years old, as reported in a Vanity Fair
And you expect him to care about other people's children?
6
The best comment I've ever heard about Trump's shamelessness was from a pundit on MSNBC who said you have to understand, "There's no bottom."
8
Mr. Kristof, I do not know much more about sex trafficking than anyone else but it is the first thing I think of when I think about our world's worst problems. It is vicious and horrifying, and shows how utterly depraved human beings can be.
This: We’ve had a tremendous track record — the best track record in a long time.”
It is not at a surprise that Trump would utter something so self-congratulatory and exploitive (and undoubtedly far from the truth) but still shocking that any human, much less a president, could be so callous.
I can only hope that this man's life after his reign is over is filled with misery.
Keep up the good work, sir.
4
Another photo op for the pres. That's all he considers if he even thinks about individual or societal problems in our nation. Have you ever seen true empathy or lasting assistance come from him?
4
Thank you for saying this!! People are blinded by this smokescreen and barely anyone is reporting this truth about it.
4
I think if I was a woman who works on behalf of survivors of trafficking like Martina Vandenberg, I would have accepted the invitation to the WH and called out Trump right there. Just let him have it until I was removed from the room. I would have called him the sexual predator he is and lambasted him for his failures to protect women and children.
9
@Freshginger Why people are so afraid to do that is beyond me. I don't care if it's the President, the Queen of England or the Pope. Below the surface, we are all equal and no official title changes that. Trump should be called out directly, just as so many others would be. If he publicly disparaged me or one of my kids, I'd let him have it to his face, if given the opportunity.
5
The depths plumbed by this President know no bounds.
4
His only criteria: What's in it for ME?
5
how can we make men empathetic enough to stop having sex with trafficked girls and women? it's disgusting. unfortunately corruption protects the traffickers. the men must be named after and shamed.
4
@garsar
It's not just men brutalizing girls and women! Thus is not a " those mean bad men vs us innocent ladies / girls" thing. Women participate in the trafficking trade and the making available of humans for sexual exploitation/brutalization too, not just as the victims. Most men at least in our society (I can't speak with any real knowledge of other cultures) would not knowingly / willfully participate in exploiting a victim of the sex trade, certainly not if they were aware the person was trafficked and what that entailed.
Yet another area where trump is all sizzle and no steak. This is my surprised face.
1
@Drusilla Hawke Trump Steaks!
What can you expect from the man who had a photo taken of himself and his wife with a baby orphan whose parents were gunned down in a mass shooting - was it a week after the shooting took place? Maybe Ivanka means well, but first and foremost is is a good photo op.
2
Just when you think you can't possibly become even more disgusted with this pathetic All About Me regime.
3
Meanwhile:
“Thousands of Immigrant Children Said They Were Sexually Abused in U.S. Detention Centers, Report Says”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/27/us/immigrant-children-sexual-abuse.html
9
Hookers for Jesus? The president is the most exploitative person to have held the office. His use of Jesus is absolutely craven, and this from a person who’s not even a Christian.
4
He doesn't care about people, especially if they are "other" to him.
It is in no way surprising that he ignores the pain of others or exploits it for his benefit: it is a consistent pattern of behavior for him. I cannot recall a president--or any elected leader--who loves to punch down as much as he does. It is deeply upsetting to me that anyone who values human dignity would consider voting for someone so consistently cruel.
12
What a disturbing Photo. Princess Ivanka is parading her new, exotic Pet before the Cameras, while the King is frantically looking for escape, as He has a Golf Date. That poor Child is being used as a tool, for their personal propaganda.
I truly despise them both, for many, many reasons. When will they “ do “ Photo Ops with Children in Cages ? Remember THEM? I surely do.
23
@Phyliss Dalmatian
I love how you frame the reality behind that photo. That's exactly what's going on.
4
Wow. I am in bizarro land. This tragedy has been going on for years and Trump calls it out and is... CONDEMNED!
How about writing some ideas that would help so people can call their representative and push for this?
You mention hookers for Jesus without any details about what this is but leave the reader with the impression that it’s ineffective. Maybe he’s trying something different because the existing ways don’t work.
How about some press that rally’s support for a change. These victims need help not a prediction of doomed failure from the onset.
Have a heart.
8
Trump makes photo op efforts. But like everything else he does, it is calculated to feed his image with no substance behind it. Or even worse, he actually undercuts progress.
10
@Norville T. Johnston You should definitely read the article about the funds that were "giving" to Hooker for Jesus. Once you read it, you will answer your own questions. There is a link in the article where he mentions the whistle blower complaint. That whole article is very informative. Once you read it, come back and read this one again.
1
Were those fake photos? You all saw them. The ones with Trump sizing up females with his pal Epstein? The idea Trump cares for anything beyond his self interest, let alone vulnerable women, women his Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Limbaugh tagged feminazis, is absurd. To imply, as the humanist and forever decent Mr. Kristof does, that Trump might now and then do something simply because it's the right thing to do is wishful thinking in extremis.
16
Just one of trumps Greatest Hits of Sleaze. Ivanka is proving to be just like her dad.
10
Ask Trump to do something for you, his response is surely, "What's in it for me?"
5
Nope, she did the right thing. The Trump clan are a joke, with the exception of Melania, who, unfortunately for her, is married to Don Sr. They are all show.....
as Mr. Kristof thoroughly demonstrates inthis article.
1
@John Taylor
This is off the topic of the article, but pertinent enough to ask: Unless I misunderstand your post why excuse Melania? She used Trump to get her papers, make no mistake about that, and to eventually bring her parents too. She didn't somehow end up married to him through some series of unfortunate errors that she had no active part in, some incidental innocent pawn.
Much has rightfully been made of the jacket she wore to her visit to the border last year, She should be held to account for it.
Where has she bern/is she now on this issue, which certainly would fit with her supposed mission as first lady?
1
@Barbara I have always been sympathetic to Melania in her role as 1st lady. And especially after finding out that Don was engaging with another woman when Barron was born.
@John Taylor
You are a true gentleman. But though of course no one wants to find out their spouse is cheating when they are at a vulnerable moment - in the case of a woman, post partum - Melanie Trump is not primarily a victim. She accomplished what she needed to. Certainly there may be parts of the role of first lady that she may prefer to forego but it doesn't work that way in any job!
Mr. Kristof, Trump exploits anything and anyone that can make him look good, get him brownie points, sympathy or votes. He is an equal opportunity user and abuser. He couldn’t care less, especially if it costs him nothing! Yeah . . . He’s cheap too.
5
Dear NYT:
These people hate Trump so much they cannot support his since and increasingly effective efforts to reduce trafficking, all because he will use this issue for political advantage?
Are you serious?
Every politician exploits issues for political gain. To blame Trump for doing so -- and to insinuate that his is a uniquely "pernicious" sin -- is dishonest.
The president’s alleged "sensationalization of sex trafficking" is not a "spit" in anyone's face -- which is a densationalistic and hateful charge -- but his attempt to raise the profile of this evil practice which has flourished for decades under Democrat and Republican presidents alike.
This is sad.
How much hate do these people have in their hearts for this president? It distorts coverage of every issue, even sex trafficking.
7
@Jorge Read the article about the whistle blower. You will understand why all this is just a charade. It is not a coincidence people who work in this area decided not to go to the event or decline anything coming from the WH directly.
5
Why does Kristof keep holding this under our noses so we can't ignore it?
1
The photo of Trump and Ivanka makes me wonder if Trump even understand tshe revulsion people feel towards lack of human decency and child trafficking.
5
Legalize prostitution. A war on sex is as futile (and as politically beneficial) as a war on drugs. Prohibition may be the sacred lifeblood of Christianity, but it is the cash cow of organized crime.
2
Go figure. Of course he is. If you cater to big corporate, (typically) you embrace human enslavement. My grandparents worked 3 years in servitide in the Lower East Side of Manhattan during the late 19th Century (Jews from Russia). I do understand how it works.
3
“The president’s sensationalization of sex trafficking is a spit in the face to myself and many survivors, as his narrative does not fit ours. It is his own.”
How much of Trump's dirty money is laundered in the channels that also support sex traffickers? I've long wondered that.
Frankly, there's no nefarious activity that I would place this corrupt politician above.
6
Is there any human being on the planet, besides Putin of course, who Trump hasn’t tried to exploit? Exploitation is his raison d’être. Anyone who doesn’t exploit others is considered a sucker. The scary part of this situation is the people who think he’s a role model and want to “be him.” How does a nation recover from a culture of moral corruption?
7
Trump exploits everything, particularly the chumps who votes for him.
3
Is there no low Donald Trump will not stoop to?
Exploiting children who are trafficked for political gain.
Everything is a con, a lie, spin, propaganda for the Trump family.
Ivanka Trump is as immoral as her father.
6
You could have just written as the headline
"Trump Exploits"
Because that is what he does, all the time, every time. He is a horror and so is his daughter.
9
Please stop, don't kill the message because you hate the messenger. There is not a politician, or newspaper, in the country who has not and does used victims of every ilk to support the cause de jour.
6
@TED338
Well, there are degrees and there are differences in who exploits what, and how and why. Truth- telling is important!
Thank you for this enlightening article. And for yet another expose involving the trump family. Can’t help but think of Tillerson’s assessment of ivanka— “dumb as a brick”.
4
It seems there are no limits to Trump's depravities.
5
Trump lied? Of course he did. He only cares about human trafficking as a "look at me I'm great" talking point.
4
Does everything good President Trump does have to be “exploited “ as horrible and “heinous” by some journalists to twist it to their democratic partisan thinking? How can you use anything that anyone does to help this horrible abuse of modern slavery especially children for an article once again against our American President!! I have read your books in the past and have admired what you have done. And now all you do is abuse this President and the voters who voted for him .
1
This Trumpian "made for TV moment" is a continuation of the most exploitative State of the Union speech in history -- An especially cringeworthy performance of relentless pandering from a person who daily demonstrates an almost complete lack of empathy.
And it always has a Stephen Miller-esque race-baiting aftertaste:
Recall that not long after an amazing Tuskeegee Airman was honore -- who, as an African American in WW II proved the lie to segregation and racism by serving this country with intelligence, skill and bravery -- Trump gave the Medal of Freedom (!) to Rush Limbaugh.
The same Rush Limbaugh that said this about slavery:
“I mean, let’s face it, we didn’t have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: slavery built the South. I’m not saying we should bring it back; I’m just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark.”
And this about Barack Obama:
" a ‘halfrican American’ " and,
“Obama is “more African in his roots than he is American” and is “behaving like an African colonial despot”
And these things about African Americans generally:
“Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?”
“Look, let me put it to you this way: the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it.”
“The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies.”
2
Don't forget that Trump "acting boldly" to stop child sex trafficking is a persistent theme of the Qanon conspiracy theorists. Remember "Pizza Gate"? This may be Trump pandering to his Qanon fans.
2
“Human trafficking is one of the pre-eminent moral challenges of our time.” Because it bears repeating.
1
Support Daughters of Cambodia. It is a legitimate organization that works with women and girls sold into the sex trade. It helps them learn a trade in order to allow them a way out of sex slavery.
2
I worked on human trafficking issues for the federal government a few years back. And I came away highly skeptical of much of the data that’s being promoted to justify large grants to so-called advocacy programs that are supposed to provide direct services to victims/survivors, but really do nothing more than offer community education and awareness trainings and proselytize about the need to save countless woman and children from sex traffickers. In other words, I think a lucrative cottage industry has been created around this issue. Obviously, I know sex trafficking occurs, but I don’t think it’s anywhere as pervasive as the “experts” claim. And I think labor trafficking, which is largely ignored by anti-trafficking crusaders, is a much bigger problem in the U.S. and worldwide.
17
@Zareen I disagree that sex trafficking is exaggerated, but I entirely agree that labor trafficking is downplayed. That has always been a problem and has become even more evident under Trump.
40
"Lloyd said that when she realized that the administration was only engaged in a P.R. effort, she turned down a position on an administration advisory panel and also declined a $10,000 donation from Ivanka Trump for GEMS."
So her political ideology has caused her to 'cut off her nose to spite her face' so to speak. Ms. Lloyd, GEMS is not all about you.
2
Whoa, Trump sensationalizes something important in as lurid a manner possible, thus hurting victims even more and not doing anything actually useful?
Say it ain't so!
4
Nothing new here. Trump spins every issue to make him look good. His particular insensitivity towards children, be it sex-trafficing or immigrant children seperated from parents and put in cages, is particularly appalling. Even more appalling is a major political party's own apparent insensitivity to the abuse of children.
Afterthought; One is reminded of Trumps friendly relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein, who "liked his women on the younger side."
4
Thank you!
This an unusual article for me as anymore I hardly ever get angry while reading about Trump’s shenanigans. I am very angry about this! I challenge the NYT to not leave up to you but to regularly cover trafficking issues.
4
Considering many of Trump’s associates, fellow Republicans and friends have either been accused of human trafficking or sexual abuse of minors, his highlighting the issue seems like yet another projection. In the days and months ahead we will find out much more, far darker things related to Trump and trafficking.
Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislane Maxwell, Timothy Nolan (former campaign official for Trump along with Ralph Shortey, a former state senator!), George Nader, and most recently Republican from Arizona Paul Petersen. He was arrested in connection to human smuggling and illegal adoptions via the Marshall Islands. Peter Nygard (not sure if he has ties to Trump, but human trafficking was part of his vast wealth), Trump models, kids in cages - many of whom have just vanished - it is worse than any of us can imagine. And it’s big business.
There is actually a whole Wikipedia page that lists Republicans that have been charged with sexual abuse of children. Let that sink in.
Ivanka is as full of it as the rest of her family, perhaps more so. They really don’t care about these victims. They exploit them. It’s all window dressing for something way more pernicious.
The truth will come out. There has been an uptick in FBI arrest of human traffickers in the last year alone. We will soon learn many of the things Trump and his enablers has been trying to cover up for many years are all tied to human trafficking. Just wait.
4
You claim that Trump exploits children and as evidence you tell us that trafficking indictments have dropped from about 200 in Obama’s last year and about 150 now? That small difference could be explained by many things, including the changes at the border that Trump had implemented which have reduced the numbers of illegals—including the traffickers, coming in to the country. This is a low blow that is not supported by the evidence. But I have come to expect it in these days where every problem on earth is caused by Donald Trump.
2
Thank you once again Nicholas Kristof for your integrity in helping others. Which is absent to a scandalous degree in Senator Rob Portman (R-OH). Sen. Portman is known for two issues he cares profoundly about: the fate of Ukraine and the fate of trafficked humans. On both counts we now know he has sold his soul to the power of Trump.
Trump has betrayed Ukraine, Portman said nothing.
Now we know that Trump has betrayed the trafficked, and once again Portman says nothing.
Senator Portman is one of only 100 people who are have the power of a US Senator, but he has decided to betray the trust of his office to betray those he once told us all he was most devoted to- the struggling democracy of Ukraine, and the struggling children yearning to be freed from sexual bondage. What a legacy Senator Portman.
5
Unless trump and his children can personally make money off of the cause, they’re never going to help victims of trafficking. The man simply has no moral compass. Maybe Eric can use trafficking survivors as cheap labor at the trump properties now that the undocumented pool of labor has dried up? The trumps could probably spin that.
5
Just when I think the current occupant of the White House can’t sink any lower a new outrage is disclosed. This is truly appalling. We must make a change in November.
4
Trump and transactional daughter Ivanka both see the world as “props” for their Banana Republic reality horror show.
Thank you Nicholas for reminding us once again that there is no bottom when it comes to the unseemliness of this dangerous President.
10
No surprise here. Trump pollutes everything he touches. In future times there will be fables about the "Trump" touch, as there are now about the "Midas" touch.
4
Are you all as accurate as I am in predicting how Trump will act on any, and I mean any, issue.? Simply ask yourself what would be the moral or ethical decision that any informed, circumspect and sentient human would do, and then choose the opposite.
5
What could be expected? Trump is a child himself and he always views himself as a victim. Since he has little regard for anything non-Trump, he looks for economic and political benefits for every action but not for the benefit of our society. He creates myths through lies, exaggeration and bullying tactics. Child trafficking is not a real concern of Trump's as exemplified by his Child Separation policy adopted by him and his minions. It is Trump for Trump and it always will be.
4
and, the article exploits the issue to push his political views, i.e. that Trump deserves daily criticism. Today's is a stretch, sir, and politicizes the very issue you throw darts at Trump for. Doest thou not see the irony?
1
“Why should we give them cover and validation...?” A most welcome and necessary,courageous, menschlich
Position.
Thank you! Bless you!
Possible responses.
To enable the all too many all around US to choose to complacent; and remain so.
To enable the all too many all around US, who have chosen to be willfully blind, deaf , indifferent and ignorant to continue to BE so.
To enable the all too many policymakers, elected and selected ones, at all levels, all around US, to continue with their harmful words and deeds, shamelessly.With impunity.
And should we choose to uncover...?
Should we choose to empower mutual trust?
Should we choose to empower mutual respect?
Should we choose to empower civility?
UNCOVER! ORGANIZE! DOCUMENT!
OVERCOME toxic, dehumanizing WE-THEY.
2
Name one thing Trump has done for anyone not wealthy! One thing!
5
@Mike
He indirectly fed a pigeon in 1978 when he dropped some Filet-O-Fish sandwich crumbs from his suit as got out of his limo on 5th ave...
But that’s probably just an urban legend... most likely he would grind the crumbs into the sidewalk so nobody gets them.
3
Read the linked Reuters article, it has solid evidence that this behaviour fits neatly with the trump playbook. Cynical self dealing is the game here, as always. Or maybe hes reigning in the out of control deep state???
2
Trump cannot be trusted to say anything sincerely good about anything. He has de-legitimized the intelligence services, the FBI, the Fed, the judiciary, the elected representatives of half the American people, the media, and any decent foreign leader who crosses his path. He praised Modi's wish for religious freedom while Muslims were being murdered in New Delhi. That the Trump family would exploit victims of any kind is nothing new. If possible, keep this family of deplorables away from decent people.
3
I can't say that I am surprised that Trump is using this platform as window-dressing and a PR stunt. But he, himself, has a long history of exploiting people, and is notorious for his lack of empathy. He doesn't feel anything resembling compassion for the women and children sold into the sex trade, any more than he feels compassion for kids in cages, the contractors he's stiffed, or disabled journalists.
4
"We’ve had a tremendous track record — the best track record in a long time.”
Sounds like a broken record.
A while back I listened to a clip of Trump describing the birth of a beautiful little baby. He used the tenderest terms, and then he said that the doctor and the mother were going to have a conversation about whether to kill this child. Of course this was a reaction to a severe distortion of a controversial pro-choice bill. But the crowd roared with disapproval at those horrible people who would allow such a thing - obviously the same people who disapproved of Trump. It was all about "They're horrible, but I'm the good guy here!"
This is one of the myriad reasons I hold this man in such utter contempt. It's not simply his bullying, his grotesque degree of dishonesty, his pandering, his egotism - it's the fact that everyone and everything is, in his mind, fodder for inflating his ego further and for convincing people to throw their lot in with him.
"Every politician lies, tries to get voters to like him, etc." Yes, but every other politician begins with a human heart, and stretches it a bit now & then to fit the role. Trump has no heart - the man is pure ego.
Anyone who believes Trump has the faintest concern for anyone outside of himself is lying to themselves. Trump is out for number one, period. Yes, that statement sounds harsh - but it doesn't scratch the surface of how harsh the reality is.
9
Although it is disgusting that an urgent issue such as children sex trafficking can become fodder for self-promotion and political advantage, it is not surprising.
Self-centered autocrats will manipulate any issue in order to capture attention for themselves.
Seeing only oneself will so distort reality that even a hurricane can get disfigured by the sharpie of narcissism.
Dictators follow a pattern: by intimidation they create a bubble of self-affirmation around themselves. In that fantasy, all things must produce admiration and applause for the great leader.
Anyone or anything not on the same page is eliminated. Truth is always the first casualty.
When truth dies, tyranny takes root.
oz.
4
I am concerned about the accuracy of this reporting.
However, I am grateful to Mr. Kristoff for bringing T visas to light.
After reading this article I fact checked and found this resource:
https://www.policeforum.org/assets/TVisas.pdf
In 2016 the number of approved T visas was about 1750, not 750.
From 2008 to 2016, the two 44 terms, there were linear increases in applications, but NOT a corresponding linear approval.
In fact, approval see-sawed, up and down by 500 gray to year (please see chart page 2 above report via link).
Most importantly, Mr Kristoff has done a tremendous disservice in not reporting the most salient thing about T Visas: They are granted for being a cooperating witness in a law enforcement investigation.
This is where local LEI are critical: If there is no cooperation, this visa is not applicable.
You can stay, if and only if, you turns states evidence (and LEO can withdraw their support at any time for any reason).
To put the onus of a decline solely on 45 is inaccurate and shows this to be a highly biased piece of reporting.
There are also MANY other reasons for this decline which are possible. Overall, immigration is down, there may be more effective policing, etc.
This piece is simply not accurate.
15
@WorkingGuy Thanks for commenting, but your numbers are inaccurate, and those in the column are correct. This is the official source for Government data on T visas: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Victims/I914t_visastatistics_fy2019_qtr4.pdf As you can see, there were 748 given to trafficking victims in 2016, as my column notes.
You're mixing up the combined number of T-derivative visas, such as those for family members of trafficking victims, with those for survivors themselves. But I appreciate you pointing out what you believed to be an error. We do sometimes make mistakes and always doublecheck when an alleged error is pointed out. In this case, we triplechecked and the numbers in the column are correct.
86
"Yet it’s increasingly clear that this is less about protecting children and more about exalting Trump, whose administration is actually prosecuting fewer traffickers and making it harder for some trafficking survivors to get help."
So, first, thanks, Mr. Kristof, for that main point: the US has been a leader and our effort is backsliding.
Characteristically, Donald J. Trump addresses the country ONLY to ensure that his grand slam is recorded. That is the length and breadth of his administration's anti-trafficking mission: THE CAMPAIGN MESSAGE -
Trump came... Trump saw... Trump conquered...
Americans again see the Celebrity President in what's become a familiar re-run:
(1) spout superlatives --- “.. locking them away for a very, very long time. We’ve had a tremendous track record — the best track record in a long time.”
(2) embrace --- a grateful victim AND the the castigation of Democrats.
(3) sell the story by sensationalizing it --- “Women are tied up, they’re bound, duct tape put around their faces.”
The Celebrity President just keeps delivering the same Reality Show Infomercial!
There's never talk of broadening the stategy. Never talk of enlisting more support. Trump is merely a clueless promoter --- pretending to divulge something relevant.
2
Same thing with the Coronavirus. Trump says today - in their presence - the opposite of what multiple specialists in his own government describe as the potentially dire situation, as he minimizes the danger, obviously hoping to... boost the stock market! He is the living caricature of the proverbial "mad king".
3
We have seen, time and time again, that Donald Trump cannot resist exploiting any human predicament to create a headline which makes him a hero and enhances his political power.
Apparently, the acorn does not fall very far from the tree, since Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, tried to claim ownership of the fight against girls trafficked into the sex trade, but she could not be bothered to complain to her father about the steady reduction in prosecutions of perpetrators in his first term.
There is something very abnormal and morally corrupt about Donald Trump and some members of his family.
3
Geez, talk about a lack of gratitude...
On the one hand, they complain that Trump is sending money to the wrong (i.e., not them) groups, and on the other hand they turn money down when it is offered. Sounds like people suffering, as so many do in the comments of the NYT, from TDS.
And from Mr. Kristof, we have meaningless statistics (maybe fewer prosecutions because there are fewer cases? maybe the Trump cases are bigger, involving more traffickers? who knows?). And just because some girls are not tied up doesn't mean none are.
And, yes, trafficking across borders is hindered by border controls, including barriers.
3
Prostitution and pimping is also a form of sex trafficking. The international sex trade has placed horrific abuse on women and girls as they are moved across borders and sold as sex slaves.
But prostitution right in our own backyard is a form of sex trafficking as well. The domestic conditions that lead to prostitution are the same as those that fuel the international sex trade.
Poverty, sexual abuse of children, usually in their own home, and abandonment. All lead to the brainwashing by pimps and madams who use a combination of threats mixed with claims of love to break down already desperate, vulnerable girls and put them out on the streets.
Unfortunately some liberals call this "sex work." It is not. Just like its international counterpart it is the result of the absence of choice rather than real choice.
Prostitution has even spread to college campuses as girls strapped with loan debt become "sugar babes" and "escorts" to businessmen. While the issue of free will and choice is more murky for these women, the underlying condition motivating their behavior is the same, poverty.
The ravages of inequality are seen at their most extreme in sex trafficking. Girls become objects of trade, not little human beings. Prostituted women sell their body cavities in a culture that says you have a market value, but no intrinsic value as a whole, free person.
To end trafficking we must end the inequality that all women and girls face. And Trump is certainly not doing this.
5
Trump is dead wrong that traffickers are upset by his wall. The wall makes it harder to get across if you are not helped by a trafficker, and so increases the importance and value of traffickers. Traffickers are likely the only Mexicans who would be motivated to help pay for the wall. If Trump wants to keep (even symbolically) that important campaign promise, he would be well advised to ask them.
Is there anyone anywhere as depraved as this man? Is there any human being you would rather be less than Mr. Trump? He is a beacon of pain and suffering. I'd say "lock him up" but it is hard to imagine a person as imprisoned by demons already as he obviously is. That such a person should be in a position of power shames us all and also makes one long for the straight-ahead evil of Dick Cheney and Henry Kissenger.
4
Trumps Big brother moment.
War is peace
Freedom is slavery
Ignorance is strength
"1984" is alive and well in America!
4
Trump is all about the visceral, not the intellectual. He describes immigrants as importing shockingly violent criminality. Even accounts of killing bad characters can’t speak for themselves with Trump; he has to embellish with lurid details.
That man is simply incapable of moving from reality TV-esque language to enacting policies. Trump sees people as roles, not as actual human beings.
5
He exploits anything and anyone.
Subterranean.
5
It's hard to think of other writers who have exploited the issue of child trafficking as much as the author of this column. Through his lurid--and misleading--articles, his sensationalized actions, his grandstanding, the author pioneered the industry of pity-pathos-paternalism that has exploited and put at risk countless lives of young victims for self-aggrandizing publicity. For this, he has been roundly criticized by victims, anti-trafficking organizations, and civil society alike. For the author to think he has a leg to stand on in criticizing another for exploiting trafficked children would seem to require a breathtaking act of hubris, denial, or total amnesia.
https://www.salon.com/control/2011/11/08/nick_kristof_to_the_rescue/
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/mar/26/nick-kristof-anti-sex-trafficking-crusade
https://www.change.org/p/new-york-times-fire-nicholas-kristof-from-the-new-york-times-for-fraud-lying-about-sex-trafficking-and-somaly-mam-to-trick-people-to-send-money-under-false-pretenses
6
@ACH @ACH Fantastic comment.
I believed three years ago that Trump is a mentally unbalanced individual and a threat to our country and our way of life. Nothing he has done since has made me change my mind. Using the victims of trafficking to advance his political agenda is cruel, insensitive, petty, inhumane, and disgraceful but not surprising. November can't get here soon enough.
4
Trump is not only useless in achieving anything good, he's a negative force because he pretends that he cares. We can't rely on him for anything good.
4
This mainstreaming of cruelty among republicans seems endless. It suggests that the country too is mainstreaming cruelty.
4
Ivanka trump is also supporting a cause against Bullying and yet her husband is one of the biggest bully ever. Only time she supports no bulling is when it affects her son. And so her position on anti-trafficking holds about the same weight.
Why would trump want to stop child sexual trafficking? Those children are just poor foreign children. And a large part of the men (often his buddies) enjoy trafficking or it would not exist.
Go after the men as well.
3
We are so fortunate to have a President with such high moral standards leading 'this crusade.' Such an empathetic, sensitive man to deal with the human side of this crisis. Perhaps he could bring Todd Akin out of mothballs and have him be the Trafficking Czar.
Low, even for Trump administration, but possible only because those in said administration actively participate in dismantling protection of children.
Perhaps we deserve this govt, but children do not.
5
Instead of trying to think of something to say I offer a moment of silence in honour of survivors.
5
Ivanka jumps into another issue she knows will play well; overstates her role and turns the spotlight on herself, and then her father takes his turn at the spotlight. This is not new - this is their template. They twist facts, lie and overstate to make themselves look better at the expense of everyone they allegedly promote, lift-up or rescue. The narcissism leaves you raw.
5
@Sunny4Life: Just to be clear, you did not get the import of this editorial. Kristof’s premise is that Trump is sensationalizing child trafficking to make himself look good while his “administration is actually prosecuting fewer traffickers and making it harder for some trafficking survivors to get help.” Further, this administration is gutting the safety net, making it harder to address some of the factors causing child trafficking in the first place and slashing budgets of investigatory agencies.
As for the House focusing solely on impeachment, you are dead wrong. Over 400 bills have been passed that will probably never make it to the Senate floor thanks to Mitch McConnell.
Trump’s lurid descriptions of bondage and duct tape are sadly, I believe, either one of his fantasies or another example of his never ending projections.
3
Trump lives in a fact free world.He has no concept of the pervasiveness of trafficking nor of the painful aftermath.He does PR with fanfare-he does compassion not at all.One would think that a man with two daughters could conjure up concern for young women who are not as fortunate as his children.
3
"The International Labor Organization estimates that worldwide, some 10 million children exist in forms of modern slavery. "
It's 2020, not 1865, yet slavery still exists on a broad scale, and it's the very worst type of slavery that you can imagine.
Why is this not the foremost issue at the United Nations?
77
Nick, you are right. Your only omission is the broad and powerful work executed by The American Himalayan Foundation who has fought this war as long as I have been back and for the to Asia (1989). Can we expect anything but criminality from Trump? You know my answer.
2
Trump: "We’ve had a tremendous track record — the best track record in a long time.”
If we can't trust the president with something as straightforward as human trafficking, how can we be certain that we can trust him with something as grave as the coronavirus threat?
We can only hope that there are still enough competent people left in the periphery of this administration to stave off unmitigated disaster. Because this president is clearly incapable of rising to the occasion.
4
Conservatives love Trump's policies. And they expect such behavior from all Conservatives. This is normal for the GOP.
The Dems are terrible because they cannot keep the GOP from breaking the law. And Americans keep voting GOP because this is what Americans value.
2
I feel like a broken record, but everything Trump does is about one thing, "Trump wins." His concern starts and ends with that, so everything is calculated based upon what he thinks he can gain. Ivanka's concern may be genuine - not enough info to know that, but for her dad everyone is a prop - everyone.
133
@Anne-Marie Hislop
Including Ivanka, whether she realizes or not.
23
@Anne-Marie Hislop I agree, Trump's entire life is driven by two compulsions: self-preservation and self-aggrandizement. Every action he takes is a result of one or both of these motivating forces.
18
@Anne-Marie Hislop Ivanka is interested to the extent that she gets to get in the paper doing something good. But as we have seen they only want names for $10,000 to say how much they have done , which is only writing a check.
End the Criminal Trump reign of treason in 2020.
10
Thank you for drawing attention to this most important issue.
2
This man is not a President, he is an abomination. Who does that, uses human suffering as a marketing ploy?
Thank you Nicholas Kristoff for pushing the truth out, it helps keep me motivated to get out and register and educate voters here in Detroit.
Where, by the way, there will be 100% turnout against Trump, if my canvassing is reading the mood right. Detroit is a righteous town, we will do everything we can to help these children and others who suffer at the hands of abominators like Donald and Ivanka Trump.
8
Kristof: "In Cambodia, I once saw terrified young girls being sold for their virginity; in Pakistan, I saw a brothel owner determined to kill a girl who had escaped."
Also Kristof: "But Trump sensationalizes in lurid terms."
While I don't disagree with Kristof, speaking directly about the type and ways those who traffic other humans is important to illustrate the horror.
And yes, this includes lurid, shocking descriptions. We just saw this in the Weinstein case- the horror of his victims were said, out loud.
The shock of these crimes must be stated directly, without shame.
45
@profwilliams
Right but the context matters too. It is important for people to be made aware of just how horrific and brutal trafficking conditions and practices are. This does require some examples and description of practice, and a fine line must be walked between making clear to the majority of good people just how horrifying they are and exciting unhealthy interest in sick folks (which may be unavoidable - it's just already there) or exposing younger readers to details that they really don't need to know. It certainly is possible to emphasize that this is a viciously cruel trade without going into highly specific graphic detail every time, except where doing so will result in action (warning/prevention, and apprehension, prosecution, conviction of perpetrators). Easier said than done, for sure.
7
@profwilliams - But Trump isn't offering real examples -- he's just speaking off the cuff, making up stuff that sounds good to him. He doesn't understand the problem or appear to know any specifics.
8
@E - Unless, of course, you are one of the women who was raped or sexually assaulted by Weinstein.
2
Indeed, the wall hurts women who are trying to escape violence. It Trump really cared about stopping sex traffickers and violence against women, he would increase immigration ceilings for women. This is another issue that the states need to deal with outside of federal help. The Trump Administration is quickly making the federal government useless, which has been the goal of Republicans for a long time.
88
The only missing piece of information in this excellent column is naming Steven Miller, the architect of the administrations evil immigration policies. It is miller, as the one person, who is driving these policies, that is so obviously impacting all programs that contain a whiff of assisting immigrants. The more he is named and shamed, the more attention he gets from the press, the more pressure on him, the more he is exposed, the greater likelihood Bozo could cut him loose. Miller has escaped media attention for far too long. Intermittent articles are not sufficient. He needs to written about every day with ever little policy change, regulation change, appointee he gets made discussed and analyzed. The time for pressure is now.
14
Elephants have two different categories of tooth in mouth-one set for chewing & another protuberant for protection & showcases which put them into troubles for trades. And people will be better of in understanding the elephant’s own infinite needs @ huge costs to others.
1
As it should, the administration is focused on reducing the ACT of human trafficking. This focus reduces the number of trafficking victims, while simultaneously cutting the number of people entering the U.S. illegally. Job ONE is to reduce illegal immigration - any reduction in trafficking is a secondary benefit. Again, this focus is entirely correct. Per usual, Trump is also quite skilled at presenting this (very simple) story in a way that benefits him politically, and the press can't stand it. QED.
4
@Chas Smith
Your praising post ignores the fact that prosecutions for trafficking dropped 25 percent from 2018 to 2019, or that Trump has reduced the opportunities that trafficked children have to receive visas. Instead, he does things like put his Plastic Princess in front of cameras to hug a young woman who was trafficked.
Trump has never cared about those who can't give him money or power.
34
@Mike You're ignoring the fact that overall illegal immigration (which includes trafficking) fell by much MORE than 25% in the period you mention. By simply threatening to entirely stop trade with Mexico late in 2018, he forced them to finally (and effectively) defend their OWN southern border (which they paid for), resulting in the dramatic reduction in illegal immigration to the U.S., which included trafficking.
3
@Chas Smith still haven’t got them to pay for the wall though, the liar. And oh yes, not all trafficking victims come from Mexico...but while we’re on the subject, have you heard of the large number of incidents of child sexual abuse in the ICE prisons? No? Then you haven’t been reading the news..
1
There is an emerging new saying: local justice is global justice. Think about it. This makes everyone responsible for justice in the world, not just the U.S. or those select locations people are migrating to for better lives. It means creating responsible justice and reform in virtually every world location. Isn't that the real point and meaning of the word progressive? It is incumbent upon every world government to create justice and human rights for their citizens. And until that happens for each and every man, woman, and child, there will neither be local nor global justice. Now is not the time to pander or pretend or blind ourselves to the true mission here. Make everyone in the world accountable for their own country's leaders and actions. The local is global.
3
Unfortunately, human trafficking is just one more issue with emotional zing that the president can exploit. He has little actual interest in the plight of trafficking victims, or really putting away traffickers, any more than the symbolic rapists and other criminal elements he often refers to. He has an agenda (re-election), and is putting together the pieces. In short, he traffics in the myth that he (alone) can and does fix problems; nevermind that he leaves instead a litany of broken promises and actual harm.
13
The photo that accompanies this article is a perfect summary of the last 3 years. Every time I think the Trumps couldn’t possibly do anything more heinous, they prove me wrong. Vote, America. Decency depends on it.
28
I refuse to lower myself by even using his name, choosing to describe him as The Man Who Dismantles All Existing Protective Legislation even devoting three years dismantling protection for trafficing survivors.
Another name The Man Beyond Contempt.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Citizen US SE
18
Almost everything Trump does is all show. He's dismantling a lot of what works in American government and periodically, when issues are highlighted he holds a press conference to brag. Just like he's got Coronavirus under control, while in fact, CDC's pandemic response team is gone and not replaced during his administration. News should point out the rare issue where Trumps words are actually matched with meaningful action.
18
@SAO All a show? Seems to me he has materially reduced illegal immigration at our southern border, and gotten Mexico to pay for it! By simply threatening to entirely stop trade with Mexico late in 2018, he forced them to finally (and effectively) defend their OWN southern border (which they paid for), resulting in the dramatic reduction in illegal immigration to the U.S. Seems like a major win to me - and a promise kept to boot.
3
@Chas Smith The number of Mexican illegal immigrants is at its lowest level in 15 years, some due to reverse migration, people going home voluntarily.
The economy is Mexico is improving.
1
Did you hear or see Treasury Sec Mnuchin’s comments about our economy needing more immigration to keep the economy going? The US is at full employment and there are job vacancies that will impact our economy if not filled.
1
You'd hope that we would've learned from our approach to substance abuse that prioritizing prosecution over prevention is poor policy. Beyond that, Trump's pathology gives him a focus where everything and everyone exists only for his own exaltation.
27
Sadly, Trump's is not going to be responsive to doing the hard work of doing things that matter to others, just things to self-aggrandize. I applaud your sustained efforts to keep awareness of human trafficking in the public's mind. Perhaps the next president will make this more of a priority than cutting government costs and increasing the 1%'s wealth. Thank you.
43
Human trafficking has been going on for centuries. That would include the previous 44 presidents, among them untouchable figures like Obama, Kennedy and Clinton. To suggest that during the last three years, if only some action had been taken, human trafficking would be gone or severely diminished. The agenda of this piece is not to point out the horrors of human trafficking, but to blame what is happening, or not happening, on President Trump. I know this will resonate with some but many will see right through this.
9
@Tejano I don't think Mr. Kristof was blaming Trump for human trafficking, but pointing out that he has only used the issue to promote himself and create the impression he is doing something about it, whereas his actions have made it harder to help victims.
98
No one is blaming human trafficking and trump. Kristof is given credit where it's due, including Chris Smith, Republican from New Jersey. He's also pointing out that a new position in the administration to oversee human trafficking efforts *could* be helpful.
But because Kristof is a moral, honest person, he's also pointing out that like every single other issue, when trump and injects himself in order to give himself praise for something he has not really done, he makes it a little worse. That's the theme for this president's administration. It's not Kristof's fault.
59
@Marty D.
I believe what Tejano is saying is that this existed during the presidency of others, and what had they done to address this issue. Also, the article should point out survivors who had positive comments about what is being done. Kristof would be more believable if his argument wasn't so one-sided.
4
So, to be clear, child trafficking has been going on for decades - but is now primarily the fault of President Trump.
The kind of analysis represented by this opinion piece is of limited value.
It makes one wonder if - and it's only an "if" - the House of Representatives had devoted a smidgen of time to this important issue in the past year, something might have been accomplished - instead of focusing on impeachment, when it was a foregone conclusion what would happen in the Senate.
Wrong priorities.
Maybe Mr Kristof could have mentioned that element in his opinion piece. The inaction on this issue goes beyond President Trump.
12
Honestly, focusing on his illegal attempts to influence his re-election is something he forced by so doing. Prove to me that the President is actually taking initiatives on these matters that aren’t just “photo ops” and actually are designed to help and I’ll eat every hat I can find.
41
@Sunny for Life. If you google House bills that address trafficking, you will find numerous bills introduced by both Democrats and Republicans during this last session. For example, the House passed HR 507, the Put Trafficking Victims First Act of 2019. Like the 400 other pieces of legislation sent to the Senate, Mitch McConnell has done nothing.
24
@Sunny 4 Life You are either being deliberately obtuse, or you missed the point of the article entirely.
Trump is attempting to make it seem like human trafficking is a major concern of his and that he has made great strides to crack down on it.
On the contrary, HIS ADMINISTRATION (not something the HOR has control over by the way) has enacted policies and procedures that detract from the actual prevention of such heinous crimes. In short, he is doing the little that he IS doing for publicity, which is pretty heinous in and of itself.
One would have to perform some real mental gymnastics in order to see anything but what I've just clarified above.
2
Trump is the epitome of the cult of personality. For so called "Republicans" who hold that government should be downsized, that government "is the problem," that we need less legislation, they open the door for the cult of personality to take over as the organizing principle for society. All that Trump does, serves Trump. The evangelists who support him, (they simply love Trump and refer to him as God's "chosen one) also revere the cult of personality in their own churches and lives. It is not Jesus they are primarily focused on, it is the talking head that leads their so called "mega or super" churches with their thousands of parishioners under one roof, telling them that they know what Jesus wants. After all, if we had stronger legislation and prosecution against the traffickers, and more funded support for the victims, including letting them migrate into the U.S., we would be reducing the gravity of Trump, the evangelists, the mega personalities.
21
The President's appears to use the phrase "my administration" instead of the personal pronoun "I." I wonder if this signals a change in the manner in which he and his "administration" confronts issues of importance such as child trafficking.
Judging from the responses of the individuals and organizations involved in trying to ameliorate the conditions making child [sex] trafficking I think he is simply trying to spread the blame for not doing anything of significance to change conditions or stop the process of child trafficking.
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@Harvey Botzman
And remove our memories of his friendship with J. Epstein?
The federal government could no doubt cripple human trafficking at the southern border any time.
They know where these traffickers enter. They know where they launder their money.
FY 2019 there were over 977,000 apprehensions. Just at the southern border. Just in one year. Traffickers get paid thousands of dollars for each person. It's big business. And that's just the human traffickers. Not the drugs.
Stopping criminal trafficking requires cooperation with neighboring countries and more funding for enforcement. Something our elected officials up until now have somehow found politically inconvenient.
Stopping trafficking is more than hand wringing and lip service or a free for all entry into the country. It's about funding for enforcement.
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"The Human Trafficking Legal Center reports only 146 federal trafficking indictments in 2019, down from 204 in the last year of the Obama administration.
Foreign women and children who have been trafficked into America’s sex trade are eligible for a special visa, the T visa, under a program with bipartisan support, but the administration in 2019 approved only 500 T visas, down from 748 in 2016."
No one dislikes tRump more than I but are we sure these numbers are down because the admin has become lax, or could it be a result of there being less trafficking than before?
For one thing, don't underestimate the effect of eliminating personal ads on sites like Craigslist and Backpage has had on the business of trafficking.
Additionally, those online outlets were used repeatedly to set up mass sting operations. That's all been eliminated now.
I'd also like to hear from Ms. Lloyd of GEMS. Is she seeing more trafficking victims now, or less?
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@Chris Manjaro FOSTA/SOSTA has not done anything to the child sex trafficking business except make it harder for law enforcement to track.
While one victim is too many, it is important to note that the US is by far not the largest market of human slavery. This administration is taking these actions in an election year which should inform anyone interested in the level of their sincerity.
Mr.Kristof is right on here. Trump, by setting the 'tone', has halted or turned around any good actions the government was taking, whether the environment, social activities, health, etc, etc. His handlers are only too happy to follow his lead and get 'things' done. Please, please vote in November.
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With this administration, everything is about Trump, and all issues are politicized for political gain. Most of these young people are poor people of color. They need security and protection, but Trump doesn't want them. He only wants to exploit them for political gain. He is the best, at distorting truth for his personal and political gain.
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As usual the people in power exploit there position for the betterment of themselves with their populace.
They don't care about kids or for that matter adults. They don't think it's necessary for their position is so high.
Our world is a topsy-turvy enterprise that doesn't encompass all people, just a select 1 %.
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@Kevin
"As usual the people in power exploit there position for the betterment of themselves with their populace."
Not all leaders do this, though. Trump and today's GOP have perfected the art of political deceit.
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@Kevin
And given all that, Trump is still much worse than the usual.
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Does he not exploit anyone and everyone for his own benefit including his political supporters? Most don't realize they are being exploited. In this case, that they are children, already exploited in a criminal way by others and hugely psychologically traumatized, that he would exploit their victimhood, in particular, is certainly heinous.
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@blgreenie I think some realise they are being exploited, whatever that means, but they care that "others" are being exploited more, or at least appear to be.
Let's be frank: for the vast majority of Americans, the actions of a POTUS have little bearing on their day to day lives, as long as the economy is doing well. But the reality is that the system hasn't been working well for people since Reagan. So people are disillusioned and cynical and bored and are looking for targets. This applies under Obama and now under Trump. These people see a shrinking middle and upper class and want them to feel pain. Trump is their means to do so.
Obama admin's actions were inadequate but a positive outcome was an economy closer to steady state and not overheating. Trump's actions are pushing this recovery (which would've happened any but it is a matter of time).
The reality is that all these people need science and tech to survive in this world. So they owe the elites involved in those actions but they hate the fact that they do. There is also a "useless" pundit class on all sides (conservative and liberals) which are non-productive but are used as a target by the other side (people like Limbaugh in the right, pundits like Brooks in the middle, and like Blow in the right).
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@RamS
The "elites" are not the ones who bring us inventions and upkeep; they are usually the ones who profit off the work of others, sometimes paying inventors well and sometimes not. Let's keep the word "elite" in its pejorative use for the true ruling and profiting class, not the great majority of educated and talented people who keep society (including government) going.
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@Thomas Zaslavsky I'm not sure I agree entirely. I mean of course there are the robber barons and ruling class empire builders who may be elites also but who the Republicans refer to as elites are indeed part of the educated and talented people that keep society going - they're in the top 1% nominally perhaps but definitely in the top 10%. There are various types of elites who are doing well and there is a great deal of resentment at them is what I perceive: intellectual elites, political elites, social elites, etc.
Though a lot of this resentment appears to exist only on the Internet (so it could be trolls), or hidden, or only among the political and pundit classes. In real life I don't see any evidence of it but that's a small sample.
I mean just listen to Steve Bannon talk. He is not talking about the ruling class. He is talking about otherwise normal people who are successful in life, live on the coasts typically and apparently sneer at flyover country folks.
I never use the word "elite" in a pejorative sense but I suppose that wasn't clear (I used "pundit" somewhat pejoratively but hey, it's a job). I think we shouldn't be looking at elites differently since I think that's a slippery slope and I doubt redefining the term will work. I am actually referring to those people who've done well in life but who are seemingly resented by others. It wasn't this way before in the USA to this degree.
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When Trump debates the Democratic Presidential nominee on national TV someday, this article’s findings and statistics should be presented for discussion. Very informative article. Thank you for your interest on this tragic issue.
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@FFG I doubt Trump will debate anyone. He will just say no.. and once again get away with it.
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@FFG
That debate will not happen. Trump will never debate; he doesn’t have to.
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Not gonna happen. Trump won’t agree to a debate. He’ll make up some lame excuse to avoid it. A lot of the Democrats are already fueling that eventuality by constantly whining and crying about how the debates aren’t fair or useful because they don’t benefit their favorite candidates. Trump will use a similar line of attack.
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This is one more example of how Donald Trump, like George W Bush before him, is a fundamentally incurious person and sees everything through a prism of personal benefit. With Bush he wanted to help Africans because it was politically useful and buy him some points to make up for his youthful excesses. Nevermind the excesses he was indulging in right during those years as President. For Trump it is about looking "Presidential" and leaving markers for historians to catalog and make him look very consequential.
The tragedy in all of this psychodrama is we are the wealthiest and most powerful nation in history, and we clearly have a system of government which is so deep and steady (deep state is not always an evil thing, see?) that it can take the reckless driving of guys like Bush and Trump. But there is a limit to the abuse it can take, and, unlike Bush, Trump is a dangerous rich brat - he is like the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park, constantly testing the electric fence to find a weak spot he can exploit, and chillingly he is finding one after another. In this he is being aided and abetted by some of the best educated lawyers in America - the 5 Republicans in the Supreme Court who let him implement actions without checking their Constitutionality, the federal judges doing the same, the 52 Senators who sold their souls for campaign contributions and reelection, and William Barr and a team of not very principled lawyers in the Justice Department who bend the law to suit Trump.
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Thank you so much for writing about this. I had no idea of Trump’s position on this issue and would like to get involved. The organizations that refused to attend gives me a place to start.
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Trump is the reality show president. The only thing that matters to him is TV and poll ratings. Actual results mean nothing unless it affects him personally.
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@Linda
Trump is the first reality show POTUS - as the younger generation take over from the old they will have grown up with social media / reality show "heros". This will be all they know.
Given time, it is entirely feasible to have a Kanye West or a Kim Kardashian type as POTUS some time in the future.
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@Linda He really is worried about the corona virus because he fears if he gets it he will die.
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@Chris
From your comment to God's ears...
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What else did you expect? Trump's only concern is Trump and everything is always all about him. It's never been any different and never will change. It makes no difference what the issue is; he will always find a way to spin it to be about himself. If he can't, then he doesn't comment because it doesn't exist. I challenge anyone to find a situation where this isn't true.
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