March 11th will mark exactly 2 months since Ohio observed Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

It will mark 1 month since Ohio Attorney General Cordray’s Trafficking in Person Study Commission published the Report on the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in Ohio, the first study of its kind.

March 11th is the day we will keep the issue of human trafficking fresh in the minds of our politicians, by sending them an email blast to ensure they know we’re still paying attention!

On March 2nd, 26 of 33 senators stepped up alongside Sen. Fedor to sponsor S.B. 235.

S.B. 235 will allow Ohio to join the other 43 states that have made human trafficking a stand-alone felony under their state laws; it’s time for Ohio to address it’s rampant human trafficking problem by empowering local law enforcement with a state law instead of continually pushing these cases onto the FBI, scrambling to find some other crime to prosecute traffickers under, or ignoring these cases entirely.

As S.B. 235 enters the Criminal Justice Committee of the Ohio Senate, it enters a critical stage in the editing and amendment process.  Encourage your senators to continue supporting the bill by keeping it strong and comprehensive!  You can find your legislator here: http://www.ohiosenate.gov.  Once you find their contact information you can use the email template below.

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Today is International Women’s Day!  There are many great ways to empower women around the world and shopping at Stop Traffick Fashion is one of them.  Our products are made by survivors of human trafficking and enable them to earn a sustainable income in order to support themselves and their families.  In addition to the financial benefit, the accompanying work and sense of accomplishment give the women a new sense of dignity and confidence!

We also came across this great note from World Vision about how a former sponsored girl in their program is now tutoring children in the slums of India.  It’s all because someone sponsored her that she was able to accomplish what she has and move on to help others!  Sponsoring a young girl can change her life and cause a ripple effect for years to come.  Sponsor a child today.

What are some other ways you can empower women? We’d love to hear them!  Please leave some comments and let us know your ideas.  Remember, a small step can lead to big change!

Demi Moore has won the Pepsi Refresh Challenge! Thanks to all of her fan votes, Demi won a $250,000 grant for GEMS (Girls Education and Mentoring Services).  GEMS is an organization based in New York designed to empower young women in America who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation.  GEMS will use the money to train 10 survivors as outreach workers to serve in their communities.  Congratulations to Demi and GEMS!  You can also check out Demi & Ashton’s new anti-trafficking organization The DNA Foundation.

Also, if you are free this Thursday night you should plan to find your local theater that is showing Half The Sky Live.  It’s a one night movie event based on the book, Half the Sky, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.  Join the movement,  celebrate International Women’s Day and be inspired to help women around the world turn oppression into opportunity!

If you have a few minutes please listen to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that occurred today.  The hearing titled, “In Our Own Backyard: Child Prostitution and Sex Trafficking in the United States,” included testimony from Ambassador-At-Large Luis CdeBaca, Rachel Lloyd (founder of GEMS) and a survivor of trafficking in the US.

If you’re interested in finding out more (and you’re in the Cincinnati area) you can also check out the free screening of Playground, a documentary on child trafficking in America, on March 11th.  All of this hits close to home in light of the recent study we posted earlier this month about trafficking in Ohio.

A group in South Africa has recently released a PSA to raise awareness about the escalation of human trafficking during the 2010 World Cup coming up this summer.  You can check out the video here. The Salvation Army has also started a new trafficking helpline.  South Africa still doesn’t have any laws against trafficking.  Hopefully they will pass some before the World Cup so they don’t risk the dreaded “F” that Vancouver got for their lack of preparation for trafficking during the Olympics.

On a personal note, I used to live in London for a few years and this video reminds me of all my South African friends! I particularly enjoyed the reference to “robots.” In case you don’t know what those are, they are traffic lights!

On Thursday, March 11th the Freedom Center in Cincinnati is hosting a free screening of the documentary Playground.  The movie is an undercover look at the child sex trafficking industry.  Filmmaker Libby Spears initially started looking into trafficking in Cambodia and the Philippines, only to realize that the problem happens in America as well.  Co-produced by George Clooney, Steven Soderbergh and Grant Heslov, Playground has received enthusiastic acclaim for its unforgettable examination of a subject that most people would prefer not to even mention.  The screening starts at 6pm.  You can get the full details here.

Plus, on the night of the screening Stop Traffick Fashion will be at the museum with our products for sale!  Come and see us, along with the powerful documentary Playground.

You’ve probably seen some TED videos on You Tube or on their website.  Right now leaders from around the world are together speaking on various topics.  One of those speakers in Kevin Bales, a well known author and activist in the field of human trafficking.  I hope they will post a video of his presentation.  For now, I’ll post some interesting live tweets* from @TEDNews that were tweeted during Kevin Bales’ presentation.

Kevin Bales: People do not enslave people to be mean to them. They do it to make a profit. #TED

Kevin Bales: Researched in 5 countries, interviewed slaves and slave holders. Estimates 27 million slaves today. #TED

Kevin Bales: There are only two countries on earth where we can’t find slavery: Iceland and Greenland. #TED

Kevin Bales: Slaves are often used to do environmentally damaging work. There’s a link between environment loss and human rights loss. #TED

Kevin Bales: Slavery has been around forever. But what is new: The price for slaves has collapsed. Humans are cheaper than ever. #TED

Kevin Bales: You can’t just buy people out of slavery. It’s not an event, it’s a process. #TED

Kevin Bales: What does sustainable freedom cost? In the US, about $30,000 per person. In Ghana, $400. #TED

Kevin Bales: $10.8 billion to free all slaves — the same amount we spent last year on game equipment. Not a lot of $ on global level. #TED

Kevin Bales: Ask ourselves: Are we willing to live in a world of slavery? #TED

More on Kevin Bales: http://www.freetheslaves.net
*Twitter is a great tool for getting lots of timely news on various topics,  including human trafficking! Follow us @stoptrffckfash.

Here are some headlines from news articles and blogs I’ve been reading this week.

• Anti-trafficking activists recently headed to Miami to help save Super Bowl sex slaves.  You can also see some news coverage from CBS.
• Check out this travel blog from a World Vision staff member as he investigates the prevention of child trafficking in Eastern Europe.
• Is Shell fueled by forced labor?
• Support Demi Moore and her proposal to help girls from GEMS in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge.  Vote here.

I’m reading Terrify No More, a book that chronicles the investigative team that goes undercover to rescue extremely young girls from a brothel in Phnom Penh.  It’s by Gary Haugen of IJM, and as usual, we recommend it along with all the other IJM books.  I’d like to share a few particularly compelling quotes and excerpts…I’ve just started reading it so I may post more as I continue!

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

I think this quote is a definite call to action!  Once we hear about the problem of human trafficking it is our responsibility to give a voice to those who are oppressed and to work for their freedom and restoration.  It can be overwhelming but it just takes small steps.  I’ve provided a list of ways you can get involved before, but I’d love to hear from you if you have any other ideas.

The next quote comes from a girl who was rescued from a brothel in Cambodia.  When asked why she did not want to provide evidence against her captor she said, “Well, I’m not very pretty so I don’t have to be with very many men.  It’s not that bad.”

Gary Haugen goes on to write:

It reminds me of what a brutal crime this is against the girls.  Yes, certainly what happens to them physically is deplorable, but what it does to their sense of self and what gives them value is equally criminal.  This girl had decided that because she didn’t get beaten that often, and didn’t have to be with that many men, that it just wasn’t that bad.  In her eyes, she was a loser either way - if she were prettier, she’d have to serve more customers; but since she wasn’t pretty enough to make men want to abuse her, life in a brothel was okay.

Wow! What a striking and truly sad quote.  It highlights the terrible after-effects of such abuse and how it leaves girls feeling empty and worthless.  Once the girls are rescued they need to reclaim their dignity, self-worth and identity.  That’s why aftercare is such an important part of the struggle for justice! Continual love, counseling, education, and job-skills training can have an amazing impact and bring survivors a brand new, redeemed life!

These videos from Hagar give you a glimpse of the hope and restoration that is possible.  One of the survivors says, “All my life is mud in the past.  Now a lotus grows up from this mud.  It is like my life when I am saved and brought to live in Hagar.  So my life starts blooming, and becomes beautiful again.”

Venture Expeditions is organizing a cross country biking trip along the route of the underground railroad this summer.  The best part is that it will be in support of International Justice Mission!  Money raised will be donated to IJM and participants will also be stopping to raise support and enlist Freedom Partners along the way.

So if you’re looking for a an adventure and you want to support the fight against human trafficking this could be the perfect opportunity for you! Learn more here.