We’ve been writing a lot about trafficking in the US and in Ohio lately. If you want to read another perspective, read this interview with the author of the new book The Slave Across the Street, Theresa Flores. Theresa is an activist and is also a Director for Gracehaven House in Ohio, one of the few shelters for survivors in America.
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.
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.
Here are some headlines from news articles and blogs I’ve been reading this week.
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.”
If you missed the CNN special, “World’s Untold Stories” Innocence for Sale,” we recommend that you check it out online. It’s an eye opening look at sex trafficking in Cambodia that follows Aaron Cohen, a career abolitionist and founder of Abolish Slavery, on a mission to investigate and rescue victims of trafficking.
If you’re touched by what you see, we recommend checking out Hagar International. Hagar is one of the world’s foremost aftercare providers and has facilities in Cambodia, Vietnam and Afghanistan. They provide long term care, hope and restoration for survivors of trafficking and other human rights abuse. You can also support survivors of trafficking in Cambodia by shopping from our collections from Hagar Design and the Nomi Network.
Here’s a recap of some recent news:
35 Nepali women have been rescued from being trafficked to India at border checkpoints in the Kailali and Kanchanpur districts within the past six months. A local rehabilitation organization took them in and helped them contact their families. Activists and campaigners are becoming more dynamic in the area so traffickers are using secret routes to get people into Indian cities.
As if Haiti didn’t have enough problems, human trafficking is likely to flourish in the wake of the earthquake. As this article states, “In today’s world, the twin causes of human slavery - poverty and vulnerability - increase exponentially after natural disasters.”
“Freedom - it’s in our DNA.” That’s the tagline for a new anti-trafficking foundation started by Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher called the Demi and Ashton Foundation (DNA). The celebrities have already been involved in learning about this issue and raising awareness so we are hopeful for the future of their foundation. Hopefully added star power will continue to help in the fight! You can check out their website and, of course, follow them on Twitter.
A young Cambodian girl in Hagar International’s care testified in court against her “godmother” who abused her as a domestic servant. Sue Taylor, manager of the psychosocial services department of Hagar International, the NGO that has been helping to rehabilitate the girl, said Tuesday that the opportunity to testify in court was a key step in her healing process. We hope that this will enable her to continue in her rehabilitation and restoration to a new, free and beautiful life.
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IJM Breaking News Late last Wednesday night and into the early hours of Thursday morning, IJM Manila’s anti-trafficking team partnered with local authorities to conduct a series of coordinated operations at four targeted establishments operating as fronts for traffickers in Paranaque City, the Philippines. |
Image from one target establishment on the night of the operation. |
The operations conducted simultaneously to avoid a tip-off freed nine victims of sex trafficking and secured the arrest of 10 suspected perpetrators.
Planning the concurrent operations at multiple locations (all bars operating as fronts for trafficking) in the metro Manila area required weeks of investigation and collaboration. The rescued girls are receiving round-the-clock counseling from IJM social workers and will soon be placed in local aftercare homes where they will receive long-term care.
There’s no shortage of excellent organizations that are working in Haiti and could use your support! However, since we focus on modern day slavery it’s appropriate to highlight the Restavek Foundation.
Just a 2 hour plane ride from Miami, you will find thousands of children forced into domestic servitude. The Haitians call them restaveks. They are the children of poor families who are unknowingly sent to live as slaves in exchange for the false promise of a better life. We want to fulfill this promise and set them free through education and love.
Bromwell’s Gallery in Cincinnati presents a new exhibit by Evan Hildebrandt “The Struggle To Become Who We Really Are: Point of View.” Blaise Pascal wrote, “Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere.” Evan’s work will give you a chance to explore where you fit within the infinite!
Point of View is a multi-sensory experience intended to help the participant explore the innate truths that the cosmos holds.
The opening is on Saturday, January 23rd from 6-9pm and 10% of Evan’s sales from the show will benefit Stop Traffick Fashion! The money will be used to invest in our new artfully inspired T-shirt line that will help keep 170 (and growing!) women safely employed and free from the sex trade in Kolkata, India. We’ll also have all of our new items on display. Come check out some great art and support Stop Traffick Fashion.
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