New UN fund awards $300,000 to help rehabilitate victims of human trafficking

From UN News Centre:

Organizations in 12 countries that help victims of human trafficking seek justice, return home and otherwise recover from their ordeal were collectively awarded some $300,000 today in the first grant of a new United Nations fund.

“A unique approach is being employed by the UN to channel severely needed funds to survivors of the horrific crime of human trafficking,” UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director Yury Fedotov said, appealing for greater financial support for the Small Grants Facility, launched earlier this year as part of the UNODC-managed UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking.

“There is a critical need for increased donations so that we can step up this assistance. There is no place for human trafficking in the world and the Small Grants Facility has a role to play in eradicating this inhumane act,” he added of a $32-billion global industry, which is currently estimated to be exploiting over 2.4 million people, two-thirds of them women and children.

The 12 projects selected for the first year of the facility cover all major regions of the world and set to be rolled out in Albania, Cambodia, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, France, India, Israel, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Moldova and the United States.

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Roll Out Your Yoga Mat on March 12 To Raise Awareness and Help Survivors

From Yoga Stops Traffick:

Wherever you are in the world, get ready to roll your mats out on 12th March 2011 for YOGA STOPS TRAFFICK, a worldwide yoga event to raise awareness about human trafficking. Last year YST brought together 1,500 people in 20 countries, 51 yoga studios, parks, homes, beaches and mountaintops around the world. With your help YST raised over £15,000 for Indian organization Odanadi Seva Trust, to give survivors of human trafficking the chance of a better future.

Following on from the huge success of last year, YST askes you to join them once again to take a stand against human trafficking: all you need is your yoga mat! Discover how you can get involved, and about the work being done by Odanadi. To find out here how the money raised from Yoga Stops Traffick will be spent visit www.odanadi-uk.org.

UN Trafficking Fund

Press Release: UN Trafficking Fund announces new grant opportunities for NGOs as donations near US$ 1 million

The first steps toward the establishment of a UN-led ‘Small Grants Facility’ for victims of human trafficking were taken today in a move aimed at strengthening on-the-ground assistance to survivors of this brutal crime.

A public call will be made over the coming months through the UNODC website and other avenues. The provision of these financial grants is an integral component of the UN Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking which was established by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in late-2010.

The Trust Fund aims to provide financial support to victim-focused groups in a bid to assist those partners from governmental, inter-governmental and civil society organizations working to help victims of human trafficking.

Read More. . .

Call to Action: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010

From the Polaris Project Action Site: On December 9, the U.S. Senate passed S.2925, “Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010.” This bipartisan legislation was introduced by Senators Wyden (D-OR) and Cornyn (R-TX) and was passed with unanimous consent in the Senate. With only one week left in the Congressional session, the House must now adopt the Senate bill and pass it by Friday, December 17!

To learn more about what you can do and how to contact your representatives, click here.

According to Change.org:

The Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010 will improve federal and state government efforts to combat domestic sex trafficking of minors by:

- Authorizing six year-long grants of $2.5 million to state or local governments in regions that have

-- a significant sex trafficking problem

-- demonstrated cooperation between law enforcement, prosecutors, and service providers in efforts to combat sex trafficking, and

-- developed a plan to combat sex trafficking that includes provisions for victims' shelter and services, training of law enforcement and service providers, and prosecution and deterrence of traffickers.

- Providing that a minimum of 25% of grant funds are used to provide shelter and services to victims of sex trafficking.

- Providing for an independent annual evaluation of grant recipients' programs.

- Requiring state reporting of missing children to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and encouraging the Attorney General to change the NCIC to facilitate protection of missing children.

- Encouraging states to enact safe harbor laws that presume a minor found in prostitution is a victim of a severe form of trafficking.

Humanity United Seeks an Investment Analyst

ABOUT HUMANITY UNITED:
Humanity United is a philanthropic organization committed to building a world where mass atrocities and modern-day slavery are no longer possible. By helping to build permanent constituencies to end atrocities and slavery, supporting efforts that empower affected communities, and addressing the root causes of conflict and injustice, Humanity United seeks to help restore human dignity in places where it has been lost and to help create a lasting global peace. Humanity United was founded in the belief that defending basic human rights is essential not just to bringing about justice, but also to ensuring greater economic growth, enhanced environmental protection, improved public health, and a more secure and less violent world.

POSITION SUMMARY: The Investment Analyst is a member of the HU investment team primarily responsible for providing research and analysis to improve the effectiveness of HU grant-making. The Investment Analyst role will include performing desk research / due diligence on new opportunities and existing grants, producing market analysis to inform individual grants and strategic priorities, and representing the organization externally in a variety of settings. This position will work across both of organizational portfolios: prevention of conflict and mass atrocities; and prevention of human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Strong candidates with have academic and/or professional experience related to one or both of these issues in one or more of the following areas: advocacy, policy, rule of law & governance, multilateral institutions (United Nations, African Union, International Criminal Court) human rights, or corporate social responsibility. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Represent HU in a manner that is consistent with its mission
• Advance internal thinking through targeted research and analysis of the field of mass atrocities and human trafficking
• Perform analysis of social sector and commercial sector organizations and investment proposals with a potential fit for HU’s strategy
• Stay up to date on relevant international policy developments and apply current strategic perspective to investment related activities
• Support deal execution through funding
• Work collaboratively with other HU program functions (Research, Communications, Policy)
• Support due diligence efforts for prospective investments and grants
• Provide occasional analytic support for projects with HU funded organizations
• Contribute to periodic investment area strategic reviews
• Lead and support other projects as required

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE / QUALIFICATIONS:

• Prior demonstrated interest in creating positive social impact, with experience in human rights based efforts and organizations a plus
• BS/BA in political science, international development, public policy, or equivalent
• 1-3 years work experience in social sector and/or private sector
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships, influences others, and offer strategic perspective
• Strong analytical skills
• Strong teamwork, with excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to sift through large volumes of information quickly and to summarize effectively
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally
• Strong interest and background in social sector organizations

Send your letter of inquiry and resume to hujobs@humanityunited.org

House and Senate Appropriate Money to Fight Slavery

Late last week, the House and Senate passed an omnibus appropriations bill that will, among other things, provide funding to fight human trafficking. The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 will provide money to both the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services for anti-slavery work, including services for survivors.

Despite federal anti-trafficking laws, such as the Trafficking Victims Reauthorization Act of 2008, funding for anti-trafficking work has always lagged behind, making this funding development particularly welcome. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law.

The bill includes a 25% increase in funding to the Department of Justice to assist victims of trafficking. This funding pool has been used to establish task forces in the past. Moreover, this will be the "first time since the Trafficking Victims Protection Act was passed in 2000, the spending bill provides that this funding is available for both foreign national and U.S. citizen survivors in need of assistance," according to Polaris Project. The bill will also provide funding for prosecuting traffickers through the Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

In addition to increasing the DOJ's anti-trafficking funding, the bill also provides funding for the Department of Health and Human Services work on behalf of foreign national victims and survivors. Additionally, according to Polaris Project, the bill "is accompanied by report language that urges the Administration to request funds for assistance to all survivors, including U.S. citizens, in next year’s budget request."

You can contact the legislators who played an important role in this effort to provide additional, extremely needed funding for victims and survivors of slavery:

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Chair, and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), Ranking Member, Senate Commerce-Justice-Science Subcommittee

Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV), Chair, and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-WV), Ranking Member, House Commerce-Justice-Science Subcommittee

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-chairs, House Human Trafficking Caucus.

As we approach the new year, many state legislatures will be going into session, making this a prime opportunity to also contact your state-level representatives and urge them to support state-level anti-trafficking legislation.

Holiday Shopping Event to Benefit Victim Services Organization

Trafficking Victim Services of the International Institute of Buffalo has teamed up with Ten Thousand Villages, who will be hosting a Community Shopping Day on Thursday, December 3rd to benefit the program. From 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, 15% of net sales will be donated to the program – so please encourage friends, relatives, or colleagues in the Buffalo area to attend the event to do some fair trade shopping and benefit a program here at the Institute! If you have any questions, please contact Elise Garvey at tassistant1@iibuff.org.

Find the Facebook Event here!

Misguided Charity

The Controversy Behind International Food Donations

Why does CARE turn down $ 45 million of food aid from the US? Can food possibly hurt more than it helps?

From Manila Bulletin:

CARE’s Alina Labrada pointed out that donation of wheat and other crops does not help in regions where people consistently go hungry because local farming has been weakened by international competition (globalization). She told AP’s Katherine Houreld that the "mechanism" is more hurtful than helpful.

Read more

From Alertnet:

If you flood a market with cheap food, prices tend to fall. While that's good for those buying the food, collapsing prices can hurt poor farmers who are struggling to make a living. This has a knock-on effect on the whole agricultural sector. Say wheat prices drop and people start buying wheat instead of maize. Then maize producers suffer.

There is also a danger when food aid arrives too late that it will disrupt the market for the next season's harvest, making it harder for local farmers to recover. Many experts say this happened to Malawi in 2002, and could become a problem in Niger in 2005.

Read the full article

Impact of U.S. Anti-Trafficking Funds Unknown

Source: Corbis

From Newsday:

While the U.S. government has given close to $500 million to foreign governments and human rights groups to combat human trafficking, there has been almost no evaluation of what impact the spending had on the problem, says a government study released Thursday.

In its assessment of U.S.-funded international projects, the Government Accountability Office also said it was virtually impossible to say if trafficking -- compelling people to work as prostitutes or indentured servants through fraud or brute force -- has increased or decreased globally.

Read the full article…