Global Anti-Slavery Action Map Advances Fight Against Human Trafficking

From Market Watch: 

End Slavery Now (ESN) today announced the successful launch of the new anti-slavery "Action on the Ground" project map, the first comprehensive and interactive web-based app to track the global fight against human trafficking. The new tool allows partner NGOs around the world to upload projects, photos and links; making it easy to see what organizations are doing to rescue, rehabilitate and reintegrate modern-day slaves, as well as stem demand.

Leading anti-slavery nonprofits including Free the Slaves, Polaris Project, Shared Hope International and International Justice Mission helped seed the map with their work. Icons distinguish the varied forms of modern slavery, such as forced labor, child soldiers or sex trafficking.

"The world map looks depressing when you flag it with the types of slavery that people endure in different countries," said Dr. Kevin Bales, co-founder and president of Free the Slaves. "But it can look quite hopeful when you also flag it with the frontline projects that are combating slavery around the globe."

Prior to the launch, participating NGOs posted over 80 projects in 30 countries. More actions are being uploaded daily. 

Check out the map

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.

Upcoming OVC Web Forum: Serving Child Victims of Sex Trafficking

Serving Child Victims of Sex Trafficking

January 19, 2011—Join an Online Discussion

On January 19, 2011, at 2 p.m. (eastern time), the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) will present a Web Forum discussion with Mollie Ring on best practices for serving child victims of sex trafficking. Ms. Ring is the Director of Anti-Trafficking Programs at the Standing Against Global Exploitation (SAGE) Project, a nonprofit organization working to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adults. She coordinates direct services for domestic minor and international victims of human trafficking and leads outreach, training, and public education efforts. She also oversees technical assistance initiatives for local, regional, and national partners. Prior to joining SAGE in 2008, Ms. Ring served as a consultant to the United Nations Children’s Fund’s Evaluation Office and the United Nations Development Programme.

Visit the OVC Web Forum now to submit questions for Ms. Ring and return on January 19 at 2 p.m. (eastern time) for the live discussion. Learn how to participate beforehand so you are ready for the discussion.

Phones4Freedom: Send in Your Old Phone to Help Others Fight Human Trafficking

From Phones4Freedom:

In the developing world, a lack of regular channels to information and resources prevents city-based anti-trafficking advocates from providing adequate resources to rural and at-risk communities. As advocates travel from cities to do outreach education to isolated/vulnerable regions, they are often remain disconnected from those who are in critical need of regular communication. The mission of Survivors Connect Helpline SMS Teams is to advance anti-trafficking networks in underserved communities using innovative mobile technology. Helpline SMS Networks consist of: NGOs, legal advocates, social service providers, law enforcement, and other key stake holders who act as first responders in a trafficking case.

The Helpline SMS Network is able to use this mobile network to regularly stay in touch with rural communities vulnerable to human trafficking, provide regular updates and information at a low cost, and respond to emergencies and prevent trafficking. We're using Frontline SMS, a free open-source platform that enables large-scale, two-way text messaging using only a laptop, GSM modem and inexpensive cell phones.

By using this technique, we are preventing slavery and human trafficking one text at a time!
How will your Phone Make a difference?
By Donating to Phones4Freedom, Survivors Connect will earn "points" or "credits" to purchase the appropriate mobile equipment for Helpline SMS anti-trafficking networks. The average donated phone in the US will allow us to purchase 2-3 phones.

To learn more about what we've done, check out www.survivorsconnect.org/helpline-SMS and http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2010/01/sms-joins-battle-against-human-trafficking/.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it cost money?

If you're shipping in the US then absolutely not! The shipping labels are prepaid, thanks to our generous partner The WirelessSource. If you wish to donate from outside the US, email us at hello@phones4freedom.org to explore possibilities.
Does my phone's condition matter?

Doesn't matter one bit. Send us any and all phones, beat up and old. Our recycling partner will take care of them.
What happens to my phone?

We have partnered up with The WirelessSource to recycle and process your phone. They will either refurbish or fully recycle the phone. Phones4Freedom will receive "credits" or "points" for every phone you send it, which will then allow us to purchase appropriate phones for our anti-trafficking advocates and anti-trafficking networks around the world. 100% of the value of your cell phone is used to obtain the right phones for the networks.

How can I start a collection campaign at my place of business, school, place of worship etc?

Email us at hello@phones4freedom.org with details about your ideas. We will send you a kit with everything you need to start your own collection campaign. This will include a unique shipping label for you so we can track how many phones are donated through your campaign. In addition, we'll send a collection box and fundraising kit including handy flyers and images for your use.
I have personal information on my phone, how do I get rid of it?

Removing your SIM chip is step 1. This will remove all contacts. However, you may still have contacts, notes, and pictures saved on your phone's memory. In order to remove it, can follow the instructions here OR The WirelessSource will do it for you!
I have more electronics at home. Can I recycle and donate them?

You sure can! The The WirelessSource has expanded their recycling categories to include laptops, MP3 players, digital cameras, camcorders and gaming systems. You may use the same shipping label to send those as well.. Survivors Connect will receive credits for all electronics donated and recycled.

Phones4Freedom is an fascinating project which, is sponsored by Survivors Connect and partnered with The WirelessSource. Community members send their phones in, free of charge. The Wireless Sources recycles or refurbishes the phones and Phones4Freedom gets credits for them. The organization uses these credits to purchase phones for anti-trafficking advocates around the world. The condition of the phone does not mater and the WirelessSource can even take other electronics.

If you are interested in sending a phone or another electronic device, please visit http://www.phones4freedom.org/donate.php where you can print your shipping label and learn how to properly ship it. In addition, there is information on how to get others involved by printing flyers and starting a campaign at your school/work or place of worship. This is an excellent way to get rid of an old phone, fight trafficking and save the environment at the same time.

Local Anti-Trafficking NGOs

Around the world and throughout the United States, many organizations are combating trafficking in their own communities, providing services for victims and services, and raising awareness. This month, we profile some of those local initiatives in our own towns.

Elise: Although I recently moved to Medford, Massachusetts, I had been living in my hometown of Buffalo, New York for the last year while I worked at the International Institute of Buffalo (IIB) for the Trafficking Victim Services Program. The organization itself has been serving immigrants and refugees in Western New York since 1918, and the TVSP has been a part of the Institute since 2006. In these four years, TVSP has served as the Lead Service Provider on the Western District of New York Anti-Trafficking Task Force and assisted over 100 individuals and trained thousands of local professionals, law enforcement agents, and community members in over eight counties. The challenges for serving such a large area of New York state are imposing: the area has large urban, suburban and rural communities, there has been little pattern as to the country of origin, native language, age or background of the survivors and the majority of local residents are still unaware as to the magnitude of the problem in their own neighborhoods. If you are interested in volunteering, donating or would like to find a way to help raise awareness in Western New York, please contact the Trafficking Victim Services Program at the International Institute of Buffalo.

Lauren: This past summer I have been living in my hometown, Orange County, California. Despite its picturesque appearance, reality television shows, and ideal weather, even Orange County has a human trafficking history. The Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF), which consists of over 40 different organizations, was founded in 2004 “to work together to protect victims, prosecute offenders, and prevent further perpetration of this crime in Orange County, CA.” The purpose of the task force’s collaborative communal work, which includes local law enforcement agencies, is to aggrandize the rate at which the community can identify and arraign human rights violators. Between the years of 2006 and 2009 the foundation assisted over 60 victims of human trafficking, most conspicuously a story of a young girl, Shyima. The task force’s exponential resources also help educate a community, while involving it in efforts to combat the continuation of this crime. If you are looking for ways to get involved in the Orange County region The OCHTTF is a collective force that incorporates volunteers, clubs, organizations, churches and communities. The OCHTTF also hosts public meetings and events to continue local involvement, for more information about the organization or general information about human trafficking visit their website.

Amanda: Prax(us) is an organization based out of Denver, CO which focusing on assisting homeless youth in trafficking situations. They use community engagement to “empower participants, advocate for equal rights, and address the root causes of human trafficking.” The organization does street outreach to find people who are vulnerable to or are already in situations of trafficking, helps people leave exploitative situations, informs the community about human trafficking, engages the community including law enforcement in their work and advocates for policies that end exploitation and human trafficking. Their work is motivated by the liberation model which suggests that hope is essential to their work, efforts to address the issue should be lead by those affected by it, action and reflection are required for freedom, political movements should be motivated by experience, oppression must be fought at every level and that the stories and histories of those affected help to build a successful movement.

State Attorney General's Call on Craigslist to Remove Adult Services

From the Associated Press State AGs: Craigslist should drop adult services

HARTFORD, Conn. — State attorneys general nationwide are demanding that Craigslist remove its adult services section because they say the website cannot adequately block potentially illegal ads.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced Tuesday that he and colleagues in 16 states have sent a letter calling on the classified advertising site to get rid of its adult services category. The attorneys general say Craigslist is not completely screening out ads that promote prostitution and child trafficking. The site creators pledged in 2008 to improve their policing efforts.

Other states joining the effort are Arkansas, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Craigslist's so-called Adult Services Section drew new attention in early August with an open letter from the Rebecca Project: "Craig, I am AK. In 2009, I met a man twice my age who pretended to be my boyfriend, and my life as an average girl— looking forward to college, doing my chores, and hanging out with my friends—ended. This “boyfriend” soon revealed he was a pimp. He put my picture on Craigslist, and I was sold for sex by the hour at truck stops and cheap motels, 10 hours with 10 different men every night. This became my life.

Men answered the Craigslist advertisements and paid to rape me. The $30,000 he pocketed each month was facilitated by Craigslist 300 times. I personally know over 20 girls who were trafficked through Craigslist. Like me, they were taken from city to city, each time sold on a different Craigslist site —Philadelphia, Dallas, Milwaukee, Washington D.C. My phone would ring, and soon men would line up in the parking lot. One Craigslist caller viciously brutalized me, threatening to dump my body in a river. Miraculously, I survived.

Craig, I am MC. I was first forced into prostitution when I was 11 years old by a 28 year-old man. I am not an exception. The man who trafficked me sold many girls my age, his house was called “Daddy Day Care.” All day, me and other girls sat with our laptops, posting pictures and answering ads on Craigslist, he made $1,500 a night selling my body, dragging me to Los Angeles, Houston, Little Rock —and one trip to Las Vegas in the trunk of a car.

I am 17 now, and my childhood memories aren’t of my family, going to middle school, or dancing at the prom. They are making my own arrangements on Craigslist to be sold for sex, and answering as many ads as possible for fear of beatings and ice water baths.

Craig, we write this letter so you will know from our personal experiences how Craigslist makes horrific acts like this so easy to carry out, and the men who carry out, and men who arrange them very rich. Craig, we know you oppose trafficking and exploitation. But right now, Craigslist is the choice of traffickers because it’s so well known and there are rarely consequences to using it for these illegal acts."

The saga continued, first with Craigslist's response arguing that "We work with law enforcement to bring to justice any criminals foolish enough to incriminate themselves by misusing our site, and want to make sure everything possible has been done in your cases. . . craigslist is used by more than 50 million Americans to facilitate billions of interactions each month, and criminal misuse of the site is quite rare. . . craigslist is one of the few bright spots and success stories in the critical fight against trafficking and child exploitation." This was followed by the Rebecca Project's question

"Where is your outrage? . . . Craig, if this were a bar and children were being raped in the basement we would close the bar down to protect the children. We are asking you to do what’s right, close down the adult services section until you have an effective solution that ensures children will not be bought and sold online."

Today, 17 state attorney generals called on Craigslist to shut down the Adult Services section. "Ads for prostitution, including ads trafficking children, continue to be a grave problem on Craigslist," said [Maryland Attorney General] Gansler. "While the company has made progress in blocking such ads, it is unfortunately not enough. More must be done to combat the human exploitation that these ads foster."

Human Trafficking Action & Events

Polaris Project is requesting action to support Ohio HB493, which would be Ohio's first law to criminalize human trafficking. Ohio is one of five states that still does not have a law addressing human trafficking.

The Not for Sale Campaign is accepting registrations for the Global Forum on Human Trafficking, which will be held in Yorba Linda, CA from October 14-15. Register now and receive a free t-shirt or gift certificate to the Freedom Store.

Change.org is asking for signatures on letters requesting that Hilton prevent child prostitution in its hotels by signing the EPCAT Code of Conduct.

Change.org also has a petition asking Craigslist to "make REAL change" in its adult services section, and providing several suggestions.

NOW-NYC is holding a Trafficking Action Network meeting on August 11, at 6:30 pm. For more information, click here.

On September 12, a member of CAST's survivor caucus will be speaking at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. For more information, click here.

Image credit: Avital Gertner

Free the Slaves: Zimmerman Fellowship

Each year Free the Slaves recognizes various individuals and organizations who have made major contributions to the international anti-slavery movement by naming them Freedom Award recipients. Among those Freedom Awards is the Anne Templeton Zimmerman Fellowship, named for the anti-slavery pioneer and founder of Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

The Zimmerman Fellowship is awarded to one or two young adults under the age of 30 who have made concrete progress in ending slavery in the United States and especially abroad. The general purpose of the fellowship is to build up young leaders in the field and introduce them to the work of Free the Slaves. In addition, the fellows partner with Georgetown University’s School of Public Policy where they obtain a certificate in Non-Profit Executive Leadership.

Betsy Bramon, a 2007 graduate of William Jewell College, was one of the 2009 Zimmerman Fellows. Bramon has exemplified what it means to be a modern day abolitionist through her work with numerous organizations like Hagar International and Polaris Project. However, her year with Free the Slaves provided her with an opportunity to explore more of where her talents and passions may lead her in the future. During her fellowship, she worked closely with FTS’ international partnership teams that are successfully combating slavery and trafficking at the local levels. FTS partners with these smaller organizations to help them become even more effective leaders in their areas.

In addition, through the educational experience at Georgetown University, Bramon learned about not only leadership development but also the practical business side of the anti-trafficking field like human relations, finance, policy and research.

Overall, Bramon found her time as a Zimmerman Fellow to be rich and worthwhile. She said, “I was able to see into a different part of the anti-slavery movement, connect with other organizations who share similar values and goals, and grow both professionally and personally."

The Zimmerman Fellowship for 2010 has been selected; however, if you are interested in interning or volunteering with Free the Slaves you can follow this link: http://www.freetheslaves.net/Page.aspx?pid=307

RFP for Enhanced Task Forces Announced

From the DOJ Office for Victims of Crime:

OVC FY 10 Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking

Eligibility: Applicants are limited to state and local law enforcement agencies and nonprofit victim service organizations with a demonstrated established relationship and capacity to successfully partner among themselves and key stakeholders to support an enhanced approach to identifying, rescuing, and assisting victims of all forms of human trafficking. Applicants will only be eligible to apply if their application is made in conjunction with an application from a law enforcement agency or a victim service organization. Recipients of awards under this solicitation must be located in the community, jurisdiction, or geographic area specified in the application. Grantees currently receiving human trafficking funding from BJA and OVC are eligible to apply for this funding.

Overview: Through this solicitation, BJA and OVC seek to update the DOJ multidisciplinary anti-human trafficking task force model for contemporary relevance and incorporate lessons learned into a new model: the Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking. This FY 2010 program will fund up to three Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force sites that will take a comprehensive approach to combating all forms of trafficking–sex trafficking and labor trafficking of foreign nationals and U.S. citizens (male and female, adults and minors). A total of six cooperative agreements are expected to be awarded. Three awards are expected to be made by BJA to support law enforcement agencies to coordinate the goals, objectives, and activities of the entire task force in close collaboration with the local U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) and victim service provider partner; and three awards are expected to be made by OVC to support a victim service organization to coordinate the provision of a comprehensive array of culturally and linguistically appropriate services to all trafficking victims identified within the geographic area impacted by the task force.

Deadlines: Registration and Application: Registration is required prior to submission. OJP strongly encourages registering with Grants.gov several weeks before the deadline for application submission. The deadline for applying for funding under this announcement is 8:00 p.m. eastern time on July 27, 2010.

Please find the full RFP here.

First US Recipient of State Department's Anti-Trafficking Hero Award to Be Given This Year

From the Coalition of Immokalee Workers:

Great news out of Washington, DC: U.S. State Department to recognize CIW Anti-Slavery Coordinator Laura Germino as 2010 "Anti-Trafficking Hero"!

CIW Modern-Day Slavery Museum headed to DC to serve as backdrop for the ceremony. Germino (above, leading Sec. of Labor Solis on recent tour of museum) to be first US recipient of State Department "Hero" recognition...

As part of the annual TIP report release, the State Department recognizes the efforts of a handful of individuals from around the world who have shown extraordinary commitment and leadership in the fight against slavery, TIP "Heroes" as the State Department calls them.

This year, Laura Germino, the CIW's Anti-Slavery Campaign Coordinator, has been chosen to receive this terrific distinction, and when she does, she will be the first U.S.-based recipient to receive the recognition.

We are extremely proud of Laura, whose untiring work fighting forced labor in Florida -- beginning in the early 1990's -- helped launch today's anti-slavery movement in the U.S. Nearly twenty years later, Laura continues to investigate slavery operations, work in partnership with the Department of Justice to prosecute slavers, and train state and local law enforcement, community service organizations, and FBI personnel in how to identify and combat forced labor across the Southeast.

We are also very proud that the State Department has requested that the CIW's Modern-Day Slavery Museum serve as the backdrop for the 2010 TIP report ceremony. The museum will begin its way up 95 tomorrow with the goal of making it there in one piece for Monday's ceremony in Washington, DC!

The museum, housed in an actual cargo truck outfitted as a replica of the trucks involved in a recent slavery operation (U.S. v. Navarrete, 2008), may or may not make it there for the ceremony, so, just in case it doesn't, we're including here a great video on the museum and its tour earlier this year across the state of Florida. The video is set to, "Captain, Don't You Kill Old Bob," a work song performed by Fred Lee Fox, a 20-year-old turpentine worker, in 1939. The song was recorded by Stetson Kennedy, Florida's foremost folklorist and a renown human rights activist, at a labor camp outside Cross City, Dixie County, Florida.

Enjoy, and check back soon for more details on Monday's ceremony in Washington!

My personal exposure to the work of this organization leaves me with great happiness that this award is being given to Laura Germino. From the direct service they provide to farmworkers and their Anti-Slavery Campaign to their work on the demand side of labor exploitation and trafficking with the Campaign for Fair Food, this is definitely an organization worth following and supporting. You can gain information from their website on the statistics concerning farmworkers. You can read about their efforts in The Slave Next Door. You can explore their Take Action page to find out how you can help. Hopefully this recognition will also lead to greater attention to the slavery, abuse and exploitation that happens in our fields every day.

Please follow the release of this year's report this Monday, June 14th.

Congratulations to Laura Germino and the CIW!

Anne Templeton Zimmerman Fellowship 2010

From Idealist.org:

Anne Templeton Zimmerman Fellowship 2010

Free The Slaves

Education: No requirement
Location: Los Angeles, California, United States
Language(s): English
Area of Focus: Communications Access and Infrastructure, Human Rights and Civil Liberties, Media and Journalism, Network of Nonprofit Organizations
Type: Full time
Salary: $35,000
Last day to apply: March 12, 2010

Description:
One fellowship will be awarded to a young adult (21 – 30) who wants to use their talents in Web work, video production, stage production and design to help end slavery. He/she must have experience in social media, graphic design, e-campaigning, filmmaking, photography, journalism or other communications-related fields. A qualified candidate need not have experience in all facets described above, as the fellowship will be molded to fit the skills of the fellow and the needs of Free the Slaves.

The recipient will receive:
• A one-year fellowship to work full-time with Free the Slaves in the Los Angeles communications team office, with a salary of $35,000 plus benefits.
• The opportunity to help create world-class documentaries, compelling Web articles and print materials, and a live awards ceremony seen by millions around the world.
• The fellowship begins in July 2010.

The fellowship honors the legacy of Anne Templeton Zimmerman, who worked tirelessly against slavery and other abuses.

Award Criteria:
The fellowship will be awarded to an individual who most effectively demonstrates:
• An academic, internship or work background in media or marketing -- with verifiable print, broadcast, or online experience at the university or post-university level.
• Experience/talent in Web design.
• Interest in pursuing non-profit public communications as a career.
• A record of involvement in non-profit groups or causes; experience in human rights or anti-trafficking fields is strongly preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, multiple goals, and prioritize assignments.
• Ability to work as part of a team and take initiative in project management.
• Well-organized with attention to detail and a resourceful problem solver.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure without close supervision; self motivated and goal/deadline oriented.
• Preferred candidates will have a portfolio of articles/stories/photos/films/designs, either online or on DVD or hard-copy format.
• Video production experience and strong writing skills in English are a plus.

Duties of Fellow Include:
• Serve as associate producer in the production of video documentaries on anti-slavery activities around the world, including an overseas filming trip.
• Conduct research and help write online news articles for the Free the Slaves Web site, periodic e-update newsletters and e-blasts to supporters.
• Assist with a major stage production, the 2010 Freedom Awards, including event logistics planning/execution, media relations, VIP guest recruitment and relations.
• Opportunity to craft materials to inspire donations and greater public participation in Free the Slaves activities, such as flyers, online blogs, social media posts, etc.
• Work on updating and organizing the Free the Slaves video library.
• Runner for the Los Angeles office.

Additional Qualifications

Eligibility Requirements:
• Eligible to work in the USA (citizenship or green card).
• Between the ages of 21 and 30 at the time of application.
• Fluent fluid in written and spoken English.
• Involved in anti-slavery work in some way for at least two years.
• Committed to building their career in support of ending slavery.
• Eager to take advantage of a variety of learning experiences, including on-the-job training in the U.S., meeting with experts in the field and traveling overseas to visit successful anti-slavery programs.
• Enthusiastic about and willing to commit to spending 12 months as a Free the Slaves fellow, working in the Los Angeles area.
• Valid driver’s license in good standing.
• Willing to adhere to the Free the Slaves client and child protection policies.
• Able to thrive in a fast-paced, international environment.
• Willing to be filmed in preparation for and at the Freedom Awards ceremony (Free the Slaves will cover agreed travel costs), and willing to speak about past work and the fellowship experience to the media and others.

Individuals Are Not Eligible if:
• They are a current or former paid staff member of Free the Slaves (unpaid interns or volunteers are eligible).
• They have a family member who is currently on the Free the Slaves board or paid staff.

How to Apply

Application Process:
• Provide a completed application form (see below for where to get application forms). Send completed application to Zimmerman@freetheslaves.net.
• Provide a complete resume of academic and work experience.
• Provide writing samples, and copies or links to samples of your previous communications work.
• Provide two references.
• A selection panel will contact shortlisted candidates for telephone or video-conference interviews.
• Completed applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on March 12, 2010.
• You can see stories and videos online featuring the 2008 Zimmerman Fellows and the 2009 Zimmerman Fellows here.

Applications can be found here.

Human trafficking in India Part II: Interview with Dr. Joseph D'souza

"India may appear to be simply another poor country. But it is a very complex culture with a root issue of caste discrimination behind some of our social ills. While we have numerous strengths, perhaps we have hidden our deepest problems due to shame or, because of colonial history, a fear of outsiders meddling in our culture." Dr. Joseph D'souza

If you have seen the movie "Slumdog Millionaire," you might have seen the glimpse of the truth behind the caste system and human trafficking in India. Though experts identify illiteracy, corruption, and bureaucracy are causes of human trafficking, the Dalits, people who belong to the lowest caste class in India, are the ones who are mainly vulnerable to the traffickers due to their lack of education. Therefore, according to the Dalit Freedom Network website, Dr. D'souza states that one cannot understand human trafficking in India without understanding the caste system in the society. He is one of the founders of the organization The Dalit Freedom Network and an expert in the field of the Dalits' human rights. I applaud his life-long commitment to the cause and his passion to serve the most vulnerable and marginalized people who cannot speak up for themselves in India.

Q: I know you are the head of the organization the Dalit Freedom Network as well as others. Can you tell us more about your organization?

The Dalit Freedom Network started in 2002 as a result of the cry of Dalits, formerly called untouchables, in India who asked myself and others to give them a voice outside the country. During our travels, we met some Americans who were sympathetic to the plight of Dalits and wanted to do more than complain about injustice. After consulting with Indian leaders, we decided to focus on several proactive projects. We accepted an invitation to start primary schools in at least 100 Dalit communities.

The key is that teaching is in English, the language which empowers Dalits to participate in India’s rapidly growing economy. Second is a medical initiative which ensures students – and their community -- are physically healthy. Third is an economic project to help Dalits provide for their families. This includes micro-loans, economic education, vocational training, and Self-Help Groups. Lastly, we continue to present the issue of Dalit slavery to government bodies and human rights groups through our activities in Washington, D.C. and other places. [Emphasis added]

There are many non-profit groups which are part of the Dalit Freedom Movement including Operation Mobilization. Each has different projects and initiatives, for example, OM USA is helping with a subsidized lunch program at the schools and much more.

Q: Many people are unaware of the issues of human trafficking in relations to the caste system. According to your article published on Sojournors, Slumdog Millionaire’s India: My Sobering reality, the 80% of the Indian population’s lives are subject to somewhat similar to what is described in the movie, “Slumdog Millionaire.” Why do you think that people are unaware of such fact?

Trafficking is a huge issue, both in terms of its negative impact on communities but also in terms of the massive size of slavery today. With all the general information coming from the UN, US State Department, and various non-profit organizations, I know it is easy to miss a particular issue like the nexus of caste and slavery. India may appear to be simply another poor country. But it is a very complex culture with a root issue of caste discrimination behind some of our social ills. While we have numerous strengths, perhaps we have hidden our deepest problems due to shame or, because of colonial history, a fear of outsiders meddling in our culture.[Emphasis added]

But I’m encouraged because the awareness has increased dramatically in the last few years. For example, the UN International Labor Office said in the Report of the Director-General in 2005 that “…the overwhelming majority of bonded labor victims in agriculture, brick making, mining and other sectors are from the Scheduled Castes.” Scheduled castes is the official government term for Dalits. The US State Department has started consistently noting that Dalits are largest community victimized by trafficking in India. For example, the 2006 annual report for Trafficking In Persons said “traffickers usually targeted minors and Dalit women” for the sex trade.[Emphasis added]

Q: What has Indian government done to end human trafficking among the population of low caste system? Did you think that effort was effective? Why or why not?

The Indian government should be applauded for many laws they’ve passed to protect lower caste citizens. The laws heighten penalties for people who attack Dalits. There are good programs which provide economic assistance to poor Dalits who tempted by traffickers’ offers of a few hundred dollars for their sons or daughters. The problem is the implement of justice. The government is trying and must do more to educate police on helping Dalit victims, stop intimidation of witnesses, make sure resources get to the Dalits instead of corrupt officials, and that good judges make decisions in line with the rule of law. [Emphasis added]

Q: President Obama just proclaimed the month of January 2010 as a month to raise the awareness for human trafficking victims. Does an Incident like this affect the policies of Indian government at all in terms of rectifying current issues of human trafficking of Dalit people?

On the one hand, India’s government doesn’t like outside pressure and, for example, has publicly resisted efforts United Nations committees which try to enforce accountability in the area of human rights and the caste issue. On the other hand, there are good people in government who appreciate the truth being spoken by friendly countries like the United States. Comments by Obama or others could encourage them or even create enough momentum to change a policy. In the end, we believe that some international involvement will help especially when we look at the example of how apartheid ended in South Africa. [Emphasis added]

Q: How can international community respond or help the situation of human trafficking and the rights of Dalit people in India?

The U. S. Government could take the lead to address the size and scope of the slave trade in India. They can support efforts by non-governmental groups to combat slavery in India, including special training programs to sensitize and equip Indian authorities to prevent and prosecute human trafficking in India. Americans can encourage their politicians to work on these issues. The average citizen can also help by supporting pro-active efforts to stop trafficking such as sponsoring a child’s elementary education through the Dalit Freedom Network or the lunch program for students through OM USA.

For More Information:
The Dalits Freedom Network
Dr. Joseph D'souza blog
Operation Mobilization

Posted on behalf of Youngbee Kim

Human Trafficking Event in Rochester, New York

Human Trafficking: Awareness & Action

December 8, 2009, 9:00 AM—4:00 PM

RIT Inn & Conference Center

5257 W. Henrietta Rd, Rochester, NY 14467

The International Institute of Buffalo, Farmworker Legal Services of NY and the NY Branch of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children are partnering to hold a conference and networking event entitled, The Human Side of Human Trafficking: Awareness & Action.

Speakers include:

• Florrie Burke, Co-Chair, Freedom Network (USA): Ms. Burke will provide an overview of Human Trafficking, victim profiles, collaborative multi-disciplinary models of response andservice, and building a community-wide response to trafficking.


• Ron Soodalter Co-Author, The Slave Next Door: Using examples from his research Mr. Soodalter will focus on the state of human trafficking and slavery in the United States andwhat is being done to address trafficking in various regions.


• John O’Brien, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan & Edward Price, Detective Sergeant, Michigan State Police—Detroit: The instructors will provide information on an actual child prostitution investigation which spanned from Michigan, Ohio, Florida and Washington D.C. and grossed over two million dollars in illegal money and assets. The instructors will discuss in detail the different methods and techniques that were used to dismantle these criminal enterprises which involved two pimps and over nine juvenile victims.

Intended audience includes government and social service providers, law enforcement members, educational staff, medical personnel, community, religious, and cultural groups, legal assistance providers and victim advocates in Upstate New York.

Register by filling out the registration form and mailing it to NCMEC/NY, 275 Lake Ave, Rochester, NY 14608 or Fax: 585-242-0717.

Download the information and registration form here.

For more information, contact: Kathy Cannon, Kcannon@ncmec.org,
585-242-0900 x 3339

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CNN's Amanpour's Feature on Sex Trafficking Aired Sunday

On Sunday, Christiane Amanpour conducted a show on sex trafficking in India on CNN. Amanpour interviewed Taina Bien-Aime, Executive Director of Equality Now and Ruchira Gupta, filmmaker and activist.

At one point in the show, Amanpour featured a scene from Gupta's movie "Selling of Innocents." After the clip, Amanpour asked Gupta about the scene:

AMANPOUR: That was a scene filmed in Nepal in the startling documentary, "Selling of Innocents." It shows that the problem of human trafficking extends across borders... Let me ask you, Ruchira, you were posing as a trafficker in that scene.

RUCHIRA GUPTA: That's right. I wanted to show how easy it was and how anyone could go into a village in Nepal or India and look around to buy a girl, and somebody would show up to sell the girl, and the girl had no idea about her rights, and for as little as $50 could buy her and do whatever they wanted with her.

AMANPOUR: And it was making that film that turned you into an activist for these -- against this -- this situation? GUPTA: It was a life-changing experience for me, because as a journalist I'd covered war, famine, conflict, hunger, but I had never seen the deliberate exploitation of one human being by another as I saw in a brothel in Bombay, when I walked into a little room which was four-by-four and saw the 10-year-old and the 12-year-olds sitting on the bed.

AMANPOUR: Ten and twelve?

GUPTA: Yes, and 10 or 15 customers a night...

AMANPOUR: Ten or fifteen customers for 10-year-old girls?

GUPTA: Raped repeatedly every night.

AMANPOUR: How many girls and women does this affect?

GUPTA: According to the government of India, just recently in May, they said 1.3 million children are sold into prostitution in India right now. And there are 1.3 million prostituted children in our country right this second.

Although the video of the full show is not yet available, you can find the transcript of the show here.

LexisNexis & Polaris Project Fight Trafficking

Anti-human trafficking partnership between LexisNexis and the Polaris Project. These organizations have partnered to help combat human trafficking such as forced labor and sex slavery.

Launch this Thursday for Nomi Network's "Buy Her Bag, Not Her Body" campaign

On Thursday, October 1st, the Nomi Network is hosting a launch party to officially debut their "Buy Her Bag, Not Her Body" totes. The totes are made are made by survivors who earn a livable wage for their work. The bags, which are made from sustainable materials, also raise awareness about the issue of sex trafficking, and the money from purchases helps fund education, training, and counseling for sex trafficking survivors in Cambodia.

The Nomi Network started approximately two years ago as an effort to provide long-term, sustainable employment for survivors of sex trafficking in Cambodia. According to their website, the Network's name comes from a young child who is a sex trafficking survivor. Nomi (the name has been altered to protect her identity) "is an eight year old Cambodian girl who delights in running, laughing, and playing with her friends. . . Not that long ago, Nomi was held against her will in a brothel and forced to have sex with men for money. Now, she is finding hope and a renewed life in a Christ-centered rehabilitation home for formerly sex-trafficked children in Cambodia, where she is discovering her own strength and resilience. Nomi's life, however, has been permanently altered by her past sexual exploitation; those traumatic experiences as a sex slave have left her permanently mentally disabled."

Alissa Moore and Diana Mao began the Nomi Network with the aim of eradicating such sexual slavery by using fashion and the marketplace to provide economic options for sex trafficking survivors and people at risk of sex trafficking. Rather than inadvertently supporting slavery with what we buy, Moore and Mao wanted to leverage our purchases to address this human rights abuse.

Mao first visited Cambodia as a student at the Wagner School of Public Service to research Microfinance. After seeing the effects of sex trafficking firsthand, she came back to the United States impassioned about finding a way to make a difference. Mao teamed up with Moore. Together, they had the idea of finding a way to bring the goods women produced in Cambodia to US buyers.

They visited Cambodia together and met with local NGOs who were already working with sex trafficking survivors, providing them with counseling, education, and job training. Mao and Moore learned that one of the main obstacles facing these organizations in their efforts to help the women find economic stability and living-wage work is the need for demand for the products women produce. The Nomi Network aims to address this need for demand by designing products that can be produced in Cambodia that will appeal to a broad market in the US, rather than just to the segment of the market that will buy products for a cause.

Moore sums up the aims of the Nomi Network as working to address the needs and gaps between what other anti-trafficking organizations can provide. Currently, the Network is addressing gaps in the design aspect of products and in ensuring that products the women produced will have find and reach a Western market. The Network is also working to educate retailers about ways stores can easily and without cost supply socially-responsible products, and they are creating a map of New York stores that sell fair-trade or slavery-free products.

Looking to the future, the Nomi Network wants to increase capacity of their work. They also want the women they work with to gain increased educational and economic opportunities so that they can enter other careers if they so choose or can manage their own businesses rather than be dependent on the Network.

In addition to attending the launch party or ordering a bag via their website, Moore and Mao encourage people to spread the word about their organization and the products they sell. People who want to get involved on a deeper level who have business or technical skills can also contact the Network at info@nominetwork.org. They are also looking for people involved in the fashion industry, particularly buyers.

The launch party will be held on Thursday, October 1st, at 7pm at White Saffron Boutique in New York City, located at 232 Mulberry Street, New York, NY, 10012. Esosa Edosomwan, award winning actress, writer and “directress," will be the keynote speaker.

Position Open in Baltimore

From Idealist:

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Field Coordinator—Baltimore

Education: Bachelor (BA, BS, etc.)

Location: Baltimore, Maryland, 21230, United States

Job Category: Health & Medical, Social Science, Psychology and Welfare

Sector: Nonprofit

Last day to apply: September 27, 2009

Type: Full time

Language(s): English, Spanish

Area of Focus: Children and Youth, Health, Mental, Human Rights and Civil Liberties, Human Services, Immigration

Description:

Position Objective: To ensure professional services to undocumented and unaccompanied children through assessments and recommendations related to placements, transfers and releases to sponsors.

Qualifications include...

1. Commitment to LIRS’s core mission and values and an ability to model those values in relationship with colleagues and partners; commitment to refugees and immigrants

2. Master’s degree in social work and a minimum of two years of demonstrated child welfare, case management, social service or mental health professional experience or a bachelor’s in social work and equivalent professional work experience.

3. Knowledge and experience in work with refugee or immigrant children or cross-cultural experience

4. Professional interviewing skills

5. Ability to foster teamwork and collaboration among various service agencies

6. Fluency in Spanish

7. Knowledge of Microsoft Office software and database management

8. Ability to manage complex projects with a high degree of independence

9. Demonstrated creativity and initiative

10. Willingness and ability to travel

Responsibilities include...

1. Implement assessment and placement activities with a holistic professional child welfare approach for children in federal custody.

2. Ensure complete assessment information is made available to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) for release or placement recommendations under the direction of the national agency.

3. Review family reunification packets from ORR-contracted facilities to ensure completeness and make release recommendations to ORR.

4. Track and manage various types of complex special needs cases including referrals for suitability assessments, follow-up services, long-term foster care, residential treatment and trafficking cases.

5. Act as liaison among local facilities’ staff, child, federal ORR/Division of Unaccompanied Children’s Services (DUCS) staff, national LIRS and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops staff, legal representatives for children in custody, Department of Homeland Security/ Immigration and Customs Enforcement, relevant consulates, and others regarding assessment of children’s placement or release.

6. Make regular visits to ORR-contracted facilities, meet with individual children as needed, and make recommendations for treatment or other services.

7. Maintain knowledge of the continuum of care options available throughout the country.

8. As part of a national team, consult with other field coordinators on special cases, provide operational support, and develop and share effective strategies and best practices.

9. Assist ORR or ORR-contracted facilities with rapid response on special cases as required.

10. Assist with training and technical assistance to local providers to support smooth field placements, transfers and releases.

11. Ensure clear and consistent communication with the LIRS national office and ORR, including regular conference calls and other coordination meetings necessary to ongoing case management and program development.

12. Ensure projects and assignments are completed within established guidelines and agency standards.

13. Provide statistics and assist with writing reports on activities and recommendations for ORR as required.

14. Utilize DUCS Tracking Management System (TMS) for processing releases and transfers as well as other functions that are incorporated into the system.

15. Monitor changes on the ground; identify new trends and effectively communicate those trends to LIRS.

16. Assist in the identification of social and mental health services for children in custody.

17. Where appropriate, monitor trends in immigration proceedings for DUCS children in the region.

18. Organize and participate in local and regional meetings with agencies and providers in the region to address current and future issues affecting the program operations.

19. Provide on-call assistance in emergency situations.

20. Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

How to Apply:
Send cover letter, including salary requirements, with résumé to... hrmail@lirs.org

This position is also open in New York.

Related information from LIRS's website on services for children:

Unaccompanied Children in Federal Custody

Refugee foster care programs are also open to children and youth who have entered the United States alone and are placed in the custody of the Division of Unaccompanied Children's Services (DUCS) within the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) pending a determination of their legal status. As an alternative to detaining such children, ORR refers some chilren for foster care and community-based services through the LIRS network of culturally sensitive service providers, Examples of such children includes minors who are applying for, or have been granted, asylum in the United States; children with special needs; and youths potentially at risk from smugglers and traffickers.

Trafficked Children

Trafficked children who are under the age of 18 are elgibile for a special foster care program, administered by LIRS and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which provides them with a home along with the services and support they need to rebuild their lives. This program has a special emphasis on preserving the cultural, linguistic and religious identities of all foreign-born children in care.

Interview: Charles Lee, Co-Founder of the Freeze Project

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Charles Lee, co-founder of the Freeze Project, about the project, its aims, and his views on anti-trafficking activism.

What is the Freeze Project?
According to the Freeze Project website, a typical Freeze event looks something like this:

• Participants will be asked to show up a designated time and place.
• Participants will then proceed to the “Freeze” space and blend themselves into a crowd as if they were regulars in that particular environments (e.g., malls, events, outdoor shopping areas, etc.).
• A cue will be given by the director of the Freeze moment.
• Participants will then stop what they were doing and stay frozen for the next 5 minutes until they receive another cue telling them that the freeze is over.
• Following the freeze, participants will handout a couple of print material each to people observing them (with or without conversation).

Freeze events have taken place at seven locations in the last year. Lee says that right now people are taking the basic idea, running with it, and making it their own. For many different organizations, the Freeze Project model provides a tool that can be adopted and then adapted all over. The model provides flexibility, allowing organizations to combine a Freeze with other events or activities, or to reshape the Freeze concept to meet their groups’ individual needs.



How did it start?
Inspired by the Improv Everywhere group of NY, the Freeze Project began as a creative way to raise awareness and mobilize action. According to Lee, the heart of the Project is bringing awareness to social issues, such as human trafficking. Rather than activism efforts that can be intrusive or confrontational, Lee suggests that there is a need for awareness raising events that are more accessible and less alienating.

Why is this movement important?
Originally begun as a social experiment, Lee says that the Freeze project is an easy entry point to pull people in. While it may seem like the main goal of the event is to raise awareness in the spectators, as Lee pointed out to me, the events are especially powerful for participants. After being involved in a Freeze, there is a good chance that participants will never forget the issue of slavery. And from there, Lee says, people are almost compelled to get involved and take further action.

Lee notes that it is easy for people to have compassion from a distance; in the age of Facebook and other similar sites, it’s easy to connect to a cause on a superficial level. For Lee, one of the advantages of the Freeze Project is that it gets people to physically do something, and partially because the events are so memorable, they can be the first step for people to go deeper on the issues- Lee doesn’t want people’s anti-trafficking work to end with participating in a Freeze.

How did you first learn about trafficking?
Lee began studying human trafficking about six years ago after learning about it from friends. Like many involved in the anti-trafficking movement, Lee found that once he learned about modern day slavery, he had to take action.

Lee co-founded Just 4 One, an organization that focuses on human trafficking, poverty, and orphans. The organization’s human trafficking work ranges from awareness raising campaigns to opening shelters for survivors. Lee’s work focuses on building networks between those who are just learning about slavery and want to do something and those on the front lines. His goal is to connect people to grounded, practical ideas and initiatives that they can engage in.

How can people get involved in the anti-trafficking movement?
Lee’s passion for this work came through clearly when I asked him what people can do to support the Freeze Project and anti-trafficking work in general. His first response was that people need to read up on slavery and learn about human trafficking today. Though it might seem basic, from that knowledge people gain creativity on how to fight the issue. Lee also encourages people to keep modern slavery in the forefront of people’s minds. On a deeper level, Lee points out that the movement to end slavery needs people from all different professions: from lawyers to writers to social workers to business people to actors to graphic designers who will make fighting slavery their career. Lee also mentioned the need for better prosecutors to convict traffickers, legislators to work on policy, service providers for survivors and people to work on prevention.

Ultimately, the Freeze Project serves as a first step towards creatively engaging a diverse audience to join the fight against slavery.

Visit the Freeze Project website

New York Assembly Passes Law Vacating Prostitution Convictions for Sex Trafficking Victims

A Press Release from the Sex Worker's Project at the Urban Justice Center:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY GIVES TRAFFICKING VICTIMS A SECOND CHANCE

Anti-trafficking Advocates Call for Swift Action on Bill in the Senate

NEW YORK CITY (June 16, 2009) – Today the New York State Assembly took a critical step toward enabling victims of human trafficking to wipe away prostitution convictions resulting from coerced involvement in sex work. A.B. 7670, introduced by Assemblymember Gottfried, Chair of the Committee on Health, passed the Assembly unanimously this afternoon. The bill has now been referred to the Senate, where an identical bill introduced by Senator Tom Duane is pending before the Senate Codes Committee.

“In our experience, people trafficked into prostitution are often repeatedly arrested, in some cases up to ten times, in police raids on brothels and other sex work venues, convicted of prostitution, and even sentenced to jail without the police or courts recognizing that they need help,” said Andrea Ritchie, Director of the Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center (SWP). “As a result, these trafficking victims often carry with them the burden of a prostitution conviction for conduct they engaged in against their will.”

“Even after they have escaped their abusers, it is extremely hard for people who were trafficked into sex work to start a new life with a long “rap sheet” of prostitution convictions,” added Sienna Baskin, a staff attorney with the SWP who worked with a broad coalition of anti-trafficking advocates to build support for the bill. “Unfortunately, a conviction for prostitution leaves them with significantly fewer options for legal employment, potentially shut out of public housing, vulnerable to eviction from private housing, and at risk of loss of custody of their children. For immigrants, a record of prostitution can be fatal to an application for residency or citizenship. This bill would allow victims of trafficking to clear their records and start fresh.”

“This is really a common sense, humanitarian measure,” Ritchie emphasized. “What victims of trafficking need most is the stability that housing, employment, and legal immigration status provide. They should not suffer ongoing punishment, in the form of the widespread collateral consequences of a prostitution conviction, for acts they committed unwillingly under coercion.”

“Trafficking victims deserve real chance at a safe and stable life once they have escaped their abusers, free of the lifelong stigma and civil consequences of a prior conviction for prostitution,” Baskin said. “We are extremely grateful to Assemblymember Gottfried and Senator Duane for their vision and compassion in introducing this measure on their behalf.”

The bill, the brainchild of Assemblymember Gottfried, has broad support in the Assembly, with more than 30 Assemblymembers signed on as cosponsors or multi-sponsors. It also enjoys broad support in the anti-trafficking movement among service providers and advocates, as well as among the legal profession, law enforcement, and sex workers rights organizations. It is one of several bills whose passage SWP has identified as critical to promoting and protecting the rights of individuals involved in the sex industries, whether by choice, circumstance, or coercion. More information on SWP’s legislative agenda is available at http://www.sexworkersproject.org/.

No vote on the bill’s Senate counterpart, S.B. 4429 is currently scheduled, although supporters hope that it will pass before the end of the current legislative session.