Clinton Global Initiative: The Key Players Fighting Human Trafficking

From the Huffington Post:

The Clinton Global Initiative took a frank look at human trafficking with a panel that included MTV, the Body Shop and a student who busted a trafficking ring.

CGI, an annual meeting that brings together leaders from around the globe to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems, convened Tuesday to Thursday.

A trafficking panel discussion on Thursday centered around everything from the role of pimps to the legislation that's emerged from both grassroots and organized advocacy.

Read more

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.

Call for Presentations: The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Third Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Third Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking organizers invite you to submit an abstract for the 2011 Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking!

Anyone who has academic or professional work to present should submit an abstract of up to 300 words (no more) on their submission website.

The presentations will normally be 25 minutes with 15 minutes for discussion. The organizing committee is willing to consider other formats, such as panel presentations. They are not seeking workshops, however, but presentations of facts, knowledge, ideas, theories, on-the-ground approaches, methods, program evaluations, research agendas, and research needs. There will be one or more special sessions for students who wish to present and receive feedback on papers, theses, and dissertations that are proposed or in progress.

The deadline for submission of papers and presentations is April 1, 2011. Submitters who submit by April 1 can expect notification of acceptance or rejection by May 15th, 2011. The committee will expect a commitment to attend by at least one of the accepted presenters, with a non-refundable deposit of $50, by July 15, 2011, for presenters to remain on the program.

Authors will be expected to agree to a release of copyright, and allow the materials they present (in written, video, audio, or graphic form) to be made available on the conference website after the conference. No paper proceedings will be published, but the presented materials will be available on Digital Commons (the web host for the proceedings) for a considerable time.

The deadline for submission of materials to be placed on the Digital Commons website is October 31, 2011. Conference presenters may place a formal paper, Power Point slides, film, or anything arising from their presented work on Digital Commons. If nothing is submitted, their abstract will be placed on the web site.

If you have questions about presentations, please contact Dr. Dwayne Ball or visit the submission website.

About the conference: The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is proud to host The Third Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking. [They] welcome researchers from non-governmental organizations, academia, and governmental agencies. This is a conference run along traditional academic paper-presentation lines, intended to spread knowledge, provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of research and professional work, and provide an opportunity to network with and learn from each other. Learn more on their website.

BBC World Debate on Trafficking

The BBC World Debate program recently held a debate on Human Trafficking with panelists Laura Agustin, Author of "Sex at the Margins"; Sophie Flak, Executive Vice-President of Accor; Rani Hong, Trafficking Survivor; Siddharth Kara, Author of "Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery"; and Ronald Noble, Secretary General of Interpol. Unfortunately, BBC videos are not embeddable, so I can only link to them here.

BBC World Debate on Trafficking

I have to say, this starts out slow, but the debate picks up quickly. These are really difficult discussions that I think are important for the field to have. There are some quick points that obviously were not settled and it would be great to hear the point of view of our readers:

• For all of the controversy that Agustin creates through her candidly hardened point of view, some of her points are difficult issues that service providers are faced with every day. At one point she stated that people are often educated or trained on the worst possible scenarios of trafficking, but that migration often invokes a range of abuse and exploitation. While some members of the audience disagreed with the premise of debating the definition, without (a more specific) one, do we risk missing potential victims and/or exposing/deporting migrants who then do not meet this "worst possible scenario?"
• Will it ever be possible to have reliable numbers of those trafficked? If not, will that affect the work of advocates and how?
• Just generally, how does the language we use surrounding trafficking affect the way we combat it? When we use numbers we don't fully understand? When we overly associate it with organized crime? Etc.

Thank you for any responses!

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.

Freedom Network Conference

9th Annual Freedom Network Conference

Presentations and workshops by experts on human trafficking issues for Advocates, Legal Representatives, Social Service Providers, Government Officials, Prosecutors, Law Enforcement Officers

Conference Registration:
Registration Fee: $295
Early Bird Registration before Feb. 5th: $265
Third person or more from same organization: $265

Registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch, and snack breaks. The Freedom Network conference is at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center located in Washington, DC. For Hotel reservations book online or call the hotel directly at 1-888-324-2111.

Questions? Please contact Stephanie Fletcher at fnusa2011@yahoo.com.

For more information on previous Freedom Network conferences, and for conference updates, please check here.

Human Trafficking Awareness Day 2011

This year, HTP has signed on to a letter produced through a collaborative effort in Boston, Massachusetts to produce a statement in light of Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Today is also your opportunity to find out what is going on your local community, and find a way to get involved. Towards the bottom of the letter are some suggestions. And please remember that we here at HTP are always looking for volunteer writers and submissions.

Dear Boston Area Residents,

We are service providers, faith leaders, teachers, students, law enforcement, advocates, parishioners, civil servants, NGO leaders, business owners, and survivors from the Boston area. We work to combat human trafficking--what many call ‘modern-day slavery.’

We are uniting today, on Human Trafficking Awareness Day 2011, to ask you to learn about and discuss human trafficking and modern-day slavery with your families, neighbors, churches, coworkers, friends, and fellow students.

Human trafficking is widespread throughout the United States today, including the greater Boston area. It is a hidden crime and often goes undetected by authorities and advocates. The lack of public awareness about human trafficking, together with a lack of understanding about trafficking survivors and the services they need, present major barriers to combating it.

Within the Boston area there have been numerous incidents of international sex and labor trafficking, as well as the sex trafficking of U.S. citizens. Sex trafficking of children is sometimes referred to as CSEC (the commercial sexual exploitation of children).

Survivor stories from the Boston area are diverse: a woman from Southeast Asia trafficked into years of domestic servitude, a young Eastern European woman looking for a better life but forced into sexual exploitation, a child from Latin America sent to the U.S. by her family who ended up being exploited for labor, and an American teenager who fled abuse at home and then relied on her “boyfriend” who prostituted her. Women, men, girls, and boys from a variety of backgrounds are being trafficked for sex and labor in our communities today. Many of these individuals can’t see a way out of their situations, and are afraid to speak up for themselves due to threats, coercion, or violence.

Please join the anti-trafficking movement. Your involvement, voice, and skills can make a difference. Below are three things you can do. These action items all begin with educating yourself. Details are available at www.traumacenter.org/initiatives/necat.php.

Talk about human trafficking in your communities and ask others to educate themselves

• Invite a speaker from a local organization to talk to your group
• Read a book, hold a documentary screening, write a blog or an editorial
• Use Google alerts to send news about trafficking and slavery to your email

Tell your legislators to take action - Massachusetts is currently one of five states that has failed to pass anti-trafficking legislation

• Write your legislator

Get involved with a local organization

• Support, volunteer for, or spread the word about a local organization
• Donate or fundraise to ensure the work continues

We, the undersigned, pledge to continue to fight human trafficking and modern-day slavery in greater Boston and beyond. Please join us.

For a full list of signatories, please click here.

For more specific suggestions from signatory organizations, please click here.

Film Festival in Boston

From the Boston Initiative to Advance Human Rights:

BITAHR Human Rights and Sex Trafficking Film Forum

December 2 - 5, 2010
Brattle Theater, Cambridge, Massachusettes

The Boston Initiative to Advance Human Rights (BITAHR) board members Kate Nace Day and executive director Alicia Foley Winn have launched Human Rights and Sex Trafficking: A Film Forum to explore the use of film as an effective way to raise awareness and trigger action in combating commercial sexual exploitation of girls and women.

The forum will consider the role of film in advancing women’s human rights and the many governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) efforts to combat sex trafficking. Preliminary research indicates that this forum will be the first of its kind, merging filmmakers and academics in order to understand the phenomenon on all levels, from theory to practical solutions and law.

Sex trafficking involves a particularly perverse dimension: the use of the victim in perpetrating a fiction necessary to avoid police detection and legal sanctions. The victim becomes a coerced accomplice because she is proffered to the general public, johns, and law enforcement as a prostitute. Film and documentary offer an otherwise unavailable view into the process of trafficking, the accompanying torture, and the mindset of the victim.

Recognizing the need for greater public and academic awareness of sex trafficking, this forum will investigate the power of film in effectuating a movement to combat commercial sexual exploitation and modern-day slavery.

Films include The Day My God Died, Fatal Promises, Holy Ghetto, Red Light and many others. There will also be panels and a performance by Sarah Jones. For a complete schedule and ticket information, please go to the forum's website here.

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

Join IJM for the 5 Weeks For Freedom Finale Event in Buffalo Today

The International Justice Mission wraps up their 5 Weeks For Freedom Tour in Buffalo, New York at the Town Ballroom at 7:00 pm today. Join us! HTP will be there!

From the IJM:

Freedom Night: Special Finale Concert with Green River Ordinance and Enric Sifa

Join us for our grand finale event—the conclusion of 5 Weeks for Freedom — with performances by critically acclaimed Green River Ordinance – whose hit singles “Come On” and “On Your Own” have peaked in the radio top 40 charts – and a performance by Rwandan-born singer/songwriter Enric Sifa.

You’ll also have the opportunity to meet the 5 Weeks for Freedom riders as they conclude their 1800 mile bicycle tour, and participate in an exclusive screening of IJM’s inspiring new documentary At the End of Slavery (featuring music by Green River Ordinance and Enric Sifa) as we broadcast live from the event to kick off our global Weekend to End Slavery. Don’t miss this FREE event! Space is limited, so register today!

About 5 Weeks For Freedom:

Stop Injustice: 5 Weeks for Freedom is a major awareness and advocacy campaign to support International Justice Mission’s work and give a voice to victims of modern-day slavery and other forms of injustice. A team of ordinary people is giving up 5 weeks to cycle 1800 miles of the Underground Railroad – a route that reminds us that change happens when ordinary people do what they can to stop injustice, that the evil of slavery has been defeated once, and that, together, we can do it again. Get Involved »

Over the 5 weeks of the campaign – June 28 to July 31, every major city along the tour route will host events featuring music, celebrities, the tour riders and more, to raise awareness of modern-day slavery and other forms of violent oppression – and empower people to take action to stop injustice.

The cycling tour is led by Venture Expeditions, a non-profit organization committed to mobilizing support for humanitarian work through major cycling and climbing tours.

There will also be an Advocacy Training in Buffalo on Saturday from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church. This event is also free!

Check out their website and register for the events here!

Florida Modern-Day Slavery Museum Northeast Tour

Press Release:

The Florida Modern-Day Slavery Museum consists of a cargo truck outfitted as a replica of the trucks involved in a recent slavery operation (U.S. v. Navarrete, 2008), accompanied by displays on the history and evolution of slavery in Florida agriculture. The museum's central focus is on the phenomenon of modern-day slavery – its roots, the reasons it persists, and its solutions.

The exhibits were developed in consultation with workers who have escaped from forced labor operations as well as leading academic authorities on slavery and labor history in Florida. The museum is endorsed by many leading human rights and anti-slavery organizations, including Amnesty International and Anti-Slavery International, respectively the largest human rights organization and the oldest human rights organization in the world. . .

The museum was conceived of by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the human rights award-winning farmworker organization that has aided in the prosecution by the Department of Justice of seven farm slavery operations and the liberation of well over 1,000 workers since 1997. A federal indictment for the most recent forced labor case in Florida agriculture was unsealed just last week.

The tour will also raise awareness about labor conditions in the tomato supply chains of Ahold's USA supermarket brands, including Giant, Stop & Shop, and Martin's.“

Slavery in Florida agriculture today is not separate from the past – indeed, its roots extend deep within our state’s history. Farmworkers have always been, and remain today, the state’s poorest, least powerful workers,” explains Gerardo Reyes of the CIW. “If we are to abolish slavery once and for all in Florida agriculture, we must pull it up by the roots by addressing farmworker poverty and powerlessness.”

Th exhibit will be touring the northeast, starting in Virgina on July 25th before traveling to DC, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Baltimore, and other cities. For a full touring schedule, click here.

'Fabric' The Story of the El Monte, CA 72

From Blogging LA: Written by Los Angeles playwright, Henry Ong, “Fabric” is the only known dramatization of the 1995 Thai garment workers’ slavery case. Company of Angels, Los Angeles’ oldest professional non-profit theater company, in association with the Thai Community Development Center (CDC), opened “Fabric” to sold-out audiences and standing ovations this past weekend.

This was one of the defining moments in the modern anti-slavery movement in the United States. People who were completely unaware that slavery still existed in the United States were faced with a sobering reality; slavery not only existed in the US but it existed in the garment industry not just in agriculture.The scale of the operation was shocking; 72 people from Thailand were being held in an apartment complex surrounded by barbed wire. Some had been there 7 years.

This play depicts the first major discovery of slavery in the US since the abolition of slavery over a century before. The play will be held at Black Box at The Alexandria, 501 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles. It runs until August 8.



JULY 8 – AUGUST 8, 2010
Friday, Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 4:30pm
$20 General
$12 Students & Seniors
Box Office: (213) 489-3703 / info@companyofangels.org

Lighting Design: Christopher Singleton
Sound Designer: Dennis Yen
Stage Manager: Amelia Worfolk
Set Design: Luis Delgado

Location:
Company of Angels
inside The Black Box at The Alexandria
501 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Conference on Child Trafficking and Exploitation in Chicago

From CHRC at Loyola University - Chicago:

Human Trafficking and Exploitation of Children and Youth in the United States

September 22-23, 2010
Loyola University
Philip H. Corboy Law Center
25 E. Pearson Street Chicago, IL 60611

This year, the United States celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. While the United States has made significant progress to eradicate human trafficking, children continue to be disproportionately underrepresented in cases identified. This demonstrates the need for a national, collaborative response to address the gaps in identification, protection, recovery, and prevention of child trafficking and exploitation. This conference is an opportunity to learn best practices, research, and scholarship on this issue, and stimulate ongoing work and partnerships in the field to protect the rights of children impacted by human trafficking and exploitation. Practitioners, scholars, government agencies, students, and community based organizations are encouraged to attend.Keynote Speakers: Senator John J. Cullerton and Kelly Heinrich, Counsel, U.S. State Department, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Brought to you by the Center for the Human Rights of Children, in collaboration with the Criminal Justice Department, the Child Law Center, and the School of Social Work at Loyola University

Please visit the CHRC Website for more information. Conference agenda and registration information are forthcoming.

Student and Producer Scholarships for the 2010 Fair Trade Futures Conference

From September 10-12, 2010, the Fair Trade Resource Network (FTRN) and ten partner organizations will bring together 751+ entrepreneurs, producers, students, academics, non- governmental organizations, media representatives, consumers, and activists in Boston, MA for the 2010 Fair Trade Futures Conference.

The conference organizers are offering a limited number of scholarships for North American students and for Fair Trade producers/artisans/farmers from outside of Canada and the United States. Each scholarship will pay for one person’s conference registration fees (which include meals). Support is not available at this time for costs associated with travel, accommodations, or other expenses.

The scholarship program seeks to assist Fair Trade artisans and farmers from around the world, as well as North American students, defray some of the costs of attending the conference. Person must be a high school-, university- or graduate-level student enrolled as of March 15, 2010, at an educational institution in Canada or the United States.

July 15, 2010 - scholarship applications due for Round 2.

For more information about the conference schedule click here. For more information about how to register click here.

Symposium on Human Trafficking in Los Angeles

From the UCLA Center for the Study of Women:

The University of California Institute for Research in the Arts and the UCLA Center for the Study of Women present

A Symposium on Human Trafficking in Los Angeles: Local Discussions and New Collaborative Directions in Anti-Trafficking Work and Research

UCLA Royce Hall, Room 314 – May 14, 2010 – 9am-4pm

Keynote Speaker Denise Brennan, Georgetown University

Confirmed Participants: Kathleen Kim (Loyola Law School) – Jennifer Musto (UCLA) – Lara Stemple (UCLA) – Elena Shih (UCLA) – Dennis Ballas (LAPD) – Maria Suarez (Human Trafficking Survivor and Advocate) – Imelda Buncab (Not For Sale) – Susie Baldwin (LA County Department of Public Health) – Vanessa Lanza (Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking) – Abbe Land (City of West Hollywood).

The Human Trafficking in Los Angeles Symposium brings together scholars, students, professional advocates, activists, and artists in Southern California to discuss regional trends, collaborative interventions, and artistic responses to human trafficking for the purposes of forced labor. Organized around structured conversations and panel discussions, this event provides a platform to reflect upon the multi-professional, cross-institutional relationships that have been forged to respond to human trafficking in Los Angeles and questions recent trends in identifying and protecting trafficked persons and researching the issue.

RSVP to Jennifer Musto at jmusto@ucla.edu by May 12th.

This event is being funded through support from University of California Institute for Research in the Arts and is cosponsored by the UCLA Center for the Study of Womenm the UCLA Department of Women's Studies, and the UCLA Anti-Trafficking and Human Rights Coalition Student Group, University of California Institute for Research in the Arts, the LA Metro Task Force on Human Trafficking, and the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking.

Upcoming Webinar on Forced Labor and Corporate Social Accountability

From Steptoe & Johnson:

Corporate Social Accountability Webinar on Forced Labor

(A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)

April 27, 2010

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. EDT

Steptoe hosts Ambassador Luis CdeBaca from the US Department of State who will discuss renewed government emphasis on forced labor

We would like to extend a special invitation to join us for a webinar featuring Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, Director of the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, to discuss the new and increased US Government enforcement efforts to counter forced labor, including the use of forced and child labor in the production of US imports. From the perspective of his role as Chair of the Senior Policy Operating Group on Trafficking in Persons, he will discuss the Obama Administration’s vision for corporate social accountability and the enhanced focus on supply chains. He will also share information about his office’s Annual Trafficking in Persons Report and programs as tools to combat forced labor.

Steptoe partner Jonathan Drimmer will discuss the various risks to companies with suppliers that may engage in abusive labor practices, including litigation risks, as well as best practices for enhancing compliance with labor standards and regulations.

Presenters:

Ambassador Luis CdeBaca: In May 2009, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca was appointed by President Obama to coordinate US government activities in the global fight against contemporary forms of slavery. He serves as Senior Advisor to the Secretary and directs the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, which assesses global trends, provides training and technical assistance, and advocates for an end to modern slavery. Mr. CdeBaca formerly served at the Justice Department, where he was one of the country's most-decorated federal prosecutors, leading the investigation and prosecution of cases involving organized crime, human trafficking, and money laundering. He was awarded the Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award for his service as lead trial counsel in a forced labor case involving over 300 Vietnamese and Chinese workers in a garment factory in American Samoa. Mr. CdeBaca has also served as Counsel to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Jonathan Drimmer is head of the Business and Human Rights practice at Steptoe & Johnson LLP. Mr. Drimmer helps companies concerned about compliance with human rights norms and allegations of potential abuses, whether based on the nature of their industries, the high-profile nature of their brands, the location of their overseas operations, or in response to specific scenarios. He helps companies audit and assess their operations to identify risks and design effective compliance solutions, and represents them in litigation where necessary. A former deputy director in the Office of Special Investigations in the US Department of Justice, Mr. Drimmer prosecuted a number of high-profile cases involving major human rights violations, including some of the government’s most high-profile cases. Mr. Drimmer is a recognized authority and frequent media commentator on the Alien Tort Statute.

To register: Click here to register

For more information: Please e-mail events@steptoe.com.

To learn more about Steptoe's work in this area, please visit the Business and Human Rights practice page.

Screening of The Price of Sugar Tomorrow, April 22nd, in DC

FREE PUBLIC SCREENING OF THE PRICE OF SUGAR

Why watch the Price of Sugar?

"In the Dominican Republic, a tropical island-nation, tourists flock to pristine beaches unaware that a few miles away thousands of dispossessed Haitians have toiled under armed-guard on plantations harvesting sugarcane, much of which ends up in U.S. kitchens. They work grueling hours and frequently lack decent housing, clean water, electricity, education or healthcare. Narrated by Paul Newman, "The Price of Sugar" follows Father Christopher Hartley, a charismatic Spanish priest, as he organizes some of this hemisphere's poorest people to fight for their basic human rights. This film raises key questions about where the products we consume originate and at what human cost they are produced."

Taken from www.thepriceofsugar.com

Free Parking is available after 5:00 p.m. in a lot bordered by Nebraska, Massachusetts, and New Mexico Avenues. The entrance is on New Mexico.

PLUS Light refreshments will be served

Register for the event here.

About Prevent Human Trafficking:

Prevent Human Trafficking (PHT) is a Washington, D.C., based non-profit organization working to build a bridge between South East Asia and the United States to prevent human trafficking. PHT empowers individuals, organizations and governments to tackle the root causes of human trafficking through direct support and technical assistance. PHT uses its expertise and networks to promote best practice and inspire sustainable solutions in the movement to prevent human trafficking.

Join us!

NOTE: This event sponsored by the American University chapter of PHT.

On a quick personal note, I saw this film in Toronto last October and the material is quite provoking and thoughtful. When considering prevention efforts for human trafficking, we often get caught up in focusing on how to stop traffickers and how to keep victims from making risky decisions that end up becoming trafficking situations, but we forget that we have the power to prevent trafficking as well as consumers: by becoming more knowledgeable about the consumer choices we make, we can help curb demand for exploited labor. I definitely recommend that people go out and see this film.

Call for Papers: Second Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking

The organizing team at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln is pleased to announce a call for papers for the Second Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking. A keynote speaker will be E. Benjamin Skinner, author of the recently-published A Crime So Monstrous. Anyone who has academic or professional work to present can submit an abstract of up to 300 words (no more) on the submission website.

Call Description: The presentations will normally be 20 minutes with some time for discussion. The organizing committee is willing to consider other formats, such as panel presentations. [They] are not seeking workshops, however, but presentations of facts, knowledge, ideas, methods, program evaluations, research agendas, and research needs.

The deadline for submission of papers and presentations is April 15, 2010. Submitters can expect notification of acceptance or rejection by May 25th, 2010. The committee will expect a commitment to attend by at least one of the accepted presenters, with a non-refundable deposit of $50, by July 15, 2010, for presenters to remain on the program. Authors will be expected to agree to a release of copyright, and allow the materials they present (in written, video, audio, or graphic form) to be made available on the conference website after the conference.

No paper proceedings will be published, but the presented materials will be available on Digital Commons (the web host for the proceedings) for a considerable time. If you have questions about presentations, contact Dr. Dwayne Ball.

Upcoming Workshop in New York

This is some information about an upcoming workshop being held by UNANIMA. For more complete information, please go to this link.

Workshop on Stopping the Demand forTrafficking in Women and Children

UNANIMA International seeks 28-30 individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 from the English-speaking world who seek an end to human slavery and affirm that pornography, prostitution, and sex trafficking are acts of violence against women.

Our workshop provides as an exciting opportunity for new and old activists alike to learn, speak, and act for a just world. From panel discussions to group brainstorming, we hope that participants will make new friends and mobilize their ideas into collective action.

Our workshop is free. All participants are entitled to room and board, transportation (all air, train, and bus fares), and any visa expenses (if applicable) that are related to the workshop. Souvenirs, sightseeing, extended stays (other than a UNANIMA-planned UN experience, and other personal expenses will not be covered.

To apply:

1.Fill out the following application form.

2.If necessary, attach your signed letter of permission.

3.Complete the personal statement (page 4).

4.Send UNANIMA your completed application form, letter of permission (if applicable), and personal statement via email (workshop@unanima-international.org) or mail –UNANIMA International211 East 43rd Street, Room 1207New York, NY 10017USA

Applications will be considered on a rolling-basis until 5 March 2010. Accepted applicants will be notified via email by 19 March 2010 with further details, including travel arrangements. Please feel free to email (workshop@unanima-international.org) or call 1-212-370-0075 if you have any questions.

About UNANIMA:

UNANIMA International is an NGO (nongovernmental organization) committed to work for justice at the international level in harmony with the charter of the United Nations for the economic and social advancement of all peoples.

The coalition was founded in 2002 by representatives from 7 congregations of women religious with a vision that by our united action we can make a difference in our world.

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!