Food chain slaves

From Al Jazeera:

In the opening episode of Slavery: A 21st Century Evil, Al Jazeera's Rageh Omaar investigates food chain slavery, considered the easiest form of slavery to stamp out, in the US.

The US has been leading the global fight against modern slavery. But, according to conservative estimates, there are between 40,000 and 50,000 slaves in the US today.

So in this episode, Rageh questions why a nation built on the abolition of slavery - a country that had to go through a painful civil war to formally bring an end to slavery - is failing to address the problem inside its own borders.

The investigation begins in the poor villages of Thailand, where agents for the US slave masters trick desperate peasants with promises of well-paid jobs abroad.

But far from fulfilling their American dream, many end up in slave labour farms in Hawaii, California and Florida - unable to return home and working to pay off the debts they incurred in the pursuit of a better life for themselves and their families.

MTV Exit Live in Manila, Philippines Promo

The event teaser for MTV Exit's Concert Event in Manila Philippines to raise awareness and fight human trafficking in Asia-Pacific.

Emmanuel Jal - Warchild

Emmanuel Jal, child-soldier of Sudan turned Hip-Hop artist, has incorporated his experiences into his album "Warchild," released on May 13, 2008. The inspirations for the 13 songs on "Warchild" are rooted in Jal's impossible past.

Learn more about Emmanuel

Human Trafficking at the Superbowl

The attorney general is sounding an alarm today about the dark side of the Super Bowl. Greg Zoeller says there will be an increase in demand for the illegal commercial sex trade in connection with the Super Bowl and, he says, we ought to expect that some of sex workers who come here are the victims of human trafficking.

Launch: The mtvU Against Our Will Campaign

From mtvU:

The mtvU Against Our Will Campaign was launched in September 2011 in partnership with Free the Slaves, GEMS, and Polaris Project. The campaign amplifies America's college students' efforts to end modern-day slavery in the U.S., and empowers them to learn more and get involved. The name mtvU's Against Our Will Campaign, reflects the simple fact that this violation of our most basic human rights is against the will of the college students mobilizing around the issue, against our will as a free society, and against the will of those trapped in modern-day slavery.

Learn more about the Against Our Will Campaign

Human Trafficking in Chicago

Dozens of girls, some as young as 12, were pulled into a human trafficking ring that forced them into prostitution, State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said today.

The girls and women, some of them homeless, were recruited on CTA trains, the Internet or during random meetings on the street, Alvarez said while announcing that nine people were charged under a state anti-human trafficking law passed last year.

During a yearlong investigation dubbed "Little Girl Lost," investigators armed with wiretaps listened as girls were beaten and, sometimes, thrown into a car trunk and driven around as a form of punishment, Alvarez said. Others were branded

One 13-year-old was sold from one pimp to another for $100.

Michael Anton, a commander with the Cook County sheriff's vice unit, called the case among the worst he's seen.

"There's so much of this out there," Anton said about human trafficking. "It's happening every day. It's happening in Chicago,Cook County, it's happening across the state.

Those arrested were charged with "involuntary sexual servitude of a minor" and trafficking in persons for forced labor. Four of them appeared in Cook County court today and ordered held on bail as high as $1 million.

The other five are scheduled to appear Thursday. Alvarez said the investigation is ongoing.

Thailand urged to stamp out human trafficking

ATEST/CNN Forum on Human Trafficking

ATEST and the CNN Freedom Project hosted a forum on human trafficking in Washington, D.C. on June 23, 2011. Moderated by CNN anchor Jim Clancy, participants included Mira Sorvino, Congressman Chris Smith, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, CNN International's chief Tony Maddox, survivor and advocate Rani Hong, human trafficking expert Kevin Bales, and Humanity United's David Abramowitz.

Kids Talk About Slavery

What happens when you ask a bunch of kids to define slavery? Free the Slaves visited the Agape International Spritual Center and asked the children: What is slavery? The answers were very enlightening.

Ashley Judd Joins Human Trafficking Fight

From CBN News:

Actress Ashley Judd has traveled across the globe to raise awareness on human trafficking and the damage "modern-day slavery" can have on victims.

Launch of the CNN Freedom Project

From CNN:

This year CNN will join the fight to end modern-day slavery and shine a spotlight on the horrors of modern-day slavery, amplify the voices of the victims, highlight success stories and help unravel the complicated tangle of criminal enterprises trading in human life.

iReport Freedom Project Challenge
Think you can't make a difference? Take a stand against human slavery. Submit a photo or video saying “I’m taking a stand to end slavery.”

How to help
The CNN Freedom Project's coverage of modern-day slavery may spur many readers and viewers to ask: How can I help? E-mail freedomproject@cnn.com for more information and find out 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.

Kevin Bales on WGBH's One-on-One

From the WGBH program One-on-One:

In this One-on-One conversation, Bales discusses the realities of contemporary enslavement, the motivation behind his work, and how our generation can bring slavery to an end.

Voices of Human Trafficking

From UN GIFT:

Voices of Human Trafficking -a film by Eveline van Dijck- These women want to state that they are not voiceless victims, but survivors of an horrendous crime who are capable and willing to put their experiences to use. They want to make clear that in order yo have effective antitrafficking strategies victims need be involved in designing and reviewing policy in an integrated and ongoing way. For more information visit: http://www.blinn.nl/



This documentary features images from Kay Chernush's series "Bought and Sold: Voices of Human Trafficking." Chernush states, "As I move into multi-media and explore different ways of raising awareness, I think it's a good example of how photography and art can be used to transform perceptions of human trafficking -- perceptions of the survivors of themselves, and also of public and political entities."

California Supply Chain Bill Signed into Law

Governor Schwarzenegger signs SB 657,which aims to help eliminate slavery and human trafficking from product supply chains, into law.

Part I



Part II

Exhibit: Invisble: Slavery Today

Invisible: Slavery Today

Earlier this month, the Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH opened an exhibit examining modern-day slavery. "What we hope to do, at very least, is raise awareness that this exists," said Paul Bernish, the Freedom Center executive in charge of its contemporary slavery exhibit and programs, believed to be the first such position in the American museum field said in an article by Mark Curnutte. "Secondly, we want to offer people things they can do to become engaging to ending these forms of slavery."

According to their website,the "design and "feel" of Invisible is that of a dingy warehouse in an unfamiliar city, filled with wood, metal and plastic containers -- shipping cartons for human beings. Through a variety of techinques and media, including videos, sounds and touch-screen prsentations, Invisible offers a comprehensive examination of slavery in the modern world through the life experiences of five individuals who were caught up in one of the five most common forms of exploitation: forced labor, bonded indenture, child slavery, sex trafficking and domestic servitude. The exhibition explores the causes of slavery, the economic forces that have contributed to its growth, and the response of government, the justice system and the general public to this scourge. . .

"But Invisible is not just a grim walk through degradation and mistreatment. A major concluding section is devoted to antislavery activities underway around the world, especially by the Freedom Center's partners in the exhibition: Free the Slaves, Goodweave, International Justice Mission and Polaris Project. Visitors are also asked to make a personal commitment to be 21st Century Abolitionists in the cause of freedom."

Click here to learn more about the Freedom Center and for information about the Invisible exhibit. Click here to view photos from the exhibit.

Halloween and Human Trafficking

With Halloween quickly approaching, October is a particularly opportune month to raise awareness about the use of forced labor, child labor, and other exploitative labor practices in the chocolate industry. A number of organizations are hosting campaigns to help community members raise awareness about these issues and to encourage the chocolate industry to continue to address these abuses in the industry.

The Dark Side of Chocolate
The International Labor Rights Forum, along with Global Exchange, Green America and Oasis USA, are organizing screenings of The Dark Side of Chocolate all across the country. This new documentary exposes the ongoing use of child labor, forced labor and trafficking in the cocoa industry in West Africa. It is a great resources for increasing awareness of this critical labor rights issue.

As part of the Raise the Bar Hershey campaign, they are asking concerned individuals to host screenings in their communities throughout October 2010, especially during a national week of action from October 25 through October 31.

For more information, please contact Tim Newman at Tim.Newman@ILRF.org or 202-347-4100
To watch the trailer, click Here
To download a community screening toolkit, click Here

Reverse Trick-or-Treating
Ten to twenty thousand groups of children will hand chocolate back to adults during their regular neighborhood trick-or-treating rounds this Halloween. The children will distribute Fair Trade certified chocolate attached to a card explaining the labor and environmental problems in the cocoa industry globally and how Fair Trade provides a solution. The event, Reverse Trick-or-Treating, was launched to raise awareness of the pervasive problem of child labor, forced labor and trafficking in the cocoa fields, to empower consumers to press the chocolate industry for more fair cocoa sourcing policies, to shift the industry toward sourcing Fair Trade certified cocoa, and to inform consumers about Fair Trade companies that are leading the way to industry reform. Fair Trade standards prohibit the use of abusive child labor, contain extensive environmental sustainability protections, and enable farmers to escape poverty.

To learn more, click Here
To order a kit, click Here

Vanguard: Soccer's Lost Boy

In light of the recent World Cup in South Africa, Vanguard, the television documentary series, recently aired an episode focusing on the dirty underground of the soccer world. Boys from poverty-stricken regions of West Africa are being trafficked by the thousands by sports agents who promise to fulfill the young boys’ hopes that their soccer skills will lead to international stardom through European soccer leagues. However, the vast majority of boys who are taken from their countries by agents are not signed to professional teams. Instead, they are abandoned by their agents in places like France and Morocco. With very few options available, some even turn to prostitution as a means of survival.

VANGUARD:

Although FIFA and other soccer organizations have done very little to halt this trend, Jean Claude Mbvoumin, a former professional soccer player, founded an organization called Foot Solidaire which attempts to raise awareness about the issue and end the exploitation of thousands of young footballers across the globe.

Take Strong Action Now to Stop Gender-Based Violence in Haiti

“The way you saw the earth shake, that's how our bodies are shaking now” described one woman of a secondary humanitarian crisis facing the women and girls of Haiti.

As Haiti’s earthquake toppled buildings, it also toppled social structures that provided Haitian women some protection against sexual violence. Rape was widespread before January 12, but the hundreds of thousands of women now living on the streets or in camps, often without their family and neighborhood networks, are more vulnerable than ever.

Special thanks to Harriet Hirshorn for shaping and editing this video and to Sandy Berkowitz for shooting it.

Take a look at more of Harriet's work here: raboteau-trial.info/ and youtube.com/watch?v=SV0nTf78Vwc, and Sandy's work here: vimeo.com/user3252062.

Vermont Joins Fight Against Human Trafficking

From the Burlington Free Press:

Gov. Jim Douglas has signed into law a bill cracking down on human trafficking in Vermont.Supporters of the bill say Vermont was one of only five states in the United States and alone in the Northeast in not having a law targeting trafficking in human beings.

View a video report on the story