Courtney's House Volunteer Opportunities

Courtney's House has two upcoming trainings for volunteers. According to its website, the organization was founded by Tina Frundt, a survivor of of domestic child sex trafficking. Courtney's House is projected to be a six-bed long-term group home for sex trafficked girls between the ages of 12 and 17. It will be the only group home of its kind in the Washington, DC area to cater specifically to this vital population segment. Courtney's House also offers mentoring, support groups and other programs for survivors, and conducts a street outreach program.

Volunteers interested in helping with direct services or street outreach can apply to attend training sessions.

Mentor Training/Direct Service Training Feb. 20th 10am-3pm, Location TBA.
This training is for people interested in mentoring, art therapy, dance therapy, sewing classes, etc. You must be 21 years or over; male or female. Email jkimball@courtneyshouse.org for information.

Street Outreach Training March 22-March 28 6:30pm-8pm Mon-Thurs. Special Training Friday, Marcy 27. Location TBA. March 28 Self-Defense Class 3pm-6pm.
Requires at least a three-month commitment. You must be 21 years or over; female volunteers only. If you are interested in applying for the training, please email jkimball@courtneyshouse.org.

For information about other volunteer opportunities with Courtney's House, visit their website.

Celebrities and Trafficking

Intro by Justin: We idolize celebrities. They are modern day demigods who roam the Earth gracing us once every year or so with a world shaking motion picture or a heart wrenching song. They are the heroes and caricatures of perfection that grace the silver screen and more recently dance and sing for us on YouTube, our mouse clicks often numbering in the millions busily pressing "play" and "repeat." Yet when a celebrity gets involved in a human rights issue what does it mean?

When I was researching human trafficking in the Philippines in 2007 I worked with people who had been fighting the good fight day and night for over a decade, pouring themselves, their time and energy into combating trafficking. I know that trafficking is currently highly lucrative and that where there is money, there is deep motivation on the part of the traffickers to maintain business as usual. I saw first hand that the struggle to end human trafficking is a long-term process that ultimately requires the transformation of deeply entrenched political, economic and cultural factors if the root issues are to be effectively addressed.

With this in mind, what are we to think when a celebrity joins the fight against trafficking? What do photos with trafficking survivors, a visit to a shelter and a speech or a song actually amount to? Does a celebrity's involvement signal real commitment or is it just a flash in the pan? Despite these misgivings, it is impossible to deny the unique opportunity and ability that celebrities possess to use their fame to focus our attention on important global issues like human trafficking and make a significant impact.


Justin: After researching Ricky Martin and his humanitarian efforts, I am happy to have discovered his dedication to combating modern day slavery and his use of his celebrity status as a way to effectively support the anti-trafficking movement.

Ricky Martin first encountered human trafficking in 2002 during a visit to Calcutta, India. Founder of the Ricky Martin Foundation, which works to combat human trafficking and other human rights issues, Mr. Martin has had an admirable track record in activism receiving numerous accolades for his efforts including Billboard's Spirit of Hope Award, the Alma Award, the International Humanitarian Award by the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children and the Hispanic Heritage Award for his humanitarian work through the Sabera Foundation in rescuing three orphan girls from the streets of Calcutta. In 2005 the U.S. State Department named Mr. Martin one of its "Heroes in Ending Modern-Day Slavery." Martin also collaborated with the International Organization for Migration on “Llama y Vive” (Call and Live), a campaign aimed at the prevention of human trafficking, protection of the youngest victims of child trafficking and prosecution traffickers.

Human trafficking is an issue that requires a collective effort from all sectors of society to be effectively addressed. No one group has all the answers or resources needed to solve the problem of modern day slavery whether it be government, law enforcement, the civil sector or celebrities. Collaboration becomes integral to making a real difference in the long term and, at the same time, recognizing how we can each use our unique strengths to help the cause.

Although celebrities alone are not the solution to ending human trafficking, I am glad to see someone like Ricky Martin embracing his role as a pop icon, engaging the issue of human trafficking over the long term and using his fame to make a difference.

Click here to watch Ricky Martin's speech at the UN GIFT conference in February 2008

Youngbee: Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore launched the Demi and Ashton Foundation (DNA) on January 25th, 2010. The couple have been very explicit about their support for anti-human trafficking through social media even prior to launching their DNA Foundation. They tweeted statistics on human trafficking and they also spread the word about anti-trafficking events and campaigns on Twitter. I am not sure what motivates they have behind their support for anti-human trafficking initiatives. Maybe they want to support human trafficking victims because they want to be trendy, or maybe they just are genuinely concerned for the victims of trafficking. Either way, that is not something that I would like to waste my time worrying about. I don't know them in person, nor do I know anyone who can tell me what they were about when they established DNA.

But one thing is clear: their celebrity status is put into a good use with this work. Within three days of launching the DNA Foundation, 2,182 fans have already joined their Facebook page and 3,661 people are following them on Twitter. Obviously, this is a significantly better start than most nonprofits in the US have. From their website, it is not clear what direction the DNA Foundation will take in terms of supporting the cause of trafficking victims. But, time will tell, and one can only hope for the best.

Elise: Some may have already heard that Lindsay Lohan is attempting to make her mark in the anti-trafficking world ever since she started tweeting her vows to take action over the summer. Now, a clip has been leaked for a new documentary that she is apparently shooting for the BBC in India focused on child trafficking. I have to say that this is a particular avenue by a particular celebrity where the negatives seem to outweigh the positives: here is someone known for her poor personal decisions and the clip reveals that, like in many other arenas in her life, she is diving head first into a topic that she really does not understand. While her celebrity status could at least spark interest in awareness among her fans who would otherwise spend their time watching how many times she changes her clothes every day, starring in her own documentary and narcisstically claiming to save 40 children in a day will probably not create the kind of change she seems to hope for.

This is one human rights issue where, if you really want to contribute to the fight, you cannot expect that your face will be plastered all over the results of your assistance. For example, donating funds to a victim service provider is a great idea, but the provider may not want a lot of attention in order to avoid risks to themselves or the survivors with whom they work. I'm not sure Lohan would be able to handle that kind of tame or unpublicized philanthropy. Maybe I'm not being fair; maybe she already has. I am not looking forward to her documentary, though.

Jennifer: In November 2009, Emma Thompson's exhibit called Journey opened in New York after showings in London and Vienna. The exhibit, curated by the two-time Oscar winner, is inspired by the story of a sex-trafficking survivor that Thompson first met in 2006. In a piece for Newsweek, Thompson writes, "What made her story so personal for me was where she'd been imprisoned: the same massage parlor [in my neighborhood that] I'd once treated as a joke. It underlined an awful truth: that human trafficking is not just a problem for other communities or other people. It exists on our own doorsteps, and our lack of action shames us all." Perhaps I am drawn to Thompson's anti-trafficking work because a similar experience was the catalyst for my anti-trafficking work.

In addition to her work raising awareness, Thompson is also the chair of the Helen Bamber Foundation, an organization that works with trafficking survivors and survivors of other human rights abuses. In interviews and pieces about her work, Thompson stresses the importance of being self-reflective about the ways we promote slavery through our own life choices, and she also cautions about objectifying and re-victimizing survivors. Like Elise, I am wary of celebrities whose anti-trafficking work appears more narcissistic than useful. In her writing and speaking about trafficking, Thompson not only works to end slavery, she serves as a model for others seeking to use their celebrity status to fight trafficking.

Click here to watch Emma Thompson speak about the Journey Exhibit

Meg: It's certainly amazing what fame and money can accomplish, and I think that Oprah is an obvious example. Human Trafficking is one of the many causes she is championing. Besides featuring a book that spotlights human trafficking in her book club (and having worked at a bookstore, I can vouch for the popularity of Oprah's Book Club books), she also has devoted a significant portion of her Oprah's Angel Network charity to human trafficking. On the For All Women Registry section of the site, visitors are encouraged to spend "$5 - or 5 Minutes" on causes including ending modern-day slavery -- and there are many creative suggestions of ways to help.

Just a thought: although celebrities who choose to can certainly do amazing things to promote a cause, I think it's important to keep in mind that we all have our own valuable resources and advantages which we can use for the benefit of others. It can sometimes be easy to focus on our limitations, rather than on what we can do. Even a few dollars or minutes of time donated here and there can do good things to help victims of human trafficking, and a few dollars or minutes donated by many "everyday people" can do great things.

National Freedom Day 2010

Today marks the culmination of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. President Obama proclaimed January, 2010 to be dedicated to promoting anti-trafficking work. On February First, the United States honors the signing of the resolution that formally abolished the legality of slavery in the United States on February 1st, 1865.

The 13th Amendment to the Constitution proclaimed that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude. . . shall exist within the United States." Though 145 years have passed, slavery continues to flourish and more people are enslaved today than ever before. Nevertheless, Freedom Day honors an important milestone for eradicating slavery and acknowledging the fundamental aberration of the crime. The day also serves as an opportunity for anti-trafficking organizations and activists to revitalize their work.

As President Obama stated in his proclamation "The United States was founded on the principle that all people are born with an unalienable right to freedom -- an ideal that has driven the engine of American progress throughout our history. As a Nation, we have known moments of great darkness and greater light; and dim years of chattel slavery illuminated and brought to an end by President Lincoln's actions and a painful Civil War. Yet even today, the darkness and inhumanity of enslavement exists. Millions of people worldwide are held in compelled service, as well as thousands within the United States. . . [W]e acknowledge that forms of slavery still exist in the modern era, and we recommit ourselves to stopping the human traffickers who ply this horrific trade."

National Freedom Day is an opportunity to honor and remember the important work to eradicate slavery that has been done and to recommit efforts to deliver on the 13th Ammendment's declaration that slavery shall not exist in the United States, while expanding that promise so that slavery does not exist anywhere in the world.

Picture by Josh Nichols

CNN: Child Trafficking & Organ Trafficking in Haiti

On CNN last night Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive talked to the network's Christiane Amanpour about child trafficking and organ trafficking from victims of the earthquake that struck a few weeks ago.

Event: L.A. Marathon with Survivors and CAST

The Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) is participating in the L.A. Marathon on March 21 along with survivors of human trafficking. CAST would like to more participants to become involved. They are looking for runners, race-day volunteers, and sponsors. For more details, visit http://www.castla.org/la-marathon.

Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery

In his book Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Slavery, author Siddharth Kara presents a business and economic analysis of sex trafficking. Though such a study may seem heartless or dehumanizing, Kara argues that analyzing sexual slavery through the lens of economics can reveal short- and long-term solutions to end trafficking, and that, in fact, without this type of analysis intervention attempts may do more harm than good.

Kara, a former investment banker with an MBA from Columbia University, left his corporate career to pursue anti-slavery research and work. He is a board member of Free the Slaves. In his book, he argues that ending sex slavery will necessitate ending the demand for sex slavery, and that the most effective way to decrease demand is to increase risk. He presents suggested ways to increase the risk/cost of slavery to traffickers, and uses basic economic concepts, such as elasticity of demand, to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-trafficking efforts.

Many of Kara's findings are more suggestive than conclusive, which he readily acknowledges. For example, he argues that increasing the costs of using sex slaves will dramatically decrease the demand for these slaves due to the elasticity of demand for commercial sex. Though his conclusion aligns with my own beliefs and the beliefs of many NGOs, the analysis is based on an extremely small sample size that may not be representative. While this example points to some of the challenges in conducting research on human trafficking and its causes, it also points to the need for more research and data.

Kara extensively researched sex trafficking around the world, and he contextualizes his economic analysis within his firsthand interviews with sex trafficking victims and survivors, and his experiences with the market for sex slaves. While many of the most compelling parts of his books spring from these experiences, his analysis of slavery in the United States is somewhat anemic and does not discuss the sex trafficking of US citizens.

Throughout the book, Kara discusses the role that globalization has played in creating situations rife for exploitation and slavery. He demonstrates the ways that governmental policies and corrupt greed help perpetuate human rights abuses and poverty. He argues that vulnerability to trafficking can often be traced to unequal distributions of power and wealth that are only increasing as a result of globalization.

Though his book focuses mainly on sex trafficking, Kara does touch on labor trafficking issues and acknowledges the need for a similar analysis of the business of labor trafficking. Many of his insights about the economic factors that contribute to the demand for slavery and the need to increase the economic costs of slavery for producers and consumers will prove useful in such an analysis. At the same time, the causes of labor trafficking and the factors that fuel its demand are different from sex trafficking, and more research on this form of trafficking is vitally needed.

Kara's research and analysis provide a useful foundation for further efforts to effectively end slavery that is grounded in an understanding of the economic and business realities that fuel this crime.

Hans Rosling's insights on poverty

*Fast forward to 10:00 minutes into the presentation.

Researcher Hans Rosling uses his innovative data tools to show how countries are pulling themselves out of poverty. His presentation revolves around globalization, health and economic prosperity.

About Hans Rosling:
Even the most worldly and well-traveled among us will have their perspectives shifted by Hans Rosling. A professor of global health at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, his current work focuses on dispelling common myths about the so-called developing world, which, he points out, is no longer worlds away from the west. In fact, most of the third world is on the same trajectory toward health and prosperity, and many countries are moving twice as fast as the west did.