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!

Project Development Officer Vacancy with IOM

From the IOM:

Position Title : Project Development Officer
Duty Station : Nairobi, Kenya
Classification : Associate Expert
Type of Appointment : Fixed term, one year with possibility of extension
Estimated Start Date : As soon as possible
Closing Date : August 03, 2010

Note: Only applications from United States citizens will be considered in accordance with the Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the International Organization for Migration on the Associate Expert Programme.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The IOM Mission with Regional Functions (MRF) for East and Central Africa is based in Nairobi/ Kenya and covers the following countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Djibouti, Burundi, Rwanda, Sudan and all three regions of Somalia. The East and Horn of Africa are diverse regions composed of states in conflict, post conflict and development stages.

The regions produce and serve as host to the world’s largest refugee population. The emerging migration trends in the region indicate an increased mixed migration flow of irregular migrants and asylum seekers to, through and from the countries along various routes that have been mapped by recent studies. These flows and other movements are posing new migration challenges to the governments in the region in their efforts to manage migration due to increased internal displacements, increased vulnerability to human trafficking and smuggling, return and reintegration, lack of protection for migrant rights. Labour migration, large remittances flows, linkages with the Diaspora and skill transfer from national experts abroad are some of the existing benefits the region states should better capitalize on. Governments in the East Africa region are also faced with the challenge of ensuring harmonized regional integration with the coming into effect of the EAC Common Market Protocol in 2010 that will allow for the free and safe movement of persons with the East Africa Community Partner States.

MRF Nairobi is highly involved in supporting the government and regional economic bodies
in the region to address the above mentioned migration challenges and to better benefit from the opportunities. In recent years the number of projects managed directly by the MRF
and their thematic and geographical coverage has extended dramatically to more than 35
projects, with much support from the Project Development and Implementation Unit (PDIU).

The primary function of the Project Development and Implementation Unit (PDIU) is two fold:

1. To enhance the functions of the MRF Nairobi through project/ programme development, donor liaison, resource mobilization and coordination with IOM field missions within the East and Central African region.
2. To directly implement and provide technical support for the implementation of countertrafficking, AVR, labour migration and diaspora projects as well as migration related
research.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience
a) Advanced university degree in International Development/ Relations, International Law or related field;
b) professional experience in project development, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation;
c) experience in liaising with national and international institutions.

Competencies
a) Excellent drafting ability, in particular ability to draft clear and concise papers in English;
b) ability to analyse and present facts, evidence and precedents as well as present clear opinions;
c) self-directed, ability to work with a high degree of autonomy as well as part of a team;
d) personal commitment, efficiency, flexibility, drive for results, creative thinking;
e) ability to adapt to changing circumstances;
f) ability to work effectively and harmoniously with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds;
g) demonstrated gender awareness and gender sensitivity;
h) familiarity with standard computer packages (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint as well as electronic mail and use of the Internet as a research tool).

Languages
Thorough knowledge of English. Good knowledge of French would be an advantage.

How to apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications via PRISM, IOM e-Recruitment
system, by August 03, 2010 at the latest, referring to this advertisement.

For further information, please refer to: http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/pid/165

In order for an application to be considered valid, IOM only accepts online profiles duly filled
in and submitted with a cover letter not more than one page specifying the motivation for
applications.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. You can track the progress of your application
in your personal application page in the IOM e-recruitment system.

For the full description of the position, please download the vacancy announcement here.

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

Admitted Human Traffickers Got Federal Aid

Picture from KGMB News

From KITV News:

Nonprofit Aloun Foundation Got $2 Million Fed Loan
Keoki Kerr

The owners Kapolei's Aloun Farms -- who've already pleaded guilty to human trafficking some of their farm workers -- received a multimillion dollar federal loan to buy an apartment in which to house their farm employees.

Brothers Mike and Alec Sou have already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit human trafficking for mistreating workers brought in from Thailand to work on one of Oahu's largest fruit and vegetable operations, Aloun Farms. They await sentencing in September.

Now, KITV4 News has learned a nonprofit corporation set up by the Sou brothers, the Aloun Foundation, received $2.1 million in low-interest loans from the U.S. Agriculture Department to buy a four-story Wahiawa apartment complex to house low-income farm workers.

The mortgage for 104 Lakeview Circle shows the loan deal was signed in July 2008, just before the FBI began its federal human trafficking investigation.

Tax returns filed by the nonprofit Aloun Foundation list Alec Sou as president, and his brother Mike and their mother and father as directors. The nonprofit “supports cultural and historic agricultural activities in Hawaii through providing low cost living assistance to employees working in those organizations,” according to its 2008 tax return.

"It's a real straight up deal, and it really is serving a public purpose," said Craig Watase of Mark Development, property manager for the apartment house.

All of the rental units house at least one resident who works at Aloun Farms, he said. Residents at the complex confirmed that to a reporter Monday and said most of them were Micronesian, with two families from Hawaii.

Watase said the residents here must meet federal low-income levels to qualify for subsidized rentals, paying 30 percent of their income in rent and the U.S. Department of Agriculture picking up the rest. “It’s a good thing, and it’s on the up and up. It’s federally audited and monitored,” he said.

The Sous pursued the federal loan through their nonprofit instead of their for-profit farm because non-profits have a "better chance" of winning help from the federal government, Watase said.

He said in the nearly two years he has managed the property, only employees from Aloun Farms have been tenants there, but they’ve “tried to reach out to employees of other farms.”

"I think it's interesting and a little troubling how the Sou brothers know how to work the system," said Clare Hanusz, the attorney representing 27 former Aloun Farm workers who are trafficking victims in the federal criminal case and did not live at the Wahiawa apartment complex.

"Why this would fall under the guise of a nonprofit foundation as opposed to their for-profit enterprise is potentially concerning," she said. "I don't know hy Aloun Farms wouldn't just pay a living wage so that its workers wouldn't have to use subsidized, basically federal government subsidized housing."

Sources told KITV4 News the state attorney general's office is investigating to determine whether the Sous are using the apartment owned by their nonprofit organization as an extension of their for-profit farm.

We've covered parts of this story out of Hawaii, that actually operated all over the US, in the past. The sentencing in this trial started in June, however is set to continue in September after an agreement could not be reached. I find this particular finding interesting because I think it highlights that although traffickers make efforts to prevent their abusive practices from being discovered and punished, they can also operate in general quite publicly. Traffickers can be active community members, producing goods for major grocery chains, or, in this case, federal grantees. We can never assume that just because an agricultural employer is providing goods or services to major companies or works with grant monitors of the federal government, they are not capable of being traffickers.

Missed the Goal for Workers: the Reality of Soccer Ball Stitchers in Pakistan, India, China and Thailand

Last month, the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) released a report entitled "Missed the Goal for Workers: the Reality of Soccer Ball Stitchers in Pakistan, India, China and Thailand." The report details a variety of abuses, from child labor to hazardous working conditions to the practice of hiring temporary stitchers, leaving the workers vulnerable to exploitation.

The report notes that, despite a commitment in 1997 to end the use of child labor in the industry, children are still sewing soccer balls. Moreover, even as the apparent crackdown on child labor failed to eradicate this practice, it also did nothing to address the poor working conditions in the industry, according to the report (In one Chinese factory, workers were found to work up to 21 hours a day during high seasons and without one day off in an entire month).

The report concludes, "Over a decade after the signing of the Atlanta Agreement child labor still exists in the soccer ball industry. As the preceding data clearly demonstrates, although action was taken to eradicate child labor in the late 1990s, very little was done to end its root causes. The parents working in the soccer ball industry are still receiving next to nothing for their work. They are working as temporary or casual employees and therefore receiving none of the benefits that can keep their families healthy. Despite each countries’ cultural and governmental differences, the soccer ball industries in these countries share the same problems: casual or temporary work, poverty level wages, discrimination, restriction of the right to organize or collective bargain, and health and safety violations."

The ILRF is using this report to put pressure on FIFA to take a lead in eradicating the use of child labor and abusive labor practices in the production of soccer balls. While the World Cup has concluded, it will take consistent efforts to end this abuse. The ILRF is conducting an email campaign to Joseph Blatter, president of FIFA.

In addition to putting pressure on FIFA and the professional wing of the sport, we can also take action to end abuse and ensure fair labor practices through the products that we buy. Soccer enthusiasts and other sports players can check out Fair Trade Sports, which sells soccer balls and other sporting equipment that is certified Fair Trade and certified green. Please see an example, pictured above.

Take Action on the Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act

In his recent article, Sex, Seduction, and Slavery, Nicholas Kristoff wrote "There’s a misperception in America that “sex trafficking” is mostly about foreigners smuggled into the U.S. That exists. But I’ve concluded that the biggest problem and worst abuses involve not foreign women but home-grown runaway kids." As he points out, however, domestic minor sex trafficking tends to be ignored, and its victims tend to be treated like criminals instead of victims.

Awareness of the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the United States is growing, however, as are arrests and prosecutions of the traffickers. Just last week, a Maryland man was sentenced to 37 years in prison for his role in a sex trafficking operation. "This defendant violently preyed upon some of the most vulnerable members of our society. He sought out troubled young girls and, using physical violence, drugs, guns and lies, coerced them into prostitution for his own benefit," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously prosecute these cases."

While arresting and prosecuting the traffickers is vital, efforts cannot stop there. As Kristoff also noted, "Human trafficking tends to get ignored because it is an indelicate, sordid topic, with troubled victims who don’t make great poster children for family values. Indeed, many of the victims are rebellious teenage girls — often runaways — who have been in trouble with their parents and the law, and at times they think they love their pimps." Minor victims have complex needs and have experienced incredible trauma. There is a dearth of services for them, though.

As a Polaris Project Action Alert points out, "Each year, at least 100,000 children are victimized through commercial sex and prostitution within the United States. Particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking are runaway children, an estimated 33% of them are lured into prostitution within the first 48 hours of leaving home. Unfortunately, victims of sex trafficking, including children, are commonly overlooked in most state and federal efforts to respond to the brutal crime. A mere 80 beds in shelters nationwide are available to provide the safe shelter and professional health and social services that these victims need."

Currently, the House (HR 5575 by Rep. Maloney NY14) and Senate (S 2925 by Sen. Wyden OR) are reviewing bills that would provide crucial funding to develop and enhance comprehensive, collaborative efforts to combat the sex trafficking in the U.S. by providing six block grants of $2,500,000 each to state or local government entities who have designed a holistic approach to investigating, prosecuting and deterring sex trafficking, and providing special services and shelter to the victims.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to review the bill on 7/29/2010. Click this link to learn more about how to urge your senators to support funding for fighting trafficking and supporting victims and survivors.

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.