May 2013
2 posts
Mental Health Training on Trauma and the Sex Trade
Trauma + the Sex Trade
Training Opportunity for Mental Health Providers For those with previous clinical training, this workshop will provide in-depth knowledge about the prevalence of harm, violence and trauma experienced by sexually exploited people.… View Post
March 2013
4 posts
Watch Webcast of the Global Report on Trafficking...
Watch Webcast of the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons by the UN This is the first report prepared pursuant to GA Resolution 64/293 of 2010 requesting UNODC to prepare a bi-annual report on patterns and flows of trafficking in persons.
Participants: 1) Yury Fedotov, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director… View Post
January 2013
1 post
December 2012
1 post
USA: Trafficking of Migrant Laborers in San Diego...
USA: Trafficking of Migrant Laborers in San Diego County, NIJ-Funded Study San Diego State University, USA by Sheldon X. Zhang, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, for The Department of Justice (11/12) —
“Based on these assumptions, we estimate that there are 38,458 are victims of labor trafficking violations in San Diego County.… View Post shared via WordPress.com
November 2012
6 posts
USA: Human Trafficking Victims Freed in US...
USA: Human Trafficking Victims Freed in US Prostitution Bust NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA by Peter Rudegeair of Reuters (11/20/12) – Authorities on Tuesday broke up a $7 million three-state prostitution and money laundering ring, rescuing two human trafficking victims and arresting more than a dozen people, New… View Post shared via WordPress.com
September 2012
1 post
Meet Lyndsey Wilson, Newest Staff Member of Hope...
It is with great pleasure and excitement that we announce our newest staff member with Hope for Justice, Lyndsey Wilson! She will be a Program Development Manager and help us launch upcoming prevention and restoration programs for us.
Lyndsey is recent… View Post shared via WordPress.com
August 2012
10 posts
Girls 4 Sale
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA by Geraldine Sealey of Marie Claire (8/16/12) - For most businesses in the U.S., the Web has changed everything. The sex industry is no exception. Now underage girls are as easy to find online as shelter puppies, used cars, and… View Post shared via WordPress.com
16 arrested in Vanier, Ottawa, Canada prostitution...
Vanier, Ottawa, Canada by CTV News (8/15/12) | Ottawa Police have arrested 16 men and laid 10 criminal charges after a two-day prostitution sweep in Vanier.
Police said 12 of the men qualified to participate in “John” school, an educational program meant… View Post shared via WordPress.com
North Dakotan Man Gets 45 years in Drug-Sex...
Bismark, North Dakota, U.S.A. by Rapid City Journal (Associated Press) | A federal judge says a North Dakota man convicted of operating a drug and prostitution ring on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation must serve 45 years in prison.
A jury in April… View Post shared via WordPress.com
Human Trafficking News site on tumblr is launched
In an effort to raise more human trafficking awareness, Hope for Justice has launched Human Trafficking News on micro-blogging site tumblr. Human Trafficking News will gather and compile highly relevant posts on all things human trafficking. Its tagline:
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Stopping Online Child Sexual Exploitation in...
Wonderful news coming out of Washington State Legislature (Olympia, Washington, USA) as the most significant anti-trafficking legislation got signed into law by Washington Governor, Christine Gregoire. A ton of credit goes to the always abolitionist state… View Post shared via WordPress.com
Meet Hope for Justice New Staff Member, Dr. Stacy...
We, at Hope for Justice, are thrilled to announce new doctorate recipient in clinical psychology (SPU), Dr. Stacy Cecchet, has joined Hope for Justice’s staff team as its newest member. Her dissertation was on The Psychological Experience of Child and… View Post shared via WordPress.com
INTERNATIONAL: VAST INTERNATIONAL CHILD-PORN...
INTERNATIONAL via Yahoo News (8/5/12) — The men came from different walks of life on two continents: a children’s puppeteer in Florida, a hotel manager in Massachusetts, an emergency medical technician in Kansas, a day care worker in the Netherlands. In all, 43 men have been arrested over the past two years in a horrific, far-flung child porn network that unraveled like a sweater with...
July 2012
14 posts
USA: HOW BACKPAGE.COM WORKS WITH OTHER SITES TO...
DALLAS, Texas, USA by Tod Robberson of The Dallas Morning News (7/30/12) — I received an email two weeks ago from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Dallas mentioning the conviction of a North Texas man for sex trafficking of a minor. He had worked as a pimp and had kept his prostitutes, including a 16-year-old girl, in line using violence and threats. I’ve made a point of always checking these...
USA: THREE TEENS SUE BACKPAGE.COM OVER SEX...
TACOMA, Washington, USA by Kevin Dolak of ABC News (7/30/12) — Three Washington teenagers have filed a personal injury lawsuit against the classified ad website Backpage.com, alleging that the site allowed them to be forced into prostitution for the company’s own financial gain.
The three unnamed girls, now aged 15 through 17, filed the suit in Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma,...
USA: A SHELTER FOR VICTIMS OF SEX TRAFFICKING...
HOUSTON, Texas, USA by Emily Foxhall of the Texas Tribune via the New York Times (7/14/2012) — On the outskirts of the city, a two-story lodge with a wraparound porch is largely hidden on a 110-acre site in the woods. Horses graze in front of the building, and a volleyball court and educational center stand behind. Down winding paths are a ropes course, a pool and a lake.
But the name of...
USA: HUMAN TRAFFICKING BATTLE MOVES TO THE ER
FORT WORTH, Texas, USA by Marcus Moore of Texas News (07/26/12) — A doctor at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth says human trafficking is a serious problem — and that it is growing.
But medical professionals can be on the front line of defense. “The key is: If you don’t ask the right questions, you won’t ever know,” says Dr. Sophia Grant, a physician who works with...
USA: FIRST FEDERAL SENTENCE FOR SEX TRAFFICKIG IN...
LEXINGTON, Kentucky, USA by Tom Kenny of ABC Local News WTVQ (7/25/12) — Marco Antonio Flores-Benitez, 38, was sentenced Tuesday to 15-years in prison after becoming the first person in Kentucky to be federally convicted of sex trafficking.
His co-defendant, Roxana Serna-Olea, 36, was sentenced to 46-months in prison for persuading someone to travel in interstate commerce to engage in...
WatchVIDEO: “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: The Role of Technology in Human Trafficking” by Microsoft Research. Interesting! http://bit.ly/MX4b6S
INDIA: WHY IS INDIA SO BAD FOR WOMEN?
GUWAHATI, Assam, India by Helen Pidd of the Guardian ( 7/23/12) — Of all the rich G20 nations, India has been labelled the worst place to be a woman. But how is this possible in a country that prides itself on being the world’s largest democracy?
In an ashram perched high on a hill above the noisy city of Guwahati in north-east India is a small exhibit commemorating the life of...
USA: JADA PINKETT SMITH SHINES LIGHT ON HUMAN...
USA by John Parkinson for ABC News (07/17/12) — Congress got an unpleasant wake-up call from Hollywood today: Nearly 150 years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, slavery still persists in the United States of America.
Wearing a white T-shirt that declared “Free Slaves” beneath a brown blazer, actress Jada Pinkett Smith testified before Congress today to draw attention...
HOW GOOGLE FIGHTS TERRORISTS AND HUMAN TRAFFICKERS
“Jared Cohen, the director of Google Ideas, talks with Fast Company about illicit networks, reforming extremists, and how illegal arms dealers use the web”. By Neil Ungerleider of Fast Company (7/17/12) —
How do human smugglers use the Internet? What are drug dealers doing with Gmail accounts? Google’s think tank, Google Ideas, is currently holding a conference in Los...
INDIA/NEPAL: THOUSANDS OF NEPALI GIRLS TRAFFICKED...
INDIA/NEPAL, by Palash R. Gosh of the International Business Times (7/12/12) — A district court in Nepal has sentenced a sex trafficker to 170 years in prison, the longest sentence in the country’s history.
Bajir Singh Tamang, 37, was convicted of trafficking poor teenage girls from rural areas to India and the Middle East to work in the sex trade with promises of legitimate jobs.
...
USA: POLICE RAIDS TARGET SPOKANE MASSAGE PARLORS
SPOKANE, Washington, USA by Colleen O’Brien of KXLY.com News (7/10/12) — Early Tuesday afternoon, law enforcement officers raided numerous locations across Spokane in an operation dubbed “Red Light” to crack down on prostitution in local massage parlors.
Multiple locations, including spas, massage parlors and private residences were hit by nearly simultaneously-executed...
INDIA: ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES BEHIND SPURT IN HUMAN...
KOLKATA, India by IANS via New York Daily News (7/11/12) — Human trafficking for purposes other than sex trade has been on the rise in the county. With the increase in the level of economic activities, the demand for cheap labour for industry and agriculture sector has resulted in the increase of the menace, experts say.
“People have a wrong notion that human trafficking is basically...
USA: CALIFORNIANS AGAINST SEXUAL EXPLOITATION ACT;...
CALIFORNIA, USA, by Ryan Gabrielson of of California watch (7/7/12) — Facebook’s former chief privacy officer is bankrolling an anti-human trafficking ballot measure that would dramatically expand how California monitors sex offenders.
The initiative – called the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act [PDF] – would toughen penalties for sex trafficking and add those convicted of the...
It’s easier to be ignorant and say I don’t know about the problem. But once you know, once you’ve seen it in their eyes, then you have a responsibility to do something. There is strength in numbers, and if we all work together as a team, we can be unstoppable.” - Craig Kielburger
http://www.architectsofpeace.org/architects-of-peace/craig-kielburger
June 2012
13 posts
FBI: NATIONWIDE CHILD PROSTITUTION SWEET LEADS TO...
USA by Carol Cratty of CNN (5/28/12) —During a three-day law enforcement sweep targeting the problem of teenage prostitution, officers rescued 79 children and arrested 104 alleged pimps, the FBI announced Monday.
U.S. Midwest in crosshairs of child sex trafficking fight
Operation Cross Country 6 took place from Friday through Sunday with more than 2,500 state, local and federal officers...
USA: FBI RESCUES 79 CHILDREN FROM SEX TRAFFICKING...
USA by Mark Fisher for the Examiner (06/26/12) — The FBI announced today the rescue of 79 child victims ofsex trafficking in the United States after a three-day law enforcement action in 57 cities. 104 pimps, who would be considered human traffickers under the definition of the U.S.Trafficking Victims Protection Act, were arrested by local and state law enforcement.
This action undertaken by...
USA: DAYTON GROUP FIGHTS SEX TRAFFICKING
DAYTON, Ohio, USA by Emily Study of the Dayton Daily News (6/24/12) — A recently passed bill in the Ohio legislature will offer more protection to sex trafficking victims, but Dayton organizations have already been working together to create a support system for these victims.
“I’m excited about the future of Dayton because all of us are committed to the same cause,” said Adam Young,...
BANGLADESH: BANGLADESH TRAFFICKED WOMEN RECOUNT...
DHAKA, Bangladesh, by Anbarasan Ethirajan of BBC News (5/25/12) — A group of Bangladeshi women who were illegally taken into India three years ago have been describing their ordeal at the hands of human traffickers.
Most of these women were forced into prostitution in the Indian cities of Mumbai and Pune.
Around 48 women and a child were rescued by an Indian non-governmental organisation...
GLOBAL: THE BEST COUNTRIES TO BE A WOMAN -- AND...
By Katrin Bennhold of the International Herald Tribune (5/13/12) — India, a country best-known for its rising economic might, is the worst place to be a woman among the world’s biggest economies, and Canada the best, according to a survey of experts published Wednesday.
The Group of 20 survey by TrustLaw, a legal news service of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, found that a combination of...
USA: U.S. ADDS SYRIA TO LIST OF NATIONS FAILING TO...
WASHINGTON, USA, by Adeshina Emmanuel of the New York Times (5/20/12) — While some governments are making significant strides to end modern-day slavery, the State Department on Tuesday singled out 17 others that it said were “treating victims as criminals or ignoring them entirely.”
In its 2012 report on human trafficking, the department added Syria to the list of nations that could face...
USA: STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS U.S. NEEDS TO BETTER...
USA, by Lauren Fox of US News (06/20/12) — The State Department released a report Tuesday that estimates 27 million people worldwide are victims of slavery, be it sex trafficking, indentured servitude, bonded labor or forced military service.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveiled the 2012 Trafficking In Persons Report Tuesday, which sheds light on international human trafficking worldwide...
USA: SEARCHING FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING FINDS MORE...
CALIFORNIA, USA, by Michelle Maltais of the LA Times (6/18/12) — As more attention is being paid to children and their safety online, a new initiative joining State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, Yahoo and the Polaris Project is targeting modern slavery.
Essentially, the hope is to use the very tool that is instrumental in perpetuating the $32-billion human trafficking industry to direct users...
USA: PARENTS ACCUSED OF KILLING DAUGHTER'S PIMP IN...
SAN FRANCISCO, California, USA by Lee Romney and Maria L. La Ganga of the Los Angeles Times (6/15/12) — Attorneys for the San Francisco couple are calling it “every parent’s nightmare.” Barry Laprell Gilton and Lupe Mercado watched, dismayed and helpless, as their 17-year-old daughter was lured away from home by a known Compton gang member, who wound up as her pimp.
The...
USA: CITY PLANS TO TARGET CABDRIVERS WHO JOIN IN...
NEW YORK, USA, by Vivian Yee of the New York Times (6/12/12) — They arrange prostitutes’ schedules and ferry them to hotels for appointments, drum up clients for pimps and pocket half the proceeds.
Cabdrivers who transport prostitutes between clients are coming under scrutiny as the sex trafficking industry has grown. After a series of hearings over the past six months in which victims have...
“Trafficking in persons shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer,...”
– Equality Now — Campaign to end violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world. Read more on trafficking and how to take action here