Guest, Author at Shared Hope International

May 24, 2017 by Guest

Take the Next Step!

My daughter was 10 the first time I heard that children were being bought and sold for sex in my community. These weren’t foreign children born in a foreign country, they were boys and girls born and raised right here in my own town. That day changed me.

Being a business leader gave me a natural platform to raise awareness about Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST)—and I used it. I discovered Shared Hope International while preparing for a local panel on trafficking and I appreciated that Shared Hope was working on the issue internationally, nationally, and locally, going so far as to supporting a restoration home for female survivors in my region.

In 2016 I decided to go beyond speaking about DMST and actively do something to help make a difference in the lives of victims of this crime. My friend Lisa Stirrett is a local glass artist who uses her studio to host community events. She also has a heart for this issue. The idea formed for a Party with a Purpose, in which she would create glass butterflies that could be sold as part of a fundraiser for Shared Hope and those they serve. We sold about 50 butterflies, many of which were donated back to create a larger piece in progress. And we didn’t stop there!

Lisa has added the glass butterflies to her Products with a Purpose line as a way to continue the momentum and to provide a fundraising mechanism to give back to Shared Hope. Each butterfly purchased and donated back to the Lisa Stirrett Glass Studio will become part of a Butterfly Art Wall known as “Chrysalis,” with the net profits donated to Shared Hope. This wall will be a beautiful visual representation of the voices and lives of girls and women in trafficking being set free. We are currently in need of 50 more butterflies to complete the wall, and once it’s done, this will become a traveling art display housed in a public location to create ongoing awareness and to further the momentum of the cause. You can purchase them here.

[easy-tweet tweet=”This wall of butterflies is a beautiful representation of trafficking survivors set free” user=”SharedHope”]

This is our desire—creating an art movement of butterflies flying freely to represent an end to the pain and suffering caused to young girls and women because of the sex trafficking industry. In addition to collaborating with Lisa Stirrett Glass Art Studio, I am partnering with Shared Hope International because of the great work they are doing locally, nationally, and globally to educate and empower others to end sex trafficking.

So what can you do to end the demand of our children by traffickers and buyers?

I think the most important thing we as individuals can do is leverage our natural born gifts and talents where we’re already engaged. My background is business, Lisa’s is through art. Yours is uniquely suited to you. Whatever it is, “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has” as shared by Margaret Mead. Together, with our community, we are making a difference to end trafficking… and you can too.

[easy-tweet tweet=”The best thing we can do is leverage our natural born gifts and talents to fight sex trafficking. ” user=”SharedHope”]

By Shannon Bruce – Washington State

March 9, 2017 by Guest

New Dates & Give Aways for JuST Conference

Good News – “Bonnes Nouvelles”

The Louisiana Spirit is one of hospitality, celebration and support for their fellow neighbor. Since we announced our new location, locals have been reaching out nonstop to welcome us all to their great state.

That spirit of excitement is infectious, and Shared Hope wants to pass it along to each of you. We’ve come up with three great opportunities for you and your friends to win a free conference ticket for our 2017 event!

Each month, we’ll offer two free tickets until the Earlybird registration deadline on June 16. If your name is drawn, you will have one week to respond to the offer before the opportunity is passed along to someone else. Tickets will be transferrable, but only to individuals who have never attended.

Alumni Drawing on March 31 – The first free tickets will go to our faithful alumni attendees. We’ll draw two names from the attendee lists of our 2014 – 2016 events.

Refer-a-friend Drawing on April 28 – Second drawing will be for you and a friend. In order to be eligible you must “refer a friend” by having them sign up for our conference updates here. When they register, they should enter your name and email so we can track your entries. Each new friend registered is a new entry in the drawing for your free ticket + theirs. The more friends you refer, the better your chances are! Referrals can be logged from now until the drawing, so you better get going…!

Gulf States Drawing on May 31– Third drawing is to support our friends in the Gulf States (TX, LA, MS, AL, FL) that have not been able to send many representatives to D.C. in previous years. Anyone who resides in these states, and signs up to receive Shared Hope conference updates, will be eligible to win a free ticket.

Bad News – “Mauvaises Nouvelles”

Shared Hope recently received news from our event hosts at Hyatt that there’s a conflict with our function space during our selected conference dates. As a result, we have decided to shift the event dates by one week in order to better accommodate our conference attendance.

The new 2017 JuST Conference dates are October 24-26. Nothing else will change. We are still offering the same room rate, the same amenities and activities, the same outstanding lineup of speakers. For those attendees who have already booked hotel rooms or flights, please note that Hyatt has offered to provide support for any attendee affected by this conflict. Hotel rooms have been rebooked already. Fees related to flight changes can be reimbursed by Hyatt, certain restrictions apply. Contact our conference organizer by March 31 to get assistance or instructions for making changes to your travel plans. If you have previously requested an invoice and are no longer able to come, contact our team to submit your cancellation notice.

Reminders – “N’oublie pas!”

Presenter applications: If you or your agency would like to present at the conference this year, applications are due by April 7. They must be completed in full. Visit this link to download the application package today.

Registration: Registration will open at the end of the month, keep an eye out for the announcement.

Booking your hotel: The hotel room block expires September 25th, be sure to book early before it fills up. You can book your room online today by visiting this link.

Mark your calendars for October 24-26 and laissez les bons temps rouler!

March 3, 2017 by Guest

Bringing Students to the Table

Texas State Senator Zaffirini’s proposed Senate Bill seeks to require the Texas State Board of Education to develop a training program and curriculum on sex trafficking prevention to be included as part of a school district’s health curriculum. The creation of this curriculum not only creates vital information-access points for children, it requires educators and administrators to acknowledge their role in protecting children and responding to vulnerabilities that are inherent to the population that they serve. Equipping children with information related to the realities of sex trafficking, avoiding high-risk activities or harmful relationships, and strategies for recognizing and reporting suspected sex trafficking, recognizes that empowered children are less vulnerable to the manipulation and coercion that offenders may employ. Additionally, children are oftentimes the best “eyes” and “ears” for identifying vulnerable or at-risk friends or peers; armed with the right information, educated and aware children can play a vital role in preventing child sex trafficking in their communities, schools, and homes.

[easy-tweet tweet=”Empowered children are less vulnerable to manipulation and coercion.” user=”SharedHope”]

Shared Hope supports Senator Zaffirini’s bill, as it statutorily builds on the practices that Shared Hope has engaged in over the last 15 years. Working closely with schools and educators across the country and internationally, Shared Hope’s Senior Director, Nancy Winston, Director of Training, Elizabeth Scaife, and hundreds of Ambassadors of Hope have presented Chosen, a training for students, teachers, and administrators. At its crux, Shared Hope’s school trainings build awareness as to what domestic child sex trafficking looks like, how teachers, parents, and students can prevent it. Perhaps most importantly, however, Shared Hope’s training seeks to equip children with information so that they will be informed adult citizens who ideally work to ensure future generations are not facing the same plights of violence and exploitation that our current children face.

To date, Chosen has been shown to 15, 525 students across the U.S. and countless teachers have continued the conversation on child sex trafficking, building it into their own curriculum. This has not only increase national understanding and prevention efforts, it has also aided in the identification of children who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation, sexual violence, or recognize such victimization in their peers. One of Chosen’s major themes is the importance of telling some “if something seems wrong.” Following the presentation in one Midwestern school, an eighth grade student revealed a child trafficking situation occurring at her neighbor’s house. In another school, following an Ambassador presentation, a teacher from that school contacted the Ambassador several weeks after the Chosen viewing to alert the Ambassador that one of her students had revealed that she had been raped by her father but that Chosen had allowed her to feel safe enough to talk about it and seek help.

[easy-tweet tweet=”Chosen has been shown to 15, 525 students across the U.S., helping to prevent child sex trafficking. “]

Curriculum and trainings such a Chosen are crucial for connecting our front line folks– our children, educators, and parents– with important information for responding to and, ultimately, preventing children sex trafficking in our communities. Please join Shared Hope in supporting Senator Zaffirini’s efforts in requiring Texas public schools to provide sex trafficking education as part of the health curriculum. If you are interested in scheduling a showing of Chosen in your local school or community, you can find more information here.

February 10, 2017 by Guest

I Am Jane Doe Film Premier

Opening in Theaters Friday, February 10^th

I Am Jane Doe chronicles the epic battle that several American mothers are waging on behalf of their middle-school daughters, victims of sex-trafficking on Backpage.com, the adult classifieds section that for years was part of the Village Voice. These mothers have stood up on behalf of thousands of other mothers, fighting back and refusing to take no for an answer. I Am Jane Doe is a gut-wrenching human story and fresh look at a social and legal issue that affects every community in America.

As I Am Jane Doe opens this weekend our Senior Director, Nancy Winston shares her thoughts on the film.

Along with many others advocating to end the unimpeded internet advertising of sex for sale, I watched incredulously as the principals of Backpage.com and their lawyer all asserted protection under the first and fifth amendments before the Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations last month. We were then stymied by the Supreme Court refusal to hear the case of the Jane Does trying to hold Backpage.com liable for financial reparations for the suffering and devastation the victims endured.

Backpage.com and other internet sites that carry sex for sale ads, often of minors, impudently and confidently hide behind the immunity provided by the Communications Decency Act. And clearly there is a closed door for any remedies through the court system.

The question that hangs heavy—where do we go from here?

But hope is dawning by way of the grassroots, often a more reliable generator of change. On February 6 there was a screening in Washington DC of the new film by Mary Mazzio of 50 Eggs productions called I AM JANE DOE. The film thoroughly recounts the nearly decade long efforts of the mothers of sex trafficked “Jane Does” to bring attention to the terrible reality of their minor daughters’ experiences and to obtain reparations from the internet companies that boldly published ads for sex with their daughters.

The message of the film is very clear: Congress needs to address the problem through a modification to the CDA. John Montgomery, legal expert in one of the JANE DOE cases describes the choice before Congress…”[they] could decide to protect the Internet or protect kids”.

Technology has outpaced the legal framework that was originally intended by that law. Enacted in 1996, in the early days of the internet, it was intended to be a business saving framework that would protect the nascent tech industry from defamation suits for content posted by third parties. But it was never intended to shelter criminal activity or to create a lawless internet. Incredibly, this 20 year-old law now protects an on-line slave auction, a point so clearly brought home in I AM JANE DOE.

Clearly, any proposed change to the immunity Internet Content Service Providers enjoy under Section 230 of the CDA will be vigorously opposed by many, including all the tech giants, who will divert the argument to one of first amendment rights. We will be facing off against a multibillion dollar industry, but it has become clear this is the only route. I AM JANE DOE will be premiering in theaters around the country and then will soon be available via Netflix. It gives a powerful voice to the grassroots advocacy that will bring the needed change to this law.

As one mom in the film said, “No matter how often you come against CDA, it’s always gonna shut you down”. It’s time to end that shutdown.

—

Support this film and find a theater near you: www.iamjanedoefilm.com

January 31, 2017 by Guest

Starbucks for the Win!

Some conversations are better had over a cup of Joe on a rainy day. That’s what I told the radio host when I emailed him earlier this month. He’s one of the most popular morning show hosts in America, but he’s just your everyday nice guy: humble, kind, and empathetic to his fellow man. He’s earned the respect of countless celebrities and the admiration of children, and bends the ear of millions of people each morning. (Literally, three million). When he says an artist is good, his listeners buy their records. When he says he’s raising money for cancer, his listeners donate. When he shows up at an event, tickets sell out. Bottom line: this dude has influence. I like him, and I like his style. So, I was pretty disappointed when I heard him relay his perspective on a situation that occurred in Spokane, WA.

Here are the basics: A male patron of Starbucks engaged in conversation with a female barista. He made a joke. She said he was funny. He thought she was flirting, slipped her a note asking her to dinner, and left. When he returned the next day, he was informed that he had been banned from that Starbucks location. The man felt he did nothing wrong, but was unjustly discriminated against due to his age.

My radio show host shared the story above, followed by his opinion, suggesting that the man was probably a good guy taking a risk in love, with innocent intentions. He argued that the girl “had flirted” with the guy, that she probably looked older, and that Starbucks made a bigger deal than necessary. He posed this question to his co-hosts on air: Did Starbucks overreact or not? In a matter of three minutes, with minimal facts at hand, they collectively agreed that Starbucks had overreacted and the man was a victim.

Here’s the rest of the story: He was 37, she was 16. He has a self-proclaimed mission to date the youngest women possible. He knows the legal age of consent in WA is 16, and that baristas must be at least 16 to work at Starbucks. He has an entire website devoted to “age-gap love” highlighting the benefits of very young women dating older men.

Despite not knowing all the facts, my radio host created a new narrative born of empathy and by projecting his own personal values on a stranger. He diluted the seriousness of the situation and dismissed any perception of wrongdoing. Effectively, he did the opposite of what he should have done, and in so doing provided a clear example of the cultural tolerance we’re fighting every day in the anti-trafficking movement.

We know that sex buyers are the driving force of the commercial sex trade. Yet, research by Shared Hope revealed a nationwide reticence to enforcing laws against sex buyers. The struggle facing these radio hosts in declaring someone a creep is the same struggle facing our community when it comes to addressing demand. We want criminals to fit a certain profile, so that we don’t identify with their traits. Therefore, if a sex buyer is successful, handsome, likeable, friendly, married and/or a parent, society may be inclined to downplay his behavior, to believe his excuses, to empathize with his plight. We may not arrest, charge, or prosecute his behavior. Our misguided perceptions about sex predators prevent us from seeing the reality.

[easy-tweet tweet=”Our misguided perceptions about sex predators prevent us from seeing the reality.” user=”SharedHope” hashtags=”HTAwarenessMonth” url=”http://bit.ly/2jSJcJZ”]

Just like the Starbucks guy, your friendly neighborhood sex buyers know the laws:

“By the way, guys…it’s a good idea to be extra careful around the South Kukui area. Much of that area is within 750 feet of a school, which can be used to increase the potential punishments for soliciting a decoy.”

–Redneck1, Honolulu (US Sex Guide)

Just like the Starbucks guy, your handsome neighborhood sex buyers want someone young:

“Her name was Monica. She’s about 5’3, skinny, braces, A-cup, curly brunette with highlights. She looked very young. She said she was 18. I asked for ID but she doesn’t have one. I asked her birthday. There was no hesitation in her voice and I believe her… If you see her, you will enjoy.”

-Playboy69, Baltimore (US Sex Guide)

And, just like the Starbucks guy, your successful neighborhood sex buyers believe they’re doing nothing wrong:

“Looks like Savannah PD had a very productive day yesterday. They got 4 girls for prostitution and 4 guys for pandering. They even charged one guy with pimping. With shootings, robberies, and murders on an almost daily basis I am glad to see area law enforcement have their priorities straight. Get out there and bust consenting adults for harming absolutely no one!”

-PrinceAlbertco, Savannah (US Sex Guide)

These are the men who find communities online to share their sexual preferences, who create forums for discussion with like-minded guys that will encourage them to believe what they feel is: 1) normal, 2) acceptable, and 3) popular. It’s up to us to prove them wrong. So, when my kind and empathetic radio show host shared what appeared on the surface as a not-so-significant story, I felt compelled to tell him otherwise, and kindly show him why he was wrong.

The story wasn’t about commercial sex or age-gap love, it was about cultural tolerance. (Truth be told, Starbucks did what any dad would do for his kid, what any big brother or homegirl would do when a creep came around. They put the teen’s safety first, and had a cop on site to deliver their message. They handled it like a pro, and deserve to be recognized, not criticized.) In the end, I reminded him of this truth: Most of us don’t have a platform every day that reaches the masses. We’re just doing our part in our own little way with the few who will listen. Your voice matters… use it wisely, my friend.

To the reader, I say the same: Cultural change will take time and effort from us all. It will require uncomfortable conversations with friends and strangers, some of which are better had over a cup of Joe on a rainy day. In honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, it’s vital you know that your voice, your opinion, your influence matters.

[easy-tweet tweet=”It’s vital you know that your voice, your opinion, your influence matters.” user=”SharedHope” hashtags=”HTAwarenessMonth” url=”http://bit.ly/2jSJcJZ”]

By Elizabeth Scaife, Director of Training at Shared Hope International

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