SHI Staff, Author at Shared Hope International

July 14, 2015 by SHI Staff

495 Child Sex Trafficking Victims Linked to Backpage.com; Visa, MasterCard, AmEx Cut Ties With Site

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express announced that the companies will no longer be a payment option on Backpage.com, an online classified site highly criticized for its role in facilitating child sex trafficking. According to Shared Hope International, 495 victims of child sex trafficking in 46 states and D.C. have been linked to Backpage.com. A study by YouthSpark in Atlanta, Georgia, found 53% of children receiving care from service providers across the country were bought and sold for sex on Backpage.com. With the recent decision of Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, many are wondering what’s next for Backpage.com and its impact on the future of the child sex trafficking industry.

Backpage.com has been at the center of national advocacy efforts for years, with thousands calling on the site to shut down its adult entertainment section. In 2013, Village Voice Media split from the online classified site after many major advertisers pulled their ads from the publication because of its association with Backpage.com. Legislators introduced new measures to increase accountability of online advertisers, like Backpage.com. Forty-seven state attorneys general and the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) endorsed and sent a letter to Congress advocating to amend the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) to remove the barrier to state prosecution of online businesses in violation of trafficking and prostitution offenses.

Three sex trafficking victims recently appealed the dismissal of their lawsuit against Backpage.com, alleging that the site violated state and federal sex trafficking law. At least one prior case was brought against Backpage.com, in which it was able to prevail by hiding behind unintentional protections granted under the First Amendment and the CDA. This week, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey called on Backpage to shut down its adult entertainment section after 28-year-old Daniel Tejeda was indicted in the strangulation of 24-year-old Ashley Masi. Tejeda found his victim through an adult entertainment ad on Backpage.com.

Though efforts to pressure Backpage.com to shut down the adult entertainment section of the site have continued for years, the recent withdraw by credit card companies, at the request of Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, may impact Backpage.com’s pressure point: revenue. According to a spokesperson for Dart’s office, Backpage.com rakes in $9 million a month from the adult entertainment ads alone. In 2013, the site raised its prices, generating a 55 percent increase in revenue the first month.

In response to the recent shift in payment options, Backpage.com has temporarily allowed free basic ad posting. For users looking to upgrade their advertisement (i.e., automatic reposting or sponsored placement), Bitcoin, digital currency, is the only payment option. While free ads may trigger an immediate spike in new advertisements, the strategy could yield a long-term win for advocates if the company cannot identify an equally convenient alternative payment option.

“Backpage.com has one evident motive—revenue,” Linda Smith, President and Founder of Shared Hope International said. “Regardless of their intent, Backpage.com’s woeful supervision of the content of their site has enabled child sex trafficking. If law suits, legislation, letters, petitions, and now a murder won’t sway them to close down the adult services section, perhaps a hit in the pocketbook will.”

Media Contact
Taryn Offenbacher
Communications Director, Shared Hope International
602-818-3955 cell
taryn@sharedhope.org

ABOUT SHARED HOPE INTERNATIONAL: Shared Hope International leads a worldwide effort to prevent, restore, and bring justice women and children exploited through sex trafficking. For more information about Shared Hope International, visit www.sharedhope.org.

July 2, 2015 by SHI Staff

Buyers Beware: Mobilizing to End Demand

Without consequences for their actions, buyers continue to purchase sex and remain the driving force behind this industry. Shared Hope releases a bold new video that features law enforcement agents and prosecutors on what it takes to mobilize to end demand!

“One of the critical gaps in addressing sex trafficking is the failure to address demand.” – Christine Raino, Shared Hope International

Rarely Facing Consequences

Over the years there has been an overwhelming attitude of tolerance towards buyers—“the demand”—in the sex trafficking industry. This attitude stems from beliefs that buyers are justified to purchase sex, even from minors, because it is a “fair exchange,” he’s helping the victim financially, or that buyers are simply good guys caught in the wrong moment. Indeed buyers themselves have had very little reason to fear getting caught for their behavior because they have been rarely forced to face consequences that reflect the weight of their actions.

Fueling Demand

Tolerance does little to deter current and future buyers from purchasing sex. Quite the opposite, it has fueled a continual demand for more supply (victims). Overall, tolerance has been a major setback to efforts seeking to end the injustices of sex trafficking. This is why Shared Hope International is taking a stance against the tolerance for buyer behavior.

When caught, far too many buyers are simply let off the hook or, if convicted, not given severe penalties or jail time according to the Demanding Justice Report. As Sergeant Clay Sutherlin from the Phoenix Police Department explains, “There’s a large number of men out there that are looking for these girls, knowing that they can abuse them, rob them, rape them…and they’re going to get away with it.”

Shared Hope released a bold new video that features law enforcement agents and prosecutors on what it takes to mobilize to end demand!

Watch the Video

Taking Action

Visit demandingjustice.org to see news related to demand in your state. Or check out our latest report, the Arizona Field Assessment, to see how Arizona is working to fight demand through deterrence, enforcement and justice! Sign the Dear John Letter, an open letter to buyers.

Together, we can start bringing an end to demand and protecting further innocent lives from falling captive to the world of sex trafficking.

June 30, 2015 by SHI Staff

Thank you for making another year of freedom possible.

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Dear Supporters,

June 30 is a big day for us. It’s the day we close the books on the previous fiscal year and put the finishing touches on our financial commitments to restoration partners for the year ahead. It’s an exciting day at the Shared Hope offices.

And we start months in advance. Our program staff accepts partner applications, we thoroughly review and evaluate every shelter and service provider we partner with to ensure that our financial investment and technical assistance, combined with their experience and resources, ultimately make a lasting impact on those victimized and vulnerable to trafficking around the world. Every year, a few faithful supporters offer generous donations to help with this heavy financial outlay in June, they just ask that we meet or exceed their gift through our own fundraising efforts.

This year, as we geared up for our May Matching Challenge campaign, our longtime partner in Nepal was struck by two earthquakes. We helped build Asha Nepal 13 years ago and have been their primary source of support ever since. We immediately called in engineers to assess the damage and prepare a plan to rebuild and we offered immediate aid to supply the residents with emergency food and shelter.

A longtime supporter who visited Nepal to witness our programs and hosted our Nepalese guests during their month-long visit to the U.S. in 2014 immediately gave $100,000, asking that we raise a matching amount.

Honored by these great outpours of financial support, and facing one of the largest matching challenge campaigns in our history, we hit the ground running. For the first time ever, volunteers called our supporters asking for help. We extended the match by 10 days. We sent an extra letter explaining the new circumstances. We worked tirelessly to ensure we could keep the lights on at our partner homes.

Well…

We did it!

We ended the year in the black. Because of you we were able to confidently commit our financial support to 14 partner organizations in four countries.

Because of you…

Together, we will offer freedom from slavery and a loving family to women and children in Jamaica, Nepal, India and the U.S. Thank you for making another year of freedom possible.

Sincerely,

Linda Smith

May 21, 2015 by SHI Staff

How Arizona is Getting It Right: Four Ways the State is Tackling Trafficking By Focusing on the Buyer

Shared Hope International Releases New Study on Demand Deterrence, Enforcement, and Justice for Victims

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Sex trafficking is a crime unlike any other. It is one of the only crimes that allows a perpetrator to criminalize the victim by paying to commit the offense. In 36 states, including Arizona, child victims of sex trafficking can be charged with prostitution. Yet, historically, the criminals who make their victimization profitable—the buyers—walk free. But new research released today by Shared Hope International reveals that Arizona’s progressive efforts to stem demand makes the state an increasingly risky place for buyers.

“We’re seeing great activity and progress, but until buyers are serving serious jail time for their crime, we have a significant gap in our response,” Linda Smith, President and Founder of Shared Hope International said. “We want buyers to be terrified to shop for sex in Arizona and I believe the team in Arizona can make that possible if they remain relentless in their pursuit of that goal.”

The Demanding Justice Arizona Field Assessment documents the state’s attitudes and efforts to deter demand, enforce laws against buyers, and enable victim’s access to justice. Findings show that Arizona has made advancements in the following key areas:

Collaboration among law enforcement, prosecutors, service providers, media and community organizations drives a unified, cross-jurisdictional response to channel resources and information effectively.
Proactive enforcement sting operations punish offenders and cultivate an environment of increased fear and impending risk for buyers.
Financial penalties for buyers were funding victim services. This resourceful approach provides meaningful consequences for offenders—fines—while enabling much-needed services for victims.
Training and educational opportunities are widely available, advancing the scope and sophistication of anti-demand efforts.

While the state has seen great success, stakeholders expressed a desire to shift more serious attention to male sex trafficking survivors, establish a stigma of zero tolerance for the crime, and increase buyer accountability through meaningful sentences and penalties. Study participants reported that a lack of jury appeal was often attributed to the high prevalence of buyer cases that concluded in plea deals, which can result in less severe sentences. Today, Arizona leaders are convening at the Next Steps Summit to discuss these findings and build a strategy to end demand for child sex trafficking victims. Local professionals will have the opportunity to work collectively to address these key issues. Shared Hope also released Buyers Beware: Mobilizing to End Demand, a new video to inspire law enforcement and prosecutor prioritization of buyer cases.

This research is an initiative of the Demanding Justice Project, a research and advocacy initiative designed to promote demand deterrence through increased attention and advocacy on demand related issues. The Demanding Justice Report explores national trends in the enforcement of anti-demand laws and www.demandingjustice.org documents convicted buyers in each state.

Media Contact
Taryn Offenbacher
Communications Director, Shared Hope International
602-818-3955 cell
taryn@sharedhope.org

May 19, 2015 by SHI Staff

Congress Passes Landmark Bill: Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act

Arlington, VA—Today, in a landmark legislative victory, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senate package of S. 178, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. The bill will be sent to President Obama to be signed into law.

Shared Hope International has actively supported the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act since initially introduced in 2013. The JVTA is a comprehensive piece of legislation that will provide much needed funding for law enforcement and survivors, increase accountability for buyers by clarifying trafficking offenses to include their conduct and heighten penalties, and expand law enforcement investigation tools.

Shared Hope International applauds Senate leadership, particularly Senators John Cornyn, Patty Murray and Harry Reid, for reaching a bi-partisan deal last month after the bill threatened to stall and the original bill sponsors, Representatives Ted Poe and Carolyn Maloney.

“This long-awaited bill promises to revolutionize America’s response to trafficking. It set a national precedent by establishing a standard of justice that clearly addresses the sophistication of the crime and sets forth provisions victims need and deserve. I commend Congress on their unwavering commitment to bring justice to victims of trafficking,” Said Congresswoman Linda Smith, President and Founder Shared Hope International (U.S. Congress 1995-99).

MEDIA CONTACT

Taryn Offenbacher
Communications Director
703.351.8062 office / 602.818.3955 cell
Taryn@sharedhope.org
SHARED HOPE POLICY INITIATIVES

The Protected Innocence Challenge is a comprehensive study of state laws. Under the Challenge, every state receives a Report Card that grades the state on 41 key legislative components that must be addressed in a state’s laws in order to effectively respond to the crime of domestic minor sex trafficking. In addition, each state receives a complete analysis of this 41-component review and practical recommendations for improvement.

ABOUT SHARED HOPE INTERNATIONAL: Shared Hope International exists to prevent, restore, and bring justice women and children in crisis. Founded in 1998, by former U.S. Congresswoman Linda Smith, we are leaders in a worldwide effort to eradicate sex trafficking and slavery. www.sharedhope.org.

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