SHI Staff, Author at Shared Hope International

May 21, 2014 by SHI Staff

Unanimous Bipartisan Support Results in Passage of 5 Anti-trafficking Bills

Shared Hope commends Congress’ support of critical anti-trafficking legislation, marking a monumental achievement for anti-trafficking advocates

PRESS RELEASE

Arlington, VA (May 21, 2014)—Shared Hope International, a leading anti-trafficking organization, commends the remarkable bipartisan support of the U.S. House of Representatives in passing a series of five bills that will strengthen America’s response to child victims of sex trafficking. The bills include:

H.R. 3530, Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA)
H.R. 3610, Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2013 (SETT)
H.R. 4058, Preventing Sex Trafficking and Improving Opportunities for Youth in Foster Care Act
H.R. 4225, Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act of 2014 (SAVE)
H.R. 4573, International Megan’s Law

“We’re excited to see a growing intolerance for the factors that make trafficking flourish: demand for commercial sex with minors, online classified sites that facilitate the sale of children, and a disregard for the protection from exploitation of homeless, runaway and foster youth,” Linda Smith, President and Founder of Shared Hope International said.

Shared Hope International worked closely with the sponsors and co-sponsors of the bills, especially Shared Hope 2013 Pathbreaker Award recipient Rep. Judge Ted Poe, to draft and secure support for H.R. 3530, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. The bill includes key provisions to deter demand for commercial sex with minors by clarifying the current sex trafficking law; encouraging police, prosecutors, judges and juries to target and punish buyers; and reducing affirmative defenses under the Mann Act for buyers by requiring them to show clear and convincing evidence that the buyer believed the child was an adult.

“Shared Hope International’s demand research, promotion of pioneering efforts of federal prosecutors to prosecute buyers, and encouragement of federal legislators to solidify these gains through statute has been fortified through the critical demand provisions addressed in the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act,” Smith said. “This monumental victory aligns advocacy efforts, legislative priorities and law enforcement tactics to create an unshakable foundation of protection for America’s victimized and vulnerable.”

Congress’ unanimous support for five anti-trafficking bills is a reflection of the prioritization of child sex trafficking by federal legislators, initiated substantially by the leadership of Rep. Chris Smith, the original author of the foundational anti-trafficking law, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA). Today, as the scope and sophistication of trafficking networks advance, so do legislative solutions. The passage of International Megan’s Law tracks with global concerns about traveling sex offenders and the widespread problem of child trafficking. H.R. 3610, the SAVE Act, recognizes the increasing role of online classified websites in facilitating child sex trafficking. H.R. 4058 attempts to block the foster care to trafficking pipeline.

May 19, 2014 by SHI Staff

Thank You Chris Gay

The following Blog Post was written by Defenders Co-Chairman, Nick Lembo.

In fighting Sex Trafficking, one man can make a difference. One man heard me speak in Washington DC, and things changed for the Defenders USA in fighting sex trafficking. The smallest of actions can add up to major changes in our culture.

What might appear to be a small decision led to a tipping point for major developments in the Defenders Program. One man was instrumental in leading the Defenders USA in their work with the trucking industry. His name is Chris Gay. He is one of our Defenders and this month we wish to celebrate his actions. He’s an active leader of The Defenders USA who is living in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

At one of my Defender’s classes in Washington D.C., Chris heard me say, “We want to get Linda Smith’s book Renting Lacy into the hands of truck drivers.” Earlier that year one of our Defender’s paid to create an audiobook version of Renting Lacy. Our intention was to educate the trucking industry through the audiobook. There seemed no better way than to provide information that truckers could simply listen to on their long hauls. However, we didn’t have the connections to get the book into the transportation industry.

Chris took it upon himself to work some contacts he had in the trucking industry. It led to a meeting with the CEO of one of the nation’s largest trucking companies. In that discussion, we discovered the trucking industry was beginning to recognize the need to implement training to stop the trafficking of our nation’s youth. They invited us to partner with them in creating materials to inform their employees.

We are now going to help this trucking company in three ways;

Debunk the myths surrounding domestic minor sex trafficking
Teach them how to identify victims
Provide ways for them to respond when they see trafficking occurring

Because of Chris’s actions, things are transpiring in a major trucking company with potentially widespread repercussions. Who knows what could be next?

Don’t underestimate your value in fighting sex trafficking in the United States. The smallest of actions all add up to major changes in our culture. Chris is a living example of that.

THANK YOU CHRIS!

-Nick Lembo and The Defenders USA

May 15, 2014 by SHI Staff

Boko Haram Shines Global Spotlight on Women’s Education

Congressman William Keating remarked that women constitute half of the Earth’s population and serve as the sole caretaker in many households, and yet they “continue to be 2/3 of the world’s illiterate population,” at last month’s Women’s Education hearing “Promoting Development, Countering Radicalism.”

The recent kidnapping of 276 Nigerian schoolgirls by the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, which name translates roughly to “Western education is forbidden,” shines a global spotlight on education for women. While many are denied access to education due to financial or family obligations; the victims in the Nigerian kidnapping were denied and punished for receiving education. In a recently released video, a man claiming to be Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, threatens to sell the girls and says “Girls, you should go and get married.”

The mounting pressure on females seeking to gain education has reached America as traffickers target U.S. teens to be sold in local trafficking markets. Traffickers target girls in their early teens to meet a demand for commercial sex with young females. The girls are banned from attending school or developing critical job skills necessary to participate in a competitive job market once they escape.

Humera Khan was encouraged by her father to travel from South Asia to the United States saying “education is enough for you to break social norms.” On April 3 she addressed the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the power of educating women, saying education gave her the power to regain control of her own life, as well as inspire and empower her to continue moving towards success. Today, Khan is the Executive Director of an independent research organization. She suggested looking for education solutions and resources locally where people are more likely to invest in the women and girls of their own community.

Education not only allows for career advancement, it builds self-confidence, capability, empowerment and analytical decision making skills that impact every aspect of a woman’s life. It is important to offer educational opportunities to sex trafficking survivors to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge, confidence, and independence to regain control of their lives. Some restoration programs assist young girls and women in returning to high school, obtaining her GED, or enrolling in college. Combining educational opportunities with vocational training programs like the Women’s Investment Network equips young girls and women to become responsible and financially sound once employment is gained.

Shared Hope recognizes the value of education in the restoration process. We created Terry’s House to offer survivors an affordable housing option so they can focus their time, effort and resources on their education.

Read Shamere’s story of overcoming her trafficker to return to school.

March 28, 2014 by SHI Staff

Gang Sex Trafficking on the Rise

A nationwide trend shows an alarming increase of gang involvement in human trafficking. In August 2013, Portland State University released a much anticipated study on the scope of child sex trafficking in Portland, OR that revealed 49.1 percent of youth in the study had been exploited by gang members, are affiliated gang members or indicated that gang influence plays a large part in their lives.

The 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment prepared by the FBI’s National Gang Intelligence Center states “Over the past year, federal, state, and local law enforcement officials in at least 35 states and U.S territories have reported that gangs in their jurisdictions are involved in alien smuggling, human trafficking, or prostitution.”

On January 8, 2014, 24 alleged North Park gang members and associates were charged as members of a racketeering conspiracy that included cross-country sex trafficking of underage girls and women which occurred in 46 cities across 23 states.

The BMS gang was formed as a result of cooperation between these gangs, and the members took on different responsibilities within the criminal enterprise, according to the indictment. Some managed the prostitutes and transported them all over the country; some forcefully coerced these women into prostitution and maintained their obedience and loyalty through acts of violence; some handled the money; some placed advertisements to generate business or booked motel rooms in which acts of prostitution took place; and others distributed drugs.

Gangs operate sex trafficking rings as a relatively low-risk, high-profit criminal enterprise. Unlike drugs or weapons, people can be sold repeatedly. Gangs use promises of protection, status, easy money, loyalty and material possessions to lure girls into the gang. Once initiated into the gang, she is often sexual exploited within the gang by the gang members and is sold to others to increase revenue for the gang. In a majority of gang hierarchical structures, females are the lowest ranking members with no power or control. If a girl decides she wants out of the gang, members use force, violence, threats and intimidation to secure her loyalty and prevent her from escaping.

The gangs here in the United States are not allowing new female members. So, any time that females are hanging out with gangs, the reality is that they’re probably using them for something, there is some sort of exploitation, whether it’s sexual exploitation or they’re using them to carry drugs or guns or steal things, whatever it is that the gang may need them to do. But females are not typically allowed to make decisions for the gang, they’re not involved in the hierarchy of the gang. They may believe that they’re members, but they’re not viewed by the male members as equals.- Detective Bill Woolf, Fairfax Gang Enforcement Unit

In response to this emerging trend, Shared Hope International released a new training video on gang trafficking, Gang TRAP. The video uses interviews with law enforcement agents, service providers and victims to explain how gangs recruit victims, why gang trafficking is becoming increasingly common, and how law enforcement agents and service providers can identify and respond to this new threat. Additionally, Shared Hope released Chosen Gang Edition to teach teens the warnings signs and dangers of gang involvement.

March 24, 2014 by SHI Staff

Mrs. Minnesota and ShopHQ Host Holds Auction for Shared Hope

Shared Hope International established the Ambassador of Hope program to educate, equip and connect dedicated activists to meaningful service opportunities so they can impact their community and the movement of sex trafficking.

Shared Hope Ambassador, Wendi Russo, decided to use her skills, talents and influence to make a difference. Wendi Russo has been a host on ShopHQ for nine years, presenting fashion, beauty products, and jewelry. Wendi was named Mrs. Minnesota United States in 2010.

Wendi learned about the prevalence of child sex trafficking through Facebook.

I didn’t understand how laws were just changing to name a child as a victim rather than being arrested for prostitution. I see so many walks for breast cancer and every kind of cancer, but not a lot of publicity and action taken to create awareness around child trafficking and sexual exploitation.

As a mother, Wendi related to the grave fear of losing a child to the violent and consuming commercial sex industry.

Reading the stories of victims, seeing women who were victimized as children stepping forward after horrific experiences to tell their story and help others, broke my heart for all of the children who continue to be abused and manipulated. As a mother to a 9-year old, my greatest fear is for her to be abducted, manipulated or sold. I imagined the pain of a child having their own family use them to produce pornography and physically sell them… I wanted to do something.

Despite Wendi’s desire to contribute towards the anti-trafficking movement, she didn’t always have support in her efforts.

Being a former pageant competitor, I would have pageant coaches tell me that [sex trafficking] was not a topic that judges wanted to hear about in the interview room, but I feel it is one of the most important problems facing our children today. They need protection. They need education on how to avoid being manipulated and laws that also protect them…

Using her experience in the fashion industry, Wendi started an online auction through A-List Treasures to help raise money. Thanks to the help of friends, all expenses are covered, allowing 100% of the proceeds to be donated to Shared Hope International.

I love fashion and chose to host an online auction with Celebrity Auction Website A-List Treasures (http://www.alisttreasures.com/). I have listed designer or pageant clothing, accessories, makeup artist lessons, makeup, jewelry, and recruited help and donations from national and state titleholders to help bring attention to the topic across pageant systems, with the goal of raising more money.

I hope to make a small financial impact in what Shared Hope International does…but more than that, I hope to raise awareness, help remove the stigma of talking about sexual abuse issues, and give hope to those who feel no one cares about them. Because guess what? I do.

If you are interested in participating in the auction, visit: http://alisttreasures.com/Browse/R159831/Pageant_Queen_Auction

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