Awareness Archives - Page 3 of 36 - Shared Hope International

December 15, 2020 by Guest

The Gifts that Give

As I reflect on the last year, I consider my journey that included cancer, COVID-19, kids, and raising domestic minor sex trafficking awareness.

The past year, I simultaneously battled and beat breast cancer during a pandemic, while homeschooling my four children under age 9. And I continued to fight against child sex trafficking because I felt none of those obstacles could stop me from exercising my God-given gifts, talents, and abilities. I had a calling and I knew I had to pursue it.

It started about three months before my breast cancer diagnosis. I read the book “Renting Lacy” by Linda Smith and felt compelled to become an Ambassador of Hope. Once I completed my online Ambassador training, I jumped on the fast track to raise awareness by becoming involved with local Anti-Trafficking committees, hosting an event at my church, and openly sharing my passions on social media. Knowing what I now knew, I had to act to take action. As I learned more about DMST, the more I wanted to stop it. It felt exhilarating serving with others who had a similar calling in life. It felt rewarding doing the work with a sense of purpose.

That’s how my journey as an Ambassador began. I felt a sense of satisfaction and purpose and passion again, beyond my role as a mother. I love my four children (ages 7, 3, and 18-month-old twins at the time), but I longed to utilize and exercise my gifts, and to share them with others. I embrace my role as mommy, but knew I had another calling in life – to do more, be more, say more. I knew I had to set an example for my kids, my friends, my community. I knew that children and other victims of sex trafficking needed a voice. I had that voice, and the faith and confidence to use it. I knew that I had to speak up and exercise my God-given gifts!

But then came a breast cancer diagnosis. Everything I wanted to pursue halted. I had to begin chemotherapy treatments and focus on my health and my family. The work had to go on hold and it devastated me. But the work didn’t really stop. My team of fellow advocates kept working and raising awareness and I stood by cheering them on. I couldn’t wait to get back in the game. Cancer couldn’t stop me, but it temporarily slowed me down.

I continued supporting the cause throughout my chemotherapy treatments. In between surgery and radiation treatments, I facilitated virtual meetings and events amidst the shutdown. I juggled motherhood and cancer treatments and covid craziness while continuing the fight against human trafficking. Victims of trafficking don’t have the luxury of taking a break, so I felt I needed to continue advocating for them, to the best of my ability, no matter what was going on in my own life. This is not to boast but to share with you what empowered me: it is a disservice to ourselves and the world to suppress our gifts and talents! I knew I had a calling from God and I couldn’t take that lightly. I had to live out my faith, one of my greatest and most treasured gifts in life. I had to show my friends and my community, that no matter my circumstances, the issue of child sex trafficking matters enough to keep talking about it and doing something about it. I felt God was with me to do that.

So now a year later, I have battled and beat cancer living the verse in Psalm 71:7 NLT: “My life is an example to many, because GOD has been my strength and protection.” I reflect on the chaos of the year and how God continued to give me strength for His Good and His Glory. I moved my faith to action by decisions, and as a result, He has produced in me perseverance, character, and hope as in Romans 5:4 NLT.

Can you think of obstacles in your life that have prevented you from using your gifts? There are so many ways that you can pursue your calling and exercise your gifts too. Take a leap of faith and see where it takes you.

Consider and identify your talents and abilities. What gifts has God given you? How can you use them for good?
Answer the calling, whatever that is for you, and it will show your faith through your actions. Shared Hope has so many ways to take action https://sharedhope.org/takeaction/
Who can you invite to also become an Ambassador of Hope? This is a great place to start building a team. https://sharedhope.org/aoh/

I promise your gifts will be a gift to others.

By Grace Witchey, Ambassador of Hope

December 4, 2020 by Guest

Combating Human Trafficking in and out of Uniform

My name is Mary Kate (Donnell) Soliva and I am a volunteer Ambassador of Shared Hope International. I am also a Special Operations soldier currently serving in the US Army. I joined the fight to combat human trafficking in 2012 while a student at the University of Guam.

After hearing about the first known human trafficking case on Guam, I felt called to do something. I empowered others to spread awareness, volunteered as a victim advocate, and started a fund for survivors. I stood alongside students, local leaders, and members of the community at main intersections in Guam with a message saying, “It’s Happening”. This prompted people to ask what was happening and we would proceed to explain that human trafficking exists. We worked tirelessly to meet with local Rotary Clubs and Politicians to discuss the myths that often surround human trafficking, how to support survivors, and resources to educate others. I volunteered to assist the US Attorney of Guam and the local Human Trafficking Task Force. It was during our trip to Palau where I first met former Congresswoman and founder of Shared Hope International, Linda Smith. I was amazed at the work she was doing globally and continue to support her efforts to this day. As a soldier, I was able to help establish a Human Trafficking Task Force outside of Fort Detrick, Maryland. Throughout my career as a soldier, I coordinated training for hundreds of military personnel on the impact and signs of sex trafficking.

What if you had the resources to conduct training with those in your local community? If you are in the military, will you take the opportunity to train other servicemembers about human trafficking? Many of us lead busy lives, but there is a way to support and get involved in the fight against human trafficking. As a volunteer Ambassador of Shared Hope International, I provide knowledge and training to other servicemembers and my community. I am just one person but imagine how much more we could accomplish if we all answered the call to stop the demand of sex trafficking. While I was deployed, I had the privilege of providing awareness about human trafficking to fellow servicemembers and the host nation. Having a conversation is a great start in prevention and it could make all the difference to someone. This is not a fight just for those wearing the uniform, but a call to serve for everyone around the world.

Things you can do right now:

Have a conversation with those you know about human trafficking and find out how much they know.
Learn about local resources and services in your area that help survivors of sex trafficking.
Become a volunteer Ambassador of Hope and join the fight against human trafficking.

Other Resource: Renting Lacy

Mary Kate (Donnell) Soliva
Special Operations/ US Army
Trained Ambassador of Hope

September 24, 2020 by Marissa Gunther

Announcing Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking; grades based on an advanced legislative framework. Coming Nov 18, 2020

Many of you have met Brianna…

She was just 18 years old, a straight A student with dreams of becoming a nurse, when a trafficker made his move and began to groom her in preparation to sell her into the underworld of commercial sexual exploitation. Through the intervention of a high school friend and his father, the quick actions of a law enforcement officer, and Shared Hope founder and President Linda Smith, she was able to see that this friendship was not what it appeared to be. Her community recognized the red flags and prevented her exploitation.

Ten years later, Brianna continues to bravely tell her story, partnering with Shared Hope International to raise a voice of awareness so that other youth can be spared. Unfortunately, there are countless stories of children who suffer outcomes far less positive and end up falling victim to the evil in this world, with traffickers and buyers dragging them into the nightmare of commercial sex trafficking. The struggle of these survivors continues even after they leave their trafficking situation as many are often misidentified as criminals themselves, interfering with critical access to holistic care and services while the buyers suffer far fewer consequences.

Survivors like Zephi^[1]…

Zephi was a typical, happy, hard-working 16-year-old junior in high school when she met her trafficker. She was sociable, participating in community activities, including her church’s worship team, a select fastpitch softball league, and her high school drill team.

However, after an abusive boyfriend introduced her to drugs, her outlook and demeanor quickly changed due to the new emotional, mental, and physical challenges she now faced. She also would run away from home. As Zephi’s life continued to “spiral,” her community was unable to prevent what happened next.

In May of 2019, an adult acquaintance began grooming her for sex trafficking. Through use of coercive tactics such as drugs, violence, and death threats, Zephi’s trafficker forced her to participate in commercial sexual acts with other adults, resulting in her being repeatedly raped by buyers. This heinous cycle of commercial sexual exploitation ended after her trafficker killed one of the buyers. Because Zephi was present during the murder, however, she was arrested and charged alongside her trafficker for capital murder.

After enduring pain, suffering, and exploitation during her trafficking victimization, she is now being charged with a crime. How is this justice? Sympathizing with her situation is not enough; we must act.

We are committed to taking action until every survivor receives justice. Zephi’s case is another reason why Shared Hope’s work to change laws that bring justice and ensure protective responses to victims is so critically important. For the past decade, Shared Hope has graded states on their success in enacting fundamental laws to address child sex trafficking. The Protected Innocence Challenge project was our vision for mobilizing states to improve legislation that impacts the sex trafficking of minors. Ten years of grassroots mobilization, advocacy, technical assistance, and consistent collaboration has allowed this vision to largely become reality.

Now, we begin a new decade focused on achieving State Action. National Change. through the legislative changes that will result from guidance provided through Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking. The advanced legislative framework for the Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking will be officially released on Wednesday, November 18, 2020.

So what is the advanced framework for the Report Cards on Child and Youth Sex Trafficking? It builds on the Protected Innocence Challenge state report card projects, identifying 40 key points of law, grouped into six issue areas, necessary under state law to provide a protective response to child and youth survivors of sex trafficking. All states now have a child sex trafficking law, and most states have made significant progress in providing laws that protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable; collectively, the country has made significant progress in those policy goals. However, little has been done to address and fund specialized services for victims or to adequately address root causes, including demand.

The past decade has led to new research and opportunities to listen to survivors, bringing ever increasing clarity to laws and policies that must be in place to finally put an end to the sex trafficking of minors. Now is the time to raise the bar and challenge states to enact the policies encompassed in the advanced framework for the Report Cards, which will support the ability of survivors to access care, opportunities to heal, and protection against future harm. Now, we begin a new decade focused on achieving State Action. National Change. through the legislative changes that will result from guidance provided through Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking.

The advanced legislative framework for the Report Cards on Child and Youth Sex Trafficking will be officially released on Wednesday, November 18, 2020

In the meantime, please join us for the JuST LIVE! State Action. National Change webinar series, which will run throughout October free of charge for anyone who wants to learn more about how to effectively fight child and youth sex trafficking. The webinar series aligns with six issue areas that hang on an advanced legislative framework.

Issue Areas Include:

Criminal Provisions: Clear criminal laws, including those that criminalize buyers of sex with children, are needed to ensure all sex trafficking offenders can be held accountable.
Identification of and Response to Victims: State laws must identify all commercially sexually exploited children as victims of trafficking and provide for a protective, rather than punitive response.
Continuum of Care: To break the cycle of exploitation, state laws must provide victims access to funded, trauma-informed services.
Access to Justice for Trafficking Survivors: A range of civil and criminal justice remedies must be available for victims under the law.
Tools for a Victim-Centered Criminal Justice Response: Criminal justice procedures for the benefit and protection of victims must be provided under the law.
Prevention and Training: To help prevent trafficking and promote more just responses to child sex trafficking victims, training for child welfare, juvenile justice, law enforcement, prosecutors and school personnel, and prevention education for students, must be required by law.

Please participate in this important experience — and share the registration information on all your channels!

To stay up to date on this exciting project, sign up here to guarantee the advanced framework will be delivered directly to you the moment it is released on November 18^th!

To support implementation of the advanced legislative framework for the Report Cards on Child and Youth Sex Trafficking, our Policy Team will remain available to provide rapid technical assistance to support legislators, advocates, and state agencies; technical assistance requests can be submitted here.

DirectlyTo, Zephaniah Trevinos Defense Fund, https://go.sharedhope.org/e/234702/phaniah-trevinos-defense-fund-/k4d74/307424383?h=WZ-miPH5rhOSTaJQE4-OkhEy2Q4WePnS3vBQjdxJtdk(last visited Sept. 23, 2020).

July 29, 2020 by Marissa Gunther

Honoring First Responders This World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – July 30

(Brianna, Survivor Leader, has a special message for law enforcement)

For the past 20 years, Shared Hope International has been working to bring justice to vulnerable adults and children who have survived and overcome being commercially sexually exploited. Our small but powerful team of 18 staffers has managed to secure a global network and reach, leading prevention strategies, restoration programs, and justice initiatives to combat trafficking in the United States and abroad.

The women and children we serve are no strangers to having their lives turned upside down, and as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc, many of the women and children we serve domestically are being made more vulnerable as resources are cut off with the reality of school closings, lack of childcare, layoffs, and more.

Due to the limitations on schooling and resources caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a substantial increase in screen time for children; with limited ability of parents to supervise all online educational programming, there is an increased vulnerability to online exploitation. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has experienced a 90.46% increase in CyberTipline (the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children) reports of suspected child sexual abuse between January and June 2020 versus the same time period in 2019.

Unfortunately, we’re hearing from our law enforcement friends and our community-based partners that sex traffickers and buyers aren’t slowing down during this pandemic and are continuing to entrap more vulnerable youth with false promises. Despite the challenges that have risen during these uniquely challenging times, our resolve to protect children and restore survivors has only strengthened and we will not quit until every child is safe.

That’s why we support this year’s United Nations’ global plan of action which includes concrete actions to prevent trafficking in persons, protect and assist victims, prosecute related crimes and strengthen partnerships among Governments, civil society organizations and the private sector, including the media. The Action Plan also includes the decision to establish a United Nations voluntary trust fund for victims of trafficking in persons, especially women and children, to be managed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Additionally, the issue of human trafficking will be mainstreamed into broader United Nations policies and programs on economic and social development, human rights, the rule of law, good governance, education, and natural disaster and post-conflict reconstruction.

The UN’s global plan of action includes World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and this year’s theme focuses on recognizing the work of first responders. These are the people who work in different sectors – identifying, supporting, counseling and seeking justice for victims of trafficking, and challenging the impunity of the traffickers. During COVID-19, the role of first responders has become even more important, particularly as the restrictions imposed by the pandemic have made their work even more difficult. Still, their contribution is often overlooked and unrecognized.

(Rev. Marian Hatcher, Survivor Leader and Ambassador-At-Large for United Nations, on working with law enforcement)

We see this day not just as an occasion, but as an opportunity to educate the public about the scourge of human trafficking and to mobilize a political force and the resources needed to truly address the source of the problem. We are running full speed towards the UN’s call to action. Everyone, not just first responders and government entities, can take action to stop trafficking before it ever happens.

So what can you do to support World Day Against Trafficking on July 30th? Consider the following actions as a great place to start.

Celebrate and highlight the work of first responders in your county, community or organization.
Share, like, and comment on our World Day social media posts or messages about World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
Offer to volunteer or donate to services that provide on-the-ground assistance and protection to victims of trafficking. For more ideas, check out Shared Hope’s Action Center for simple take action tools and ways to give.

We hope you will join our team at Shared Hope International as we stand with the UN on World Day Against Trafficking, carrying forward our mission to end this evil. We believe that together we can end human trafficking once and for all.

July 1, 2020 by Guest

It Begins With Me

I learned about the sex trafficking of minors in the United States while serving as an active duty military officer. I was heartbroken to learn that while I was serving my county, supporting peacetime and wartime operations overseas, another war was raging at home. The casualties – countless American children. Every day, American children are manipulated, groomed, and exploited, often while they are in the confines of where they feel the safest. Like so many others I have since encountered, I was aware of human trafficking overseas but completely naive to what was happening right in front of me within the borders of my own country. Anger, sadness, hopelessness, and even fear were some of the emotions that attacked my mind. So, what do I do now? What do I do with these profound emotions? How can I take all this raw emotion and put it somewhere that can make a difference? Who am I to think I can do anything anyway; this feels like it will crush me?

It starts with me and my sphere of influence. As I wrestled with my emotions, I realized that pretending the sex trafficking of American children was not happening was not an option. I had fought for so many other things in my life, if I was not willing to fight for our children, what was the point? I also quickly learned that I was certainly not alone in my hunger for education, restoration, and justice. Organizations, like Shared Hope International, are attacking this atrocity with a holistic approach that includes providing the support volunteers need to make a difference in their communities. As an Ambassador of Hope you are not alone. You are part of a bigger team and the tools and support are there to empower you to bring the fight to your own community.

For more information on becoming an Ambassador of Hope, visit: https://sharedhope.org/aoh/

Now you have the tools, but what do you do with them? Start small! For me, my fight began with carrying flyers in my bag. If I had the opportunity to talk to someone about sex trafficking, I had a flyer for them with more information. The lady in the grocery line, the girl working the register in my favorite clothing store, and even my doctor. A flyer for all of them. As I learned more, and became more confident, my timid beginning handing out flyers evolved into opportunities to provide training to military members, churches, and middle/high schools. I have had the opportunity to mentor high school students and set up educational tables. While stationed in Hawaii, I was able to volunteer with a phenomenal organization, Ho`ōla Nā Pua, a nonprofit located on Oahu committed to the prevention of child sex trafficking and providing care for children who have been exploited. It was through this organization that I discovered Shared Hope International. These two organizations changed my life in a profound way, and I will never stop fighting for our children.

My life has evolved and so has my sphere of influence. It is smaller, at least for now. I am no longer an active duty military officer but a stay at home mom with two young boys! Turns out being a parent really is the hardest job! I find myself having to start small again and slowly the doors are beginning to crack open. That’s okay. Life changes and the way we are able to fight, as individuals, changes too. Instead of providing training for a room packed full of active duty military members, now I might be having an intimate conversation with fellow members of a mom’s club. It can be difficult for me to lead training and participate in education events, but I can build presentations and send emails. That’s my sphere for now and I am learning to be okay with that. While my sphere has changed, perhaps the biggest change is the why I am committed to fighting sex trafficking. Having children of my own has brought the reality of what we are fighting against home in an even more powerful way. When I look at my sweet babies’ faces, I know there are people out there who would exploit and abuse them, and frankly, it brings me to my knees. But in that fear, I find the strength to keep supporting Shared Hope International and their commitment to “Invade the Darkness.” In the end, the fight starts with me and my commitment to fight within whatever sphere of influence I find myself.

Together we save lives!