In The News Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Shared Hope International

July 10, 2019 by SHI Staff

2019 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report – Our International Reflection

2019 Visit to new Village of Hope in India

By Nancy Winston, Vice President, Shared Hope International

Each year at this time the TIP report lands with a thud. The huge undertaking by the U.S. Department of State to define the state of human trafficking world wide used to represent a couple pounds of paper on my desk and now is a virtual thud on my computer. While I have interest in this report and trafficking writ large, I am always drawn to look more closely at those where Shared Hope has had a presence. While the report talks mostly about what the governments are doing, there is always acknowledgement of NGO activity at some level within the sections that discuss Protection and Prevention—and yet, it is impossible to see in a report like TIP the real difference that an NGO like Shared Hope has made and is continuing to make.

Human trafficking awareness was only beginning to impact the global conscience, beginning with books like Kevin Bales’ Disposable People, about 20 years ago. Remarkably, that is also when child sex trafficking came to the attention of a member of Congress who would found Shared Hope, making us one of the first NGOs to establish programs for protection and prevention in India and Nepal. Those early efforts were quickly followed by establishing resources in Fiji, South Africa and Jamaica. It is gratifying and humbling to realize how much Shared Hope was already doing by the time the first TIP report was produced 3 years later. While certainly not able to do the extensive evaluation that the Department of State subsequently did, Shared Hope learned enough to quickly address needs for protection and prevention —not for all, of course—but for some, giving birth to our motto of “one life at a time.” [easy-tweet tweet=”Shared Hope learned enough to quickly address needs for protection and prevention —not for all, of course—but for some, giving birth to our motto of one life at a time.” user=”SharedHope” hashtags=”SharedHope” url=”https://sharedhope.org/2019/07/10/2019-trafficking-in-persons-tip-report-our-international-reflection/” template=”dark”]

This spring I had the privilege of returning to India, Nepal and Jamaica to evaluate our support of partners in those countries doing the work on the ground. Our relationship with these groups goes back over much of these two decades of the anti-human trafficking movement and illustrates the value of Shared Hope’s investment in protection and prevention. In India, one partner established an academy specifically for young women who were little ones rescued from the brothel when we first met them; now they are being trained in disciplines specifically intended to equip them (academically, emotionally, psychologically) to be some of the first females to go from the brothels of India to leadership in the country. Another partner in India has taken on the role of legal guardian for children whose mothers are still trapped in the brothel until those moms can get free. During the period of guardianship (which for most is many years), they make sure the moms and children continue to have regular times to spend together and work on their relationship with the hope of re-unification someday. In Nepal, the rescued children we met in those early years have graduated college, or married, or pursued careers of service to give others the gift of freedom. In Jamaica, our partner is teaching 13 year olds who have had babies due to incest or rape how to mother, and helping take care of those babies as well. [easy-tweet tweet=”In Nepal, the rescued children we met in those early years have graduated college, or married, or pursued careers of service to give others the gift of freedom.” user=”SharedHope” hashtags=”SharedHope” url=”https://sharedhope.org/2019/07/10/2019-trafficking-in-persons-tip-report-our-international-reflection/” template=”dark”]

I’m proud of the fact that our Department of State continues to challenge the world to do better, but what is most inspiring to me is the privilege of seeing how improvements are occurring on the micro-level such as the ones Shared Hope has been able to touch, one life at a time.

June 20, 2019 by Guest

2019 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Release

By Matthew Quandt, Legal Fellow

Today, the U.S. Department of State released the 19^thannual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was joined by John Cotton Richmond, the Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking-in-Persons, and Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President, honored 8 individuals as TIP Report Heroes in recognition for their unique contributions to fighting human trafficking worldwide.

The TIP Report is a federally-mandated annual report instituted by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). The report collects information from U.S. embassies, government officials, nongovernmental and international organizations, published reports, news articles, studies, and research to evaluate the efforts of 187 countries around the world in the fight against human trafficking. Shared Hope contributed to the report.

As in prior years, the Report categorizes countries into four tiers based upon their efforts to combat human trafficking (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 2 Watch List, and Tier 3), and mandates as a significant penalty the restriction of U.S. foreign aid funds for those countries which fall within Tier 3. In line with the TVPA’s recommendations, President Trump restricted Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 foreign aid to countries designated as Tier 3 by the 2018 TIP Report, and will likely take similar action this fall against countries designated as Tier 3 by the 2019 TIP Report. With the release of the 2019 TIP Report, Bhutan, Cuba, The Gambia, and Saudi Arabia each fell to the Tier 3 designation, while Belize, Bolivia, Gabon, and Laos saw their recent efforts rewarded with an upgrade onto the Tier 2 Watch List from their prior position on Tier 3.

Differing from past TIP Reports, which have broadly focused on transnational human trafficking and the forced movement of people from one country to another, the 2019 TIP Report intentionally focuses on trafficking that remains within the borders of a single country. The Report explains that it is always “easier to look outward and call on other governments to act; it takes much more resolution and political will for governments to look inward and stop traffickers, including their own citizens, from exploiting victims who have not crossed an international border.” The Report cites findings that “the clear majority of traffickers were citizens of the countries where they were convicted” and that “traffickers exploit 77 percent of all victims in the victims’ countries of residence,” while acknowledging that victims of sex trafficking are more likely to face transnational human trafficking than are victims of forced labor.

This focus on internal trafficking supports Shared Hope’s strategic priority on policy efforts to counter domestic minor sex trafficking within the United States since 2005. Although human trafficking is unquestionably a global issue, and Shared Hope has continued to support efforts in many countries outside of the U.S., we chose to target the trafficking of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents on U.S. soil in an effort to make critical policy and services changes within our own country (estimates place the number of current trafficking victims within the United States at over 400,000¹). Our vision is to coordinate a national network of protection services to improve the quality of response available to sex trafficking victims while also bringing justice through criminal enforcement, deterrence of demand, and survivor involvement in the effort to end sex trafficking. Shared Hope also conducts trafficking-related research and publishes resources to aid federal and state legislators in drafting victim-centered legislation. See the Resources page for more information: https://sharedhope.org/resources/.

The United States has ranked itself as Tier 1 each year since its first inclusion in the TIP Report in 2010; receiving a Tier 1 ranking, however, “does not mean that a country has no human trafficking problem or that it is doing enough to address the problem.” While the TIP Report acknowledges the efforts made to-date by lawmakers, law enforcement, and service providers in combatting human trafficking locally, it also acknowledges there is still much work to be done. The Report urges that “officials across government should work to challenge stereotypes of a typical victim of human trafficking.” For example, the United States must continue to increase appropriate training and clarity provided to law enforcement and prosecutors in cases in which human trafficking victims are compelled by their trafficker to commit illegal offenses (“victim-offender intersectionality”). “Forced criminality takes the form of begging, prostitution, cannabis cultivation, and theft, among others. An untrained law enforcement officer or benefits adjudicator may not realize an individual is a victim of human trafficking before making an arrest or a decision on available benefits. These assumptions can also make victims more reluctant to seek help. Proactive efforts to recognize and mitigate these assumptions are therefore critical.”

Below is a summary of countries whose Tier status in the 2019 TIP Report changed from 2018. To read the entire TIP Report, visit the State Department website: https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-trafficking-in-persons-report/

Moves Up (24 countries)

From Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 2
Chad
Eswatini
Guatemala
Guinea
Haiti
Hong Kong
Kuwait
Macau
Madagascar
Mali
Mongolia
Niger
Nigeria
Senegal
Seychelles
Suriname
Tajikistan
Togo
Zimbabwe
St. Maarten* (*last year was a “Special Case” due to damage caused by Hurricane Irma)

From Tier 3 to Tier 2 Watch List
Belize
Bolivia
Gabon
Laos

Moves Down (25 countries)

From Tier 1 to Tier 2
Aruba
Denmark
Germany
Italy
Poland
Slovakia

From Tier 2 to Tier 2 Watch List
Afghanistan
Azerbaijan
Barbados
Brunei
Cambodia
Congo, Republic of the
Curaçao
Kazakhstan
Lesotho
Malawi
Marshall Islands
Romania
Sri Lanka
Tanzania
Vietnam

From Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 3
Bhutan
Cuba
The Gambia
Saudi Arabia

Sources

¹ https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/2018/findings/country-studies/united-states/

January 10, 2017 by Christine Raino

Backpage.com Shuts Down “Adult” Section as Victims Pursue Justice

Overnight, Backpage.com announced the shutdown of its “adult services” section of the classifieds website. This announcement came on the eve of Backpage.com’s executives and general counsel appearing at a hearing today before the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) to answer questions about the committee’s report stating that Backpage.com knowingly posted advertisements for the sale of sex trafficked children. Citing statistics from Shared Hope International and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that help demonstrate the scope of child sex trafficking occurring online, Senator Portman explained that the PSI report released this week provides substantial evidence that Backpage.com not only allowed advertisements for sex with children to be posted, but that the company employed “editing practices” that sanitized those advertisements and hid the sex trafficking of children from public view, and potentially from law enforcement.

When Backpage.com executives appeared on Capitol Hill this morning to testify before the subcommittee about the company’s participation in facilitating online sex trafficking, they declined to answer questions, asserting protections under the First and Fifth Amendments. While Backpage.com executives refused to testify, families of trafficking survivors testified and shared the stories of their collective 14 years fighting for their children who were trafficked on Backpage.com. Holding back tears, the parents of child sex trafficking survivors testified about the harm done to their children in an effort to help protect other children being exploited online through websites like Backpage.com. Senator McCaskill stated at today’s hearing, “We now know as a result of our legal battle that they did not turn away ads of children…they just tried to sanitize it…That is the definition of evil.”

Linda Smith, Shared Hope International President and Founder said after attending the hearing, “I was moved by the heartbreaking stories of these families who suffered immense pain as a result of their children being sold on Backpage.com. Their stories make it clear, even though we celebrate the closure of Backpage.com’s adult section, we can’t stop fighting until victims get the legal justice they deserve and Backpage.com can no longer hide behind the Communications Decency Act.”

Today’s events come on the heels of Monday’s US Supreme Court denial of review of victims’ claims in Does v. Backpage.com, and as Backpage.com executives turn their focus to tomorrow’s arraignment on new criminal charges in California.

Shared Hope International has been on the front lines advocating for laws to combat the widespread sex trafficking of children online, particularly through classified sites like Backpage.com. There are many fronts to this battle and Shared Hope remains committed to the victims’ pursuit of justice, as well as preventing further exploitation of children by establishing civil and criminal liability for these crimes.

June 28, 2016 by Samantha

Human Trafficking Awareness Week in Mesa, AZ

The Mesa City Council announced a Proclamation establishing June 26-July 2 as Human Trafficking Awareness Week in Mesa, Arizona.

Mesa law enforcement and officials have taken up the fight against human trafficking, working with Shared Hope and the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network to tackle and prevent exploitation in the City. In 2015 the Mesa Police Department initiated Project Blue Heat to identify and rescue child sex trafficking victims, and to arrest predators.

In 2016, the Police Department created the Human Exploitation and Trafficking Squad (HEaT) and zeroed in on the traffickers and buyers as the offenders.

Thank you to Mayor John Giles for putting your hand to proclaiming Human Trafficking Awareness Week!

The Proclamation -Human Trafficking Awareness Week Proclamation

November 11, 2015 by SHI Staff

Texas, Montana, Minnesota Join Ranks Strongest States in Nation for Child Sex Trafficking Laws

Shared Hope International Releases State Report Cards to Reveal State of Trafficking Laws in U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Legislative advancements in 2015 scored Texas, Montana and Minnesota top spots in the nation for strongest laws to combat child sex trafficking, according to a new study by Shared Hope International. These states join Louisiana, Tennessee and Washington, the first three states in the nation to earn an “A” on the annual Protected Innocence Challenge report card grading the sufficiency of state laws to address child sex trafficking.

Five years of sweeping legislative advancements allowed 47 states to raise their grade since 2011. In 2015, a record-setting 933 bills related to domestic minor sex trafficking were introduced in 50 states and D.C., resulting in the improvement of 14 state grades. Louisiana ranked top in the nation for the second year in a row, earning a 99.5 per cent. Michigan claimed most improved state. View the state grades.

Montana tackled major legislative gaps in 2015, raising its grade from a “D” to an “A” – one of the most significant improvements in the 2015 session. Montana, like other states in the Bakken region, has expedited a crackdown on child sex trafficking due, in part, to the increased threat of trafficking from the surge of transient workers drawn to the booming oil industry.

“Thanks to the dedicated efforts of advocates and legislators in Texas, Montana, and Minnesota, these states are leaders in the battle against trafficking. They are sending an undeniable message that our children are not for sale,” Linda Smith, President and Founder of Shared Hope International said.

The Protected Innocence Challenge was created to address key legislative gaps and makes recommendations for improvement so states can strengthen laws and implement effective state response. See all state grades at www.sharedhope.org/reportcards.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Taryn Offenbacher
Communications Director
703.351.8062 office / 602.818.3955 cell
Taryn@sharedhope.org

MEDIA MATERIALS

For media convenience, a variety of video clips and resources, including sex trafficking survivor comments, are available at this location: https://vimeo.com/user12564384/videos. Videos are password protected, please enter password sharedmedia1 to access media clips.

Shared Hope International is an anti-trafficking organization focusing on prevention, restoration and justice for victims of sex trafficking. Founded in 1998 by Congresswoman Linda Smith, Shared Hope is a trusted leader for training, research, restorative development, and legislative development.