News from Shared Hope International

November 22, 2016 by Susanna Bean

4 Ways to Give on #GivingTuesday

Here are a few simple ways to give back on #GivingTuesday to support the life-saving work of Shared Hope International.

1) Amazon Smile

Knock out that Christmas shopping AND donate to Shared Hope! When you start your shopping at smile.amazon.com, you get the same prices as the regular Amazon.com, and Amazon donates 0.5% of your purchases to Shared Hope! Simply go to smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com, enter “Shared Hope International” as the charitable organization you want to support, and shop as you normally would! We’ll get a check at the end of the quarter that includes the contribution from your purchase.

2) Double your Gift

Thanks to several generous partners – your #GivingTuesday donation will go twice as far to help vulnerable women and children, through our $150,000 Christmas Hope Matching Challenge. Please give today to double your gift and help support prevention, restoration and justice solutions for victims of trafficking.

This year you can also use this fundraising platform to create and promote your own #GivingTuesday fundraiser for Shared Hope! Simply click the red, “Become a Fundraiser” button and follow the steps to create your own page to raise money for Shared Hope. Invite all your friends to support Shared Hope on #GivingTuesday.

3) Donate through the Combined Federal Campaign

The Combined Federal Campaign allows Federal civilian, postal and military donors to pledge a financial contribution to support eligible non-profit organizations that provide health and human service benefits. The CFC is the world’s largest annual workplace charity campaign that helps to raise millions of dollars each year. To contribute to Shared Hope International through your organization’s CFC, submit this number: #60601 to your human resources or payroll department. The minimum monthly contribution is $1.00.

4) Donate Stock or Estate Funds

If you have appreciated stock or property, you can greatly benefit from wise tax planning and giving by December 31, 2016, through a couple of different options:

A cash gift, dated and postmarked by December 31, 2016.
Gifts of appreciated stock or property. An asset that you’ve had for over a year, which has increased in value, can be donated to Shared Hope, and you may avoid capital gains tax. You also get the applicable charitable deduction for this year’s taxes.

For help in planning your special gift, please contact Sheila Avery, Senior Director of Finance for Shared Hope International, at 1-866-HER-LIFE (1-866-437-5433) or email Sheila@sharedhope.org

November 10, 2016 by Susanna Bean

Pathbreaker Awards 2016

Shared Hope International is pleased to announce Michelle Guymon and Margie Quin as the 2016 Pathbreaker Award Honorees.

About the Award

In 2000, the U.S. Department of State enlisted Shared Hope International to host Pathbreaking Strategies conferences in six countries to energize the conversation about trafficking and share innovative approaches to combat the problem. During this process, we created the Pathbreaker Award to recognize the pioneering efforts of those who broke the trend of inaction and initiated proactive responses to prevent sex trafficking.

This year, Shared Hope International is proud to honor these individuals who have developed innovative strategies to combat demand, expose trafficking, and seek justice.

Michelle Guymon, MSW – Director of the Child Trafficking Unit Los Angeles County Probation Department

Michelle Guymon is Director of the Child Trafficking Unit with Los Angeles County Probation Department, the nation’s first probation department with a unit specifically devoted to addressing the physical, mental and emotional needs of commercially sexually exploited youth. Michelle has been instrumental in the creation and implementation of the Los Angeles County’s Law Enforcement First Responder Protocol for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children for which she serves as the project manager. This nationally recognized protocol which was launched in August 2014 places a priority on treating trafficked children as victims rather than criminals. She is a frequent presenter and trainer, has received numerous awards for her work in the area of child sex trafficking, and has been featured in the media as a subject matter expert on the topic, specifically within the juvenile justice system. Michelle is currently the lead on the Los Angeles County CSEC Action Team working with various county/community agencies to create a multi-system response model for CSEC in Los Angeles County. Michelle prioritizes survivor leadership in her work, and has led the development of an innovative yearly conference created by young survivors for young survivors. She provides field expertise to Shared Hope through her ongoing work as a member of our JuST Response Council. She is an advocate for youth and is very passionate about her work within the Probation Department.

Margie Quin – Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Margie’s twenty-three years of law enforcement experience include patrol, criminal investigations, high-tech surveillance, drug interdiction, supervision and leadership. Margie received her M.S. in Public Service Management from Cumberland University, a B.S. in Criminology from Auburn University and graduated from the 241^st session of the F.B.I. National Academy. During her nineteen years with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, her assignments included the Middle Tennessee Drug Division, Technical Services Unit and she was promoted in April of 2007 to Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the Criminal Intelligence Unit, housed within the Tennessee Fusion Center. In 2010, ASAC Quin led a T.B.I./Vanderbilt team to research and publish the groundbreaking and award winning study, “Tennessee Human Sex Trafficking and its Impact on Children and Youth.” This study has paved the way for passage of 43 pieces of legislation in the state of Tennessee since 2011. ASAC Quin supervises the first-ever statewide Human Trafficking Unit. The newly formed unit has conducted six major undercover operations across the state since 2015. These demand reduction operations, code named, “Someone Like Me,” have resulted in the arrest of over 120 men and identified over 30 women, who were provided services at the time of encounter. ASAC Quin’s career awards include: 2000 T.B.I. Agent of the Year, 2009 AMBER Alert Coordinator of the Year for the United States and 2014 Tennessee Victim Advocate of the Year.

About This Year’s Awards

This year’s Pathbreaker awards are original works by Kristen Tebow, a survivor of sex trafficking and leader in the anti-trafficking movement. After 8 years of sobriety and two bachelor’s degrees, she is currently pursuing her Masters in Social Work and engaged full time as a trainer, presenter, and advocate in the Lawrence, KS community where she was trafficked. Kristen uses the wisdom gained through her trauma in her work with youth and adult survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. Besides being a wife and “mother” of two Jack Russell Terriers, she is an accomplished painter. Here is her description of the motivation behind the works she created for the Pathbreaker Awards:

Learning to Swim—“I have learned that life will always have storms and frightening waves. You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to swim through them. It’s how you handle them that really counts.”

Lifeline —“Wonderful people in my life have led me to my current state of peace. I didn’t get there by myself; the many people who have cheered me on continue to be the lifeline that pulls me forward.”

October 12, 2016 by Ernie Allen

MY NEW ROLE WITH SHARED HOPE

I was recently asked to serve as a Special Advisor to the President of Shared Hope International, Congresswoman Linda Smith, a request I easily accepted. I met Linda when she came to Congress in 1995. At the time, I was the President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and she and I would have an opportunity to work together on the protection of children during the next two decades.

From the day she arrived on Capitol Hill, it was clear that she cared about children and would be a tireless force for hidden victims everywhere. In 1998 she traveled to Mumbai and saw women and children enslaved in brothels, sold as commodities. She was angry. She returned home and undertook an unprecedented effort to evaluate the situation in her own country. She found that this was not just a problem on the other side of the world; it was also a problem in the United States. She turned her anger and indignation into action, founding Shared Hope International and beginning a nearly two decade long campaign to eradicate domestic minor sex trafficking.

Simultaneously, I launched an Exploited Child Unit and CyberTipline at NCMEC. Because Linda and I shared the conviction that too little was being done, we worked together. When she left Congress and focused her energy exclusively on Shared Hope, our collaboration continued.

Shared Hope has awakened policy makers and citizens. It investigated buyers, facilitators and traffickers in four countries, concluding that sex trafficking is demand-driven. It performed field research in 10 cities for the US Department of Justice, helping shape US policy. It did much more. Shared Hope is a leader in many areas, but I am particularly impressed by its extraordinary impact in three: Changing laws, rescuing victims, and reducing demand.

Shared Hope’s Protected Innocence Challenge has resulted in new laws nationwide. Based on a legislative framework of 41 laws, Shared Hope reviews progress state-by-state each year and issues report cards. The first year, 2011, 26 states received an F, in 2015, no states had an F grade.

Shared Hope is also a strong voice for victims. Rescue and rehabilitation services for victims were woefully inadequate. Shared Hope advocated a victim-centered approach, creating shelters and services, keeping victims out of detention centers, ensuring they are eligible for restitution and other civil remedies, and more. It is changing the way America assists these victims.

I am particularly enthusiastic about Shared Hope’s pioneering efforts to address demand. This problem persists because it is easy, low risk, enormously profitable and because there is massive demand for commercial sex with children and youth. Shared Hope has worked to ensure that laws are enforced that will hold a buyer of sex with a minor accountable for that act and be punished for the crime.

Shared Hope is a powerful voice and advocate for change. I am proud to be able to play a role as a Special Advisor to its remarkable President, Congresswoman Linda Smith and look forward to our continued collaboration on behalf of children.

About the author: Ernie Allen serves as an advisor to governments, law enforcement, technology companies and others on the digital economy, public-private partnerships and child protection. Appointed by UK Prime Minister David Cameron, he chairs a global initiative to combat online child abuse and exploitation for the British government. He is a founder and the former President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

October 12, 2016 by Susanna Bean

Ernie Allen, Co-Founder of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Joins Shared Hope

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ernie Allen, widely recognized expert on child protection and former CEO and co-founder of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) joins Shared Hope International today as Special Advisor to the President. This alignment brings together two prominent voices in the fight to protect children from commercial sexual exploitation both internationally and domestically.

“We sat down together years ago and found we were working to fight the demand for sex with children from different angles,” said Linda Smith, president and founder of Shared Hope International and former U.S. Congresswoman from Washington State. “Today we are joining forces to continue that work.”

Ernie Allen explained, “Shared Hope has leveraged its global experience fighting demand to lead the development of child sex trafficking laws across the nation that protect our children and punish the criminals who buy and sell sex with kids. I am pleased that my experience, along with our common purpose and long history together in this fight, will bring about innovations in child protection.”

Ernie Allen joins Shared Hope at an important time. On Nov 17, Shared Hope will release the annual Protected Innocence Challenge state report cards on the sufficiency of laws to protect children and make child sex trafficking a serious crime. The first year, 2011, 26 states received an F. Missing and exploited children are frequently the victims of child sex trafficking, with NCMEC reporting 1 in 5 of the 11,800 reported children in 2015 were likely sex trafficking victims, up from 1 in 6 in 2014. Shared Hope works with the state policymakers and advocates to enact strong laws based on research and action.

Shared Hope International is an international anti-trafficking organization focusing on prevention, restoration and justice for victims of sex trafficking.

October 7, 2016 by Samantha

Condemning Pimping of Children on Backpage.com, finally.

On Thursday, news broke that Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer was arrested in Texas (on a California warrant) on felony charges of pimping a minor. It’s about time.

It is rare to read a press release now that doesn’t mention Backpage.com as a factor in a child sex trafficking arrest. In fact, Shared Hope has tracked nearly 500 law enforcement press releases noting Backpage.com involvement.

Backpage.com has been fighting attempts by prosecutors, legislators and advocacy groups to stop the child sex trafficking that is occurring on their website and has been making them millions for years. Each day that passes sees more victims. Last month Shared Hope joined with leading advocacy organizations in an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of child victims suing Backpage.com for allowing their exploitation to occur on its website. This is just the latest in a long fight to stop Internet exploitation of children, with Backpage.com being the giant in the online classified industry where this exploitation is widely taking place.

In addition, the U.S. Senate held Backpage.com in contempt of Congress in March after it refused to comply with a subpoena in its sex trafficking investigation. TheSenate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has compiled a report on Backpage.com’s activities that demonstrates a purposeful and diabolical strategy to capitalize on the demand for commercial sex with children, and to make as much money as possible from this activity: the true definition of a facilitator of child sex trafficking. Backpage.com refused to testify at a hearing on the report in November 2015, leading to the Senate voting to issue a contempt order – the first time in 20 years – against CEO Carl Ferrer. Backpage.com then used every possible legal procedure to stave off producing its corporate communications to the PSI, appealing all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court where it finally ended with the order to comply.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris tells it like it is in the press release from her office: “Backpage and its executives purposefully and unlawfully designed Backpage to be the world’s top online brothel.”

Beyond the legal cases and breaking news is the reality of the thousands of vulnerable children being exploited on Backpage.com; many are still trapped and advertised on Backpage.com as you read this article. As Shared Hope follows this case, we remain committed in our work to prevent the sale of children for sex, restoring survivors and bringing traffickers and predators to justice.

< Previous Page
1
…
15
16
17
18
19
…
55
Next Page >