News from Shared Hope International

July 2, 2013 by Shamere

Unavoidable Destiny | Celebrating Independence

July 4th commemorates U.S. independence from Great Britain 237 years ago. It was another 87 years before slavery was abolished. But has slavery really been abolished? Is everyone free? When will victims of human trafficking celebrate their “independence day”?

Firecrackers, parades, sales, and the décor of red, white and blue can be seen and heard each year as we celebrate Independence Day. Our freedom in the U.S. was hard won and indeed should be celebrated! But we must remain aware that not everyone is free—freedom is only a dream for many. There is no celebration of independence for victims of sex trafficking. While the U. S. declared itself free of Great Britain 237 years ago, encoding our rights and freedoms into the law of the land involved the efforts of many. Similarly, victims of human trafficking will achieve independence because of the efforts of many.

My own transformation from victim to survivor to liberator was assisted by many people that gave me strength to carry on my fight. To begin with, I received services that addressed the psychological trauma I endured while enslaved. Wonderful people in the anti-trafficking community provided support and encouragement which enabled me to confidently pursue my dreams. Kevin Bales shared my story in his book, The Slave Next Door, and introduced me to the idea that I could use my story as a tool to educate, inform, warn, encourage and even liberate others! I am empowered when my voice is heard by Attorneys General from around the country and when my employer, Shared Hope, seeks my advice on policy. And I am deeply grateful for the help of Betty Llorente, past president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys who made my case the first human trafficking case taken on by the Dade County “Put Something Back” pro bono project.

In 1776, John Adams, leading advocate of America’s freedom said of Independence Day: “It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty… solemnized with pomp and parade…from one end of this continent to the other….”

As I read this I wondered when and how we will celebrate the day of deliverance for victims of human trafficking. I didn’t have to think long to realize there is already much to celebrate—I see survivors around the country who are playing an active role in the fight against human trafficking; they are writing books, putting on plays, providing services to other survivors, running successful businesses and much more. And I celebrate my recent graduation from college and my involvement in the anti-trafficking movement provides proof to other survivors that we can be overcomers.

Most of all, I celebrate the anointing of Jesus Christ on my life as I continue this journey, carrying out what I believe to be a divine assignment. What are you celebrating this Independence Day?

June 24, 2013 by Guest

2013 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Release

On June 19, Secretary of State John Kerry released the 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report, an evaluation of 188 countries’ efforts to combat human trafficking. by : Jessica Garber

Written by: Jessica Garber – Intern at Shared Hope International

On Wednesday, June 19^th, Secretary of State John Kerry released the 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report, concluding that there are approximately 27 million people enslaved worldwide. Throughout the past year, world efforts to end human trafficking shed light on 46,000 victims. While the fight to end modern-day slavery is an extensive one, Kerry announced a benchmark success: the number of global convictions of human traffickers has increased by 20 percent since the 2012 report release, displaying progress on a worldwide level.

The Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office) assessed 188 countries for this year’s report, and evaluates them based upon “the extent of their governments’ efforts to comply with the ‘minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking’ found in Section 108 of the TVPA” (U.S. Dept. of State Website). The countries can be ranked in three tiers, Tier 1 being the highest. However, just because a country may be ranked in Tier 1 does not mean that they do not have a human trafficking problem, but rather indicates that their government has acknowledged the existence of the problem and made efforts to address it. Thirty countries ‘made the grade’ for Tier 1, including the U.S and the U.K. Ninety-two countries made Tier 2, such as Switzerland, Romania, and Vietnam, meaning that they haven’t quite reached TVPA’s minimum standards. Lastly, 21 countries, including Russia and China, were classified as Tier 3 and are “found by law not to be taking the affirmative steps necessary to fight human trafficking.” The TIP Office also creates “watch lists” which alert the country that they might be making their way downward toward a lower tier. There are 42 countries on the Tier 2 watch list, meaning that they need to be cautious about slipping down to Tier 3.

Aside from the information release, Kerry shed a hopeful light on the issue of human trafficking, an issue that seems now to be taking on more of a presence in the public sphere:

“There is abuse that can take place in even the most improbable places in the most probable ways. And I learned then, looking in the eyes of young women who had been the victims of these crimes, that they were terrified of being victimized again, by the process, by the system. And nobody quite understood what it meant to a victim or the ways you could help victims through the system. Only when we started focusing on victims, not just as potential witnesses but as survivors, human beings entitled to respect and dignity, that’s when we started to provide people with a greater measure of justice. And that’s when we were able to give people a better chance at rebuilding the future.”

–John Kerry, 2013 TIP Report Release, 6/19/13

You can download the report, free of cost, from the State Department’s website: http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2013/index.htm

June 20, 2013 by SHI Staff

No Girl Left Behind

Guest Blog Post by Dale Rylander

Abolishing the Demand for commercial sex is not about the legality or morality of commercial sex. At one extreme, there are countries like the Netherlands where prostitution is legal. Guess what? Too few women “want” to be prostituted women, so the supply is being met by women that are trafficked. At the other extreme, making all forms of sensual public displays by women illegal would require women to be fully covered anytime they are outside their home (Islamic Shar’iah laws).

Both extremes ignore the source of the problem – men’s inability to control themselves. The problem is the Demand. Reducing the Demand will have a dramatic impact on commercial sex because it reduces the number of buyers and thus removes the economic incentive. Furthermore, that Demand will not be reduced or abolished by laws.

The Demand can only be reduced when men and women individually decide to hold men accountable for their attitudes and actions. Yes, Women. Women must stop dismissing the behavior of their sons (and husbands) as “boys will be boys.”

How should we hold each other accountable? I am not a psychologist, but my typical reaction of destroying sexually explicit material in a burst of embarrassment, anger and shame is probably not the right answer. Neither is calmly sitting down to discuss my reaction to each image. To be honest, I am still struggling to find the best intervention strategy. What I do know is I have no problem talking about, even showing my children, friends and peers, how to do many things. Sex is not one of those things.

Surprise, surprise. There are people willing to fill the void left by my silence for a profit. For large profits because the Demand is so big. Profits so huge that people are even willing to commit crimes to meet the Demand.

Is every prostituted woman trafficked? Some reports suggest they are, if not overtly, then they are systemically forced into commercial sex by our society because women do not have equal employment opportunities.

Are there any women that want to be a prostituted woman? My daughter just returned from a semester studying abroad. She was in the Netherlands enrolled in a gender-study course approved by a respected and accredited US College. As part of her course she talked with some prostituted women. They told her they choose their profession.

There are many sides to this issue and our society needs to address them. But no matter what my opinion is regarding these issues, I have the power to do something about the fuel that is driving this Demand. I publicly pledge to not buy commercial sex and to hold everyone I know accountable for their attitudes and actions with respect to commercial sex. I challenge you to do the same.

If just one girl anywhere in the world is trafficked into commercial sex then a crime has been committed. If I know a crime has been, is being or could be committed and I do not do what I can to stop it – under US law I would be a criminal accessory.

We are proud our armed forces believe and practice “No Man Left Behind.” As American citizens we should be proud to pledge and practice “No Girl Left Behind.”

Dale Rylander is a professional technology consultant. He is married with three adult children. His wife challenged him to take the Defenders Pledge. Motivated by the enormous scope of this issue, he is working as the first Defenders Captain in Dallas to educate and challenge men in Dallas, in Texas, in the United States and around the world to change their attitudes and actions about commercial sex.

May 23, 2013 by SHI Staff

Radio – Focus on the Family – Exposing the Dark World of Human Trafficking

Audio Interview – Focus on the Family “Exposing the Dark World of Human Trafficking”

Part 1 – May 22, 2013

Part 2 – May 23, 2013

May 8, 2013 by SHI Staff

Backpage.com and Village Voice Call it Quits

Backpage.com, one of the most accessible and anonymous platforms for adults to buy sex with children, has been the focus of Shared Hope’s advocacy campaign, and has resulted in the departure of many national and local advertisers including Starbucks, AT&T, LiveNation, American Airlines, Best Buy, Macy’s, and U.S. Bank. Thanks to YOUR pressure, Village Voice Media (VVM) has decided to split from the Backpage.com advertising site to create a new company called Voice Media Group.

The new company, managed by CEO Scott Tobias, former president and COO of VVM, along with CFO Jeff Mars, former VP of finance at VVM, and executive editor Christine Brennan, has agreed to buy the print publications and digital properties (excluding Backpage.com). It will manage the 13 alternative weekly newspapers and their websites as well as a national advertising network unaffiliated with Backpage. No one involved with the current ownership of VVM will hold any part of the new company.

“Backpage has been a distraction – there’s no question about it – to the core (editorial) properties,” Tobias said.

The loss of some key advertisers and the revenue generated by Backpage.com, has forced Voice Media Group to make it a priority to entice new advertisers. Tobias said Voice Media Group is exploring the possibility of a strategic partnership, but declined to specify any potential partners. To keep this new company on its feet, Tobias and other former VVM editorial management executives have raised “some money from private investors” for Voice Media Group.

Current VVM shareholders Jim Larkin, CEO, and Mike Lacey, executive editor, will continue to operate Backpage.com as a separate entity, raking in over $20 million a year in advertising fees. “Backpage.com, which is not included in the transaction, will become the centerpiece of a new online classified advertising company with business worldwide,” Village Voice Media said in a statement provided by general counsel Elizabeth McDougall.

Unfortunately, since the original owners of VVM chose to keep Backpage.com going, they continue to generate an extraordinary amount of revenue through its adult advertisement section. So we’re not quite done yet. Backpage.com is still being used to exploit children. We’re hopeful that the company’s owners will be held accountable through either criminal or civil charges and that Members of Congress will take legislative action to protect our children from being sexually exploited through websites like Backpage.com.

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