News from Shared Hope International

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.

April 24, 2013 by SHI Staff

As LGBTQ Youth Face Pressure At Home, Risk of Exploitation May Increase

According to the National Runaway Switchboard, between 1.6 and 2.8 million young people run away from home each year. These runaway youth need food and shelter, and may also be looking for acceptance and love they didn’t get at home. Their need to survive combined with their desire to be loved puts them at high risk of being trafficked.

Teens have a variety of reasons for running away, but the most common reasons may surprise you. One of the myths about runaway teens is that they leave home because they don’t want to follow their parents’ rules. The truth is that many leave home because they’re being abused, or because a family member is an addict. Many runaways honestly think they’ll be safer on the streets than at home, because “home” is violent and dangerous.

There is another disturbing trend on the rise among runaway teens – leaving home because they’ve been ostracized or even punished because of their sexual orientation. Studies have shown that between 20 and 40 percent of runaway youth identify themselves as LGBT, though the actual number could be much higher because some LGBT teens don’t self-identify.

For these kids, the place where they were supposed to be loved and kept safe becomes a place of isolation and neglect because their parents and/or siblings are unwilling to accept their sexuality At best these kids experience isolation, at worst – violent conflict and abuse.

LGBT teens who run away are not always welcome in shelters, either. They may experience the same isolation they experienced at home, causing them to live on the streets, where they’re at even greater risk of being trafficked. Traffickers and pimps prey on vulnerable kids, promising them money, shelter, and the acceptance they so desperately long for. But instead of finding a safe, happy new home, these kids find themselves forced into prostitution, threatened with violence if they try to leave.

Parents who struggle to accept a child’s LGBT lifestyle would never want their kids to be harmed or exploited. Shared Hope encourages parents to seek out resources that can help the entire family process and talk through their thoughts and feelings, and make sure the home is a safe and loving environment for every family member.

Here are a few resources (please note the resources may not reflect the opinion of Shared Hope):

StopBullying.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

It Gets Better Project

April 10, 2013 by SHI Staff

Why Her? What You Need To Know About How Pimps Choose

In 1943, Abraham Maslow published “A Theory of Human Motivation.” His theory is that humans have a hierarchy of needs ranging from the most fundamental needs at the lowest level to the need for self-actualization at the highest level. Humans can’t reach the next level of “need” until they achieve the prior level.

Here is a simple example of this concept:

But today traffickers are using this theory to identify the needs of our youth.

Traffickers may follow a recruitment process similar to this:

Identify the need of the child
Fulfill the need
Remove any other sources of need fulfillment
Exploit the child’s dependence for need fulfillment by forcing them into prostitution

One reason traffickers pray on kids is because they are more vulnerable than adults. They are more naive, and at-risk kids who have experienced abuse or extreme conflict in their homes may not only be eager to run away, but may also be desperate for the love and attention of an adult. Many kids who run away from home do so because they experience abuse, or because a member of the family is an addict, is violent, or both. If runaways have nowhere to go – no friends or other family members they can rely on and trust – they need to find food and shelter someplace else, which makes them especially vulnerable to trafficking.

Here’s how a pimp might use Maslow’s theory:

“It could never happen to my child”

That’s what Brianna’s parents thought too. Unfortunately, the scary, inconvenient truth is that unless your child has reached self-actualization and has no further needs, they could unsuspectingly fall victim to a trafficker.

Brianna was a 17-year-old high school student, involved in cheerleading, taking college courses for an early start on her nursing degree and worked at a local restaurant with her sister. She had no idea that friendly conversations she had with a regular customer could end with a trafficking ring planning to transport her to Arizona, likely to be sold.

You are not powerless.

On the contrary, you are the best advocate we have. Know why? Because you are here, reading this article about an issue that has still barely crept on to the radar of our society.

We’ve created a comprehensive presentation package for you, complete with a short 20-minute video based on the stories of two girls who were tricked by traffickers, pre and post presentation PowerPoints, suggested discussion questions, action ideas, indicator and reporting cards, and more. “Chosen” which will be released on May 1, 2013 is great for adult and youth audiences. Find out more…

If you know or meet a girl who exhibits some of these signs, don’t be afraid to ask questions:

At risk of being homeless or running away from home
Severe family issues like drug addiction, alcoholism or abuse
Signs of fear, anxiety, depression, tension or nervousness
Hyper-vigilant or paranoid behavior
Interest in relationships with older men
Unexplained shopping trips or purchases of new clothing and/or jewelry, especially if the clothing is revealing or suggestive
A “boyfriend” who seems overly-concerned with her whereabouts or is otherwise controlling

If she is in trouble, you may be the only one who tries to intervene. If you need help or guidance, or want to report a suspected case of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888.373.7888.

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