Press Releases Archives - Page 6 of 11 - Shared Hope International

November 4, 2015 by SHI Staff

Sandi Pierce Named 2015 PATHBREAKER Award Recipient for Groundbreaking Research on Sexual Exploitation of American Indian Women and Girls

ARLINGTON, VA. – Alexandra (Sandi) Pierce, Founder and President of Othayonih Research, has been named a 2015 Pathbreaker Award recipient by Shared Hope International for her outstanding leadership in exposing, addressing, and preventing domestic sex trafficking of American Indian, Alaska Native, and other girls of color. Her report, Shattered Hearts: The commercial sexual exploitation of American Indian women and girls in Minnesota was the first research published in the United States on the impact of this issue on Native communities.

As a nationally recognized doctor of applied sociology, Dr. Pierce contributes new research on emerging issues including the commercial sexual exploitation of Native women and girls (Shattered Hearts; New Language: Old Problem) and trafficking markets, specifically the structure and processes of trafficking operations that exploit minor girls (Mapping the Market). Dr. Pierce draws on her experience as a survivor of sex trafficking to elevate the integral voice of survivor leaders in the national discussion on sex trafficking. She is of Onondawaga (Seneca) descent, a position that allows her to raise awareness of the unique and complex plight of Native American sex trafficking victims while promoting leadership from members of tribal nations.

One of her most notable contributions to the field was her research, Shattered Hearts, commissioned by the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center and W.K. Kellogg Foundation, that found a unique link between sex trafficking and generational trauma or historical trauma. This unique form of trauma is caused by significant historical events or generational hardships imposed on Native Indian women and girls and contributes to their increased risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking.

“Dr. Pierce has exposed the problem of sexual exploitation of Native women and girls that can lead to improved justice for the victims,” Shared Hope International President and Founder Linda Smith said. “Her continuing research on the issue of sex trafficking provides unique, experiential insight challenging us to respond.”

Dr. Pierce holds Master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota’s Department of Sociology. She is a member of the State of Minnesota’s Human Trafficking Task Forces, and Shared Hope International’s JuST Response Council.

The 2015 Pathbreaker Award recipients also include John Cotton Richmond, Esq. (U.S. Department of Justice) and Sheriff Thomas Dart (Cook County Sheriff’s Office). The awards will be presented at Shared Hope International’s JuST Conference on November 12 in Washington, D.C.

History of the Award: In 2000, the U.S. Department of State engaged Shared Hope International to hold Pathbreaking Strategies Conferences in six countries to energize the global conversation and share innovative approaches to combat trafficking. During this process, the Pathbreaker Award was established to recognize the pioneering efforts of individuals throughout the world who broke the trend of inaction and initiated proactive responses to prevent trafficking. See all Pathbreaker Award recipients.

Media Materials: For media convenience, a variety of video clips and resources, including survivor comments, are available at this location: http://vimeo.com/user12564384/albums. Clips are password protected, please contact Taryn Offenbacher at Taryn@sharedhope.org for access.

Shared Hope International was established in 1998, by former U.S. Congresswoman Linda Smith, to prevent, restore, and bring justice to women and children in crisis. We provide leadership in awareness, training, prevention strategies, restorative care, research, and policy initiatives. sharedhope.org

For more information contact Taryn Offenbacher at (602) 818-3955 or taryn@sharedhope.org.

July 14, 2015 by SHI Staff

495 Child Sex Trafficking Victims Linked to Backpage.com; Visa, MasterCard, AmEx Cut Ties With Site

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express announced that the companies will no longer be a payment option on Backpage.com, an online classified site highly criticized for its role in facilitating child sex trafficking. According to Shared Hope International, 495 victims of child sex trafficking in 46 states and D.C. have been linked to Backpage.com. A study by YouthSpark in Atlanta, Georgia, found 53% of children receiving care from service providers across the country were bought and sold for sex on Backpage.com. With the recent decision of Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, many are wondering what’s next for Backpage.com and its impact on the future of the child sex trafficking industry.

Backpage.com has been at the center of national advocacy efforts for years, with thousands calling on the site to shut down its adult entertainment section. In 2013, Village Voice Media split from the online classified site after many major advertisers pulled their ads from the publication because of its association with Backpage.com. Legislators introduced new measures to increase accountability of online advertisers, like Backpage.com. Forty-seven state attorneys general and the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) endorsed and sent a letter to Congress advocating to amend the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) to remove the barrier to state prosecution of online businesses in violation of trafficking and prostitution offenses.

Three sex trafficking victims recently appealed the dismissal of their lawsuit against Backpage.com, alleging that the site violated state and federal sex trafficking law. At least one prior case was brought against Backpage.com, in which it was able to prevail by hiding behind unintentional protections granted under the First Amendment and the CDA. This week, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey called on Backpage to shut down its adult entertainment section after 28-year-old Daniel Tejeda was indicted in the strangulation of 24-year-old Ashley Masi. Tejeda found his victim through an adult entertainment ad on Backpage.com.

Though efforts to pressure Backpage.com to shut down the adult entertainment section of the site have continued for years, the recent withdraw by credit card companies, at the request of Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, may impact Backpage.com’s pressure point: revenue. According to a spokesperson for Dart’s office, Backpage.com rakes in $9 million a month from the adult entertainment ads alone. In 2013, the site raised its prices, generating a 55 percent increase in revenue the first month.

In response to the recent shift in payment options, Backpage.com has temporarily allowed free basic ad posting. For users looking to upgrade their advertisement (i.e., automatic reposting or sponsored placement), Bitcoin, digital currency, is the only payment option. While free ads may trigger an immediate spike in new advertisements, the strategy could yield a long-term win for advocates if the company cannot identify an equally convenient alternative payment option.

“Backpage.com has one evident motive—revenue,” Linda Smith, President and Founder of Shared Hope International said. “Regardless of their intent, Backpage.com’s woeful supervision of the content of their site has enabled child sex trafficking. If law suits, legislation, letters, petitions, and now a murder won’t sway them to close down the adult services section, perhaps a hit in the pocketbook will.”

Media Contact
Taryn Offenbacher
Communications Director, Shared Hope International
602-818-3955 cell
taryn@sharedhope.org

ABOUT SHARED HOPE INTERNATIONAL: Shared Hope International leads a worldwide effort to prevent, restore, and bring justice women and children exploited through sex trafficking. For more information about Shared Hope International, visit www.sharedhope.org.

May 21, 2015 by SHI Staff

How Arizona is Getting It Right: Four Ways the State is Tackling Trafficking By Focusing on the Buyer

Shared Hope International Releases New Study on Demand Deterrence, Enforcement, and Justice for Victims

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Sex trafficking is a crime unlike any other. It is one of the only crimes that allows a perpetrator to criminalize the victim by paying to commit the offense. In 36 states, including Arizona, child victims of sex trafficking can be charged with prostitution. Yet, historically, the criminals who make their victimization profitable—the buyers—walk free. But new research released today by Shared Hope International reveals that Arizona’s progressive efforts to stem demand makes the state an increasingly risky place for buyers.

“We’re seeing great activity and progress, but until buyers are serving serious jail time for their crime, we have a significant gap in our response,” Linda Smith, President and Founder of Shared Hope International said. “We want buyers to be terrified to shop for sex in Arizona and I believe the team in Arizona can make that possible if they remain relentless in their pursuit of that goal.”

The Demanding Justice Arizona Field Assessment documents the state’s attitudes and efforts to deter demand, enforce laws against buyers, and enable victim’s access to justice. Findings show that Arizona has made advancements in the following key areas:

Collaboration among law enforcement, prosecutors, service providers, media and community organizations drives a unified, cross-jurisdictional response to channel resources and information effectively.
Proactive enforcement sting operations punish offenders and cultivate an environment of increased fear and impending risk for buyers.
Financial penalties for buyers were funding victim services. This resourceful approach provides meaningful consequences for offenders—fines—while enabling much-needed services for victims.
Training and educational opportunities are widely available, advancing the scope and sophistication of anti-demand efforts.

While the state has seen great success, stakeholders expressed a desire to shift more serious attention to male sex trafficking survivors, establish a stigma of zero tolerance for the crime, and increase buyer accountability through meaningful sentences and penalties. Study participants reported that a lack of jury appeal was often attributed to the high prevalence of buyer cases that concluded in plea deals, which can result in less severe sentences. Today, Arizona leaders are convening at the Next Steps Summit to discuss these findings and build a strategy to end demand for child sex trafficking victims. Local professionals will have the opportunity to work collectively to address these key issues. Shared Hope also released Buyers Beware: Mobilizing to End Demand, a new video to inspire law enforcement and prosecutor prioritization of buyer cases.

This research is an initiative of the Demanding Justice Project, a research and advocacy initiative designed to promote demand deterrence through increased attention and advocacy on demand related issues. The Demanding Justice Report explores national trends in the enforcement of anti-demand laws and www.demandingjustice.org documents convicted buyers in each state.

Media Contact
Taryn Offenbacher
Communications Director, Shared Hope International
602-818-3955 cell
taryn@sharedhope.org

May 19, 2015 by SHI Staff

Congress Passes Landmark Bill: Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act

Arlington, VA—Today, in a landmark legislative victory, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senate package of S. 178, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. The bill will be sent to President Obama to be signed into law.

Shared Hope International has actively supported the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act since initially introduced in 2013. The JVTA is a comprehensive piece of legislation that will provide much needed funding for law enforcement and survivors, increase accountability for buyers by clarifying trafficking offenses to include their conduct and heighten penalties, and expand law enforcement investigation tools.

Shared Hope International applauds Senate leadership, particularly Senators John Cornyn, Patty Murray and Harry Reid, for reaching a bi-partisan deal last month after the bill threatened to stall and the original bill sponsors, Representatives Ted Poe and Carolyn Maloney.

“This long-awaited bill promises to revolutionize America’s response to trafficking. It set a national precedent by establishing a standard of justice that clearly addresses the sophistication of the crime and sets forth provisions victims need and deserve. I commend Congress on their unwavering commitment to bring justice to victims of trafficking,” Said Congresswoman Linda Smith, President and Founder Shared Hope International (U.S. Congress 1995-99).

MEDIA CONTACT

Taryn Offenbacher
Communications Director
703.351.8062 office / 602.818.3955 cell
Taryn@sharedhope.org
SHARED HOPE POLICY INITIATIVES

The Protected Innocence Challenge is a comprehensive study of state laws. Under the Challenge, every state receives a Report Card that grades the state on 41 key legislative components that must be addressed in a state’s laws in order to effectively respond to the crime of domestic minor sex trafficking. In addition, each state receives a complete analysis of this 41-component review and practical recommendations for improvement.

ABOUT SHARED HOPE INTERNATIONAL: Shared Hope International exists to prevent, restore, and bring justice women and children in crisis. Founded in 1998, by former U.S. Congresswoman Linda Smith, we are leaders in a worldwide effort to eradicate sex trafficking and slavery. www.sharedhope.org.

May 1, 2015 by SHI Staff

6 Summits Challenge Refocuses Efforts in Nepal After Natural Disasters

BALTIMORE, MD (APRIL 30, 2015) – This morning, April 30, 2015, Nick Cienski, Mission 14 Founder and CEO and Under Armour Senior Director of Innovation, along with the Mission 14 and 6 Summits Challenge team at Everest Base Camp (EBC), have decided to discontinue climbing Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu as part of the 6 Summits Challenge. This decision was made out of respect for the families and individuals who have lost lives and homes during this terrible disaster.

“We feel it would be wrong for us to continue climbing these mountains,” said Cienski. “We have made the decision to rededicate our efforts in Kathmandu and provide help alongside our existing partner organizations such as Tiny Hands International, Shared Hope, and Catholic Relief Services.”

“We are still committed to the 6 Summits Challenge and raising global awareness for human trafficking by setting a world climbing record, as we were before the earthquake in Nepal. In the coming days and weeks, we will work closely with Russell Brice and our sponsor corporations to put a plan together that still makes this a possibility,” Cienski continues. “We want to thank everyone who supports this expedition and mission, and encourage you to BE BRAVE to continue to do good work in this fight for justice for all humanity.”

The 6 Summits Challenge team has been at EBC since early April acclimatizing for their expedition. Nick Cienski, Sandi Cienski – Mission 14 Director of Operations, Elia Saikaly – 6 Summits Challenge Videographer, Russell Brice – Himalayan Experience Owner and expedition leader, climbers Jarek Gawrysiak, Pawel Michalski, and Simone La Terra (Makalu base camp) are all unharmed.

6 Summits

About Mission 14 (www.mission14.org)
Mission 14®, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2011, was created to discover new and engaging ways to raise awareness, engage difference makers, and to financially resource existing best-in-class direct-service non-profit organizations dedicated to fighting human trafficking with a focus on the trafficking of children.

About 6 Summits Challenge (www.6summitschallenge.com)
6 Summits seeks to become a world record-setting expedition focused on attracting a global audience to raise awareness on the issue of human trafficking and the fight for fundamental human rights and justice.

< Previous Page
1
…
4
5
6
7
8
…
11
Next Page >