Latest News - Page 20 of 120 - Shared Hope International

July 29, 2020 by Marissa Gunther

Honoring First Responders This World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – July 30

(Brianna, Survivor Leader, has a special message for law enforcement)

For the past 20 years, Shared Hope International has been working to bring justice to vulnerable adults and children who have survived and overcome being commercially sexually exploited. Our small but powerful team of 18 staffers has managed to secure a global network and reach, leading prevention strategies, restoration programs, and justice initiatives to combat trafficking in the United States and abroad.

The women and children we serve are no strangers to having their lives turned upside down, and as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc, many of the women and children we serve domestically are being made more vulnerable as resources are cut off with the reality of school closings, lack of childcare, layoffs, and more.

Due to the limitations on schooling and resources caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a substantial increase in screen time for children; with limited ability of parents to supervise all online educational programming, there is an increased vulnerability to online exploitation. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has experienced a 90.46% increase in CyberTipline (the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children) reports of suspected child sexual abuse between January and June 2020 versus the same time period in 2019.

Unfortunately, we’re hearing from our law enforcement friends and our community-based partners that sex traffickers and buyers aren’t slowing down during this pandemic and are continuing to entrap more vulnerable youth with false promises. Despite the challenges that have risen during these uniquely challenging times, our resolve to protect children and restore survivors has only strengthened and we will not quit until every child is safe.

That’s why we support this year’s United Nations’ global plan of action which includes concrete actions to prevent trafficking in persons, protect and assist victims, prosecute related crimes and strengthen partnerships among Governments, civil society organizations and the private sector, including the media. The Action Plan also includes the decision to establish a United Nations voluntary trust fund for victims of trafficking in persons, especially women and children, to be managed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Additionally, the issue of human trafficking will be mainstreamed into broader United Nations policies and programs on economic and social development, human rights, the rule of law, good governance, education, and natural disaster and post-conflict reconstruction.

The UN’s global plan of action includes World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and this year’s theme focuses on recognizing the work of first responders. These are the people who work in different sectors – identifying, supporting, counseling and seeking justice for victims of trafficking, and challenging the impunity of the traffickers. During COVID-19, the role of first responders has become even more important, particularly as the restrictions imposed by the pandemic have made their work even more difficult. Still, their contribution is often overlooked and unrecognized.

(Rev. Marian Hatcher, Survivor Leader and Ambassador-At-Large for United Nations, on working with law enforcement)

We see this day not just as an occasion, but as an opportunity to educate the public about the scourge of human trafficking and to mobilize a political force and the resources needed to truly address the source of the problem. We are running full speed towards the UN’s call to action. Everyone, not just first responders and government entities, can take action to stop trafficking before it ever happens.

So what can you do to support World Day Against Trafficking on July 30th? Consider the following actions as a great place to start.

Celebrate and highlight the work of first responders in your county, community or organization.
Share, like, and comment on our World Day social media posts or messages about World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
Offer to volunteer or donate to services that provide on-the-ground assistance and protection to victims of trafficking. For more ideas, check out Shared Hope’s Action Center for simple take action tools and ways to give.

We hope you will join our team at Shared Hope International as we stand with the UN on World Day Against Trafficking, carrying forward our mission to end this evil. We believe that together we can end human trafficking once and for all.

July 24, 2020 by SHI Staff

Shared Hope International Attends: OSCE 20th Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons

By: Natalie Assaad

The OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-Ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings held the 20^th OSCE Alliance Conference against Trafficking in Persons this past week from July 20 – 22, 2020. In reflection of the 20^th anniversary of the passing of the Palermo protocol, the conference focused on the lack of impunity of trafficking perpetrators globally. Despite an estimated 25 million victims of trafficking, only 11,096 traffickers were prosecuted in 2019. This amounts to approximately one prosecution for every 2,275 victims.

Conducting financial investigations in trafficking cases was emphasized by panelists and speakers, and first discussed by Albania’s Minister of Interior, Mr. Sandër Lleshaj. He discussed the importance of confiscating money and assets in trafficking cases, which was addressed by an Albanian law passed in 2020. This law requires individuals to prove the legality and origins of their assets if they were previously convicted of a particular set of criminal activities, including human trafficking. Barry Koch, Commissioner on the Financial Sector Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, further discussed the use of financial data and records as effective weapons in fighting trafficking. Not only does financial data identify victims and perpetrators, but it proves coercion, corroborates witness testimony, and is the driving force behind a perpetrator’s activities. Mr. Koch recommended expanding the use of forfeiture assets to provide remedies to survivors, implementing global standards of crypto currency and the dark web to prevent criminal anonymity, and encouraging financial institutions to conduct periodic risk assessments to evaluate their exposure to human trafficking.

Ghada Waly, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) discussed the effects of COVID-19 on human trafficking. The UNODC found that the increase in time spent online has provided traffickers with more opportunities to exploit victims while surges in poverty rates has heightened victim vulnerability. The UNODC also looked at past economic recessions and pandemics to study how the current pandemic may exacerbate trafficking. They found that countries who had higher unemployment rates as a result of not recovering as fast as other countries also had an increase in cross-border human trafficking.

Hilary Axam, the Director of the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit at the Department of Justice, emphasized the need for a victim-centered, trauma-informed response for survivors, along with the necessity of political will. Not only does a victim-centered, trauma-informed response require intensive training, but it requires the unlearning of typical training law enforcement receives. For example, a survivor’s difficulty in recalling memories, emotional reactions, or conflicting statements are typically viewed as unreliable by law enforcement, however trauma-informed expertise indicates that these actions are common in traumatized survivors. Further, mobilizing political will is crucial, but is a resource-intensive undertaking that does not provide quick results.

On the last day, Dr. Myria Vassiliadou, an independent expert and former EU anti-trafficking coordinator, provided a compelling presentation on anti-demand and the trafficking chain. Dr. Vassiliadou pointed out that our culture not only tolerates tens of thousands of trafficking victims but normalizes it through society and criminal justice systems. She stated that any criminal justice system that treats trafficking in a restricted manner by focusing only on the trafficker or victim instead of the trafficking chain and driving forces is bound to fail – as proven by the current statistics of prosecutions and victims internationally. Dr. Vassiliadou stressed the fact that trafficking is purely economically driven, and that impunity can only be achieved by eliminating economic demand.

Valiant Richey, Special Representative and Co-Ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, ended the conference with a necessary proposal –that all participating states triple the number of current prosecutions within the next three years. Mr. Richey stated that his office will offer support to participating states in designing and implementing effective strategies, such as training judges and law enforcement, conducting more financial investigations, building more prosecutions without survivor testimony, and implementing victim-centered, trauma-informed approaches.

Though shared from an international perspective, several of the themes and concerns addressed throughout the conference directly impact the United States’ response to domestic minor sex trafficking. For example, Dr. Vassiliadou emphasized the need to diminish demand and address the entire trafficking chain. Under federal law, buyers can be identified as sex trafficking offenders with or without the existence of an identified trafficker. However, the trafficking laws in several states exclude buyer conduct, and others fail to prosecute buyers despite their laws. In recognizing that the sex trafficking industry is fueled by demand and failing to address it comes at the cost of thousands of children’s lives, Shared Hope has developed a body of anti-demand resources. For more information, please visit https://sharedhope.org/resources/policy-research-resources/#endingdemand.

Further, the conference’s emphasis on political will strongly aligns with Shared Hope’s policy work. Shared Hope works tirelessly with survivors, advocates, and legislators to reform legislation in order to promote the non-criminalization of child survivors and the implementation of specialized services. This avoids re-traumatization of child survivors and equips states to respond with a trauma-informed, victim-centered approach through individualized, specialized services. For more information on Shared Hope’s non-criminalization efforts, please visit https://sharedhope.org/what-we-do/bring-justice/non-crim/. You can also take action by signing Shared Hope’s petition to end the criminalization of child sex trafficking survivors.

July 21, 2020 by Guest

A Virtual Summer

Due to COVID-19, Shared Hope International had to shift our internship program to a remote experience. Despite losing the in-person experience, we maintained providing a meaningful for our interns, including our D.C. office interns Sapna Swaymapakula and Mariah Cabrera. Sapna gratefully shared with her and Mariah’s experience in this blog.

Participating in a virtual internship was not in the plan for myself or my peer Mariah this summer. Both of us intended to move to Washington D.C. and have our full internship with Shared Hope International. For Mariah, it was her last semester for her undergrad, my second to last. While our internship program, The Washington Center, gave the option of reapplying for a different semester, both of us stuck through with the process and trusted that the internship would be as equally opportunistic and insightful. For both of us, Shared Hope International has been eye opening, making us both more aware of the reality of child sex trafficking.

Shared Hope International has educated us both more on sex trafficking’s origin, and in modern society. Through webinars, we have learned about the history of sex trafficking, and different factors that play a part: race, sex, age, status, and even education. We both are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Shared Hope International team. Both Mariah and I never imagined gaining so much from a virtual internship. The projects are at times challenging, but we enjoy that sense of accomplishment when turning them in before the deadline. Each project differs from the previous one, and allows us to strengthen our skills in every aspect we’re challenged in. Working on a wide range of projects has allowed us both to harness new skills, skills we otherwise would not have gained while supporting various programs and departments within Shared Hope.

Even though we are working virtually this summer, we still have been given the opportunity to interact with other members of the team, which we did not expect. Both Mariah and I communicate constantly and found that we work better together on our various projects. We have learned effective ways to professionally interview others, how to compose a professional cover letter, tidy up our resumes, and communicate effectively and professionally. These two months at Shared Hope International are passing quicker than either one of us expected, but we both know that we will carry these memories and skills with us wherever we go. Shared Hope International has helped us mature professionally and personally, and we can’t wait to use these skills to help build our future.

July 13, 2020 by Guest

20th Anniversary of Trafficking in Persons Report

“20 years ago today, there was not a single country in the world with a comprehensive anti-trafficking law. We have since seen 154 countries pass anti-trafficking legislation.”

-Ambassador-at-Large John Cotton Richmond

The 20th annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report was released on June 24th, 2020, celebrating two decades of the U.S. Department of State’s assessment of responses to human trafficking across the globe. Countries from around the world are invited to contribute information, highlighting their efforts, successes, and shortcomings in the fight against human trafficking. This year’s report not only marks a legislative milestone, but also an international one by highlighting the efforts and successes being made all over the world to fight against human trafficking. When the TIP Report was released in 2001, only 80 countries were signed on, and on the 20th anniversary it was announced that there are now 177 countries participating and 154 countries have passed anti-trafficking legislation.

Over the past 20 years, the U.S. Government has tracked its improvement in light of the historic passing of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). In 2000, the TVPA was signed into law, creating protections for victims of human trafficking and allowing the government to prosecute trafficking offenders. Not only did the TVPA directly address the issue of human trafficking both domestically and internationally, it also established the creation of the annual TIP report, the first of which was published on July 28, 2001. Since then, the TIP Report has been an effective tool for perpetuating global change, leading to the increased number of countries enacting anti-human trafficking legislation.

The TIP Report required only a rating of governments based on how well governments followed or met the minimum standards of a three-tier ranking system established in the TVPA. Along with the three-tier rating system, each government provided explanations in an effort to bring “clarity and context to the report” (TIP Report, 2020). Today, the TIP Report has become a robust document, including tier placements for each country and in-depth country narratives. The TIP Report also includes, Victim Stories on Forced Labor, Sex Trafficking, and Debt Bondage.

The TVPA was also useful for shaping domestic legislation. In 2010, Shared Hope International used the TVPA when drafting for its Protected Innocence Challenge. Under the Protected Innocence Challenge, each state receives a Report Card and a grade based on a legislative framework that addresses six key areas of law related to domestic minor sex trafficking.

View your state’s 2019 Report Card here!

The Protected Innocence Challenge shines a light on each state’s efforts to eradicate domestic minor sex trafficking. Grading each state on how effective their legislative response is creates accountability, provides direction of issues to focus on, and equips states to better address the issue of domestic minor sex trafficking.

With so much to celebrate this year, we mustn’t forget that human trafficking is still an issue worldwide. According to the 2020 TIP Report, 25 million adults and children suffered from human trafficking this year. There is still much work to be done to hold countries and trafficking offenders accountable, but there is also a lot we can do here to stop domestic human trafficking domestically. Find more ways you can take action today!

July 1, 2020 by Guest

It Begins With Me

I learned about the sex trafficking of minors in the United States while serving as an active duty military officer. I was heartbroken to learn that while I was serving my county, supporting peacetime and wartime operations overseas, another war was raging at home. The casualties – countless American children. Every day, American children are manipulated, groomed, and exploited, often while they are in the confines of where they feel the safest. Like so many others I have since encountered, I was aware of human trafficking overseas but completely naive to what was happening right in front of me within the borders of my own country. Anger, sadness, hopelessness, and even fear were some of the emotions that attacked my mind. So, what do I do now? What do I do with these profound emotions? How can I take all this raw emotion and put it somewhere that can make a difference? Who am I to think I can do anything anyway; this feels like it will crush me?

It starts with me and my sphere of influence. As I wrestled with my emotions, I realized that pretending the sex trafficking of American children was not happening was not an option. I had fought for so many other things in my life, if I was not willing to fight for our children, what was the point? I also quickly learned that I was certainly not alone in my hunger for education, restoration, and justice. Organizations, like Shared Hope International, are attacking this atrocity with a holistic approach that includes providing the support volunteers need to make a difference in their communities. As an Ambassador of Hope you are not alone. You are part of a bigger team and the tools and support are there to empower you to bring the fight to your own community.

For more information on becoming an Ambassador of Hope, visit: https://sharedhope.org/aoh/

Now you have the tools, but what do you do with them? Start small! For me, my fight began with carrying flyers in my bag. If I had the opportunity to talk to someone about sex trafficking, I had a flyer for them with more information. The lady in the grocery line, the girl working the register in my favorite clothing store, and even my doctor. A flyer for all of them. As I learned more, and became more confident, my timid beginning handing out flyers evolved into opportunities to provide training to military members, churches, and middle/high schools. I have had the opportunity to mentor high school students and set up educational tables. While stationed in Hawaii, I was able to volunteer with a phenomenal organization, Ho`ōla Nā Pua, a nonprofit located on Oahu committed to the prevention of child sex trafficking and providing care for children who have been exploited. It was through this organization that I discovered Shared Hope International. These two organizations changed my life in a profound way, and I will never stop fighting for our children.

My life has evolved and so has my sphere of influence. It is smaller, at least for now. I am no longer an active duty military officer but a stay at home mom with two young boys! Turns out being a parent really is the hardest job! I find myself having to start small again and slowly the doors are beginning to crack open. That’s okay. Life changes and the way we are able to fight, as individuals, changes too. Instead of providing training for a room packed full of active duty military members, now I might be having an intimate conversation with fellow members of a mom’s club. It can be difficult for me to lead training and participate in education events, but I can build presentations and send emails. That’s my sphere for now and I am learning to be okay with that. While my sphere has changed, perhaps the biggest change is the why I am committed to fighting sex trafficking. Having children of my own has brought the reality of what we are fighting against home in an even more powerful way. When I look at my sweet babies’ faces, I know there are people out there who would exploit and abuse them, and frankly, it brings me to my knees. But in that fear, I find the strength to keep supporting Shared Hope International and their commitment to “Invade the Darkness.” In the end, the fight starts with me and my commitment to fight within whatever sphere of influence I find myself.

Together we save lives!