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All Media & News Coverage 2015

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Archives – 2015 – 2014 – 2013 – 2012 – 2011

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How One Man Used Marketing to Bring Buyers to Justice – And Why He’s Not So Different From You…

Jason Kowal, Principal and Co-Founder of Global Thinking had a good reason to get involved. Two daughters.

In the spring of 2014, Shared Hope contacted Jason and his team about helping launch the Demanding Justice Project campaign website, a site that serves to expose buyers convicted of purchasing sex with minors. At the conclusion of the call, we determined our vision might be just too large for our budget. In less than 24 hours, Jason’s team contacted us and said they were not only willing, but wanted, to take on the project.

Check out how this marketing expert put his skills and resources to work to fight demand.

DJ_Team2
Pictured (left to right) – Jason Kowal, Nikki Hogan, Shannon Bailey, John Armstrong. 
Team members not pictured – Tifa Kerbal and Will Paul.

SHI: What is Global Thinking?

Jason: Global Thinking is a creative agency based in Alexandria, Virginia. The vast majority of our business is for private companies, we work for multi-national companies doing all types of marketing work from branding to digital strategy to campaign marketing. As an organization we have been committed to devoting a significant portion of our time to causes we believe in and those include non-profits and local business that we know and love and want to help. In the case of Shared Hope, we saw the opportunity; we saw a great need for a voice that was fitting the cause.

SHI: I know we made a rather bold request of you and your team to help with the Demanding Justice Project to expose buyers of sex with children. We had a large vision, tight budget and timeline and difficult subject matter. But you decided to stand with us and dedicate time, passion and creativity to accomplish what has become one of our most powerful and inspiring projects to date. Why?

Jason: I have to be honest, it was not an easy decision to make, but it was an impossible decision to walk away from. While we were considering what could be done, we were only considering doing this the right way. While I was working with my team we discussed how to bring DJP into the stream of projects we do. Fortunately, we’ve had enough success since starting that we’re able to take on some amount of work purely out of love and this was a case like that. I think the two factors that specifically came into play were the things I kept coming back to: this wasn’t just a subject that needed attention, it was the right thing to do. We really wanted to be involved. The second part, which affected me personally, is that I have two daughters who are the same age as some of the girls who are affected by this crime. So, I have a reminder every night. I think it’s true of a lot of the people who worked on the project. It’s important to note that there was a team who worked on it, who were equally passionate about it and wanted to put every bit of extra effort to make sure we had a fantastic end product.

SHI: Do you have any advice for others in business who may be interested but are wondering how to get involved?

Jason: When you are evaluating your decision on what types of business to get involved in, you have to ask yourself: do I want to be doing the same thing every day for the same clients? Does it really matter if it personally affects me? Does it affect me because I’m human? That’s why we do what we do at Global Thinking. When we’re evaluating every opportunity that comes before us rather than asking, how is this going to affect me, we ask how am I going to affect others?

SHI: This can be a challenging topic to work on. What part of this project was most impactful for your team?

Jason: The statistics about demand aren’t ones you forget quickly. The magnitude of the problem affected how people felt about the work in a positive way. There is also a real benefit that comes back to the group that works on a project like this; they push the boundaries on what they are comfortable working on. Really, it’s a way people can come together and come up with great ideas.

How have you been inspired to engage in the battle to stop trafficking? Leave us a comment below.

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Ninth Circuit: Privacy for buyers of sex with children outweighs protection of children

California Proposition 35 made sweeping changes to California’s child sex trafficking laws. On November 6, 2012, over ten million people in California voted in favor of the act, making it the most successful ballot in California history. Over 80% of voters voted in favor of Prop 35 and it is easy to see why: increased penalties for traffickers, mandatory law enforcement training, designation of fines from convicted traffickers for victims, and requirement of sex traffickers to register as sex offenders are among some of the changes to California law that were enacted.

Proposition 35 was not met without opposition, however. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of anonymous sex offenders to prohibit enforcement of a provision which requires buyers of sex with children to register their online identifiers as part of their sex offender registry requirements. Buyers, under Prop 35, would be forced to disclose their internet identities and activities once convicted for an offense against a child. Information about the buyer’s online presence would then be used by the community and law enforcement to protect children against repeat exploitive behaviors.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California upheld a lower court’s decision to enjoin the provision regarding registration of buyer’s online identifiers, holding that the provision is an unconstitutional burden on free speech for the sex offender. In making this decision, the court gave greater constitutional weight to the privacy of sex offenders than the protection of children. Complete online privacy and anonymity, in the holding of the court, is a right which even convicted child predators deserve. How did privacy become a more compelling societal interest than protection of children?

Convicted child predators often have their rights taken away by courts. In many states, a buyer on the sex offender registry is forbidden from living within a specified distance from a school or child care agency. Society chooses to establish these restrictions in order to reduce the availability and access to children for child predators. The internet should not be an exception. In an age where nearly everyone has a digital identity, including children, shouldn’t predators be restricted from access to children online? The Ninth Circuit says no, despite inconsistency with federal law.

Convicted criminals forfeit privileges in society because of the decisions they made to exploit the vulnerable in our society. Sex offenders should not be allowed to retain privacy privileges at the cost of the reality of the re-offenders among them using that privacy to contact and exploit more children. Many buyer cases involve a digital interaction using social media or classified websites. If buyers remain anonymous on the internet, they will continue to use these websites to target and approach children.

Protection of the vulnerable in society is among the fundamental roles of government. Privacy cannot be given to convicted criminals at the cost of protecting vulnerable youth from child predators. Upon appeal of this decision, the Supreme Court will have an opportunity to hear this case and undo the damage being done by the injunction from the Ninth Circuit. The urgency and magnitude of the outcome of this battle cannot be overstated. 

National change is happening on the state level and buyers are subject to sex offender registration in many states. Increasing pressure on buyers and making sure that they are restricted from access to places where children can be contacted, including the internet, must be a part of a state’s response to child sex trafficking. Learn about how putting buyers on the sex offender registry addresses demand and see how your state stacks up against other states in the fight against demand so you can take action.

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Petition: Stop Sex Trafficking at the Super Bowl!

To:

Arizona Office of the Attorney General
County Attorney’s Office of Apache County
County Attorney’s Office of Cochise County
County Attorney’s Office of Coconino County
County Attorney’s Office of Gila County
County Attorney’s Office of Graham County
County Attorney’s Office of Greenlee County
County Attorney’s Office of La Paz County
County Attorney’s Office of Maricopa County
County Attorney’s Office of Mohave County
County Attorney’s Office of Navajo County
County Attorney’s Office of Pima County
County Attorney’s Office of Pinal County
County Attorney’s Office of Santa Cruz County
County Attorney’s Office of Yavapai County
County Attorney’s Office of Yuma County

Dear County Attorney,

Men are buying sex with children during the Super Bowl. Unless we do something about this now, buyers will use the Super Bowl in Arizona as an opportunity to exploit even more children.

And this impacts us all.

If a buyer engages in commercial sex with any minor under 18 years old in Arizona during the Super Bowl and receives little to no consequences for his crime, he won’t be deterred from committing the same crime again in his home state. This puts all of our nation’s children at risk.

Arizona is perfectly positioned to be a strong opponent to those who seek to exploit our children while they are in Arizona for the Super Bowl. Arizona law enforcement agencies are trained to aggressively investigate the demand for sex with children and you are committed to bringing justice to all minor victims of trafficking by prosecuting and sentencing buyers who exploit them.

We are asking you to ensure that buyer prosecutions are made a priority. We, along with Shared Hope International, stand behind Arizona’s 15 County Attorney’s Offices and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office in prosecuting buyers arrested in Arizona for buying sex with a child to the fullest extent of the law. Effective prosecutions of buyers include significant fines and felony penalties, asset forfeiture, and payment of restitution to victims. Buyers will be deterred if the risk of arrest and full prosecution is real.

Let buyers know Arizona’s Not Buying It and bring a unified front to enforce zero tolerance for child sex trafficking, including attacking it at the root: the buyers. Let’s tell buyers, if they exploit a child in Arizona, they better plan to stay awhile – in jail!

Thank you for protecting Arizona’s children from buyers at the Super Bowl.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Sign the petition:

Visit demandingjustice.org/take-action for other ways to contribute to this cause!

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5 Ways to Give on #GivingTuesday

Giving Tuesday

 

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

  1. AmazonSmile

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.

  1. Double your Gift

A generous supporter offered to donate $150,000 to Shared Hope if we can match their contribution before December 31. Please give today at www.sharedhope.org/donate to double your gift and help support prevention, restoration and justice solutions for victims of trafficking in 2015.

  1. Become a Path to Freedom Sponsor

The Path to Freedom is a campaign to support restorative aftercare for victims of sex trafficking in the United States. With any donation of $250 or more, a stone with your name inscribed will be placed in the stone pathway at one of our U.S. shelter partners. Each stone will serve as a very real and tangible reminder to the women who walk the path of the many individuals who support them in their journey toward freedom. Sponsor a stone now.

  1. 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.

  1. 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, 2014, through a couple of different options:

  • A cash gift, dated and postmarked by December 31, 2014.
  • 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 David Austen, CPA, Treasurer of Shared Hope International, at 1-866-HER-LIFE (1-866-437-5433) or email DavidAustenCPA@sharedhope.org

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