Linda Smith Archives - Shared Hope International

November 14, 2024 by Leif Larson

No Senate Confirmation Until House Ethics Committee Report Clears AG Nominee Matt Gaetz of Sex Trafficking Allegations

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For more information, contact:
Leif Larson
Director of Communications and PR, Shared Hope International (Washington, D.C., office)
leif@sharedhope.org
202-421-3708

No Senate Confirmation Until House Ethics Committee Report Clears AG Nominee Matt Gaetz of Sex Trafficking Allegations

Washington, D.C. – The recent nomination of former Congressman Matt Gaetz for the position of Attorney General has sparked concern among those working to combat sex trafficking in the U.S. Gaetz has been dogged by allegations of sex trafficking and has resigned under the cloud of a House Ethics Committee investigation just days before a report was to issue.

“The office of Attorney General requires the highest ethical conduct and public trust,” said Linda Smith, founder and CEO of the leading anti-sex trafficking nonprofit Shared Hope International. “We urge Congressman Gaetz to put the allegations of sex trafficking to rest before appearing before the Senate Confirmation Committee.”

The U.S. Senate has been a champion of legislation to prevent sex trafficking, protect the victims, and prosecute sex trafficking offenders. U.S. law defines sex trafficking in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and its subsequent reauthorizations as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age (22 U.S.C. § 7102(11)(A)). The U.S. Senate has doggedly pursued legislation that has reached into areas from the banking sector to the Internet.

Linda Smith warns, “Congressman Gaetz should welcome the release of the House Ethics Committee Report as he will face a serious and knowledgeable committee of Senators in the confirmation hearing who will surely pursue honest answers.” This nomination occurs at a time when numerous high-profile cases of sex trafficking are about to start, most notably the criminal case against Sean “P Diddy” Combs.

The U.S. Department of Justice is the leading agency combatting sex trafficking through the enforcement of federal laws as well as programs across the nation strengthening law enforcement and civil society responses to victims and survivors of sex trafficking.

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About Shared Hope International 
Founded in 1998 by then-U.S. Congresswoman Linda Smith, Shared Hope International is a national nonprofit organization with a threefold mission to prevent the conditions that foster sex trafficking: prevent sex trafficking through training, awareness and collaboration; restore survivors of sex trafficking, and bring justice through legislative and policy solutions. Shared Hope engages in diverse training, intervention, and legislative activities that confront sex trafficking in communities throughout the U.S.  

August 17, 2012 by Guest

Baking Toward Freedom: How One Woman is Changing the World From Her Kitchen

In the United States alone, at least 100,000 children are exploited through prostitution every year. Based on the facts, it is easy to understand how an individual might feel completely helpless and alone in the fight against child sex trafficking. Gail Ferguson, a baker from Virginia Beach, Virginia, understands the powerless feeling that tends to overwhelm individuals who desire to make a difference in the trafficking of children.

When a bicycle accident put Gail out of work, she started baking in order to make ends meet. Eventually, Gail became a licensed baker and started to work out of local restaurants. Gail was asked to bake around 300 cake pops for a women’s conference at her church. She soon realized that such a large number of cake pops was no easy task for one woman, and she vowed that day to never make another cake pop! However, the vow was short lived when Gail realized her tasty treats were a huge hit. Everything clicked for Gail when she was able to hear presenters from the conference talk about the realities of the sex trafficking industry.

“I realized that God could use the little cake pops in a big way to make a difference in a child’s life that is caught in human trafficking. And it was something that I could do now!”

Gail knew at that moment how she could use her passion and talent for baking to combat the sex trafficking industry, and she realized she could do so from her kitchen.

Gail started small. She began selling her newly named Freedom Pops at local coffee shops in the area. She was able to display brochures and information from the conference’s organization alongside her Freedom Pops, and she gave the organization a percentage of her profits. Soon, a friend of Gail’s brought Freedom Pops to her office at the Christian Broadcasting Network. Again, Gail’s desserts were a hit, and she received numerous calls for orders. One of the calls happened to be an interview request about Gail and her Freedom Pops. Gail was ecstatic about the prospect of an outstanding boost in business; however, she had a funny feeling in her gut that it was not the right time to grow her business.“I knew that orders would soon come in from everywhere, and I was still doing this out of my home. As much as I wanted to say yes, I knew that I had to wait for this interview to happen. I knew I needed to take my time to give this the best I had. I knew I would have more miracles to talk about and better opportunities to share with the world if I waited.

Freedom Pop 2_Gail and family — (From Left) Gail’s daughter Perry, Gail’s mother, Gail’s daughter Brooke, and Gail

Although unknown to Gail, the timing was actually perfect. That same day, Gail watched an interview on CBN with Shared Hope International’s founder Linda Smith. Gail was so moved and inspired by all the work that Linda and Shared Hope International were doing both abroad and in the United States to stop human trafficking. She began displaying Shared Hope’s brochures alongside her Freedom Pops. According to Gail, that’s when the ball really started rolling.

The following December, she had so many orders for Freedom Pops ranging from treats for bible study groups to Christmas gifts for businesses’ VIP customers, not to mention the growing demand from her usual coffee shop and restaurant orders. Although her business was growing each day, she knew that this was the perfect time to take her stand in the fight against human trafficking.

“I felt that God was telling me to give all my profit in the month of December to Shared Hope. And so I did. And to top it off, that month Shared Hope was matching all the gifts that were being given.”

Gail continues to use her Freedom Pops as her way to take a stand and make a difference in the lives of children caught in the sex trafficking industry.

“They have helped make people aware of this crime and the growing rate that it is taking place in our world. I see so many of us pulling together , knowing it is going to take all of us working together to put a stop to human trafficking and see freedom become a reality for these children.”Although the fight is far from over, Gail and her Freedom Pops serve as a constant reminder that one person can make a difference in the fight against trafficking. The power to end human trafficking lies within individuals like Gail who utilize their skills and passions to raise awareness and bring about change within their communities.

Interested in learning how you, like Gail, can make a difference in the lives of children right now? Visit http://sharedhope.org/GetInvolved.aspx for details on how to start.

For more information about Freedom Pops, or to place an order, contact Gail at freedompopsAOoco@gmail.com

February 24, 2012 by Guest

Holding Online Facilitators Accountable: Campaign Targeted at Backpage.com

Since Shared Hope’s December 2011 release of the Protected Innocence Initiative, many states have had a torrent of new bills going out addressing the gaps in their laws which leave minors vulnerable to sex trafficking. As part of this initiative, Shared Hope evaluated the laws of each state in regards to their punishments for facilitators. Facilitators are those people or entities that knowingly enable domestic minor sex trafficking or benefit from sex trafficking in any way. While our analysis did not specifically focus on online facilitators, law enforcement and service providers have identified it as an increasing concern.

President and Founder of Shared Hope International, Congresswoman Linda Smith, explained in testimony before the Washington Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday, January 27^th, it seems illogical to believe that these sites should escape accountability because they happen “in the cloud”. (Click here to listen to Congresswoman Smith’s testimony.)

Traditionally facilitators were thought of as a taxi cab driver or hotel employee assisting or turning a blind eye away from sex trafficking. However it is increasingly becoming apparent that there are many forms of facilitation of child sex trafficking. While a few states currently hold facilitators responsible by holding them to criminal or civil penalties, there are still barriers when it comes to online facilitators.

Backpage.com is an online classifieds site owned by Village Voice Media Group where many so-called “adult” ads are placed. Backpage.com has been identified by law enforcement and service providers as a hub for child sex trafficking. News outlets in states across the country have been reporting cases confirming Backpage.com is being used by traffickers to place ads offering minors for commercial sex. For example, in Florida, Leighton Curtis was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for bringing a 15-year-old girl into the state where he took sexually explicit photographs of her and advertised her for commercial sex on websites including Backpage.com. Another case involved Theodore Briggs of Connecticut who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sex trafficking a 14 and 17 year old. He used Backpage.com to advertise the girls for sex to buyers.

Backpage.com profits each time a minor is advertised for commercial sex on the site. An independent study by Advanced Interactive Media Group found that the adult section of Backpage.com is expected to earn Village Voice Media Group $24.8 million this year. While the act of profiting from child sex trafficking could lead to criminal charges for on-the-ground facilitators, Backpage.com has been left relatively unchanged throughout this process. Village Voice Media has claimed that their website is protected by the Communications Decency Act. They have been unwilling to close down this section of their website or even though they have been made well aware by law enforcement, policy officials and the victims themselves that domestic minor sex trafficking is happening there.

Shared Hope International is leading a national campaign inviting mayors across the nation to join our efforts to encourage Village Voice Media to stop facilitating child sex trafficking on Backpage.com. In addition, 51 state attorney generals, 53 anti-trafficking experts and organizations, and nearly 3,000 faith leaders of different denominations are publically calling on Backpage.com to shut this section down. We will not stop our efforts until children are no longer advertised online for sex.

February 10, 2012 by SHI Staff

WA Senate Passes New Bill to Fight Child Sex Trafficking

SB 6251 Increases Online Accountability to Deter Commercial Sexual Abuse of Minors

The Washington state Senate unanimously passed a raft of Protected Innocence bills targeted at tightening the state laws against child sex trafficking, including the pioneering SB 6251, aimed at stopping the online facilitation of child sex trafficking. The bill sponsored by Seattle Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-WA) establishes a new crime of advertising commercial sexual abuse of a minor in Washington. Senator Kohl-Welles’ bill is a part of a series of eight bipartisan bills to combat human trafficking that passed in the Senate yesterday and are headed to the House of Representatives for approval.

Shared Hope International is a leader in the national initiative to bring greater accountability to online facilitators by rallying 17 activist organizations to call on over 60 mayors to encourage Village Voice Media to stop illegal forms of commercial sex advertisements on its website Backpage.com, the online classified giant. We have challenged mayors in every city where Village Voice media is operating to publically hold one of the nation’s leading source of online sex escort ads accountable to ensure that children are not sold for sex through Backpage.com.

“Backpage.com executives are hiding behind the protection of the Federal Communications Decency Act, claiming no responsibility for the hundreds of documented children that have been sold for sex on their site,” said Shared Hope International President and Founder Linda Smith and former U.S. Congresswoman. “Shared Hope International’s Protected Innocence Challenge reinforces the importance of state laws in reaching this facilitator of child sex trafficking. We will not continue to allow this grave omission to cause injustice for America’s children and we are in full support of Washington’s national leadership on this issue.”

Last year, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn requested Village Voice Media, owner of online classified site Backpage.com, take a stronger, more transparent action to protect women and children from being exploited through advertisements on their website. Shared Hope International’s mayor’s campaign was initiated to encourage others to follow Mayor McGinn’s leadership on this issue. According to an independent study by Advanced Interactive Media Group, Backpage.com’s adult services section is expected to earn Village Voice Media $24.8 million, accounting for over two thirds of the $36 million in revenue projected to be earned by all tracked online classified sites facilitating commercial sex. Despite pressure from religious groups, advocates, and state officials, Backpage.com is not responding with solutions.

January 26, 2012 by SHI Staff

Washington State: Taking a lead in combatting the online facilitation of child sex trafficking

Backpage.com has been on the hot seat for months as policy makers, faith leaders, and advocates have intensified their efforts to hold the online advertising site, owned by Village Voice Media, accountable for its documented facilitation of child sex trafficking through online advertisement. Online facilitators have largely avoided liability as serious crackdowns on sex trafficking have hit the nation; however, today Washington state is taking a lead in the effort to combat online facilitation of commercial sexual abuse of children.

Today, Shared Hope International President and Founder Congresswoman Linda Smith will testify before Washington legislators on SB 6251 introduced by Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-WA), which would create criminal liability for media that allow advertisements of commercial sexual abuse of a minor, including prostitution, pornography and sexual performance. Together with Auburn Seminary’s Reverend John Vaughn, a leader in convening clergy to urge Village Voice Media to close its “adult services” section, Linda will advocate for this law that would deter child sex trafficking. Click here to watch the hearing live today at 1:30pm PST.

The Washington bill is a bold move in bringing accountability to –a growing venue for child sex trafficking. In a recent New York Times article, Nicholas Kristof cites a Brooklyn prosecutor’s claim that a majority of cases include girls aged 12 to 25 marketed through Backpage.com. According to an independent study by Advanced Interactive Media Group, Backpage.com’s “adult services” section is expected to earn Village Voice Media $24.8 million, accounting for over two thirds of the $36 million in revenue projected to be earned by all tracked online classified ads facilitating commercial sex.

Shared Hope International is leading a national campaign inviting mayors across the nation to join our efforts to encourage Village Voice Media to stop illegal forms of commercial sex advertisements on Backpage.com. Additionally, 51 state attorneys general, 53 anti-trafficking experts and organizations, and nearly 500 faith leaders from multiple denominations have publically called on Backpage.com to remove the “adult services” section. Yet the “adult services” section remains active on Backpage.com. Our fight will not end until the online advertisement of children for sex does.

Shared Hope International will continue to support efforts to combat the facilitation, sale, or purchase of a child for sex. We aim to hold states accountable through the Protected Innocence Initiative which grades each state on its level of protection against domestic minor sex trafficking. States must have adequate laws to effectively prosecute offenders, protect children, and accurately identify and track the crime. We offer advocacy resource tools including state Report Cards, an analysis of each state’s laws as it relates to or impacts domestic minor sex trafficking, policy recommendations for each state highlighting gaps in state law and offering solutions , and user-friendly issue briefs on key legal components to provide an understand and examples of the legal provision.