State legislature of Georgia proposes child prostitute protection – Christian right opposes
Posted by: nomoreslavery on: February 2, 2010
[Note to the reader: I began a "Definitions" section, at the top of the page, because of this specific article. Please check the definitions page for some of the terms used, as some of them are interchanged and not accurate.]
Georgia’s Christian right comes out against bills aimed at child prostitution
Atlantic Journal Constitution, 2:59 pm February 1, 2010, by Jim Galloway
The season’s most disputed issue may have just surfaced at the state Capitol.
The weight of the state’s Christian right movement just came down in opposition to a pair of bills that would steer young girls under the age of 16 into diversionary programs instead of arresting them on charges of prostitution.
The press conference came just hours after several hundred people turned out to support the measures. (My AJC colleague Ernie Suggs has more details here.)
Representatives from the Georgia Christian Alliance, the Georgia Christian Coalition, Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, and the Georgia Baptist Convention all put in appearances. Republican candidate for governor John Oxendine appeared around the edges of the afternoon press conference, but did not speak.
At issue are two separate bills, one in the House and one in the Senate. Both are sponsored by Republicans.
“Who will benefit from the passage of H.B. 582 or S.B. 304? I’ll tell you who – the very profitable and growing pedophile industry,” said former state Sen. Nancy Shafer. “It is imperative that these bills be defeated.
Some opponents said the bills amounted to decriminalization, which amounted to legalization. And would lead to more prostitution, not less, they said.
“Decriminalizing that means the police would have absolutely no interest in it at all,” said Sue Ella Deadwyler, who writes a Christian conservative newsletter. “They wouldn’t arrest the girls, they wouldn’t pick the girls up, they wouldn’t protect them from influence on the street from the pimps and the johns. It would be an absolute cultural upheaval in our state. Never in the United States, as far as I known, has juvenile prostitution been legalized.”
Renee Unterman of Buford, author of the Senate bill, confirmed that she had been in contact with opponents of her legislation. She said a compromise was in the works.
Want to take action against slavery and human trafficking?
Posted by: nomoreslavery on: January 13, 2010
Change.org, a website dedicated to raising awareness about a variety of causes and enlisting the help of its community members to take action, has a section of the website dedicated to human trafficking. At their End Human Trafficking site you can take action on different topics. There are many different topics related to human trafficking you can participate in.
The action the most people have participated in to date is to get Choice Hotels to commit to preventing child prostitution in their hotels. They have over 6,000 locations worldwide, and their hotels include Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Clarion, Sleep Inn, Cambria Suites, Mainstay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, and Rodeway Inn.
If there’s a specific aspect of human trafficking you are concerned about, you can start an action on here as well. Movements are often started by people who simply care passionately about an issue and start getting people to join them!
Gold mining = exploitation in the Congo
Posted by: nomoreslavery on: December 3, 2009
60 Minutes produced an excellent piece on what’s known as “dirty gold” - gold mined by slaves and used to fund the conflict in the “Democratic Republic” of Congo. There are currently no standards to determine whether gold has been produced in this way, so this piece could prove to be revolutionary in the effort to bring about accountability in the gold mining industry (as well as other mining industries). This piece is a must-see for anyone who is concerned about ridding all aspects of the consumer supply chain of slavery and other forms of exploitation. There are also some great “extras” on the site.
What can you do? Join the No Dirty Gold campaign (they have some great updates on their homepage right n0w). You can support campaigns they’re currently holding, such as one to put pressure on Target, TJ Maxx, and Harry Winston to commit to the Golden Rules of Responsible Mining.
Also, as you’re shopping this holiday season, stop in jewelry stores you pass and ask to see their products that are free from expl0itation, slavery, and have not funded wars. The more pressure we put on jewelry companies, the more wide-spread results we’ll see.
This week’s resources
Posted by: nomoreslavery on: October 8, 2009
Here are a few new resources that may be of interest to folks:
The Department of Health and Human Services published a new report, Human Trafficking Into and Within the United States: A Review of the Literature. This report is part of a larger project, Study of HHS Programs Serving Human Trafficking Victims.
The Body Shop has launched a campaign to Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People with a line of hand cream whose proceeds go to ECPAT.
Two new reports on the situation of girls’ is not about trafficking directly, but worldwide, girls affected by war and poverty are vulnerable to be trafficked. Refugee Girls: The Invisible Faces of War by the Women’s Refugee Commission is about the overall dangers faced by girls affected by wars, one of which is the danger of becoming a victim of human trafficking. Because I am a Girl: The State of the World’s Girls 2009 looks at how girls are being affected by the worldwide economic crisis. Poverty is not a predictor of trafficking, but creates an environment where trafficking is more likely to occur.
“In this area, as in many others, it is often girls and young women whose futures will be the most affected and the most neglected. In times of financial stress it is girls who will be pulled out of school by cash-strapped families; who will bear the brunt of increased household chores as their mothers search for work; and who may end up in exploitative and often dangerous jobs because the immediate need for money is so pressing.”
Founder of Ahava Kids under investigation
Posted by: nomoreslavery on: October 5, 2009
I was sad to open my email on Friday and find an email from a friend with the link to the press release from Atty Gen Richard Blumenthal – Attorney General Alleges Charity Operator Diverted Money Intended For Victims Of Human Trafficking And Orphaned Aids Victims - an announcement of a lawsuit against the founder of Ahava Kids, Ray Bechard. Bechard has presented at our events, and had presented at the state task force on human trafficking at various times. I wasn’t sure whether to post the information here or not, as I was hoping that it wasn’t true (and we still do not know for sure). I decided, however, that it would be better to post information as it becomes available. Sadly, the more I read the less hope I have that it is false.
Bechard is accused of misusing $100,000 of the $250,000 the organization has received in donations . Some of that money was transferred into the four other companies Bechard owns, Disciple Makers Workshop LLC, Son Celebration LLC, Gift Catalog Online LLC, and Compel Communications LLC.
Unfortunately, I was not too surprised to see this story, as I was concerned with Bechard’s lack of ability to clarify how his organization worked with people who decided to leave prostitution, among other things. After pressing him several times at two different events, he could give no answer. This was one of the first red flags for me. Donna Hughes, as part of the Citizens Against Trafficking in Rhode Island, has posted this piece about her interaction with Bechard, and discusses some of the false information and stories he has given.
Here are a few more stories: CT New Channel 8, NBC Connecticut, the Hartford Courant and the Day. Currently there is nothing up on the Ahava Kids website, but if anything is posted, I will be sure to add it here.
Updating again…finally!
Posted by: nomoreslavery on: May 13, 2009
So I’ve been finishing grad school and neglecting my blogging duties! But have no fear! I’ve had time to learn a bit more, plan a bit more, and hopefully can vamp up the blog from here on out. In the meantime, Love146 has come out with a new video about a program in the Phillipines called the Round Home. The director of aftercare (the person who oversees the programs that assist people who have been released from slavery) says this:
“My idea of a safehome is where we nurse the bird’s broken wing. If we do well with our nursing, then the bird should be able to fly again and out of the safehome, and soar to the heights it was meant to reach. If it casts a glance at the safehome again, then it should be from above, among the clouds of its achievements.”
-Dr. Gundelina Velazco Director of Aftercare Love146
Check out this video:
Slavery Map – tracking human trafficking worldwide
Posted by: nomoreslavery on: December 10, 2008
Two professors at USF created a program, SlaveryMap.org, where researchers, activists, and professionals can input areas of known slavery on a map. It’s a way that we can all become more aware of what’s happening around us, and maybe feel like we can actually do something about this problem of modern day slavery.
Tonight I’m going to volunteer with an organization that is doing slavery mapping in NYC. It’s a fascinating idea, and I’m looking forward to learning more about it. I’ll post more about it when I learn more. If you want to look at the website, it can be found at SlaveryMap.org.
~sarah~
Stolen Childhoods
Posted by: nomoreslavery on: November 14, 2008
Recently I saw an impressive documentary about the forced labor of children called “Stolen Childhoods.” It had high quality footage and interviews, and profiled all or most of the known ways that children get caught into slavery. This included rug making, Commercial Sexual Exploitation, working in quarries, working on fishing platforms, etc. The website, stolenchildhoods.org, has resources and some of the “video stories,” which are short clips from the film. The one I knew nothing about were the fishing platoforms, called Jermals. This is an excellent primer on the global issue of child slavery today.
The Internal Trafficking of Persons in South Africa
Posted by: nomoreslavery on: November 13, 2008
A new report, No Experience Necessary: The Internal Trafficking of Persons in South Africa, published by the US Agency for International Development, was conducted over 6 months by the International Organisation for Migration, from March to Sept, throughout South Africa. The survey sought to link internal trafficking in the country to commercial sexual exploitation, forced labour and the removal of organs. They found that the East Cape is a big problem area with both children and sometimes entire families being taken into slavery.
10 Shocking Facts About Global Slavery in 2008
Posted by: nomoreslavery on: November 11, 2008
This essay, which is a good primer on the reality of slavery in 2008, is posted on matadorchange.com. It’s no secret that travel today can be exploitative in many ways, and that there are efforts to encourage travellers to travel conscientiously. This site offers different ways that you can travel without causing harm, or even help the local people. A good site for people with wanderlust like myself.
Want to help eradicate poverty while shopping for the holidays?
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Call + Response – Join the movement!
callandresponse.com
human trafficking – Google News
- Human trafficking inquiry launched - The Press Association
- Man goes undercover to combat child sex slavery - CNN
- U.S. military anti-prostitution/sex trafficking policy appears to be ineffective - Examiner.com
- Kutztown University online course helps fight human trafficking - Reading Eagle
- Author's talk at Saint Mary's focuses on human rights - South Bend Tribune
