Published April 28th, 2008
in Uncategorized.
Vital Voices Global Partnership brings together emerging women leaders who are poised to make a difference on trafficking in women and girls to receive instruction from top anti-trafficking experts, to gain critical field experience, and to cultivate new skills, alliances, and ongoing support for their work. Members of the Vital Voices Network return home to partner with government agencies, social service centers, counselors, the legal community, and other NGOs to help the estimated 800,000-900,000 women and girls who are shipped each year across and within national borders into modern-day slavery.
To learn more, click here. and to view the toolkit,
click here.
Published April 14th, 2008
in Uncategorized.
Who Cares About Girls? is an ongoing original documentary series dedicated to developing a composite picture of how the world treats young women and inspiring our audience to stand up for girls. The first three installments of the series, Daughters Left Behind, Slave Girls of India, and Sex Workers or Victims, are hosted by award-winning journalist Lisa Ling and produced by National Geographic Television.
It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of children are involved in prostitution in the U.S. Often, they are runaways preyed upon by pimps who exploit their vulnerability for commercial gain.
These girls are victims of trafficking, rape, torture and psychological abuse, yet are considered guilty in the eyes of the law. The standard practice is to prosecute these children as criminal sex workers and lock them up. Ling investigates the hidden world of the underage sex trade in New York, Dallas and Las Vegas. She will hear the stories of current and former sexually exploited children in their own words, ride along on an undercover investigation and get a rare glimpse of how prevalent this problem really is.
To check out these episodes, click here.
Published March 28th, 2008
in Uncategorized.
“Hardly a thing of the past, slavery thrives in our world.”
Investigative reporter Benjamin Skinner tells Salon the shocking truth about human trafficking in an article by Hannah Wallace.
Benjamin Skinner spent four years researching modern-day slavery for his new book, “A Crime So Monstrous,” during which time he posed as a buyer at illegal brothels on several continents, interviewed convicted human traffickers in a Romanian prison and endured giardia, malaria, dengue and a bad motorcycle accident.
Wallace writes: “Skinner’s great achievement is that he shines a light on the international slave trade, exposing the horrors of bondage not only through assiduous reporting and interviews with modern-day abolitionists and government officials, but by sharing the stories of several survivors. These poignant tales — of people like Muong, a 12-year-old Dinka boy from southern Sudan, who is abducted (with his brother and mother) by an Arab slave driver; Tatiana, an Eastern European woman who is tricked into slavery when her boyfriend of six months finds her an “au pair” job in Amsterdam; and Gonoo, an Indian man in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh who inherits a debt from his father and spends his days working it off at a stone quarry — illustrate the harsh realities of slavery while also offering some hope that former slaves can rebuild their lives.”
To read the rest of Wallace’s compelling article, click here.
Published March 28th, 2008
in Uncategorized.
“Crimes such as violations of child labor, general physical and mental abuse, poverty, human slavery and sex trafficking are only the tip of problems that one cannot even venture to comprehend for a child.” - Cassandra Clifford
Cassandra Clifford is a non-profit freelancer, who’s main objective is working to prevent human trafficking, especially with children. Ms. Clifford has done academic research in the areas of Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide in the Former Soviet Union, Nuclear Arms Reduction, Causes of War in Yugoslavia, Nationalism, and other various Slavic centered topics. Ms. Clifford is currently on the leadership board and stands as the Research Committee Chairperson for Stop Modern Slavery.
Ms. Clifford is the author of a compelling blog that addresses a wide range of issues, check out the Children’s Blog and, for Ms. Clifford’s more complete bio, click here.
Published March 24th, 2008
in Uncategorized.
Take Back the Night is a coalition of students from the UC Berkeley community that aspires to end the silence surrounding sexual violence, domestic violence, rape, and hate crimes. These advocates make their voices heard through art, poetry, and music.
On April 17th, 2008, 5:00 - 8:00pm on Upper Sproul, they ask those who are ready to come forward and share their personal stories. The event aims to empower the entire UC Berkeley community, so join these activists in demanding a violence-free campus.
Contact tbtn08@gmail.com for more information, or click here.
