The students will learn:

-          The federal/state definition of human trafficking

-          To compare and contrast human trafficking and human smuggling

-          The dynamics of human trafficking and their traumatic efforts upon victims

-          To identify various forms of exploitation associated with human trafficking

-          Strategies for victim identification

-          Methods of effective response and investigation of human trafficking

-          Possible assistance for victims

-          Resources for law enforcement

-          To identify visa provisions for human trafficking victims and actions require of law enforcement in these actions.

Eastern North Carolina Stop Human Trafficking Now is encouraging you to speak to your law enforcement and request that they sign up for this course on April 9^th in Salemburg, NC. We need everyone’s help in the fight against human trafficking. This short course will increase our law enforcement’s awareness for human trafficking and help us get one step closer to abolition.

Registration forms for this course can be found on their website: http://ncja.ncdoj.gov

Complete and mail application to: 

Registrar, North Carolina Justice Academy

PO box 99

Salemburg, NC 28385-0099

-or FAX it to: (910) 525-5235

Phone: (910) 525-4151

Email: registrar_east@ncdoj.gov

OR take the class online!

Learn more at http://ncdoj.learn.com

Often, we find ourselves wondering- how do they get away with it? Everyday a young girl is arrested for prostitution, when she is simply under the manipulation of a pimp. She can be charged with prostitution when she, in reality, is forced to comply with any and all orders. Without compliance, girls are tortured, raped and abused. Pimps know how easy it is to get away with; they know they have a fairly slim chance of getting caught.

Arresting a young girl for prostitution blows my mind. To me, the whole moral of statutory rape laws relates to the common conception that minors are not yet fully capable to make the decision that they want to have sex with an older man. Most people would agree that even if the minor “consents,” they don’t really know the full capacity of what they are consenting to. So why do government officials think that young, 12-17 year old girls want to sell their selves for sex? It’s the same thing. There must be an outside source- something must be forcing these girls to do these acts. We need to focus our attention on child victims not child prostitution. We need to prosecute the criminals and recover these children. They are VICTIMS not prostitutes.

The News and Observer has picked up on this phenomenon. Last Saturday they published an article called, “States need to recognize that kids caught in human trafficking are not criminals.” North Carolina is one of the many states that have not issued a Safe Harbor Law. This law states that children under 18 cannot be prosecuted for prostitution. They must be treated as victims of abuse, must be helped in finding support, mental health care, education, job training, and more. This is a turn away from the focus of only prosecuting the criminals and not helping the child recover. The N&O is calling for every state to issue these laws and help victims of human trafficking recover.

Pam Strickland, the founder of Eastern North Carolina Stop Human Trafficking Now, wrote a response that was published today in the N&O. Pam states, “North Carolina does have a Human Trafficking Statute that clearly identifies minors involved in the commercial sex industry as victims of sexual servitude or sex trafficking. Unfortunately, the N.C. Prostitution Statute does not exclude minors from the definition of prostitution, so minors are being arrested for prostitution.” We are asking all residents to encourage their legislators to make North Carolina a Safe Harbor for minors who are victims of sex trafficking. You can make a difference.

News and Observer original article: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/02/01/2649543/states-need-to-recognize-that.html

News and Observer via Pam Strickland: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/02/08/2664813/pam-strickland-protect-not-arrest.html

Sign the petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/state-lawmakers-kids-not-criminals-pass-safe-harbor-laws?gclid=CLCq4dXzqbUCFeGrPAodKgIAYQ

A couple Sundays ago I had my first day at my new internship. I was excited to be able to get off work and attend, but I honestly didn’t know what to expect. We watched a movie called Nefarious: Merchant of Souls. Nefarious is one of the first hard-hitting documentaries on Human Trafficking. Listening to stories told by real victims made it ten times more real for me.  I have heard of Human Trafficking; I know what the legal definition is, but to hear the statistics of how many young girls actually sold like a piece of property was astonishing. Girls between the ages of 11-14 are kidnapped, falsely recruited or sold by their own family every day; it’s a business, and that’s sad. It is true that a young girl could be sold over and over again, valuing higher than most material items. It is true, unfortunately, that a young girl is most likely easier to manipulate than a women in her twenties.

 Although there are sadder situations where family is involved, there are some preventable situations. Some girls are simply uneducated about it; they are unaware of how easy it could happen. They do not know the signs of manipulation by a so-called “boyfriend,” forcing them into prostitution. They do not know how to get out of an abusive relationship or family and ask for help. They are solely being taken advantage of, because they feel they cannot get out. This can be prevented.

One word. Awareness. By continually teaching the upcoming generations, we can help them avoid these situations. And sadly, if they are in these situations, we can help them realize that there is hope for a better life.  Human trafficking is happening all around us and people choose to ignore it, pushing it aside like it won’t happen to them. But in reality, it can happen so easily. No one needs to be treated like property. No one should be sold. Educate your children.

Nicole

A long list of prosecutors, law enforcement officials and politicians endorsed the measure.

More than $2 million from Chris Kelly, Facebook’s former privacy chief and an unsuccessful candidate for California attorney general in 2010, helped put Proposition 35 on the ballot. 

Proponents drafted it to make sex trafficking of a minor with force or fraud punishable with up to a life term in prison. They wanted to increase the fine for the offense to as much as $1.5 million from a maximum of $100,000, and to expand the definition of human trafficking to include creation and distribution of child pornography.

Known as the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act, the measure was also drafted to prevent re-victimization, prohibiting evidence of commercial sex acts by those were trafficked from being used against the victims in court.

Opponents, including some veteran advocates and academics, said that while the measure brought much-needed attention to the issue, it was misguided and could harm victims.

They expressed concern that the hefty criminal fines under the proposition would hurt  victims’ chances to be compensated in civil court. The measure was written to direct revenue from those fines to law enforcement and victim service organizations.

Via: Los Angeles Times

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via Fair Trade USA Blog: http://www.fairtradeusa.org/blog/sustainable-suds-improving-lives-through-soap

For story visit the New York Times article here!
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To Find out 10 Easy Ways to Celebrate Fair Trade Month visit:

http://www.fairtradeusa.org/blog/10-easy-ways-celebrate-fair-trade-month-october

President Obama Makes Historic Commitment to Fight Human Trafficking
New White House Initiatives Will Increase Support for Human Trafficking Survivors, Prohibit Forced Labor by Government Contractors

Washington, D.C. (September 25, 2012) – The following is a statement by Polaris Project Executive Director Bradley Myles following President Obama’s remarks on human trafficking in New York today:

“Today, President Obama rightly declared that fighting modern slavery is one of the great human rights battles of our era in a speech detailing a number of concrete measures to help identify victims of human trafficking and reduce this crime and human rights abuse throughout the United States and globally.

“Importantly the President’s words help to shift the paradigm from treating trafficked persons as criminals to seeing them as crime vict­ims to be protected. This is a core belief here at Polaris Project and we welcome all efforts to ensure that victims of human trafficking are treated with dignity and respect and are provided with comprehensive social services.

“We support the President’s plan to ensure that government contractors do not engage in human trafficking and forced labor, to increase training and tools for law enforcement and prosecutors, and to promote greater collaboration among federal agencies. These initiatives will have a significant impact. Additionally we echo President Obama’s call to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and urge Congress to move forward quickly to approve this measure which has previously been reauthorized three times by bipartisan majorities. The current Senate bill, S. 1301, has 52 cosponsors.

“We know first-hand that victims all over the United States need support to leave their trafficking situation and rebuild their lives. Thousands of victims have called the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline on their own behalf to request help. This national hotline is one of our country’s best tools to identify and reach victims and connect them to the services they need.

“President Obama has made it clear that his Administration wants to make these survivors a top priority. His speech and policy announcements represent a turning point in the fight against human trafficking which clearly signal that this is a real problem here in our country. We do not face an insurmountable challenge, but we must heed this call and redouble our efforts to create a world without modern slavery.  With the help of business leaders, community members, law enforcement, and federal and state officials, we can come together to support victims of trafficking and eradicate this crime from our communities.”

###

via Polaris Project

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Thank you so much for your time!

Peter Wilson

Intern

ENC Stop Human Trafficking Now

There are many factors contributing to the economic oppression women suffer globally. Even here in the land of the free, the fight for equal pay (regardless of the individual’s gender) continues.

So, two out of three adults living in poverty around the world are women (despite their exhausted efforts).

What can we do?

How about we start some fair trading?

We’ve talked about fair trade goods before, but that doesn’t mean you know what they are or how you are all ready involved.

The reason that our organization supports Fair Trade is that Fair Trade means slave-free, child-labor-free and exploitation-free. (Full definition here.)

In America, we buy products from around the world at extremely low prices (compared to what they should be worth).  When shopping for coffee, do you go for the cheap or the tasty or the ethically responsible coffee?  All though it may not be cheap, fair trade allows us to have the latter two while empowering women around the world.  People say they are willing to pay 8% more for Fair Trade coffee, if the quality is similar.

The most common fair trade products available in theUSare coffee, chocolate and tea; though they are not the only ones.  Here at ENC Stop Human Trafficking Now, we sell purses, jewelry and accessories that the survivors of human trafficking (or those at high risk of being trafficked) produce.  Almost all profits go into the support and rehabilitation that allows the victims to start moving on with their life and forcing fewer victims to resort back to prostitution.

How can you start helping this change?  Look for the fair trade logo on products that you buy and switch to fair trade products if the option is available.