New York Prostitution Bill

New York State Legislature has passed a bill that would let victims of human trafficking clear prostitution charges off their record.

Young women are often times lured or convinced to come to the New York area with promises of summer jobs or permanent work, but they find themselves coerced into prostitution. Many of these young women get arrested, charged with a crime even though they were forced to do the work against their will and released back to the hands of the traffickers.

Freedom from Porn

Steve Jobs is clear on where Apple stands when it comes to porn. Apple will not sell porn. Apple will not be responsible for the distribution of porn to kids.

On one Friday night in May, a tech blogger decided to comment on one of Apples newest commercials used to describe the iPad - thin, beautiful packing, 200,000 aps and already a "revolution". The revolution also includes saying no to porn apps. This has of course upset a lot of free speech / adult industry / liberal advocates who, not to mention, are also customers of Apple products.

In April at a question-and-answer session at Apple’s iPhone OS 4 event, a journalist asked the CEO whether Apple would consider allowing customers to load apps through means other than the App Store, and Steve noted Android as an option for porn fans.

"You know, there's a porn store for Android." ... "You can download nothing but porn. You can download porn, your kids can download porn. That's a place we don't want to go, so we're not going to go there."

XXX Chruch Knows No Bounderies

"Its that little guy on your shoulder that says you don't want to go there." - User



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HOW 2 Fight Demand step 2

Everyday Actions

In the fight against human trafficking, the first question that you might ask is, "How does one "go after" the customer? ...", myself included.

Today is the second step in the HOW 2 Fight Demand series. This series includes ten steps; an arm full of actions that individuals or groups can do to fight the demand of sex trafficking. Visit the CAASE website to find the entire list and other related resources.

2.After you've got a good understanding of the role that the demand for commercial sex plays in prostitution, write "Letters to the Editor" and "Op-Eds" to newspapers that participate in victim blaming and hold them accountable for how they cover the issue. When you write, encourage them to highlight the role the demand pays in the harms experienced by individuals in the sex trade.

Do it better than Lady Gaga VII (the finale)

Today I wrap up my series on how to become celibate. This all started back in April when  Lady Gaga said that it was better to be celibate than to risk getting the Aids virus. While on Mac's Viva Glam campaign, Lady Gaga came clean with the world about how she feels about sex and how her fans should follow in her foot steps.

"... I can’t believe I’m saying this – don’t have sex. I’m single right now and I’ve chosen to be single because I don’t have the time to get to know anybody. So it’s OK not to have sex ..."

The only thing is, she didn't teach us how to do; and thats where I come in. Over the past month or so I've filled readers in on how to become celibate. I say "become" because theres more to it than what you do; making the decision to practice celibacy sets your standard at a higher level automatically. Regardless of your past, you can instantly become a new person.

Its My Life, LIVE WITH IT Presents: Michael Cory Davis, Artists United for Social Justice

Michael Cory Davis, Artists United for Social Justice
Originally uploaded by Janvier Morris

ACTOR / WRITER / FILM MAKER -After a phone conversation with Michael Cory Davis, one word I want to use to describe him is "passionate". Michael's first inspiration to join the crusade for traffick victims was because of a girl named Svetlana. Now with a new movie coming out this fall, find out what else has him excited. The end of this post includes bits of our conversation.

Michael is a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn to two Jamaican parents. As the middle of three children, Michael was raised in a very creative household with high academic standards. His journey into the world of the arts started from the young age of 9 where, at any given time, he was performing in school plays or writing and animating books. Michael received his first true thespian training in junior high school at Satellite West in Brooklyn, which led to his acceptance to the prestigious Fiorello H. Laguardia H.S For The Performing Arts.

Movie Review

Title: Trafficked - 2010

Genre: Crime | Drama

Status: Released 21 May 2010

Director: Ciarán O' Connor

Starring: Ruth Negga, Karl Shiels, Martin Dunne, Jasmine Russell and Niall O'Brien

This is the REAL sex and the city ...

"We highly recommend this film, not just in terms of acting and drama but because it also gives a very good representation of the issue of sex trafficking" Ruhama - an Irish NGO which works with women affected by prostitution.

"This unflinching, bleak drama has been achieved with a strong cast (in which Russell is oustanding), visual imagination and narrative flair on a very small budget." The Irish Times

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Plot: The story is based around the central relationship between a newly arrived African migrant in Taiwo (Ruth Negga) and a Dublin-bred man-about-town in Keely (Karl Shiels). Theirs is a knotty association that is born of callous economic symbiosis, but which eventually grows to include a degree of mutual affection. However, Taiwo is a wanted woman, having escaped from the gangsters that brought her into the country, and it does not take the latter terribly long to track down their missing asset, with – you guessed it – predictably gritty results!

No Volunteers For This Job II: Shaddy Business Establishments

Eldorado's Adult Book Store

In response to a comment I saw online about teen prostitution, today I'm taking some time to describe where this type of behavior actually takes place.

Victims of sex trafficking are often found in the streets or working in establishments that offer commercial sex acts including, but not limited to brothels, strip clubs and pornography production houses. Such establishments may operate under the disguise of:

Living with "Daddy" and "Uncle C"

37-year-old Colin Anthony Dyer goes on trial this morning on charges of sexual battery on one woman, and human trafficking of her and another. He was one of four arrested last year in what the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office described as a sex trafficking ring.

Authorities at the time said Dyer's co-defendant, Kenyatta Cornelous, was the ringleader of a group that lured in young women, impressed them with a $600,000 house the men were renting in Treasure Island, and forced them into prostitution. Dyer is the first to come to trial. Cornelous' trial date has not been set.

The alleged victim of the rape is a woman who was older than 18 but under 21. Her name and exact age are not listed in court records.

She told attorneys in April that she was working as an exotic dancer in February 2009 and needed to move out of her apartment. She heard that a man named Kenyatta Cornelous "helped out girls that were down on their luck."

After several conversations with Cornelous, she also met Dyer, whom she called his "wing man." The men helped her sublet an apartment near 49th Street in St. Petersburg. She also visited Cornelous' house in Treasure Island, where there were several other women who appeared to be living with him.

Later, she said, Cornelous told her he could get her a job at Vegas Showgirls, 10570 Gandy Blvd. N, near St. Petersburg. It had more customers than the club where she was working at the time, "So I figured I'd give it a try."

Then, according to records, Cornelous explained the deal to her: "He was my, quote-unquote, 'Daddy.' I worked for him now. I would be working at the club six nights a week for 12- to 14-hour shifts. He explained to me the way that the VIP room works, like $275 for half an hour. You have to do whatever the gentleman requests, whether it's having sexual intercourse or just oral intercourse, whatever they want, they pay for it. The club supplies, you know, condoms and things like that, towels and stuff."

Chip Jones, manager of Vegas Showgirls, denied last week that there had been any prostitution in the club, and said the charges against Dyer, Cornelous and the others, "had nothing to do with us."

Colin Anthony Dyer

"There was never nothing done inside here," he said.

The woman said she also would have to give sex to Cornelous and his cohorts. "Pretty much they owned me."

Cornelous also told her Dyer "was my Uncle C and he would be taking care of me … until I was broken in or whatever," she said.

Kenyatta Cornelous

She was "incredulous," but she says they gave her a drink and she blacked out. When she awoke, she said she found tears and bleeding on parts of her body that indicated to her she had been raped. There was no way to get to a doctor. Ultimately, she says she lost her baby — she was in the first trimester.

The men, including Dyer, also gave her little blue pills — oxycodone — for the pain, she said. She ended up getting addicted.

She also said some of the men got angry one night and, "Kenyatta took me back in the bedroom of the Treasure Island house in the master bedroom and raped (another woman) and I." Another night, she said, Cornelous ordered her to give oral sex to Dyer. Another time, she said, Dyer raped her.

One night, she says, she and another woman started screaming "we're being kidnapped" and "help us." She says Dyer stopped them, at one point shutting the door on the other woman's finger.

Her break came when Cornelous needed her to get some new identification, which meant she had to call her father. She says Cornelous gave her a script of what to say, and watched closely as she made the call.

But another woman started "throwing a fit" about something, which distracted Cornelous, and gave her the chance to tell her father to "come save me."

She told him, "bring some money so you can pretend you're a customer."

So that night, she said, her father arrived at Vegas Showgirls as planned, acting like a customer, and said he was going to get her away from the club.

But she was worried about Cornelous. She told her father, "I'm scared that he's going to kill me."

They left anyway. "I didn't even get dressed, I didn't even put my street clothes on, I walked out of there with the bikini on and my 8-inch clear heels … and my dad was holding my hand, pulling me out the whole time."

When bouncers rushed out of the club and tried to stop them, she says her father told them: "This is my daughter. … If you try to stop us, I'll kill you."

And she escaped.

The Proper Technique for a Runaway

Because sometimes its okay to runaway.

Before the World Cup, South Africa is Already Winning

Top leaders in South Africa's travel and tourism industry signed the Tourism Child Protection Code of Conduct - calling for zero tolerance of child exploitation.

JOHANNESBURG, 9 June 2010 - UNICEF applauded the South African tourism and hospitality industry for its significant commitment to put an end to child sex tourism. The Tourism Child Protection Code of Conduct is aimed at protecting children and to leaving an enduring legacy of good practice beyond the World Cup, which starts Friday 11 June.

"The contribution of the travel and tourism industry is [vital] to help stamp out child sexual exploitation. When it comes to the sexual exploitation of children, there can be no innocent bystanders. ... Effective child protection is only possible when all sectors of society were mobilised. Together, we must demonstrate [zero] tolerance of child exploitation and make South Africa a tourist destination that is safe for children." - Aida Germa, UNICEF Representative

Fourteen leading organisations in the South African travel, hotel and tourism industry have signified that they are behind the Code. They include AVIS, Hertz, Budget and Europcar; Sun International, Radisson, Protea Hotels and Tourvest. These companies have become signatories to The Code to help ensure that tourism facilities do not become havens for crimes against children.

Yesterday’s signing is also linked to a wider UNICEF-led national communication campaign ‘Let's Give a Red Card to Child Exploitation’ aimed at protecting children during the World Cup and beyond. Tens of thousands of visitors will find Red Card child protection information and referral numbers in their hotel rooms, rental cars and tour package dockets.

To date, nearly 1,000 companies in 35 countries have signed The Code. Tourism businesses that choose to sign The Code commit themselves to implement the following measures on an ongoing basis:

Establish an ethical corporate policy regarding sexual exploitation of children.

Train personnel in the country of origin and in destinations.

Introduce clauses in contracts with suppliers, stating a common repudiation of sexual exploitation of children.

Provide information to travellers (e.g. brochures, posters, in-flight videos, ticket slips, home pages, etc).

Provide information to local "key persons" at tourism destinations.

Report annually.

SOURCE:

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_53882.html

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, DNA

Celebrities Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore aren't afraid to use their fame to make a difference. The Twitter enthusiast called out sex traffickers and the johns that support underage prostitution at the premiere of Killers in Hollywood last night, hopefully giving pause to any red carpet gawkers who thought Demi Moore’s boytoy was totally into sex slaves. There’s no reason for desperate men to resort to horrifying criminal activity to meet attractive women, anyway—they can always go on one of Ashton’s reality shows!

Its My Life, LIVE WITH IT Presents: Shelley Lubben, Pink Cross Foundation

Shelley Lubben, Pink Cross Foundation
Originally uploaded by Janvier Morris

Shelley is also a former porn actress fighting tirelessly against the pornography industry which affects most of the world in a destructive way. Unrelenting in the cause of human rights, Shelley is passionate to educate people all around the world about the abusive and illegally operating porn industry as well as inspire the world to stop viewing pornography and stop contributing to the destruction of men and women who are being abused daily in the pornography industry.

Shelley's message: PORN IS NOT GLAMOROUS.

Because of the huge epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, drugs and prostitution, and abuse toward adult industry workers with lack of help available, Shelley and her husband Garrett founded the Pink Cross Foundation, a nonprofit public benefit corporation created to reach out to adult industry workers offering emotional, financial and transitional support for those who want out of porn and the sex industry.

Shelley has been working with adult industry workers since 2002 when she began volunteering as a teacher and counselor at local rescue missions and prisons in the State of California. She has worked at Madera Rescue Mission, Bakersfield Rescue Mission, Central California Women's Facility Prison, and Valley State Prison for Women and has traveled throughout the United States as a speaker and counselor on the negative effects of pornography at various recovery programs, churches and secular organizations. Shelley and her team have worked with thousands of people struggling with pornography addiction in the Pink Cross Foundation Help Forums as well as reach out to thousands of porn stars and sex workers through outreach and individualized care packages.

A former stripper, prostitute and pornographic actress in the 80's and 90's, Shelley suffered major negative effects of the pornography industry and was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depressive Disorder, Impulse Control Disorder and substance abuse due to years of trauma from the sex industry.

In 1994, she was infected with the non-curable disease Genital Herpes while making a pornographic film and later developed early cervical cancer. Shelley had three unexpected pregnancies from prostitution acts, two ending in miscarriages. Later, with her husband, she had an Entopic pregnancy and a third miscarriage. FOUR total pregnancy losses. Shelley understands very well how destructive the pornography industry is.

After finding God through Christianity and enduring eight hard years of recovery at the Champion's Center in Tacoma, Washington, Shelley was able to live a normal healthy Champion life.

Shelley received her Bachelor's of Theology degree at Vision International University in California on December 7, 2009 and is an ordained Chaplain with the Order of Saint Martin.

Shelley has attended Pierce College in Tacoma Washington for her general academics, Wisdom For Life Leadership School in Tacoma Washington and Harvestime International Bible College where she received a Christian Workers Certificate in Biblical Studies in 2003. Shelley majors in Theology and minors in Creative Writing.

Shelley is also the executive director of Pink Cross Foundation, a non-profit organization that reaches out to porn stars and sex workers to help them rebuild their lives as well as helping those who struggle with porn addiction.

Shelley enjoys raising her daughters, cooking, reading about great Reformers, sharing the good news and inspiring people to never give up and is extremely involved in missionary and social work.

Shelley speaks knowledgeably on such topics as the secondary negative effects of prostitution and pornography, the truth behind the porn industry, legislation concerning adult entertainment, how to overcome pornography addiction, the risks and effects of sex work, sex education and other subjects to include Theology, Christianity,and more.

Shelley Lubben is an experienced media guest and has appeared on various radio and TV shows, including: Dr. Phil, MTV, VH1, the 700 Club, Daystar and more. She is a captivating speaker who can provide a PG or R rated version of her story, depending on your audience. She has spoken for both secular and Christian venues.

To learn more about Shelley please visit her personal web site at www.shelleylubben.com or watch videos of Shelley speaking on the videos page.

SOURCE:
http://www.thepinkcross.org/page/meet-our-executive-director