ILO global child labour figures for the year 2000 estimate that there are as many as 1.8 million children exploited in prostitution or pornography
worldwide. - another old stat
SOURCE:
11 May 2010
Another Old Stat
ILO global child labour figures for the year 2000 estimate that there are as many as 1.8 million children exploited in prostitution or pornography
10 May 2010
Childhood Sexual Abuse & Mother's Day Weekend
Two mothers convicted and sentenced for selling their daughter for sex during Mother's Day weekend.
This weekend two mothers were convicted of selling their own daughter for sex to strangers. The first victim's abuse started in 2000 when she was 12-years old. Her mother and a man she was living with trained the girl to engage in sadomasochistic sex acts with him and others.
The man's name is Todd Barkau. When the girl was 14 Todd set up a website, called the girl “Mistress Alisha” and recieved payments for services, offering her for in-person and online sexual encounters. Todd also recieved DVD players or cappuccino machines and other items in exchange for her services. This all happened while the mother knew about the business, witnessed some of the sessions and benefited economically from her daughter’s sexual encounters. This happened for five years.
And another 12-year old in Australia was forced into the prostitution business by her mother and another man. That man is Gary John Devine. The story is as follows ... Gary and the mother rented a hotel room for two nights charging men $100 for half an hour and an extra $50 if the men didn't want to wear a condom. Making $2000, and spending three quarters of it on drugs for the mother.
For another month, Gary ran the prostitution business out of his house. Every weekend, from Thursday to Sunday, the girl would see more than 100 clients. The girl has been examined and diagnosed with genital warts and chlamydia.
How to cope?
This weekend two mothers were convicted of selling their own daughter for sex to strangers. The first victim's abuse started in 2000 when she was 12-years old. Her mother and a man she was living with trained the girl to engage in sadomasochistic sex acts with him and others.
The man's name is Todd Barkau. When the girl was 14 Todd set up a website, called the girl “Mistress Alisha” and recieved payments for services, offering her for in-person and online sexual encounters. Todd also recieved DVD players or cappuccino machines and other items in exchange for her services. This all happened while the mother knew about the business, witnessed some of the sessions and benefited economically from her daughter’s sexual encounters. This happened for five years.
And another 12-year old in Australia was forced into the prostitution business by her mother and another man. That man is Gary John Devine. The story is as follows ... Gary and the mother rented a hotel room for two nights charging men $100 for half an hour and an extra $50 if the men didn't want to wear a condom. Making $2000, and spending three quarters of it on drugs for the mother.
For another month, Gary ran the prostitution business out of his house. Every weekend, from Thursday to Sunday, the girl would see more than 100 clients. The girl has been examined and diagnosed with genital warts and chlamydia.
How to cope?
07 May 2010
Cyber Slave Market
This time the news reporters have it right. ABC has a load of current information on sex traffick and whats being done to curve the problem. A new story was created today with an old problem. By now law officials and even the victims know that sex traffick itself isn't the root of the problem. The problem has always been about how people view the crime. This determines how soon we respond to someone's need, or if we respond at all.
Things you should be asking
So, if you're past the initial shock of the sex trade in America, then you're probably asking questions about whats being done by law enforcement and politicians". You may even ask about how this crime could affect your family. From what I've seen and read, this crime has the potential to secretly creep into the lives of everyone in society. Because of the Internet, prostitution has become a covert business model, that can easily blend in with our homes and businesses.
Do you know the laws on human trafficking in your state, country or province? Do police arrest minors forced into prostitution? Are you aware of sex tourism laws in your country?
Most johns admit that fines, public exposure, employers being informed or the risk of a criminal record would stop them from buying sex. But discovering whether or not the women were trafficked, pimped or forced into prostitution wasn't enough to make them decide not to use those individuals.
SOURCE:
abcnews
Do you know the laws on human trafficking in your state, country or province? Do police arrest minors forced into prostitution? Are you aware of sex tourism laws in your country?
Most johns admit that fines, public exposure, employers being informed or the risk of a criminal record would stop them from buying sex. But discovering whether or not the women were trafficked, pimped or forced into prostitution wasn't enough to make them decide not to use those individuals.
"They would just send me to jail and keep me here for like a couple of months, then they'd release me thinking everything's good ... I was scared to run to the police or cops or something because you know ... I don't think they'd really listen. They try to set up a date with you knowing that you were a minor. They didn't care." -former traffick victim
SOURCE:
abcnews
06 May 2010
Small Victories Show We're Advancing
It hasn't been easy to believe human trafficking happens right here in our big cities and small towns. After researching the crime, its even harder to believe that someone escaped an organized criminal operation.
Austin, TX.▬On January 2, 2010, a man escaped from a window of a first floor apartment where he and a group of smuggled immigrant men where being held without food and water. The man, whose name is being concealed, made it to a store a couple blocks away from the apartment nearly naked, bleeding and wearing only one shoe. Two men were arrested with one pretending to be one of the men smuggled.
Vancouver, Wash.▬Back in December 2009, Brianna agreed to dance in a Seattle strip club for two nights. She gave two men most of the money, but not before they convinced her to clean out her bank account and give them that too. Three days later, the 18 yr old still hadn't returned her dad's car and had a cell phone that was dying so she headed home.
Linda says shes learned some things too. Up until recently her focus was rescuing sex traffick victims who were very young teens. Now she sees young women, 18 or 19 that are smart, successful, on the brink of adulthood and independence being vulnerable and deserving the same protection from society.
SOURCES:
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/victim-escapes-human-trafficking-ring
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011511320_sextrafficking03.html
http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/apr/02/i-was-just-walking-blindly-into-this-trap-brianna/
http://www.sharedhope.org/press/lindasmith.asp
http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/82514537.html
http://twitter.com/SharedHope/status/10290596147
Austin, TX.▬On January 2, 2010, a man escaped from a window of a first floor apartment where he and a group of smuggled immigrant men where being held without food and water. The man, whose name is being concealed, made it to a store a couple blocks away from the apartment nearly naked, bleeding and wearing only one shoe. Two men were arrested with one pretending to be one of the men smuggled.
Vancouver, Wash.▬Back in December 2009, Brianna agreed to dance in a Seattle strip club for two nights. She gave two men most of the money, but not before they convinced her to clean out her bank account and give them that too. Three days later, the 18 yr old still hadn't returned her dad's car and had a cell phone that was dying so she headed home. Her plan was to drop off the car, get an ex-boyfriend to pick her up and drop her off in Kelso. Then link up with her new friends and start making all this money. This could even take them to Phoenix, except the ex-boyfriend got suspicious.
He called his parents. His dad happened to hear Linda Smith speak recently so he decided to call police Lt. John Chapmen who was working with Linda on some sex trafficking cases in Clark County. Not long after, Brianna's mother was called and told to be at the ex-boyfriend's house before Brianna showed up.
By the time Brianna got to her boyfriends house everyone was there. Before she knew it she was sitting beside Linda Smith on a bed talking about what was about to happen if someone hadn't intervened before she got to Kelso.
She was fingerprinted before going into the strip club so police would have considered her just another stripper turned prostitute.
Later Brianna said she remembered some weird moments and admits she "was walking blindly into this trap".
Linda says shes learned some things too. Up until recently her focus was rescuing sex traffick victims who were very young teens. Now she sees young women, 18 or 19 that are smart, successful, on the brink of adulthood and independence being vulnerable and deserving the same protection from society."I used to say the vulnerability was highest among those 11 to 14 ..."-Linda Smith
This comes just in time. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed Senate Bill 6476, which increases penalties for sex traffickers and makes their victims under 18 eligible for crime-victims' compensation, safe shelter and counseling.(click here for entire story)
SOURCES:
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/victim-escapes-human-trafficking-ring
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011511320_sextrafficking03.html
http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/apr/02/i-was-just-walking-blindly-into-this-trap-brianna/
http://www.sharedhope.org/press/lindasmith.asp
http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/82514537.html
http://twitter.com/SharedHope/status/10290596147
Officer Caught With His Pants Down
This is a funny photo. A cop pretending he's not enjoying the festivities. Seems harmless, but there are others who weren't so lucky.
Officers: Kim Scott Graham, Dennis Bell, Michael Roger Owen Thomas, Nicky Ray Bryant and David Schauwecker all have something in common.
Kim Scott Graham, a former Cottage Grove police officer, was sentenced on April 20, 2010 to serve 60 months in prison for his possession of child pornography.
Sergeant Dennis Bell, a Capitol Police officer, was arrested on April 15, 2010 after police raided his home and recovered computers with child pornography.
Nicky Ray Bryant, a former Knoxville police officer, was arrested at his residence on April 19, 2010 on a felony offense, he used a computer to download pornographic images of girls. Nicky was already facing charges for giving teenage girls alcohol in his home.
Sgt. David Schauwecker was fired after the Board of Aldermen and the mayor heared evidence from the investigation centered around child pornography being found on a work computer.
Detective Michael Roger Owen Thomas, formerly of Newport, Gwent, was convicted early in April of 2010 after a jury found him guilty of 11 counts of making indecent images, 10 counts of distributing indecent images and one count of possessing an indecent image of a child.
I've always been curious to know how habits like this start. Last but not least is a guy that you may already know. Three years ago this week, James Randy Moss, a Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper, was accused of receiving oral sex while on duty from a Knoxville porn actress, Barbie Cummings, in exchange for ignoring drug and traffic violations.
In October of 2007, James was indicted on six counts of official misconduct, two counts of official oppression and two counts of tampering with evidence in two separate incidents. The second incident was with an unidentified woman during a separate traffic stop.
Along with being accused of receiving oral sex, the victim accused James of taking photos and video with his cell phone and sending her copies.
The porn star wrote about the encounter on her blog, complete with the photos and video. Someone filed an anonymous complaint against Moss the next day. He resigned May 24, the same day the agency moved to fire him. (click here for the entire article)
I heard a preacher recite words from Romans 12.
2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
He also said, "you become what you think about, or expose yourself to often". I immediately thought about porn; child porn to be exact.
Two suggestions: the government could step in, set new and separate punishments for offenders like the policemen I have described, or we the people can vote to observe a special human sacrifice held once a year for these offenders. You decide, my vote is already in.
SOURCES:
http://www.wkrg.com/technology/article/patrol_car_porn/15928/Jul-15-2008_10-20-am/
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/05/03/hero-cop-on-child-porn-charge-115875-22229978/
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Veteran-Cop-Charged-After-Child-Porn-Raid-91070874.html
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/35920.html
http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/gwentnews/8091846.Gwent_cop_guilty_of_child_porn_charges/
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/news/79885/
http://www.wptz.com/news/23211961/detail.html
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/apr/17/ex-cop-faces-another-charge/?partner=RSS
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/18/former-trooper-gets-probation-porn-actress-traffic/
05 May 2010
Do it better than Lady Gaga IV
If Lady Gaga thinks that its easy to be sex free in a sex-crazed world like ours, shes wrong. Last month in an interview in Lady Gaga said that her fans should be celibate. Gaga and Cindi Lauper are a part of the Mac's Viva Glam campaign which supports global HIV and aids projects.
Fourth tip on how to remain celibate: 'Get a life'. The worse thing you can do is (no, not be alone, but) be with people that set you off sexually. The ones you can't say no to will be a huge distraction, especially if they haven't made the same decision as you. No cuddle or make-out sessions. Get into a hobby that takes your mind off of things. Read some books that you've had on your list for a while, pick up a new sport or find a new volunteer opportunity. I'd try them all!☺
What ever you decide, make sure you do it better than Lady Gaga.
Gaga says, "and 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, it’s OK to get to know people. I’m celibate, celibacy’s fine."
SOURCES:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1264165/Lady-Gaga-gets-lippy-The-pop-star-teams-Mac-raise-Aids-awareness.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Live-a-Life-of-Celibacy
69% Develop PTSD
PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event which results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity, overwhelming the individual's ability to cope.
The percentage of combat war veterans to develop PTSD is 69% ...
People most likely to develop PTSD: veterans or those exposed to combat, rape victims, battered women, childhood sexual abuse, a person experiencing psychological or physical torture, witnessing the death of a loved one, natural catastrophes, bad trip on drugs, prostitutes and/or porn stars.
... The percentage is the same for PROSTITUTES.
04 May 2010
A Crime That Shames Us All
The UN calls trafficking "a crime that shames us all." When our fellow human beings are treated as commodities, our own humanity is diminished. Let us turn shame into action and remove this stain from our soil, from our souls.-Swanee Hunt
National Human Trafficking
Resource Center (NHTRC)
1-888-3737-888
www.TraffickingResourceCenter.org
HOW TO: Internet Predators Targeting Children
Chris Hansen's, 'To Catch a Predator' series, its a great way to see how Internet Predators do their dirt first hand. Which is exactly why I'm writing this post. Today I'm going to talk about which signs appear when a child is being targeted by a predator and what you, the parent, should do it you see anything strange.
Okay, if a child or teen becomes withdrawn from family and friends and starts to spend a lot of time online and/or quickly turns the computer monitor off or changes the screen if an adult comes into the room, just know that these are all signs.
If you find pornography on the family computer, depending on the family, this could be out of the norm. If it is then I suggest you back track and read a my last post on Internet predators.
You notice a child or teen receives phone calls from people you don't know or they call numbers you don't recognize, including long distance numbers. In our fast paced world of busy parents and independent teens owning their own cell phones, this is important to note. One solution is to keep them on the family plan as long as possible. I have a friend who is on her parents family plan while living in a different city. There's nothing wrong with it, especially when you notice your kids acting suspicious.I don't think I have to say this next one, but if a child receives mail, emails, gifts, or packages from someone you don't know ... take action if you haven't already. This sort of thing is common with predators. Internet predators have even been known to send plane tickets to their victims.
And if you notice a child or teen using someone else's online account, it could mean the predator provided the child with an alternate computer account to maneuver around computer restrictions in the home.
So, if a child is targeted by an Internet predator what do you do?
A lot of the infromation I've mentioned can seem like normal behavior for kids and can be easily overlooked. This goes especially for those seemingly responsible teens.
First things first, if you see something suspicious, call the police immediately.
You make the call if a child or teen is sent pornographic or sexually explicit images or if he/she is sexually solicited in email, instant messaging or any other way online. Save any of these items to give to police when they arrive. (chat logs, web site addresses, email address etc.) Don't try to be the parent that settles the matter on your own if you don't have to. You may not have all the information and the child could still have ties with the predetor or others.
Check your computer periodically for pornographic material or any type of sexual communication.
Last, monitor all electronic communication your child has accessed.(chat rooms, instant messaging, email etc.) Online predators almost always meet potential victims in chat rooms first, then they continue the communication using email.
Remember, if a child is every caught up in some sort of sexual encounter with an adult, the child is never at fault. The adult will take responsibility for their own actions.
This is only 'how to spot a child being targeted by an Internet predator', next I'm going to go over 'how Internet predators operate'.
Till then enjoy a clip from 'To Catch a Predator' with Chris Hansen.
SOURCES:
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/special_initiatives/wa_resources/wa_shared/backgrounders/online_predators.cfm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25111041#25111041
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/default.aspx
03 May 2010
A Week in Ohio Traffick
The last of the sentencing happened yesterday when 3 of 4 men received over 40 years in prison. 23-year old Jacob Tyler and 21-year old Robert Harris both were sentenced to 15 years in prison and 12 years probation. 23-year old Richard Johnson was sentenced to 10 years and one month behind bars with 10 years of probation. And Wednesday, the 23-year old Army E-3, Craig Corey was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison.
These men pleaded guilty to a number of charges, one including sex trafficking and enticement to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution with Craig being the mastermind.
These men pleaded guilty to a number of charges, one including sex trafficking and enticement to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution with Craig being the mastermind.
Seven days earlier ...
On Apr 23, a normal Friday night, students from Taylor University were found gathered together in silence. They were seeing first hand what sex traffick looks like. An exhibit called 'If I could Speak' using 6, 18 x 27 inch colored pencil drawings, illustrates victims of sex traffick. The work is done by Rachel Moore, a senior Studio Art major at Taylor. Rachel uses her passion and talent to be a catalyst for change."I think a lot of people [understand] the importance of sex trafficking, but so much of the funds and energy is geared toward awareness that no one has really taken the time and effort to put together shelters," Caleb said. "[We] need to rethink [about] where a lot of funds and energy are going. It's not just [important to raise] awareness, but [we need to fund] actually helping [the oppressed]. There's not much emphasis on that right now."-Caleb Barrows
'If I Could Speak' has also teamed up with a non-profit ministry called Gracehaven. Gracehaven is a shelter that deals specifically with sex traffick victims. Its set to open in the Fall and will be the third house in the country of its kind.
Caleb Barrows is a Taylor student who supports his dad in the Gracehaven ministry. When asked how someone can help fight sex trafficking, he said to keep in mind,
"If you're looking for something heroic, then you're probably not going to find it; but if you're looking for something tangible and useful, then that's probably going to be very easy to do,"
...
In February, the Ohio Trafficking in Persons Study Commission released a report ranking Toledo the fourth largest human trafficking city in the country.
The report revealed a number of unusual victims including an estimated 1,078 children that will be forced into the sex trade, 2,879 American-born children ages 12 to 17 that are at-risk for sex trafficking and 2,534 foreign-born people that are expected to be at-risk of being forced into labor or sex trafficking.
In March, just three weeks after the report, State Sen. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo proposed a bill recognizing human traffick as a separate punishable crime. The Senator hopes to get the bill on the governor's desk before summer recess.
With human trafficking now one of the top 3 revenue earners for organized crime (Leach, 2004), it's safe to say that drugs, guns and forced prostitution go hand in hand. Keep in mind that that was an old stat.
I'll end with some of Rachel's advice ...
Get informed and do something. Support an organization that you believe in or start a group yourself. And most importantly, PRAY!
SOURCES:
/arts.wrecked.org/?filename=if-i-could-speak
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20100429/NEWS01/4290303/1002/rss01
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20100501/NEWS01/5010310
http://ificouldspeak.weebly.com/index.html
http://www.gracehavenhouse.org/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/11/national/main6196454.shtml
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/child-sex-trade-study-shines-light-on-ohio-541564.html
http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20100308/NEWS24/3080323
http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/219/46699.html
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