In this. our second newsletter, we are highlighting the extremely successful work initiated by the Zonta Club in the Pikes Peak Area. I have been lucky enough to work with them from the beginning, helping them organize, connecting them with speakers and advising however I can.
They are an intrepid bunch, once holding a symposium on an icy Saturday which would have thrwarted any other group and which scared this Floridian.
This year they are focusing on the demand side of the issue. Betty Edwards has been the chair of the organization from the beginning and we are proud that she is a member of our Advisory Council. Nola Theiss Executive Director |
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THANK YOU
to Karen Pati, VP of the HTAP board who recently won the International Viva Chiquita Award for her work which was created after the Chiquita CEO participated in the "Undercover Boss" series.
She was awarded for her work in the start up of the Corporate Responsibility Team focusing on Sustainability.
The award comes with a $1,000 donation to the winner's charity of choice. She chose HTAP.
Karen has been a huge asset to HTAP from her first urging us to form HTAP to her ongoing work in every aspect of the organization and her service on the HTAP board of directors.
Reading/Viewing Recommendations
The International Justice Mission (IJM) just introduced a free app for smart phones which gives latest news articles, lists groups seeking justice, freedom stories, etc.
"Somebody's Daughter" by Julian Sher focuses on domestic minor sex trafficking. It takes an incisive look into the sex trade world that so many young American girls find themselves in.
It's a world they are unequipped to handle and a world where adults who should be protecting them are misunderstanding and punishing them for their victimization. Powerful and a good companion read to "Girls Like Us" by Rachel Lloyd.
A Special Experience
On August 17, I was part of a panel at the Ave Maria Law School in Naples, FL, presenting to a group of 9 trafficking experts from countries iincluding Bahrain, Tunisia, Mozambique, Egypt, Bangladesh, Nepal and Kuwait, traveling on a grant from the State Department.
I gave them an overview of the trends of human trafficking in Florida and talked about our local task forces. Other panelists discussed victim services and I shared what I had learned at the Protection Project lunchon about the TIP report. (See adjacent story.)After 3 weeks of traveling around the country, they still were happy to share their knowledge and anxious to learn more.
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What's Happening In Your Community?
Spotlight on
The Human Trafficking Task Force of Southern Colorado
The Human Trafficking Task Force (H-TSC) of Southern Colorado has collaborated with Youth With A Mission Strategic Frontiers and the Zonta Club of the Pikes Peak Area to present a symposium each of the last three years. Attendance is about 300 persons. Our fourth event is being planned for October 22, 2011. This collaboration mirrors the composition of H-TSC which is open to all individuals and organizations who are interested in stopping modern day slavery.
Symposium speakers are from international, state, or local organizations and they bring us current thinking on many human trafficking issues. These issues are often related to awareness, advocacy, domestic minor sex trafficking, or victimization and form the basis of our yearly goals.
This photo shows a panel in 2009 led by Nola Theiss and showcases workers, law enforcement, and NGO workers. It is believed that the success of our symposiums currently is due to the excellent hands-on guidance we received during 2008 and 2009 from Nola and her continuing support. Having a mentor who cares about what we're doing is invaluable and keeps us on the right path - stopping modern day slavery! Thank you, Nola! (www.ht-colorado.org)
By Betty Edwards, Chair of Human Trafficking Task Force of Southern Colorado. See story below about Betty.
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 Betty Edwards, Member of HTAP Advisory Council
Betty's Story: How Did One Woman Get Involved?
For approximately six years, our local Zonta club, the Zonta Club of the Pikes Peak Area, and other Zonta Clubs financially supported The Star Network's efforts to curtail human trafficking in Bosnia Herzegovina. We were excited when we learned the Executive Director of this effort would be in Boulder, CO, for a conference and several of us made immediate plans to attend a session and meet with her.
What we learned broke our hearts and made us more determined than ever to do SOMETHING to stop this modern day slavery. After spotting a short TV news article on the late news about a massage parlor raid, I contacted the station and asked what happened to the victims. We discussed how human trafficking was taking place all over the world including the United States and that the local Zonta Club was beginning work to bring awareness to our community. We would try to emphasis the work being done internationally, nationally, and in Colorado by planning a community meeting in the fall. Channel 5 gave us brief coverage on the late news, but it was enough to stimulate responses that led us to collaborate on a Human Trafficking Awareness Symposium in September. One of the responses was from Youth With A Mission Strategic Frontiers. We held the 2008 symposium at their facility and further collaborated in 2009 and 2010 for two more! Nola Theiss of HTAP was our first keynote speaker and has served as a mentor ever since. We've never looked back, and the 2011 event is in the planning stages now!
SO, how to get involved? Learn all you can, and DO SOMETHING!!! |
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ARTREACH: Awareness is the First Step to Preventing Trafficking
Our current ARTREACH program began on August 22 on Sanibel at BIG Arts. It is open to middle and high school girls with college age women participating. Please contact us for further information. This program consists of four 4-hour sessions.
We are also planning a program with the local domestic violence shelter and after school programs at the Quality Life Center, running parallel programs for girls and boys.
We recognize how important it is to make our ARTREACH programs fit the time schedules of the students and their hosts while still meeting our objectives of educating and inspiring the participants to share their insights through art.
The HTAP ARTREACH program addresses the need to educate young people about human trafficking through all forms of art, including painting, theatre, photography and writing, so that they become aware of how trafficking may affect their lives which will enable them to teach others about the dangers of trafficking.
If you are interested in conducting an ARTREACH program in your community, we would be glad to help you. Go to www.humantraffickingawareness.org to learn more. |
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Upcoming Events
Made by US
Women-Made Fashions, Food and Social Change Event.
November 19, 2011 - 4:00pm - 7:00pm (fashion show at 5:15pm) at
the Unitarian-Universalist Church,13411 Shire Lane,Fort Myers, FL.
- Sponsored by the ZONTA Club of Fort Myers to benefit -
GRACE Project (Guatemalan Rural Adult and Children's Education)
and HTAP (Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships, Inc.)
Clothing, jewelry, food - all products made by local women will be on display and available for purchase. Admission is $20 and will include a $5 coupon to be used to buy any item from a participating vendor. In between fashion segments, presentations will be given on human trafficking, women's health and social change initiatives.For the month of November, all of the ARTREACH canvases will be on exhibit in the UUCFM Narthex.
For more information/tickets call Gari Grant Lewis @ 239 395 2403
See our calendar on the HTAP website for other trainings and events. |
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Brief
Briefing on the Trafficking In Persons 2011 Report
On July 26 in Washington DC, The Protection Project hosted a luncheon with Ambassador Luis de Baca, head of the Trafficking In Persons Office in the State Department. Nola Theiss attended the luncheon which included a presentation by Dr. Mattar, head of the Protection Project and Ambassador de Baca. Dr. Mattar summarized his analysis of the 2011 report which is available at www.protectionproject.org. One of the most compelling findings is that there are now anti-trafficking laws in all countries except for North Korea.
Ambassador de Baca stated that the TIP report has become a primary source for scholars. He talked about the bi-partisan history of the TVPA and said that President Obama is deeply committed to fighting human trafficking so much so that he has the original Emancipation Proclamation hanging in the Oval Office. The TIP report fosters partnerships among countries and while it sometimes causes controversy when a country doesn't receive a ranking it thinks it deserves, it also motivates. In discussing the tier system, he stated that the standards to be on each tier are minimums, not maximums and that being on Tier 1 is not a "reprieve, but a responsibility" and that no government is doing enough. He said that we are at a critical crossroads and that numbers don't tell the whole story. Currently 50 of the 57 American states and territories now have anti-trafficking laws.
The first decade since TVPA was about development of a strategy and early action, the second decade is about delivery, de Baca said. Along with development and delivery, we also need dedication and deterrence to continue the work.The State Department is looking at innovators and supply chain monitoring and understanding individual responsibility. We must answer the question, "How do we as individuals contribute to the problem and the solution?" He also talked about the role of religion as a solace provider, motivator and driver.
Plans for the immediate future include a program centered on "Slavery's Footprint" which will help people measure their personal contribution to slavery in terms of consumption or neglect. MTV is talking about starting a year long string of anti-slavery concerts beginning in September, 2011 and ending on Sept. 27, 2012, the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. He also commended CNN and other news outlets for their coverage of the issue. |
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