Having just come back from Ontario, I am energized by the commitment of the Canadian participants of a program organized by a local committee. The U.S. and Canada have some different challenges but more similarities. It was a thrill to meet MP Joy Smith who is an inspiration! Next, I am looking forward to speaking at Troy University in Alabama and to a number of ARTREACH projects in Florida. Nola Theiss Executive Director |
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Awareness and Prevention. What's the difference?
Prevention is one of the "4 P's" of human trafficking (Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Partnerships), yet it is the area we hear the least about. Our ARTREACH program is one attempt to reach one at-risk group (American girls between the ages of 11-15) before they become involved in human trafficking. Awareness is very much a part of our mission, yet it is only the first step in preventing the crime.
If you are interested in sharing prevention materials and research, please contact us.
Thank you
To the following faith groups who have invited HTAP to present to them in the last few months and have given HTAP honoraria to be used for awareness building and outreach: United Methodist Church in Sun City, FL, Beth Israel Synagogue in Long Boat Key, FL, St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Cape Coral, FL, School Sisters of Notre Dame in Burlington, Ontario. We really appreciate the opportunity to speak to and work with these groups and are grateful for their support.
Update on Rachel Lloyd
Rachel Lloyd of GEMS made a brief but impactful visit to our community in April. She spoke to local advocates and to community members. We are hoping to have a longer time with her in September.
Reading
Recommendation
While in Canada, I was introduced to a number of books which I am reading furiously so I can add them to the recommended list. They include "Sold" which was recommended by one of our newsletter readers, "One Child At a Time" by Julian Sher and "Invisible Chains" by Benjamin Perrin which I have finished. Perrin's book shows the similarities of circumstances between the US and Canada, but the different legislative approaches. His insights are valuable to all readers. |
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What's Happening in Your Community?
MP Joy Smith and Nola Theiss co-presented at an event held in Burlington, Ontario on April 28. Over 170 people attended, representing law enforcement, human service providers, members of the Canadian Parliament, community leaders and citizens.
Joy Smith as a Member of the Canadian Parliament has introduced and sponsored landmark human trafficking legislation. Her presentation discussed the progress made in Canada over the past few years and the areas where futher work must be done. Nola Theiss gave an overview of U.S. efforts and legislation as well as preventative work that HTAP has been doing. The importance of collaborative work was emphasized. The presentations were followed by a 45-minute Q and A session. Reproductions of ARTREACH paintings were displayed.
The event was hosted by the School Sisters of Notre Dame and organized by the Waterdown Stop Human Trafficking Comittee. |
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The U.S. State Department's "Trafficking In Persons Report" will be issued in June, 2012. The current reauthorization of the Trafficking Victim's Protection Act is still under consideration in Congress. Also pay attention to changes in the U.S. Violence Against Women Act which is currently being discussed and possibly changed. These changes would adversely affect victims of trafficking.
Florida has passed 2 significant laws this year, including a Safe Harbor Act, making it only the 10th state to hae such a law and another that makes human trafficking a felony in the state. For full info, click here: New Florida State Laws
Check for new laws that may have been passed in your state recently. Only Wyoming has no anti-trafficking state law. The newest Canadian legislation has just been passed by the House of Commons.
Check www.polarisproject.org for the lastest information on legislation.
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HTAP Read/Recommend/Act Campaign
We believe that the more available information about human trafficking is, the more likely it is that people will learn and take action.
This campaign was inspired by one of our board members who was unable to find any books about human trafficking while traveling on business. She said, "Human Trafficking is the second largest criminal business internationally and booksellers don't carry the great books that have been written about it. We need to do something to make these books available".
- Read these books and learn more about human trafficking.
- Recommend these books to your local library and bookstores and encourage others to read and buy these books.
- Act on what you've learned.
HTAP's Recommended Reading List
I've added a few new books (in italics) based on new recommendations and my own reading of them. I've got 3 more to read after getting recommendations from you and I hope they will be on the list by the time the next newsletter appears.
The Big Picture:
*"A Crime So Monstrous" by E. Benjamin Skinner
*"Ending Slavery: How we Free Today's Slaves" by Kevin Bales
*"Half the Sky" by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn
*"Not for Sale" by David Batsone
*"In Our Backyard; A Christian Perspective on Human Trafficking in the United States by Nita Belles
* "Invisible Chains: Canada's Underground World of Human Trafficking" by Benjamin Perrin
Child Sex Trafficking:
*"Girls Like Us" by Rachel Lloyd
*"Renting Lacy; A Story of America's Prostituted Children by Linda Smith
*"Somebody's Daughter" by Julian Sher
*"Stolen Lives" by Jaycee Duggard
*"The Slave Across the Street" by Theresa Flores
*"The Slave Next Door" by Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter
*"A Walk Across the Sun" by Corbin Addison (fiction)
Demand and the Economic Issues:
*"The Johns" by Victor Malarek
*"The Natashas" by Victor Malarek
*"Nobodies" by John Bowe
*"Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery" by Siddharth Kara
Note: Newly recommended books in italics.
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ARTREACH banner
The banner above shows the art and some of the artists from the
Wildcats Soccer League during a program we held in February and March. We spoke to 60 boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 18 for an hour during what would have been a soccer practice and then
invited kids who wanted to create art to stay. Over the next 4 weeks about 15 students worked on 4 paintings.
These students chose to create art about girls tricking younger girls into trafficking, the perils of the internet and one group wrote a poem to accompany their beautiful painting.
We have also created a website for the ARTREACH program:
which showcases the work and the participants in these programs.
If you are interested in conducting an ARTREACH program in your community, we would be glad to help you. To learn more, click here: www.htapARTREACH.org |
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TRAIN THE TRAINER: ARTREACH
One goal of our ARTREACH program is to train other community leaders and human trafficking advocates on how to conduct the program. While we have done short trainings on ARTREACH before, we held our first Train the Trainer and Simulation of the variations of ARTREACH programs. Organized by June Wallace, it took place in Sun City Center, Florida in April over 1.5 days with 6 community volunteers who were interested in leading their own programs. We had an interesting mix of people and were able to create one painting and a whole lot of enthusiasm for the program. One of the most interesting aspects was that we had two very different interpretations of the painting at the end because of the different life experiences of these adults so the painting has two different titles:
Jekyll and Hyde: One Interpretation. What do you think?
Sometimes men can live a double life. In this painting one survivor saw her story: Her father performed incest on her for 14 years; then pimped her to his adult male friends for 4 more years. At the same time, he appeared to be an upstanding member of the community; everyone respected him. Everything else looked normal on the surface.
Lifestyle Choices: One Interpretation. What do you think?
We all make choices in our life which taken separately may seem harmless or without consequence, but often one thing leads us to another. In this man's case, one set of choices leads to romance, recreation and a pleasant family life. In another, the choices of watching porn on the internet, going to a strip club and then buying sex with a young girl in a motel are not good for him or society.
A number of other communities are considering ARTREACH trainings and we look forward to spreading this program. Preventative action is crucial if we are going to make a difference.
If you would like to hold a Train the Trainer ARTREACH event, please send an email to nola@humantraffickingawareness.org.
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