Human trafficking has become a (relatively) hot topic.  The UW Women's Center has been working on that for at least the last two decades, and it seems the rest of Seattle is now catching up.

Human trafficking is happening here.  Not just in remote or exotic locations, but here in Seattle.  Like in Downtown, Belltown, and Northgate Mall. Young girls (some as young as 12 years old) are being bought and sold for sexual services.  Recently several (adult) students have shared in classes their experiences witnessing what they now believe to be pimps or prostitutes attempting to lure young teen or tween girls into cars.  The two issues for them were (a) recognizing this activity for what it was, and (b) what could they do to prevent girls from vanishing.

According to a recent article in The Seattle Times, there's now a smartphone app to give concerned citizens a tool to ameliorate this scourge.  "The idea behind the app is to help fill two glaring gaps: Teach citizens how to identify signs of sex-trafficking and give them an easy way to do something about it; and provide law enforcement with data that can potentially help officers rescue victims and build criminal cases against pimps and men who pay for sex." 

The app is called Redlight Traffic, and with it you can report suspected prostitution to law enforcement through a secure website.  It is supposed to be available for the iPhone and Android -- while I could download it on my iPad, as of this writing it has not appeared in the Google Playstore for Android.  It is indeed really simple.  Making a report can take just a few minutes. You can learn to recognize human trafficking -- that may be happening right in your own neighborhood.

If you missed this media event, there's no need for despair.  Everything recorded lives forever on the internet.  You can always find them all, and more, on Strategic Living's press page.  

 

Class Schedule
Fall/Winter 2013:

Self-defense skills are like CPR, you should review and practice them annually. 

If you've already taken a class and want to keep it fresh, Strategic Living offers a 50% discount on select classes. And, if you refer your friends to a Strategic Living class and they sign up, I will donate $25 to one of three awesome organizations for women and girls. Visit my Paying It Forward page for details.

Do you work with a non-profit or community organization that holds silent  auctions? Ask me to donate a gift certificate for a private 1.5 hour seminar.

Do you work with a non-profit or community organization whose staff/volunteers/members/clients would benefit from a safety skills seminar? Visit http://www.StrategicLiving.org/donated-class.php for information on requesting partly subsidized training sessions. 

Liz J's staff had this feedback from their session:

"I really enjoyed the training.  It reinforced the notion of trusting your instincts and being aware of your environment.  I thought the physical techniques we learned were easy to remember and very practical."
 
"I thought it was a great training.  It has made me more mindful about my presence in the world.  I've been practicing acknowledging people (men) when I'm by myself by making eye contact but not smiling at them.  I used to feel like I had to smile to "be nice".  I've been conscious of my posture as well.  Also just being aware of my surroundings.  I haven't actually thought about using any of the self defense methods other than remembering what they are."
 
"I thought the training was helpful to remind me to continue being aware of my surroundings and feeling confident that I have the right tools to handle myself in any situation that comes my way."
 
"Role playing was very valuable (especially in getting a bigger voice out of my quiet one) and also it was great to practice the defensive moves. I thought we could have done more of that - there was a lot of dialogue which was helpful too but for me practicing something ingrains it in my brain more. The one thing that really stuck with me was walking around the car to create space between me and my possible attacker.  I do feel I recognize when I'm not walking big. I correct my stance more to walk taller and keep my hands by side more when I'm out and about by myself. So I'm ready!"
 
"I loved this training. I think about the moves that we were taught when I start to feel nervous when I'm out at night, etc. And it's helped to reinforce positive things I was already doing - like walking tall, making eye contact, etc. Really great!"