National Resources for Sex Trafficking

Transcription

1 National Resources for Sex Trafficking Dear John Campaign Atlanta, Georgia Website: The Dear John Campaign is a public education program in Atlanta, Georgia that was launched by Mayor Shirley Franklin to bring attention to the issue of child prostitution and trafficking. The campaign partners with the Juvenile Justice Fund, law enforcement, judicial supporters, and other human services. The campaign encourages audiences to end the exploitation of young children. The program called for Craigslist and similar free ad sites to remove postings that offer sexual services for sale and to revise their warning messages against such services. Furthermore, the Dear John Campaign brought media attention to the issue via CNN in January The campaign also made changes to legislation that provides harsher penalties to criminals and more treatment option for victims of sex trafficking. As a result, the Dear John Campaign has been a model for cities such as Miami and Oakland, that are seeking to protect and education the public about human trafficking in the United States. Fighting Child Prostitution: NOW PBS Website: A program on PBS, Fighting Child Prostitution aired in 2008 to discuss the issue of human trafficking in the United States, specifically in Atlanta, Georgia. The program visits Atlanta, Georgia, one of the 27 cities in the U.S. struggling to control the problem of child prostitution. PBS interviewed Atlanta s Mayor Shirley Franklin who launched the Dear John Campaign. The interviewers talk to adolescents and residents of Atlanta, who provide stories of their own experiences with human trafficking in the city. The program discusses contributing factors to the issue of sex trafficking such as Craigslist and Atlanta s extensive transportation system. Fighting Child Prostitution provides a first hand look at the issue of child trafficking in Atlanta and across the United States.

2 National Educators to Stop Trafficking (NEST) Yvonne Williams NEST National Coordinator Website: National Educators to Stop Trafficking (NEST) started with the work of Heather Tuiniga, several anti trafficking curriculum providers and three foundations that provided financial investment to the program. NEST equips teachers and youth leaders with resources age appropriate, demographically suitable curriculum to educate youth on how to avoid human trafficking, how stand up for victims, and spread the word about the issue throughout their communities. NEST s mission is to bring an end to exploitation and human trafficking in the United States and around the world. Additionally, the NEST program provides curriculum summaries and resources, success stories, and information one educational events on their website. National Center for Missing and Exploited Youth (NCMEC) 699 Prince Street Alexandria, Virginia Website: Phone: (703) Fax: (703) at: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a nonprofit organization that works with law enforcement, families and professionals who serve children on issues related to missing and sexually exploited children. NCMEC has created public and private partnerships and has built a coordinated, national response to the problem of missing and sexually exploited children. The Center has also established a missing children hotline and serve as the national clearinghouse for information related to missing children. It also provides services, resources and technical assistance to child victims of abduction and sexual exploitation, their families and the professionals who serve them.

3 Team HOPE 699 Prince Street Alexandria, Virginia Website: Phone: (703) Fax: (703) at: Team HOPE helps families in crisis with a missing, sexually exploited or recovered child by handling the day to day issues of coping and/or searching for their child. The organization provides peer support, emotional support, compassion, coping tools, empowerment and resources to families with missing, sexually exploited and recovered children. Team HOPE also help alleviate the isolation so often resulting from fear and frustration while respecting the privacy of those with whom they are working. Polaris Project P.O. Box Washington, DC Website: Phone: Fax: info@polarisproject.org Polaris Project, named after the star that guided slaves to freedom in the United States, is an organization dedicated to disrupting the conditions that allow human trafficking to thrive. Polaris works with government leaders to protect victim s rights, building partnerships with the world s leading technological corporations, gathers data to pursue traffickers, and works with global programs in order to help victims restore their freedom. The organization also offers client and advisory services, such as structured learning and consulting, practical solutions, and knowledge exchange. Polaris works with the public sector, businesses, and non profits and non governmental organizations in order to provide this support and work toward their goal to eradicate human trafficking. Furthermore, Polaris uses a comprehensive model to place victims at the center of what they do so that they may help current victims and survivors, prevent more victims, and gather data to pursue traffickers.

4 President s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC Website: The President s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking (PITF) is a cabinet level entity created by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of The purpose is to coordinate federal efforts to combat trafficking in persons. PITF meets annually and is chaired by the Secretary of State. PITF focuses on strengthening federal efforts to combat human trafficking and expanding partnership with civil society and the private sector. Furthermore, PITF also works with other agencies in order to accomplish these goals. National Network for Youth th Street, SE Washington, DC Website: The National Network for Youth (NN4Y) is an organization dedicated to educating the community and policymakers about the necessities needed by homeless children. Comprised of agencies, service providers, individuals, and coalitions, NN4Y has a goal of creating a world where youths without a home can be housed and find solace through accessible safety, hope, and child centered services. The organization offers members a comprehensive network of resources and proposes new public policies. The NN4Y aims to decrease the victimization and suffering of homeless youths. By informing the community of ways to care for youths without a home, NN4Y gets closer to accomplishing their mission of providing disconnected children with targeted services to meet their specific needs.

5 Crimes Against Children Research Center (CCRC) University of New Hampshire 15 Academic Way #125 McConnell Hall Durham, NH Website: Fax: The Crimes Against Children Research Center (CCRC) is an organization with the goal of protecting children from crimes, such as neglect and abuse, by means of providing the public sector, law enforcement, and policy makers with statistics and research on the effects of kidnapping, assault, and physical and sexual abuse. CCRC has four primary goals: greater acknowledgement of the victimization of children, better protection of children against crimes and victimization, wide spread rehabilitation for victims of child crimes, and greater accountability of the public and community on the current justice system s stance on child protecting policies. The CRCC disseminates data collected on the crimes against children and uses this data to develop strategies for combating crimes. Through training practitioners and individuals, the Crimes Against Children Research Center readily equips and mobilizes the community with information needed to protect children. Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 370 L Enfant Promenade, S.W. Washington, D.C Website: rescue restore Trafficking@acf.hhs.gov The Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking campaign was created to help victims of human trafficking in obtaining the resources needed, such as receiving benefits and services, to rebuild their lives. The campaign aims to identify trafficking victims in the United States and provide these victims the help they need in to live an ordinary life. Through educating health care providers and social service organizations about the issues surrounding human trafficking, the Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking campaign seeks to persuade individuals in the health care system to encourage victims of human trafficking to receive benefits and services.

6 Freedom Network USA Website: The Freedom Network USA is a national alliance comprised of advocates working with survivors or human trafficking to ensure that they have access to justice, safety, and opportunity. Its mission is to ensure that victims of human trafficking are treated as victims and not criminals, have access to justice, and mental health, medical, legal, educational, and vocational services. Furthermore, Freedom Network USA aims to increase public awareness of the crime of trafficking through education, research, training, and community outreach. Freedom Network USA also engages in advocacy work at the local, national, and international levels on the behalf of victims of human trafficking and to ensure the prosecution of traffickers. Lastly, Freedom Network USA aims to develop local and national networks in the United States and abroad in order to implement these activities. Innocence Lost National Initiative FBI Headquarters 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C (202) Website: us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/cac/innocencelost Operation Lost: crosscountry/operation cross country The Innocence Lost National Initiative was launched in 2003 by the FBI in conjunction with the Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The combined effort was established to address the growing problem of domestic sex trafficking of children in the United States. Since its launch, the initiative has developed 69 task forces and working groups throughout the U.S. These groups have successfully rescued over 3,400 children and convicted nearly 1,500 traffickers who exploit children. Specifically, these convictions have resulted in lengthy sentences, several life sentences, and the seizure of property and monetary assets. Operation Cross Country is an annual law enforcement action launched by the Innocence Lost Initiative that addresses the sexual exploitation of juveniles. In 2014, Operation Cross Country was implemented in 106 U.S. cities and resulted in the recovery of 168 trafficking victims and the arrests of 281 traffickers.

7 Child Exploitation Tracking System FBI Headquarters 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C (202) Website: The Child Exploitation Tracking System (CETS) is a software tool created by Microsoft designed to streamline investigations so that law enforcement agencies can enhance cooperation and work through cases efficiently. CETS is used by the Digital Analysis Research Center (DARC), part of the FBI s Innocence Images National Initiative. Specifically, CETS is a repository of records pertaining to child pornography and child exploitation cases. The system contains images, case information, and identities of known offenders and can analyze millions of images to help law enforcement avoid the duplication of effort. By doing so, CETS puts the information in a single accessible location for many agencies. The FBI hopes to expand the number of CETS users and to integrate the operations globally. Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking 1700 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W. Suite 520 Washington, DC Main: Fax: info@endslaveryandtrafficking.org Website: The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) is a coalition led by Humanity United with the goal of finding solutions to prevent and end human trafficking and modern slavery around the world. ATEST advocates for the prevention of labor and sex trafficking, the prosecution of perpetrators, and justice and empowerment for survivors of human trafficking. ATEST is committed to ensuring that corporations and government supply chains are free from human trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. Furthermore, it aims to ensure that corporation and governments recruit and hire workers ethically and that federal, state, and local governments treat victims as survivors rather than criminals. ATEST is comprised of 14 U.S. based human rights organizations with anti slavery programs in the U.S. and abroad.

8 My Life, My Choice 989 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA Website: The organization My Life, My Choices is a nationally recognized, survivor led network that aims to prevent the commercial sexual exploitations of adolescents. My Life, My Choices works to achieve this goal through survivor led programs that educate and empower youth. Such programs include survivor mentorship, prevention education, professional training, and a leadership corps program. My Life, My Choices also runs a blog, provides training, and puts on events for the general public to get involved.