Red Light Special: Blockprinted Apron Makes Fair Trade Cookies Better
Published November 24, 2009 @ 06:00AM PT
Are you sick of wasting your money on useless plastic crap made in overseas sweatshops? Do you want to use your money to vote for something you actually support -- a hopeful future for former slaves? Then check out Change.org's weekly Red Light Special. Once a week, I'll be bringing you a product that heals rather than hurts, because the proceeds go to help victims of human trafficking. Shop Red Light Specials to be part of the solution, instead of part of the useless crap problem.
This Week’s Red Light Special… Blockprinted Apron
'Tis the season for baking some yummy holiday treats, like cookies with fair trade chocolate. That means, of course, that you need a great apron for all that baking. Enter this printed apron from The Emancipation Network. It's made of sturdy cotton canvas apron and is stain-resistantly fabulous! The apron features a front pocket, string tie waist and adjustable neck, and comes in a number of colors.
Let's face it, you don't need any more stuff in your life, but human trafficking survivors sure need a future. And you can give it to them with just a click of the mouse and a swipe of the credit card. So what are you waiting for?
You can buy this item from the link above, or at http://store.madebysurvivors.com/Blockprinted-Apron?sc=2&category=41
If you know of an organization or business which you’d like to see financially rewarded for helping trafficking victims, let me know!
Want to Watch Porn on a Plane? There's an App for That.
Published November 23, 2009 @ 01:00PM PT
As this week ushers in the holiday travel season, you might notice some of your fellow travelers have eschewed the more traditional John Grisham novels and sudoku puzzles in favor of a different form of entertainment: porn.
"Secondhand smut", or unintentional viewing of someone else's porn in public, has been on the rise lately, especially on planes and trains. When porn can easily be downloaded and watched on iPhones, laptops, travel DVD players, and other mobile devices, it's bound to come into the public sphere. But what makes people think it's okay to watch Debbie Does Dallas in the Ft. Worth airport? And more importantly, will I be able to request a seat in a non-boinking section of my flight?
In a recent UK study, one in five iPhone users admitted to using their devices to download and watch porn. The headline speaks truth: there is an app for that. In fact, there are multiple apps. But are these apps being downloaded by adults or children?
It's incredibly difficult for devices like the iPhone to determine the age of the user. Smart parents might put a parental lock on the sorts of apps their teens can download, but with so many teens more tech-savvy than their folks these days, that's about as effective as hiding a stash of Playboys under the XBox. Potentially, teens with iPhones are walking around with a pocket full of unlimited porn; no generation in history has had access to so much sexually explicit and often violent material at such a young age. We don't know yet what the effects of a mobile porn culture will be on teens trying to discover sex and sexuality for themselves, but I would predict that unlimited access to porn for teen boys will form some unhealthy sexual ideas.
Is Fat the New Sex?
Published November 23, 2009 @ 07:00AM PT
Is there danger lurking for husky Peruvians in the form of fat trafficking? It seems some local gangs have heard a rumor that European cosmetics factories are willing to pay top dollar for ... human fat. Four gang members were arrested in Peru for killing over 60 people and supposedly selling their fat for thousands of dollars.
Does this mean human fat might replace guns, drugs, or sex as some of the most frequently-trafficked products? No way! The legitimacy of this story is about to get shot down more times than the unemployed Star Trek enthusiast who snuck into a party at the Playboy mansion.
Unlike commercial sex or forced labor, there is not a global market for human fat. Period. Here are some of the many reasons that fat will not be the new sex in the market of illegally-traded global commodities:
- Cosmetics are not made with human fat for a number of reasons, the least of which being that it would be incredibly gross if they were. If you found out the cream you were smearing on your face every night was made out of someone else's fat, wouldn't you be upset?
Free Haircuts to Fight Human Trafficking
Published November 22, 2009 @ 04:00PM PT
I love to feature stories where people use whatever skills and resources they have to contribute to the fight against human trafficking, whether it's baking pies or giving pilates lessons. This week a barber in the UK made me smile when he decided to give free haircuts to help fight human trafficking. It takes some creativity to connect modern-day slavery and modern-day grooming, but this brilliant barber did just that.
Fabiano Martell, an Italian barber based in the UK, first learned about human trafficking from an information stall at a Christian gathering. Horrified by the stories of children being trapped and sold in the sex trade, he tried to imagine the pain families who experience such tragedy feel, and wondered what he could do about it. When he decided to take action, the first place he looked was to something he knew -- his job as a barber. For two days, Fabiano is offering free haircuts in exchange for donations to benefit the British anti-trafficking organization Stop the Traffik.
Said Fabiano of his test run, "I don't know how effective this venture will be but it is a starting point and hopefully people will become aware of the immensity of the human trafficking trade."
While Fabiano may be unsure what the results of his fundraising experiment will be, that hasn't stopped him from pulling out the scissors and giving activism his best try.
Burma: Forced Labor and Child Soldier Complaints Increase
Published November 22, 2009 @ 12:00PM PT
Editor's Note: I choose not to refer to this country by it's official name, Myanmar, because I believe doing so legitimizes the military junta which took over the democratically-elected government of Burma and renamed the country Myanmar. However, some international bodies, the UN included, recognize Myanmar as the official name. Burma and Myanmar are used interchangeably in some reports, including this one.
Life is growing increasingly dangerous for the children of Burma: a new International Labor Organization report found a 50 percent increase in complaints of forced labor and child soldiers over the past five months. About half of the new allegations of exploitation involve children being forced into the military, while the other half involve the forced labor of Burmese adults and children. What has long been a global hot spot for human trafficking is really starting to burn.
The Burmese army is a notorious recruiter of child soldiers, rivaling groups in Uganda and Sudan who often get more attention. Children are kidnapped and recruited from school, bars, restaurants, cinemas, and even their own homes. If they resist or refuse to be taken, they are beaten and their families threatened. Once they go through the long and arduous training process, they are sent to the front lines of war zones. And while some child soldiers are eventually freed and return to their families, just a couple if months ago one was imprisoned for desertion.
How You Can Help Trafficking Victims Free Themselves
Published November 22, 2009 @ 09:00AM PT
There are a lot of ways people who are living in slavery find freedom. The most highly publicized ways involve dramatic raids by law enforcement or community interventions by NGOs that rescue several victims at once. But in reality, a lot of trafficking victims rescue themselves. Here are some of the ways trafficking victims free themselves and how you can help give them the keys to their own freedom.
1. They walk away from the offer of slavery. The best moment for a person to escape slavery is the moment before they enter it. When you support human trafficking prevention programs, you arm communities and families with the knowledge and tools to avoid potential situations of exploitation. It can be as simple educating a young girl about the potential dangers of working abroad, so that she looks into her job offer in America with scrutiny. Or it can be as complex as creating industry in a village where, previously, the main source of income was sending children to work in the mines. The old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure holds especially true for modern-day slavery -- the best way to escape it is to avoid it in the first place.
2. They run. Some trafficking victims decide they can't wait for help to come to them, so they physically run away. This form of departure is often taken by slaves who are physically confined to their place of exploitation -- child soldiers trapped in a camp watched by armed guards, domestic servants locked in a house, or girls kept in a hidden brothel. But when these victims make the dangerous decision to run, they need some place to run to. When you support aftercare shelters and educational programs for local police and service providers, you help increase the chances that the first person victims encounter after their courageous and frightening stand will help them.
Freedom for the Weekend: International Justice Mission
Published November 20, 2009 @ 12:00PM PT
Well, it's Friday afternoon, and that means the weekend is almost here! W00t! Perhaps you're reading this blog because you're bored at work or school and you're thinking about what you want to do this weekend. How about spending part of your weekend fighting slavery? Each week I'll profile a different anti-trafficking nonprofit who you can connect with to help free slaves and prevent slavery around the world. So, spend a couple hours this weekend getting to know this nonprofit through their website, and then get involved!
This Week's Profile: International Justice Mission
The Bottom Line: International Justice Mission (IJM) is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators, and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators, and to promote functioning public justice systems.
What They Do: IJM focuses on victim relief and aftercare -- removing victims from situations of trafficking and helping them heal -- in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. They also have teams of professional and volunteer lawyers who work to prosecute traffickers and create legal reform in countries around the world.
What Can I Do?: You can volunteer for short periods of time in their Washington, DC office, or for longer periods of time overseas. They also have specific pro bono programs for lawyers. Or you can get involved as part of your church, community, or school. IJM accepts donations online as well.
Why They Rock: IJM has a tremendous capacity to leverage the law and lawyers in favor of human trafficking victims who really need legal justice. They are able to bring justice to victims around the world who otherwise might not get it.
So now that you've got some basic information on International Justice Mission, visit their website this weekend and get involved. And on Monday morning when everyone else is talking about sleeping in and watching TV over the weekend, you can say, "What did I do this weekend? Oh, just the usual -- abolition of slavery."
Do you have a favorite nonprofit you'd like to see featured here? If so, let me know!
