STOP-IT Initiative Against Human Trafficking http://sa-stopit.org STOP-IT does not discriminate against anyone who meets the definition of Human Trafficking and desires assistance in working toward freedom of their trafficking. Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:28:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Great Weekend Event to Attend! http://sa-stopit.org/great-weekend-event-to-attend/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=great-weekend-event-to-attend http://sa-stopit.org/great-weekend-event-to-attend/#comments Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:28:07 +0000 lbailey http://sa-stopit.org/?p=456 Stop-It is thrilled to attend and support the A-Squared Project ( Art + Abolition) Music Festival being hosted by Traffick Free and Buy Art Not People (BANP).

The music festival will take place this Saturday April 13th, 2013 on the Columbia College Campus located at 1104 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago from 12:00pm to 10:00 pm.

Come hear some great local bands and receive more information on how you can help fight human trafficking!

Stop-It will be present with an information table from 3 to 7 pm, stop by to say hello and learn first hand about the services Stop-It offers in the Chicago-land area and surrounding counties.

Visit the The A-Squared Project : Art + Abolition Music Festival Facebook page for more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/481608921906564/

See you there!

]]> http://sa-stopit.org/great-weekend-event-to-attend/feed/ 0 Internships! http://sa-stopit.org/internships/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=internships http://sa-stopit.org/internships/#comments Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:50:52 +0000 Elyse http://sa-stopit.org/?p=451 As the end of April quickly approaches, we at the STOP-IT team are saddened to have to say goodbye to our wonderful MSW interns.  We are so proud of all that they have accomplished and will greatly miss all that they contribute to our team.  We could not have maintained the level of services we have without their help and work over this past year.  The STOP-IT team would like to put out a call for 2nd year MSW interns – we are looking for a few solid individuals to join our team for the 2013-14 school year.  So if you are a second year MSW student, or have a friend who is, please consider applying for an internship at our team.  If you would like more information, please email us at STOP-IT@usc.salvationarmy.org.  We hope to hear from you soon!

]]> http://sa-stopit.org/internships/feed/ 0 U.S. Senate Passes VAWA (and TVPA) Reauthorization http://sa-stopit.org/u-s-senate-passes-vawa-and-tvpa-reauthorization/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=u-s-senate-passes-vawa-and-tvpa-reauthorization http://sa-stopit.org/u-s-senate-passes-vawa-and-tvpa-reauthorization/#comments Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:01:57 +0000 Amanda http://sa-stopit.org/?p=427 Greetings,

As some of you may already know, the United States Senate has passed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and, subsequently, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act for the fiscal years of 2014-2017. You can read more here. This is a great step forward and now it is up to the house.

]]> http://sa-stopit.org/u-s-senate-passes-vawa-and-tvpa-reauthorization/feed/ 0 Trafficker Found Guilty http://sa-stopit.org/trafficker-found-guilty/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=trafficker-found-guilty http://sa-stopit.org/trafficker-found-guilty/#comments Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:49:00 +0000 Elyse http://sa-stopit.org/?p=420 Another trafficker convicted!  The US Attorney’s Office has just filed another press release, highlighting the fact that we have had another Illinois resident found guilty of sex trafficking.  In this case, a man was convicted on several counts of sex trafficking, including that of trafficking minors.  But the trial of this Chicago-native did not take place in Illinois – it happened in South Dakota.  Cases like this one highlight the reality of the sex trade in the United States.  None of this happens in its own little bubble.  Yes, there is a large local dimension – requiring us to be responsible for what happens in our own backyards.  But the reality of these cases is that they are often transient in nature, whether city, state, or country lines are being crossed.  Travel does not have to happen for a case to be considered trafficking; it is not a requisite, but rather a common practice.  So we should not be shocked that this man got away with trafficking individuals across multiple states.

We also should not be surprised by the level of victim blaming that took place during the trial.  We should not be surprised by the attack on the credibility of the victims as they testified.  And unfortunately, we should not be surprised by the reported common experiences of the victims, that of a history of childhood abuse.  It is easy to point fingers and say they should have done x, y, and z to avoid that, or “I would have never even considered talking with someone like that.”  But why do we so quickly focus on the “choices” made by girls and young women who have been labeled “throwaway” by our society, as if they are less valuable because of the conditions and families into which they were born, and are so quick to ignore the choices that an adult man made to target them, to develop romantic relationships with them, and then to beat them when he was not happy with them?

Kudos to the Assistant US Attorney, who reminded the courtroom about what is important:  ”In this room there are no throwaway kids.  There are no people who do not matter.  In this room, there is justice.”

That is why we do what we do.

]]> http://sa-stopit.org/trafficker-found-guilty/feed/ 0 Schiller Park “House of Horrors” taken down by law enforcement http://sa-stopit.org/schiller-park-house-of-horrors-taken-down-by-law-enforcement/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=schiller-park-house-of-horrors-taken-down-by-law-enforcement http://sa-stopit.org/schiller-park-house-of-horrors-taken-down-by-law-enforcement/#comments Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:25:21 +0000 Amanda http://sa-stopit.org/?p=417 Greetings,

Last week, our law enforcement partners took down a sex trafficker and identified six known victims of sex trafficking. Below is the article with more information:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/17951898-418/schiller-park-man-accused-of-running-sex-trafficking-house-of-horrors.html

Hope you all had a productive weekend as well!

~Amanda

]]> http://sa-stopit.org/schiller-park-house-of-horrors-taken-down-by-law-enforcement/feed/ 0 Superbowl 2013 http://sa-stopit.org/superbowl-2013/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=superbowl-2013 http://sa-stopit.org/superbowl-2013/#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:49:47 +0000 Amanda http://sa-stopit.org/?p=414 Greetings,

The Superbowl has been described as the single largest incident of human trafficking of the year. This date tends to be a target for sex traffickers because of the amount of people, the amount of demand, and the aspect of anonymity as millions of tourists flood a new city. It seems that New Orleans has been taking measures throughout the month to raise awareness and to prepare for the influx. Below is a link describing those efforts:

http://www.charismanews.com/us/38051-super-bowl-puts-human-trafficking-awareness-groups-on-high-alert

Please remember, if you are in the New Orleans area and you suspect that someone may be a victim of trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888. They are also a great resource to connect callers to their local resources. Thank you, Polaris Project, for the work you do with your hotline and for being such a great resource. Remember, if you are in the Chicagoland area, Stop-It serves Cook County, the nine collar counties, and Lake County, Indiana. Our hotline can be reached at 1-877-606-3158.

Have a great weekend!

~Amanda

]]> http://sa-stopit.org/superbowl-2013/feed/ 0 Children’s Rights Film Series http://sa-stopit.org/childrens-rights-film-series/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=childrens-rights-film-series http://sa-stopit.org/childrens-rights-film-series/#comments Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:01:10 +0000 Amanda http://sa-stopit.org/?p=407 Greetings,

I hope you all are managing to stay somewhat warm during this blistering cold! This film series is hosted by The Center for the Human Rights of Children at Loyola University Chicago-Lakeshore campus and some of the films might be of interest to some of you! Each screening is free and open to the public. We are particularly interested in Not My Life, a documentary narrated by Glenn Close about human trafficking on March 21, 2013. Hope to see some of you there!

~Amanda

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Children’s Rights Film Series

The Center for the Human Rights of Children will be hosting a film series on Lakeshore Campus during the Spring semester of 2013. Following each film, a discussion on the issues of globalization and children’s rights will be led by Dr. James Garbarino, CHRC’s Senior Faculty Fellow and Maude C. Clarke Chair in Humanistic Psychology. All films will be free and open to the public.

Street Children of Africa: Will the dawn ever come?, a film documenting children without homes, will be shown on February 28, 2013.
Not My Life, a documentary narrated by Glenn Close about human trafficking, will be shown on March 21, 2013.
Which Way Home, following several unaccompanied child migrants as they journey through Mexico en route to the U.S. on a freight train, will be shown on April 18, 2013.

For more information about these films and the screenings, please visit our website at http://luc.edu/chrc/homerightcolumn/childrensrightsfilmseries/.

]]> http://sa-stopit.org/childrens-rights-film-series/feed/ 0 Human Trafficking is OUR Problem http://sa-stopit.org/human-trafficking-is-our-problem/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=human-trafficking-is-our-problem http://sa-stopit.org/human-trafficking-is-our-problem/#comments Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:16:31 +0000 Amanda http://sa-stopit.org/?p=403 Greetings friends and supporters! One of our partner agencies, the International Organization for Adolescents (IOFA) is running a campaign entitled “Human Trafficking is OUR Problem” to help raise awareness surrounding the issue of human trafficking for National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness month. Below are the details:

“Human Trafficking is OUR Problem” Campaign Video – Please be a part of the HTIOP video and help us build critical awareness about human trafficking in our communities. It only takes three easy steps:

1. Download and print out the attached sign “Human Trafficking is OUR Problem
2. Use your IPhone, camera, or computer camera to take a picture of you and anyone else you can fit in holding the HTIOP sign. (see my stunning example attached. Misho also wanted to join in).
3. Upload your photo(s) and send as an attachment via email to sfrench@iofa.org

Recruit your friends, family members, pets, and anyone else in your vicinity that truly thinks modern day slavery sucks. Post the sign and these instructions to to your FB and Twitter pages. The point of this effort is to demonstrate that we all are a part of the fight against human trafficking and modern slavery. It happens in OUR neighborhoods – in the city, suburbs, and farmlands. Your image will be included in hundreds of others in a fast paced video collage to be distributed to the public and our anti-trafficking networks.

Human Trafficking is OUR Problem sign

]]> http://sa-stopit.org/human-trafficking-is-our-problem/feed/ 0 National Human Trafficking Awareness Day http://sa-stopit.org/national-human-trafficking-awareness-day/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=national-human-trafficking-awareness-day http://sa-stopit.org/national-human-trafficking-awareness-day/#comments Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:24:03 +0000 Elyse http://sa-stopit.org/?p=392 Friday, January 11, 2013 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.  It’s a day to stand up and talk about what is happening in our own communities – to refuse to ignore the fact that even though the emancipation proclamation was signed 150 years ago, slavery still exists.  While we know this is an extreme human rights violation, research is still quite limited regarding the topic.  This is why we are excited to invite you to support CAASE in their release of “Our Great Hobby” An Analysis of Online Networks for Buyers of Sex in Illinois.  We recognize that this is not a report addressing the number of victims or effective intervention methods.  However, this research focuses on an important component that contributes to sex trafficking – perpetrators who are willing to buy sex even from a victim of sex trafficking.

We hope to see you there!

When:  Friday, January 11, 2013 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Where:  25 E. Jackson Blvd. (DePaul Law School), Room 803

]]> http://sa-stopit.org/national-human-trafficking-awareness-day/feed/ 0 STOP-IT at the CBA http://sa-stopit.org/stop-it-at-the-cba/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stop-it-at-the-cba http://sa-stopit.org/stop-it-at-the-cba/#comments Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:51:40 +0000 Elyse http://sa-stopit.org/?p=386 STOP-IT was so excited to be able to participate in a human trafficking awareness training at the Chicago Bar Association last night.  We were privileged to be invited to participate in this vital training, along with the Cook County State’s Attorney, an Assistant United States Attorney, and the Director for Loyola’s Center for the Human Rights of Children.  It is always exciting to be able to introduce and equip a new community to identify human trafficking, particularly one that may already be encountering survivors without even realizing it and that can serve this population in a variety of facets.

Illinois is making great strides to identify and respond to human trafficking from all sides.  Stay tuned for more exciting events and developments.  And feel free to reach out to us if you would like to request your own human trafficking awareness training:  STOP-IT@usc.salvationarmy.org.

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