Ending Violence Articles

Do you have gently used (or unused) bras that you don't wear cluttering your drawers?  Would you like to put them to good use? We have a solution for you.  In October we will launch a fun, easy philanthropic project to support a small non-profit group in the US called Free the Girls. This non-profit supports women and girls in Mozambique (and soon in several other countries) rescued from sex trafficking.  By partnering with safe houses and after-care facilities, Free the Girls provides an opportunity for these women to earn a living selling second-hand clothing while going to school, getting healthy, and caring for their families.  Selling bras allows the women to work as much or as little as their other responsibilities permit and to work with other women, since they have a history of being abused and used by men.  The women in the program receive a starting inventory as a donation and are later permitted to buy additional inventory from Free the Girls for below wholesale value.  Revenue from inventory sales helps subsidize overseas program costs. For more information on Free the Girls, visit the organization's website. 

The Team will launch a bra collection initiative for Free the Girls in October in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness and Domestic Violence Awareness month and will culminate the effort with the 16 Days Campaign November 25--December 10. 

Participation is easy, and the Free the Girls website provides information on how to plan an activity.  (The American Women of the Eastern Province recently held a collection and gathered over 500 bras in a month with minimal effort.)  Club activities can range from simply setting up a collection box at a meeting to taking the initiative into their community.  If a club chooses not to participate, individual members can still donate their own bras and/or take up a collection on their own.  If you would like to participate as a club, please consider encouraging your members now to search their drawers for unwanted bras this summer as they either head back to the States or perhaps have some extra leisure time.  

Currently bras cannot be sent directly to Mozambique but rather must be sent to a location in the US.  They can be dropped off at various locations or shipped to a central US address.  You can go here to find drop off locations in the US & Canada. Options for getting the bras to the US are for members to bring the collected bras in their luggage or to approach a local shipping company about offering free shipping. If you find a creative way of getting your bras to the organization, please let us know so that we can share it with other clubs.

This project results in win/win/win. You/your members get rid of unwanted items, survivors of trafficking earn a living and women in Mozambique can buy bras! What could be simpler?

Therese Hartwell
Executive Committee Chair
Women & War

Homeless teens. Kids in foster care. Young adults who ran away from abusive group homes. All of them need your help.

We have always thought of the issue of forced and intergenerational prostitution as something that happens in other countries or extremely poor nations. It is hard to imagine that a large (and increasing) number of those affected are right in our own backyard. The United States, land of the free . . .?

Broken systems, legislative double talk and lack of understanding have led to the child welfare system becoming a breeding ground for those looking to take advantage of the most vulnerable population: children.

Minor sex trafficking victims have had contact, often multiple times, with a child welfare system not always prepared to help them. A study in New York State showed that more than 85% of identified commercially sexually exploited children in the state had prior child welfare involvement (pdf) and the U.S. Department of State's 2013Trafficking in Persons Report highlighted children in the care of child welfare agencies as being at high risk of human trafficking. 

Right now in Congress, your representatives are deciding whether to support a bill that will help states identify and track child victims of sex and labor trafficking in the system. It also calls for new guidelines on how to best give these victims the specialized care they need. They need to know you support the Strengthening the Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act (H.R. 1732). 

Four more reasons you should support this bill:

1.  It's bipartisan.  

2. It's low-cost (using existing resources and reporting frameworks).

3.   It helps child welfare officials catch and respond to trafficking faster.

4.  It's a national approach to a national problem, one which is being handled inconsistently with dire consequences.

Reforming the child welfare system will better the lives of thousands of child trafficking victims and potential victims.

The Polaris Project has been helping victims of human trafficking for over 10 years and fighting for the rights of the survivors. Please help them continue to hold legislators accountable for protecting our children. Protecting our future.

It's all about EDUtainment Baby!  

One question I am always asked is "what can I do to get involved"? You know the numbers, the statistics and cold hard facts, but you want more. You want to get your hands dirty and dive in and DOsomething, right?

To help you get the inspirational juices flowing and to start thinking (early) about what you and clubs will do for the 16 Days Campaign, here are some activities that you can do to help raise awareness.

Host a movie night. As we saw with the popularity of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, showing a film about the issues surrounding violence against women and children can spark dialogue and be uplifting. Not sure which movies would work for your event? Here is a short list of some movies/documentaries that are powerful and educational:

• Not My Life is the first film to comprehensively depict the cruel and dehumanizing practices of human trafficking and modern slavery on a global scale. Filmed on five continents, in a dozen countries, Not My Life takes viewers into a world where millions of children are exploited, every day, through an astonishing array of practices including forced labor, domestic servitude, begging, sex tourism, sexual exploitation, and child soldiering. You can order the DVD for large or small groups. Our very own Therese Hartwell has watched this movie and called it "intense but worth the watch". 
•  Trade of Innocents brings Mira Sorvino back into the dark world of sexual enslavement of children. This is a powerful movie that will anger, sadden and, more importantly, inspire. It is available in a few platforms but "screenings" can only be hosted in the US or Canada at this time. There are some other restrictions so if you are planning a full scale event, be careful of the requirements. Otherwise, a good movie night with your club and/or friends, this is a good choice to spark some fire! 
• Not Today is a gripping movie that shows how a seemingly normal life can take some rather unforeseen turns. How your conscience can redirect the course of your life. Currently, this film is only available in theaters in the US but, if I have my way . . . there will be some other alternatives soon! 
• MSNBC Dateline Documentaries show how globally, and locally, the human trafficking business is flourishing. For those who do not believe that this is endemic in the US, have a look at these documentaries: 
• Sex Slaves in America 
• Sex Slaves Minh's Story 
• Sex Slaves the Teen Trade 

Host a Book Discussion. Again, as we saw with Half the Sky, picking a compelling book to read can open up some very lively discussion about issues affecting women and children. While it may not be "light" reading, it is definitely worth getting lost in the pages. Here are a few to stuff into your beach bags:

• The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine by Somaly Mam (for those that watched the HTS documentary, she is the firecracker that is fighting to make Cambodia safe!)
• Not for Sale, the Return of the Global Slave Trade - and How We Can Fight It by David Batstone
• Sold by Patricia McCormick
• Girls Like Us by Rachel Lloyd who is the founder of GEMSin NYC. She has a wonderful story (though tragic) but there is definitely light at the end!
• One Day the Soldiers Came: Voices of Children in War by Charles London - this is one to read if you are planning an activity for 16 Days!
• Girl Soldier: A Story of Hope for Northern Uganda's Children by Faith J. H. McDonnell and Grace Akallo

Submit a FAWCO Target Proposal. With all of the success from the Water Target Project, FAWCO is doing it again! So why not submit a Target Program project proposal for our new Target Human Rights for Women? The deadline is September 30, 2013 so go hereto read about the criteria and submission process.