CHILD SEX SLAVES BEING ARRESTED, NOT RESCUED!

Contact: Monique Johnson,

Shared Hope International,

703-351-8062

Shared Hope International will release a groundbreaking report on child sex trafficking in the United States at the Congressional Human Trafficking Briefing on Capitol Hill hosted by the Human Trafficking Caucus and Victims' Rights Caucus led by Congressman Poe (TX) and Congressman Smith (NJ), long-time advocates for victims protections.

Former Congresswoman Linda Smith (1994-98), Founder of Shared Hope International, will open a panel discussion on the findings of more than four years of research in America. Shared Hope International's National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, America's Prostituted Children highlights the harsh reality that hundreds of thousands of American children are victimized through sex trafficking in the United States driven by the demand for the commercial sex acts they perform.

A child sex trafficking victim who is purchased for sex by 5 different men per night, 5 nights per week for an average of 5 years would have been raped by 6,000 buyers during her victimization through prostitution. Many of these child rapists are never charged or prosecuted while the young victims' lives are destroyed.

Linda Smith

"The horror is that our children are victimized twice -- first by the prostitution and then by the broken system that treats them like criminals while the buyers are given a slap on the wrist, if anything at all. What kind of message is this sending?" asked Founder and President of Shared Hope International, Linda Smith.

Ambassador Louis C. de Baca of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. Department of State will present findings from the 2009 TIP Report and panelists from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Criminal Division will discuss domestic child sex trafficking, followed by an NGO panel led by Congresswoman Linda Smith and highlighting Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Ambassador Luis C. de Baca

"From our investigative research gathered from 11 cities across the nation, we've found so many victims of domestic minor sex trafficking that are misidentified, and labeled as prostitutes. They are sold every day, every night in every city in America," said Smith.

Watch human rights surveillance video instantly here:

www.sharedhope.org/what/dmst.asp

What: Congressional Human Trafficking Briefing

Where: Capitol Hill, Rayburn Room 2226

Washington, D.C.

When: Tuesday, July 21, 2009

10:00 a.m. - Noon

About Shared Hope International

For more than a decade, Shared Hope International (SHI) has worked around the world partnering with local groups to prevent trafficking and to rescue and restore the victims of sexual slavery.

Shared Hope International's DEMAND. project was a 12-month investigation which focused on commercial sexual exploitation in four countries, including the United States.

With funding from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), SHI conducted field assessments on child sex trafficking in 10 U.S. locations.

Visit www.sharedhope.org

http://www.earnedmedia.org/shi0716.htm

CRUISE INDUSTRY CAVES TO GOVERNMENT PRESSURE ON CRUISE SHIP SECURITY & SAFETY ACT

Cruise ship industry reverses stance, backs federal safety bill

Oh wow...the cruise ship industry is finally backing John Kerry's legislation:

The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2008.

I'd say the only reason why the cruise industry are supporting this bill is because their backs are against the wall...this is an obvious PR move to save their reputation and further profits.

There has been too much negative publicity in the last few years regarding cruise ship horrors such as murders, missing persons (who always seem to "fall off the ship"), rapes, assaults, and other crimes that occur on their vessels.

It would be business suicide not to back this law, and I believe that is the only reason why they are succumbing to the pressure. If the cruise ship industry had their way, they would continue their path of money over passenger safety.

I applaud John Kerry for his continued efforts. Finally someone has stood up to the plate to fight this industry and stop their shady practices.

--Michelle Says So

The nation's cruise ship industry, in a turnaround from its long-standing position that no additional government oversight is needed, endorsed proposed federal safety legislation Monday, paving the way for increased security measures on cruise ships.

The Senate recently held a hearing on cruise ship safety, prompted by the disappearance of Merrian Carver of Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

Her dad Kendall ("Ken"), president of the International Cruise Victims Association, was there to tell her story.

MERRIAN CARTER'S STORY

READ HER FATHER, KENDALL'S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

Cruise Lines International Assn., the industry's chief lobbying and advocacy organization representing 24 member cruise lines, sent a letter of support to Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), one of the bill's sponsors. 

Association President Terry Dale said in the letter that he would work to ensure the passage of the comprehensive security bill.

If it passes, the bill would make shipboard crime reporting mandatory and require installation of security latches and peepholes on cabin doors. Ship physicians would also have to be trained in sexual assault examinations.

Ken Carver

Ken Carver called the shift "a historic moment...I think they've really taken a lot of heat, and I'm glad to see them joining forces," Carver said, adding that he believes with the cruise industry's backing the bill will pass.

The $38-billion-a-year industry had maintained that cruises were one of the safest forms of vacationing and that its own self-regulation was adequate. But in recent years, after several high-profile reports of missing persons and sexual assaults, cruise lines had increasingly come under scrutiny.

If the bill passes, it would be a significant victory for safety advocates who have long alleged that the industry skirts regulation by registering its vessels in foreign countries to avoid U.S. labor laws and income tax.

The industry requested one major concession: deletion of an amendment to the Death on the High Seas Act that would have allowed surviving relatives to recover damages for emotional suffering and bereavement, as well as any pain and suffering the victim may have experienced before death.

Under the existing law, survivors of people who die at sea can recover only lost wages or burial expenses. If a retired person died, for example, family members would get little if any money, Miami maritime attorney James Walker said.

The legislation would also clarify the long-debated issue of crime reporting. The bill would establish a reporting structure based on the current voluntary reporting guidelines.

Each ship would be required to maintain a logbook to record all deaths, missing persons, alleged crimes, and complaints of theft, sexual harassment and assault. That data would also be posted on a website maintained by the Coast Guard.

International Cruise Victims Website

The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2008

Link to Full Text of Legislation


http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-fi-cruise7-2009jul07,0,5318780.story?track=rss

TEEN GIRLS SELLING SEX ON CRAIG'S LIST

TEEN GIRLS SELLING SEX?

OR IS IT THE PREDATORS?

I understand the "supply and demand" culture of the sex industry. What I don't understand is HOW easily this can happen to anyone. Should Craig's List or Facebook be blamed for these atrocities? They are just portals...pimps can find victims anywhere. The internet just makes it easier for them.

(CANADA)--Girls under the age of 18 are selling sex on Craigslist, according to police in North Vancouver, and are likely forced into it after falling under the influence of a sex-trafficking ring.

North Vancouver RCMP are reporting a spike in underage sex trade workers on the North Shore, some as young as 13, who claim to be 18 or older in their online ads.

Benjamin Perrin, a University of British Columbia professor who is an expert on human trafficking for the sex trade, said police have identified a dozen victims so far in North Vancouver alone." Police believe there are many more victims, many of them are under the control of what we're being told is a sex- and drug-trafficking ring," Perrin said Tuesday on CTV's Canada AM.

According to North Vancouver RCMP Const. Shannon Kitchen, some girls, but not all, are working alone and not under the control of a pimp." In some cases we've been told about initially a relationship that's been considered maybe a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. And then that relationship's turned into, 'now you're working for me, you owe me money,'" Kitchen told CTV Vancouver.

Many of the ads are explicit, Perrin said, and put the girls in a vulnerable position as they promise unprotected sex." These young girls are being exposed to very serious health risks," Perrin said. He also points out that while some of the girls come from troubled homes and communities, which makes them particularly vulnerable to sex traffickers, others hail from stable families and well-off neighbourhoods.

"So parents really need to look out for warning signs too, like new friendships with people who are not just male but also possibly female, giving large gifts, (having) a new cellphone that's always being answered at any time of the day," Perrin said.

He also said that the problem is not relegated to young girls in North Vancouver. Teenagers across Canada are using online tools to sell sex, he said. Perrin said young women are often recruited through social networking websites such as Facebook, which offer ample opportunities for sex traffickers to prey on vulnerable girls."We know that sex traffickers have used Facebook as well as a tactic to identify vulnerable individuals and once they're part of a school network, Facebook does the work for them," he said.

Perrin said he has also met with officials from both the RCMP and Craigslist to express concern about how easy it is for underage girls to pose as adults.

Craigslist has shut down its erotic services section in the U.S. and now has an adult section that requires users to identify themselves. This is not available yet on the Canadian site. "We're really hoping Craigslist will step up," Perrin said.


http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090630/sex_craigslist_090630/20090630?hub=TopStories&s_name=