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Border to Border The Human Rights Challenge Here and Abroad. Presented by: the Sisters of St. Dominic at Caldwell, NJ and STM Public Discipleship Ministry. Human Trafficking, a global problem. An estimated 50,000 women & children are trafficked into the US every year.
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Border to BorderThe Human Rights ChallengeHere and Abroad Presented by: the Sisters of St. Dominic at Caldwell, NJ and STM Public Discipleship Ministry Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28
Human Trafficking, a global problem • An estimated 50,000 women & children are trafficked into the US every year. • The largest # of people trafficked into the US come from East Asia and the Pacific • The next highest #’s come from Latin America and from Europe and Eurasia • (US Dept of Justice, Health & Human Services, State, Labor, Homeland Security, Agriculture, and the US Agency for Int’l Development 2004. Assessment of US Gov’t Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons. Wash, DC: US Dept of Justice.) Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28
Think it’s not happening here? Think again. • Summer 2004, 60 Peruvian victims of sex trade were found in Long Island, • Similar cases in Texas with African choir boys, • Also in Oklahoma with Indian factory workers, • Same in California with Asian women & children sold into prostitution, • Occurring as well in Maryland, with African servants kept as slaves by medical doctors & members of foreign embassies, • Here in NJ with Mexican children in a brothel, • Also in Florida with Honduran migrant farm workers, and in • NYC with Mexican deaf-mutes forced to peddle trinkets Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28
Catholic Social Teaching • Life and Dignity of the Human Person • Call to Family, Community and Participation • Rights and Responsibilities • Option for the Poor and Vulnerable • The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers • Solidarity • Care for God’s Creation Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28
Some Hard Facts • Child sexual trafficking is a $10 billion industry worldwide • Traffickers are the second largest organized crime ring in history • This issue affects more than 2 million children around the world & more than 200,000 children in the US • Between 50 – 60% of children in sexual slavery are under age 16 • An est. $9.5 billion in revenue is generated from all trafficking activities ($4 billion to brothel industry) Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28
What can we do? • Organize a letter-writing campaign – it works! • Host/support Fair Trade Exchange Program • Attend Human Rights Workshop on 3/28/06 • Participate in local Crop Walk – Fall 2006 • If not now, when? If not me, who? Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28
Additional Actions We Can Take • International Justice Mission (888-456-4499)works to rescue girls from forced prostitution by working with indigenous government officials & even raiding brothels. www.iijm.org • The Heifer Project (800-489-5575): Buy a farm animal for a needy woman & you’ll give her the resources to support herself. www.heifer.org • Maiti Nepal: This organization crusades to help victims of sexual trafficking. Sponsor a victim, make a donation, or just find out more info: www.maitinepal.org • UNICEF supports children around the world through advocacy, education, volunteering & fundraising: visit www.unicel.org or call 1-800-FOR-KIDS (1-800-367-5437) Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28
What Else Can Be Done? • Increase poverty-focused development assistance • Encourage congressional support of agricultural & business development in less developed countries • Support Debt Cancellation measures for foreign countries least able to repay such obligations • Urge smart use of government-held food reserves • Designate at least 10% of our exportable food for concessionary sales or grants to food-short nations Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28
Local Congressional Contact Info • Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D) One Gateway Center, 23rd Floor Newark, N.J. 07102 Phone: 973-639-8700 • Senator Robert Menendez (D) One Gateway Center, Suite 100 Newark, N.J. 07102 Phone: 973-645-3030 Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28
Reading Resources / Reference Bibliography • “DESPAIR”, by Ed Vulliamy, Amnesty International, Winter 2005 • “Preying on the Margins”, by Mary Ellen Dougherty, 1/30/06 issue of America • “United Nations Reform and Human Rights”, by Silvano M. Tomasi, 9/12/05 issue of America • “What Carried the Girls Away”, by Eve Conant, Idea Lab, 2/12/06 issue of NY Times Magazine, • “The End Of Poverty”, author, Jeffrey D. Sachs • “How To End Poverty”, 3/14/05 issue of Time magazine Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28
Additional Resources on the Web • www.congress.org • www.jubileeinterfaith.org • www.usinfo.state.gov/gi/global_issues/human_trafficking.html • www.usdoj.gov/trafficking.html • www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking • www.antislavery.org • www.IINJ.org Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28