Keys to Survival

Melissa     Empower Women, Rescue     0

The women recently rescued in Cleveland aren’t the first victims of kidnapping, abuse, and human trafficking, and they likely won’t be the last. But they can learn from the lessons of survivors of similar crimes like Elizabeth Smarth, Jaycee Dugard, and Shawn Hornbeck, according to CNN: What can [the women from Cleveland] learn from the paths followed by Smart, Dugard, Hornbeck and others that led them from darkness to brighter lives? The resiliency of these survivors is nothing short of remarkable. Smart, now 25, is married. She formed a foundation to battle child abuse and travels the country as aRead more

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The Big Change in Trafficking in Sweden

Melissa     Empower Women, Rescue, Trafficking News & Information     0

Human rights activist and columnist for The Independent, Joan Smith took a ride with an undercover officer in Sweden to see how Sweden’s laws—criminalizing buying sex rather than selling it—have changed the face of human trafficking there. She shares encouraging news in “Why the Game’s Up for Sweden’s Sex Trade.” I am sitting in the back of an unmarked police car on the small island of Skeppsholmen, to the east of Stockholm’s picturesque old town. Above us is the city’s modern art museum but it’s a dark February night and we’re not here to appreciate culture. “They park up there,”Read more

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When Justice Is Not Just

Melissa     Partner Organization News, Rescue     0

   Talmage Payne, CEO of Hagar International, recently blogged about the difficulties of securing justice for victims of human trafficking. To turn victims into survivors, he suggest we redefine justice. Here’s more from his article; you can read the complete text here. The perpetrator is followed as he drives a young girl to a seedy hotel room and locks the door. The NGO tracking the known sex offender has already called their police counterparts. An arrest is imminent. But they wait. Not seconds or minutes but a full half hour. Confident that the rape is well enough along to coverRead more

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Survivor Stories from Hagar

Melissa     Partner Organization News, Rescue     0

If you’re like me, you can’t get enough of human trafficking rescue stories. In the face of oppression and despair, tales of hope are a fix I just can’t satisfy. Though stories often run together, I want more. More freedom. More rescue. More unthinkable courage and healing. If that sounds like you, too, here’s a new video from Hagar. Below that is a survivor story from their site. Hien’s Story Sometimes it’s the small things that make all the difference. Hien* came to Hagar broken and neglected. Years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse from her family made her feelRead more

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Unique Ways to Rescue Victims of Human Trafficking

Melissa     Rescue     0

We’ve talked about some of the most talked of means of rescue, but there are many variations of the rescue story and many key players who can be involved. And you can be a part. Certain professions like nurses and teachers have a unique vantage point to spot exploitation, but every individual can use their perspective and experience to see when something’s wrong and let someone know. If you see something that just doesn’t look right call the Polaris Project hotline at 1-888-3737-888 (put it in your phone!). Here are several stories about how individuals and professions are banding togetherRead more

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Justice and Rescue: The International Justice Mission

Melissa     Partner Organization News, Rescue     0

The International Justice Mission is a powerful force against human trafficking. They participate in the most well-know kind of rescue: the brothel raid. IJM’s rescues typically target children, the most vulnerable and helpless victims of human trafficking. They do the painstaking work of collaborating with local law enforcement and court systems to pursue freedom and justice. Their work frees women and children and slowly but surely pushes legal systems worldwide to take an active role in fighting human trafficking. IJM also works to equip everyday people to be a voice for freedom in government and legal systems. Sign this petitionRead more

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An Amazing Double-Rescue

Melissa     Empower Women, Rescue     0

After you read this post, hope over here to read this article at Reject/Apathy and celebrate today’s powerful holiday (nope, not Valentine’s Day): Pray for the Johns Day. Rescue stories of human trafficking victims often follow a familiar pattern: A police officer breaks in a frees a girl; or the abuse becomes too much to bear and she runs away during the night. Many of us have heard countless stories and have been moved by them over and over. But at the same time, the familiarity can be desensitizing. This story is unique. In this story, both captive and captorRead more

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Rescue: 4 Roads to Freedom

Melissa     Rescue, Survivor Stories     2

It goes without saying that rescue is a key turning point for trafficked people. But exactly how does it happen? We’ll be looking more at the ins and outs of rescue from human trafficking this year. To get started, here are four main ways victims move from captivity to freedom. Rescue This is the most commonly talked of rescue. The dramatic raid: doors kicked in by police, captives set free by compassionate social workers. This work is the specialty of the International Justice Mission. These rescues are very powerful because only they can free to the most deeply enslaved, theRead more