Posts tagged 21:10:15
Engaging the Private Sector in Combating Human Trafficking in Nigeria: Results, Challenges, and Recommendations

Private sector engagement can be a powerful tool to combat human trafficking. Expanding the dialogue to include industry representatives and business leaders will broaden and strengthen the coalition to combat trafficking. Because there is a very low participation of private sectors in combating human trafficking in many countries, the presenters conducted a survey on the level of private sectors’ involvement and their perception in combating human trafficking in Nigeria. This presentation expounds upon the perspective of the private sector/business community in combating human trafficking and ways to engage them to adopt anti-human trafficking as a part of their corporate social responsibilities. Moreover, this presentation provides recommendations for Nigeria to engage private sectors in combating human trafficking. A survey was conducted with 50 private sectors from 3 states in Nigeria to find out their perception about combating human trafficking, their motivation, and willingness to join in combating human trafficking through corporate social responsibilities and other ways. From the evaluation, the results showed that few private sectors indicated strong willingness to get involved in combating human trafficking, especially through corporate social responsibilities and other approaches. Many expressed different reasons why they will not get involved. The perception of many business communities is that Nigerian government has not shown a stimulating move to engage private sectors. Private sectors have vital roles to play in the fight against human trafficking, and it is important to create avenues for sustainable partnership between them, CSOs and government to achieve greater results in combating human trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Describe the role of private sectors in combating human trafficking.

·  Discuss results and challenges on private sector engagement in combating human trafficking in Nigeria.

·  Provide recommendations for Nigeria to engage private sectors in combating human trafficking.

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Lessons Learned: Youth Living Out Loud, A Program for Youth who have Experienced Sexual-Exploitation

Youth Living Out Loud (YLOL) is a program originally initiated by Wraparound Milwaukee in 2014 through an Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Mentoring for Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation grant. Wraparound Milwaukee engaged community partners, La Causa Inc., Rethink Resources, Medical College of Wisconsin, and Diverse & Resilient to collaborate in providing comprehensive case management and medical and mentoring services to youth who are vulnerable to being sexually exploited and/or sex-trafficked. Presenters will discuss the successes and challenges in providing specialized services to youth in Milwaukee, WI. A presentation describing the current program structure and foundation will include their system response to commercial sexual exploitation of children, mentor specific training, discussion about the current program, service provision and community partnership involvement. This presentation will highlight who would benefit from specialized services, encompassing the primary concerns of health, safety and overall well-being. Participants will learn emerging best practices in working with youth populations who have experiences of being sexually exploited. In addition, they will have an opportunity to reflect on their own program and/or service capacities in the context of meeting the complex needs of youth who have experienced sexual exploitation, as well as how to connect and partner with local efforts in their community.
Presentation Objectives:

·  Examine the structure as well as the challenges and successes about the implementation of the YLOL.

·  Present promising strategies to identify youth enrolled in programming by understanding risk and response from an individual and programmatic level.

·  Exhibit evidence-based models to support changes to current programming that allow for a more competent service provision to youth who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation.

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When Help is Out of Reach: Collaborating to Address Trafficking in Marginalized Communities

Effectively addressing trafficking requires increasing our ability to identify, reach, and serve marginalized and underserved communities (i.e. LGBTQ, men and boys, tribal communities, Southeast Asian communities, individuals with disabilities, individuals with mental illness, individuals experiencing homelessness, etc.). Within the North Carolina Department of Administration, Council for Women and Youth Involvement office (NCCFWYI), Project CLICC (anti-human trafficking program) works to foster collaboration among domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking service providers and community advocates to increase the capacity of providers to serve all victims of human trafficking. By building collaborations, identifying resources, and utilizing creative approaches, we can bridge gaps in victim-services and bring awareness to the most at risk, vulnerable, and inadequately served individuals. Through this workshop, participants will explore the vulnerabilities and unique needs of survivors, holistic trauma-informed and victim-centered response, and multi-disciplinary collaborations to combatting human trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Identify how the needs of trafficking victims differ from other victims.

·  Explore providing victim-centered response and services to underserved populations.

·  Describe what resources are needed to provide a holistic response to survivors.

·  Assist attendees in identifying collaborations and partnerships to further increase organizational capacity to provide human trafficking victim-services and support.

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Female Offenders the Perfect Victims

In 2012, John Meekins, a Correctional Officer Sergeant at the Florida Department of Corrections, attended a voluntary training conference on human trafficking. Armed with the training, Meekins discovered a sex trafficking ring operating out of the large female correctional institution where he worked within a few months (Connolly, 2014). This presentation will be based off a case study on the trafficker and the methods used by him to recruit female offenders being released from Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala, Florida. This was the first, but not the only experience Meekins had with human trafficking in the correctional system. Based on hundreds of hours of research, interviews with victims, investigators, traffickers, and others, Meekins will explain the pipeline to prison for sex trafficking victims (Binzer, 2016). He will explain what makes female offenders especially vulnerable to traffickers. Attendees will learn what questions to ask a suspected victim and why you should ask those questions. Meekins will show criminal histories and arrest patterns indicative of victims and trafficker. Also covered will be the best practices for reporting their victimization. Meekins understands the unique reentry challenges they face and what a correctional institution needs to do to fix it. He will highlight the importance of vacatur laws to victims of human trafficking and how they can drastically improve the lives of sex trafficking victims and survivors. Most importantly this presentation will cover how to put a wedge between incarcerated victims and their traffickers, thus enhancing the victims’ chances of success upon release. 

Presentation Objectives:

·  Communicate that the best place to identify victims and sex trafficking rings are in local jails and prisons.

·  Illustrate what makes an offender vulnerable to traffickers.

·  Provide tools to identify victims of sex trafficking behind bars.

·  Educate how traffickers recruit victims to be trafficked upon release from jail or prison.

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Human Trafficking in Rural Contexts: A Comparative Look at Domestic and Global Settings

The Atlantic Slave trade ended in 1807 and the United States ended slavery in 1865. While nations proclaimed national acts and policies that put an end to slavery, the practice did not necessarily stop. As research and anecdotal evidence reveal, slavery, in various forms, has persisted into the current century. Today, modern day slavery is present among us. Hence, human trafficking is defined as or likened to modern day slavery. While much focus has been given to urban centers, human trafficking in rural communities is often not highlighted, although such locations are also vulnerable targets of human traffickers. The presentation will compare case studies in terms of the triggers and nature of trafficking in the communities examined, paying particular attention to the rural contexts, domestically and internationally. The presenter will refer to case studies and/or research cases from Nigeria and Michigan, USA. The Michigan example comes from a) anecdotal evidence, specifically, the presenter’s observations and conversations with community members during presentations on human trafficking across three counties; b) analysis of responses to a two-part survey by the CGI Human Trafficking Coalition located in Mt. Pleasant, MI. The Coalition’s two-part survey sought to find out the communities’ knowledge on human trafficking and the communities’ resource-readiness in relation to addressing human trafficking. The Nigerian examples come from anecdotal evidence based on conversations and interactions with groups involved in anti-human trafficking work, research on the topic, as well as conversations with residents of two rural communities about the subject.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Provide knowledge of the nature of human trafficking in an international context.

·  Describe the nature of human trafficking in rural communities.

·  Consider human trafficking from a comparative perspective.

·  Discuss community responses to combat human trafficking.

·  Examine, discuss, and share suggestions for further community actions.

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DID...Living/Surviving/Thriving with Non-Integrated Personalities: A Survivor’s Perspective

Ann Marie Babb is a Satanic Ritual Abuse and Human Trafficking survivor who was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) in her early 30’s and has spent the last 25 years navigating the mental health maze looking for help. She will talk about her experience and the fact that integration was not an option for her. She challenges the mental health community to think outside the box and that integration is not the only answer for DID. She will use her past as an educational experience about DID and be transparent about coping and surviving with DID.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Build on last year’s presentation that dealt with a basic understanding DID and its root causes.

·  Discuss the many faces of the disorder and the complex nature of DID.

·  Examine how DID can present by using concrete examples.

·  Illustrate how medications that effect serotonin levels in the brain can affect a person that lives with DID.

·  Discuss mapping of personalities and how that might change over the years.

·  Review original mapping and discuss how the mapping has changed over the years.

·  Discuss satanic ritual abuse and the resurgence that we are seeing in new survivors.

·  Discuss techniques and programming, long-term effects, and how it might present in survivors with DID.

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Bodies Are Not Commodities: A21 Prevention and Awareness Strategies for All

We are all New Abolitionists- our mission is to abolish slavery everywhere, forever. Slavery is the fastest growing organized crime in the world. It’s real, hidden in plain sight, and tearing at the social fabric of every nation and economic structure.  But that's why we exist- 21st century abolitionists determined to bring change. A21 Campaign is fueled by radical hope that human beings everywhere will be rescued from bondage and completely restored. A21 works with you to reach the vulnerable, free slaves, and disrupt the demand. Education about human trafficking is key to ending slavery. A21 prevents slavery from ever happening by engaging people through events, student presentations, and education programs. During the session, attendees will learn motivating and engaging prevention strategies and techniques that are age-appropriate, well-designed resources that are immediately applicable for members of their community ages 12 and up. They will also learn how to bring awareness of the crafty and tricky methods that human traffickers use and identify vulnerability traits and actions to take when others are in danger. It’s vital that the younger generation is informed and equipped to combat human trafficking. A21 educational curriculum is designed for everyone who would like to share prevention and awareness strategies in their communities, schools, and/or churches to help eradicate slavery now. A21’s Founder Christine Caine said, “When a lot of people do a little, it adds up and makes a difference.” The time is now. Let’s create history together.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Explore ways to bring awareness and action against injustice.

·  Empower all with human trafficking prevention and awareness standards-based strategies.

·  Discuss participatory and sustainable solutions to injustice issues internationally.

·  Examine pathways of engagement for others to be a part of the solution to end slavery.

·  Identify the role of abolitionists and its effect on human trafficking in the 21st century as they see something, say something, and do something.

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The Impact of FOSTA/SESTA on Sex Work and Trafficking

In March of 2018, two acts were legislated into action in both the House and the Senate: Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and Stop Enabling Sex Trafficking Act (SESTA). These acts seek to punish the hosts of online sites where sex workers post their ads for work allegedly to protect victims of sex trafficking. The presenters examine the difference between sex trafficking and sex work, the conflation of the two, and critically assess the ramifications of FOSTA/SESTA in relation to net neutrality, freedom of speech, and the impact on the lives of sex workers, particularly the more marginalized workers. In the wake of FOSTA/SESTA, they seek to analyze attitudes toward and the legislative history of sexuality in order to consider why we as a society are so interested in and committed to controlling issues relating to sexuality.

Presentation Objectives:

·  Define sex work and sex trafficking.

·  Examine the intent of FOSTA/SESTA.

·  Explore the impact of FOSTA/SESTA.

·  Discuss the history of the legislation of sexuality.

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