Ways To Help

There are many groups doing some wonderful things to support these women and children - we have highlighted a few of them here.

Please visit their websites to learn more about what they are doing. And please do what you can to donate your time or money.

- Not For Sale - this group is making it easy for people to get involved in the abolitionist movement. Their efforts extend beyond sex trafficking.

www.notforsalecampaign.org

- Love 146 - focused on child sex trafficking. Builds safe homes to protect and rehabilitate children.

www.love146.org

- GEMS - founded in 1988 by Rachel Lloyd, a victim of sexual trafficking, this organization focuses effort on helping girls 12-24 to exit commercial sex trafficking and start a new life.

www.gems-girls.org

- Restore - is rehabilitating survivors here in NYC. They provide holistic aftercare so that women can gain their lives back.

www.restorenyc.org

- Polaris Project - works to combat human trafficking in all forms in both US and abroad. They operate the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline.

www.polarisproject.org

A Tale from Kolkata

In his most recent article, New York Times columnist and activist Nicholas D. Kristof introduces us to "M," a young girl in India who is dangerously close to becoming a victim of the country's flourishing sex trade. Despite excelling in academics, "M's" family insists on selling her into the trade, for reasons that can only be assumed as financial.

However heartbreaking and unfair this story is, "M" is not alone, and her story is not unique. Millions of other children in India, Asia and elsewhere are vulnerable to the trade, and escape is hardly permanent. Police frequently raid brothels but are paid large sums of money to return the children back to the traffickers.

How can we help these children?

Read the full article here to learn more about this issue and what others are doing to help:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/opinion/02kristof.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Modern Slavery: The Secret World of Trafficking of Women

This Wednesday, Network for Peace Through Dialogue is hosting a public event on sex trafficking at Marymount Manhattan College. Invited guests and speakers include Sister Eugenia Bonetti, an anti-trafficking activist who is the founder and director of the anti-trafficking in persons (TIP) office of the Italian Union of Major Superiors, as well as Taina Bien-Aime of Equality Now, Carol Smolenski of ECPAT-USA and Dorchen Leidholdt of Sanctuary for Families.

Event information:

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011, 6:00-8:00 pm

Marymount Manhattan College

221 E 71st St

New York, NY 10021

Sign-in will begin at 5:30pm and refreshments will be served before the program begins.

There is a pre-registration fee of $10- to register, contact Network for Peace Through Dialogue:
call : 212-426-5818
e-mail : info@networkforpeace.com

Know Your Neighborhood: Ending the Demand in NYC

A CALL TO MEN, a national men's organization committed to ending and preventing domestic and sexual violence and ManUP, an intiative dedicated to ending gender violence against women through the arts, sports and technology have teamed up to create a petition calling for Raymond Kelly, the Commission of the NYPD, to expand anti-trafficking initiatives to all five boroughs- specifically those targeting buyers and purveyors of sex trafficking. Far too often, sex trafficking is recognized in NYC when victims are apprehended and wrongly convicted of prostitution. It's time to stand up and protect victims by legally targeting those facilitating and utilizing the industry.

Urge Commissioner Kelly to expand anti-trafficking efforts so NYC can create a borough-wide, united front against trafficking: http://www.change.org/petitions/urge-nypd-commissioner-raymond-kelly-to-act-swiftly-to-end-demand-in-nyc

To learn more about A CALL TO MEN and ManUP, visit their websites:
http://www.acalltomen.com/
http://www.manupcampaign.org/