TEN THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT MEN WHO BUY SEX

1. On average, men reported were 21 years of age when they first bought sex.
2. 25% of the sex buyers had traveled to another state and while there used women in prostitution.
3. 41% of the sex buyers knowingly used a woman in prostitution who was controlled by a pimp.
4. 66% of the sex buyers observed that a majority of women are lured, tricked or trafficked into prostitution.
5. 74% of the sex buyers reported that they learned about sex from pornography.

Read the rest.

5 MYTHS ABOUT BUYING SEX

#1  Prostitution is a victimless crime. The most often stated defense of proponents of the legalization of buying sex is that it is a victimless crime.  Of working adult women in the sex trade, 82% have been physically assaulted; 83% have been threatened with a weapon; 68% have been raped while working; 84% reported current or past homelessness and 68% of women interviewed in 9 countries met the criteria for a clinical diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).(1)

#2 Prostitution is a free choice made by consenting adults. Proponents of prostitution argue that women should have the right to make a living using her own body. On paper, the arguments may seem credible, but the reality of prostitution tells a different story.  A survey of 169 women working in prostitution showed that the average age they were first sold for sex was 14, 75% reported being abused as children, 58% have been assaulted and an overwhelming 92% of women said they would quit if they could afford to. (2)  No young girl grows up dreaming to be bought nightly and assaulted by strange men.

Read the rest.

Slavery is in the news this week.  I’m sure many of you where shocked to learn that a bus driver can keep three girls as slaves in his basement in an urban neighborhood right here in America, the land of the free. Yet for those of us who have been involved with the issue of human trafficking it was no surprise.  The surprise is that this isn’t in the news more often. Click to tweet.

Human trafficking happens. It is happening right now in your city. Just today I learned of a brothel not 20 steps from the my office in Manhattan. A brown metal door with only a number on it, an intercom, and a camera.  I walk by it every day. I think we might share a fire escape. Are there girls there being held against their will? I’m not sure, but it is likely.*

To go another level deeper, we can ask, what are the contributing factors? We can ask about economic forces, political or educational policy, the criminal justice system and current laws, the breakdown of the family. How are our systems and societal forces contributing to the problem?  How can they be used to solve the problems?

At the deepest level, what is it about us that makes us want to control other people? What is it that makes us capable of exploiting others for our own desires?  Sure, you and I don’t have three sex slaves living in our basements. But if we are honest with ourselves we see our own tendency to take advantage of those less fortunate then ourselves–like being consumed with a desire for cheap “great deals” even if it means people die in a factory on the other side of the world to make our ‘great deals’ possible.

Price of Life: NYC will be dealing with slavery on all these levels:

We will bring awareness of the problem through, for example, student actors depicting human trafficking on campus while other students hand out fact cards to passersby.

We will deal with the systemic issues, through events on education, law, public policy, business; engaging the arts; and looking at how these things contribute to the problem and can be used in the solution.

*The authorities have been informed.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke’s words serve as a solemn reminder that we have a responsibility to be an advocate for those without a voice. The issue of human trafficking is more than a political, regional or religious problem. Human trafficking is a “human” problem. We are all affected and impacted by this violation of human rights, whether we know it or not.

Currently, approximately 27 million slaves are at work in the world today. “Trafficking in persons” is a $99 billion dollar industry as well as the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world.

According to Polarisproject.org, over 100,000 children are estimated to be introduced into the sex trade in the United States each year. In light of the previous statement, it is no wonder that the average age of entry into prostitution is between 12-14 years old. Whether they are born in the US or elsewhere, they are being bought sold on a daily basis. This happens in your cities and your neighborhoods.

Human trafficking which equates to modern day slavery exists when people are coerced, forced, and/or manipulated to do commercial sex acts or labor services against their will. Whether they serve as a prostitute at a truck stop, a “masseuse” as an asian massage parlor, a maid for a wealthy family, a brick maker in India, or are forced to work on fishing boats in Southeast Asia, they are victims of exploitation.

In the face of such a global evil, what can we do?

On April 27th, 2013, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel discussion for pastors and church leaders which was aptly named “Let My People Go.” The name of the event comes from the demand of Moses, God’s spokesman, to Pharaoh who refused to release Israel from slavery. In a similar way, these pastors were challenged to stand and demand that those trapped in slavery today be set free. The goal was to equip these pastors and church leaders with the knowledge to equip their churches to fight human trafficking. The event featured three expert panelists, who are some of the top abolitionists in NYC; Jimmy Lee of Restore NYC, Diana Mao of Nomi Network, and Jonathan Walton of New York City Urban Project.

During this discussion, we wrestled with the nature of human trafficking and where is it found globally and locally. We also delved into where is slavery found in NYC, and how are we a part of the problem. Finally, we explored ways that the local church can be a positive force in the fight against the global slave trade.

In the next several articles, we will walk through several ways that Christians can practically fight human trafficking. We will learn that we don’t have to wear a cape or have a Phd to be an advocate for the weak and vulnerable. As Christians we simply have to be disciples. Ultimately, true biblical discipleship fights trafficking. I will tease this out more in the articles to follow, but to put it succinctly, when we stand on the Gospel, we will naturally stand against injustice.

You may find this hard to believe. You may be struggling to read this article because your eyes keep rolling back in your head. You are saying to yourself, “What can I do? This problem is too big. Why should I even try?” Edmund Burke, who stood for the cause of the American colonies as a member of the British Parliament in the late 1700s, understood the need for freedom, even when it was not popular. He explained that “nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” Regardless of your age or your occupation, you can do something. Remember that the only thing necessary for us to fight human trafficking is our willingness to do something… no matter how small it may seem.

The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, enacted to combat trafficking in persons and prevent violence against women, includes the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Last month, President Obama signed the expanded VAWA along with the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2013 (TVPRA), which will reauthorize TVPA for FY2014-2017 (watch the video here). Here Kurtis Falcone, a second-year law student at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, introduces the TVPA.

The crux of the U.S.’s devotion to trafficking in persons is the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), which was passed in 2000 to combat severe forms of human trafficking. TVPA was reauthorized 3 times since in 2003, 2005, and 2008, yet expired in 2011 when Congress failed to reauthorize it. On February 28, 2013, Congressman Smith from NJ, along with Congressman Lipinski, introduced a legislation to reauthorize TVPA to the House of Representatives. As a re-authorization, the new legislation is only a slight alteration to the previous legislation.

This statute, generally, helps set guidelines for how the United States and other countries should work together to reduce and discourage sex and forced labor trafficking. Additionally, TVPA authorized an annual report on individual nations’ efforts to combat trafficking and established a tier system to rank their efforts in light of the severity of issue. Their scores and specific issues are published annually by the U.S. Department of State in the Trafficking in Persons Report.

Countries that are in compliance with the TVPA guidelines will receive a Tier 1 placement. Those working to be in compliance will receive a Tier 2 placement and those purposely ignoring the standards will receive a Tier 3 placement. Countries on the “Tier 2 Watch List” are in risk of being demoted to Tier 3 based on issues with compliance over the past several years. This tier system also determines eligibility for financial assistance. Between 2001 and 2007, $528 Million in foreign “programmatic” aid was disbursed to NGOs, international organization, law enforcement officials, and foreign governments.

A copy of the legislation can be read here.

Written by Kurtis Falcone
Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy

Save the date for upcoming gatherings! Details coming soon.

May 25-30: Basilea Price of Life Track – Register here.
June 6: Next Leaders Gathering – Happy Hour & Exclusive Private Screening of Sex + Money Film
July 13: Summer BBQ – Featuring a whole roast (LOGOFF) pig!

4.22 Leaders Gathering:

• Culminating Video from Ohio State Price of Life (2010) – Watch here & get inspired!
• Vision for Price of Life – Jason Gaboury – Price of Life Executive Director
  
• “Events Academy” – 5 short presentations on key topics related to planning events (Jump to presenter bios/contact info.)
• Community Announcements (Jump to announcements.)
• Where Are We Stuck – Diana Mao – Director of Nomi Network (notes coming soon)
  

Download Recruiting Volunteers PowerPoint.

Download Price of Life Messaging Platform & Work Plan.

See other downloadable resources.

Events Academy – Presenter Bios

Click name to email presenter with questions.

1. Rhonda Harrison – Event Planning
Rhonda Harrison is an experienced educator with a heart for fighting human trafficking. She leads the education pillar event working group, which will be hosted at Hunter College, and aims to help educators understand the problem and how they can make an impact through their unique position in kids’ lives. Her resource has tons of very specific and practical tips to help our events go smoothly from beginning to end.

2. Joanne Cheung – Messaging
Joanne Cheung is an alum who is currently interning with Price of Life, helping with promotion for the art competitions and doing web development work. She works in marketing. She will talk to us about the Price of Life message platform and why messaging is so important.

3. Nicole Epps – Marketing
Nicole Epps is currently working in marketing and assisting with Forsaken Generation, an organization dedicated to raising awareness around human trafficking, and partnering with Price of Life on a fun run. She is also volunteering with Price of Life on a women’s only event focused on women’s empowerment and prevention, as well as assisting with marketing. She will talk to us about how to get the word out about our programs with marketing and social media.

4. Jonathan Yee – Recruiting Volunteers
Jonathan Yee is an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship alum who has been interning with Price of Life for almost a year. He assists with graphic design coordination, volunteer recruiting and management, and communications. He is working in AmeriCorps in New Jersey, where he has conducted trainings on recruiting volunteers – the topic of his tutorial tonight.

5. Akpene Torku – Event Registration
Akpene works with Campus Renewal Ministries in producing One Cry, city-wide prayer events, in partnership with Price of Life. We just had one last week with over 500 attendees. Akpene also helps with the Price of Life prayer team. One Cry does a phenomenal job of registering attendees at events, so it can follow-up and continue to communicate with people, building momentum. It’s very important that all our Price of Life events include a registration component, so we can connect with people going forward. We don’t want to put in all this effort just to throw an event – we want to build ongoing relationships with people and help them develop and grow in their faith. Akpene is going to share best practices we can use in event registration to help us do this.

 Community Announcements

(1) Walk by Faith: I Want to Be Free press conference

• May 22, 11 PM
  
• Steps of City Hall
• Contact: Michael Groce
  

(2) Let My People Go: Church Leaders Training Day

• April 27
• 8:30 AM – 2 PM
• Metro New York Baptist Association, 236 West 72nd St 1st floor, NYC, 10023
• Contact: Pete Armstrong
  
• More Info  |  RSVP

(3) Creative Competitions / Film Competitions

Visual Art  |  Collaborative  |  Marketing  |  Freedom Film Festival

Register here to be notified of launch.

• Creative Competitions: Contact Jasen Chung
• Freedom Film Festival: Contact Marcus Cheong

Volunteer Needs:

• Graphic Design
• Marketing
• Sponsorship Cultivation
• Admin Assistance

(4) Exposing Darkness: Artists Bringing Trafficking to Light

Price of Life music compilation – your abolitionist soundtrack!

Featuring artists like CCNY alum Andy Mineo (hip hop), Juilliard alum Bridget Kibbey (professional harpist), New York City Urban Project Artist Courtney Wong (singer-songwriter) and many more! 100% of album proceeds to Restore NYC, Nomi Network, & World Vision!

Support Exposing Darkness & get music, event tickets, and other great perks.
Will you shine with us? 

(5) Be Part of the Glue Holding POL Together: Serve with the Logistics Team!

Volunteer Needs:

• Volunteer drivers to transport proxe stations
• Individuals with experience in logistics and ground transportation
• Someone willing to intern as a researcher for booking flights

Contact: Jocin Yohannan

 

Sex slavery, as a form of human trafficking, not only destroys a woman’s body, but imparts a nightmarish scar in her mind that bleeds in unexpected times, even when she has physical freedom. This slavery is a spiritual torture that leaves people debilitated like no other abuse in this world. And there is no power less than Jesus that can restore someone who has gone through the debasement, dehumanization, and terror of sex slavery.

This was one of arguments used at Proxe Explosion, on March 13, when Hunter students got to run five Price of Life proxe stations set up all around the school.

In just four hours, form noon to 4 PM, we had 280 conversations with students and others on campus about human trafficking. In 80% of these conversations, the person wanted to hear about deeper spiritual realities, and the conversation led to an invitation to follow Christ. Four students accepted the invitation! Hundreds of others learned about trafficking, the idea that sin is actually the core issue for the injustices in the world, and the idea that God is the solution.

I manned the “Memories” proxe station, where we asked students about childhood memories as a way to then engage with a contrast: the kind of memories a child trafficking victim might have. By my side stood a high school senior from Texas spending her spring break fighting injustices with Price of Life NYC’s sister project, New York City Urban Project. Next to me were fellow Christians from my InterVarsity chapter. Down the hall, our college orchestra hosted a public performance in both a beautiful, but also annoying fashion — because people went to listen to them instead of us.
Hunter students engage their classmates about childhood memories … and the contrasting childhood memories of child trafficking victims. Proxe station designed by Hunter students Vanessa Jacobs & Ed Mendez.

But for the people who did stop (and many did), the backdrop of classical music set a dramatic scene for our conversations about trafficking and Jesus. I cannot speak for conversations others had, but I had four conversations, each spanning from 15 minutes to 45 minutes. The most memorable was with my Jewish friend. I told him that God created the world for good. This may seem mundane, but he was perplexed when I asked him which other religion has a god who supposedly created the world for good. Many other worldviews have the earth created out of violence.

Proxe Explosion day changed the whole atmosphere of the campus. In the case of everyone we talked to, the topic of sex slavery unlocked a desire in their heart for a peaceful world. For the four that accepted Christ, the day changed their lives. For dozens of others, their lives were changed as they were introduced to joining a small group, GIG, or prayer meeting where they could talk to Christians about this. And for the dozens of us who led the stations, our hearts were broken for the trafficking victims.

We are implacably excited for the Price of Life campaign happening in October, when these miracles could happen every day.

Hunter students partner with New York City Urban Project students to ask classmates to put themselves “in the shoes” of various kinds of trafficking victims. Proxe Station designed by New School student Ty Ning.

By Kevin Tseng, Small Group Coordinator for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Hunter College, NYC. Kevin writes fairytales at www.tsengsfairytales.com.

On a snowy Friday night in January, as nearly two hundred people began to gather excitedly at my church for an evening of worship and prayer against human trafficking, I  was stuck in a sea of traffic between New Jersey and New York. The evening was not exactly going as planned. Only a week before, I’d crossed the state line in the opposite direction; transporting my belongings from my Washington Heights apartment to a house in northern New Jersey, I made the infamous leap from city to suburbs. And believe it or not, I was excited about it. I had just taken a job with Restore NYC as the live-in coordinator at a safehouse for foreign national sex trafficking survivors. God had truly worked wonders to bring me into this position and thereby restored some of my long-held dreams, and I was beginning to realize that this movement of His Spirit for freedom and justice is sweeping over us and that if we let go, He will take us with Him.

So in a sense, it was God that had brought me to that exact moment in which I, stuck on a bus on my way to the service, was cringing at my watch. As I sat there grumbling at Him, one single phrase kept coming to mind: “Ora et labora.” It’s a Latin phrase meaning “Pray and Work.” I’d seen it before at a Benedictine monastery I frequent for personal retreats. Pray and work? I thought. That’s your advice right now, God? And… how is that helping with the traffic? But try as I might, I couldn’t get the phrase out of my head, so I started to meditate on it. Soon, the simplicity of the imperative began to steady my breathing and incline my spirit toward His Spirit. That’s when I realized what He was telling me.

Prayer is our work. Plain and simple. Wherever we are, whoever we are, this is our work, now. We try to make it more complicated, we layer on the guilt and convince ourselves that things like fighting against sex trafficking are for radicals, for people who spin their own clothes from sheep they’ve raised on their backyard farm in Brooklyn, people who have a mission trip resume that spans every continent and every field, people who will move to the slums, people who are experts, people who are brave, people who have experience, people who know what they’re doing. Not floundering, fumbling me. Not terrified me. Not inexperienced me.

But that’s a lie. Prayer is not simply a way we can get involved if we’re not “good enough” to do “The Work” ourselves. Prayer is The Work. Whether we’re students or grandparents or Wall Street execs or social workers or pastors or mothers or lawyers or yes, even safehouse coordinators….we all have the same joyful responsibility. Pray. Acknowledge His incredible Lordship. Worship Him in the splendor of His holiness. Intercede for the voiceless and victimized, for the ignorant and blind, for the joyful and the terrified. And thank Him that He is God and He will do it. Prayer is the way to get involved in the movement of God’s Spirit. As we worship, as we lift our hands to Him, as we pray together, our words become sacred, our work becomes prayer, and prayer begins to transform our work.

The enemy wants nothing more than to squelch the movement of God’s Spirit, and it is as easy for him as keeping us isolated in shame and relegated to being “stuck” where we are, just as I was stuck on the bus that night. But we don’t have to listen to him. When I finally arrived at the service that night, I got to see the beauty of a chapel packed with people who were so desperate to see freedom in the realm of human trafficking that they would trudge through snow and slop just to worship Him and pray with others, even with their questions, fears, and failures in tow. This is our work. And God doesn’t leave anyone out who wants to come along. He knows and sees and loves the victims of trafficking, the perpetrators of trafficking, and the “ordinary” people who are appalled at the injustice and don’t know quite what to do about it. He welcomes all into His embrace and His freedom. Come, He says to us. Come pray and work. Come rest and feast. Come join the fight. Come join the party.

Written by Abby Jackson

Check it out here.

And don’t forget to take a peek at the NEWLY LIVE Indiegogo campaign to fund Exposing Darkness now, so 100% of proceeds from the project can support the incredible work of our partner organizations, World Vision, Restore NYC & Nomi Network.

“It takes a village to raise a child.”

So goes the conventional wisdom. After 4 years of involvement to end human trafficking, I have found it to be true, with a twist:

It takes a village to RESTORE a child.

Ever since discovering child sex trafficking in my hometown of Atlanta, it’s been my mission to connect with organizations and work with them to address this hidden, dark issue head on. Together with Street GRACE, A Future.Not a Past, Wellspring Living, and Not For Sale Campaign GA, we’ve addressed awareness, prevention, lobbied for legislation and focus on the demand/perpetrator side, provided services and aftercare for victims, and pushed for reform in labor trafficking locally as well as abroad.

It’s been rewarding seeing real, effective and lasting change by aligning with communities, individuals and leaders dedicated to see modern slavery end in my city and elsewhere. Together, we’ve become a glaring light that few in the larger community can ignore.

Within the last year, I’ve had a dream to form an alliance of like-minded abolitionist musicians. After releasing my single “Dear John” in conjunction with the END DEMAND campaign, I yearned to link with other musicians and organizations in similar endeavors to address trafficking.

I’m thrilled to announce my partnership with Price of Life NYC and their team to bring you a brand new music compilation of diverse artists: Exposing Darkness: Artists Bringing Trafficking To Light. The album will be released in fall 2013 through the Price of Life Invitational to benefit Restore NYC, Nomi Network, & World Vision, 3 organizations with incredible track records of fighting trafficking.

As an artist myself, we often refer to albums as our children. In this case, it’s taking a whole village and then some to prepare for the birth of this compilation to continue in our fight to eradicate trafficking together — a thriving metropolis of compassionate activists like you.

Beginning Monday, April 8, you have an opportunity to be a part of this process, forming a brilliant flame exposing darkness.

We’re raising production costs for the project now so 100% of album proceeds will go to fight human trafficking. Can you help make this possible? Check out ways to give & thank you gifts at our Indiegogo page, launching Monday, April 8, 2013.

I have seen firsthand what happens when a young survivor begins to step out of the oppression of sex trafficking, backed by countless unseen members in the community supporting them through this process: Darkness hides and human dignity is restored.

It takes a village to RESTORE a child.

Please join us in bringing this album to life and continuing to shed light on trafficking.

Will you shine with us?

Janie Chu

Valentine’s Day but a distant memory? Relive the good times with a Flickr stream of pics from our party! Find a friend & tag him/her!

Thanks Lauren Pzsonak from Geneseo for putting this together!
Photo Credit: Justin Shockley