NewsNite for April 26 addresses two topics that aren’t necessarily easy to talk about, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore either of them. April is recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and two aspects of this issue – Human Trafficking and Rape – have been in the news recently.

Human Trafficking was the focus earlier this month of a four-hour program in Greater Akron titled “Close-Up on Human Trafficking,” which was designed to provide the latest information on this issue to area residents and professionals. In addition, the recent “Steubenville Rape Case” has been much in the news, with information – or the lack of information – emphasizing the need for more education, more information and more awareness.

To help us explore both of these issues we welcomed to the broadcast Terri Heckman, CEO of the Battered Women’s Shelter and Rape Crisis Center in Summit and Medina Counties and Dana Zedak, Executive Director of the Rape Crisis Center.

Did you know, for example, that Human Trafficking statistics are mind-boggling?

• NUMBER OF VICTIMS AT ANY GIVEN TIME – 2.4 MILLION
• PERCENTAGE OF VICTIMS EXPLOITED FOR SEXUAL SLAVERY – 80 PERCENT
• NUMBER OF VICTIMS EXPLOITED AS FORCED LABOR (SLAVES) – 17 PERCENT
• RATIO OF FEMALE TO MALE SLAVES (including children) – 2 out of 3
• ANNUAL VALUE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN DOLLARS – $32 BILLION
• AVERAGE COST OF ONE HUMAN SLAVE – $90
• ODDS OF RESCUE – 1 chance in 100 [Source www.catholic.org]

With those kinds of statistics as our backdrop, Terri, Dana and I discuss this major human rights issue. Keep in mind that this is not just happening in third-world countries but right here in our own communities. In fact, Toledo, Ohio is a major hub for human trafficking and is listed as one of the top three areas for this activity in the U.S.!

We talk about whether there is a typical human trafficking victim and how to recognize someone who could be vulnerable or part of a human trafficking ring. We also discuss the ways that substance abuse, as well as the Internet and/or social media, plays a role in this; how to work toward preventing and stopping this upward cycle of trafficking; and in what ways law enforcement is equipped to deal with this growing crime.

The reality of human trafficking is frightening and getting the word out about this issue is key toward preventing and ending this spiraling international problem. Terri provided us with some charts complete with definitions and resources for more information and help lines.

Rape is never easy to talk about. Nonetheless, in light of the publicity surrounding events last August in Steubenville and the subsequent trial earlier this year, we thought it prudent to get basic information out there to our audience … information as basic as a definition of rape. I most certainly consider Dana and Terri to be authorities on subject as both of them have spent their working careers in this field.

We talk about statistics and victims; about the difference between rape and sexual assault; about the lasting scars yet hope and help available through organizations like the Rape Crisis Center in Summit and Medina Counties; and how the two of these women are able to find the strength and stamina to continue to help so many.

Timing is everything in many cases, and the same evening that this program airs, the 8thAnnual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraising event takes place in downtown Akron. This is the local event of what has become an internationally recognized opportunity to raise awareness – through something as unique as having “men wobbling in heels or fuzzy pink slippers on downtown Akron sidewalks” – of the violent crime of sexual assault.

Bottom line is that the more we are aware of issues, such as rape or human trafficking, the better able we are to stand against the reality of those kinds of issues continuing in our communities.

Hope you will join us on NewsNite for a most informative program.

Download graphics related to this story here.

There are times when the germ of an idea grows into a force of such memorable moments that just thinking about those moments can start the tears. That is the story of Honor Flight, a nonprofit organization that grew out of one man’s compassion and desire to honor American’s veterans, especially World War II veterans, for their sacrifices to our country. The man was Earl Morse, a physician assistant, retired Air Force captain and private pilot, who decided to make the dreams of his veteran patients a reality.

“The inaugural Honor Flight took place in May 2005. Six small planes flew out of Springfield, Ohio taking 12 World War II veterans on a visit to the World War II Memorial, their memorial, which had opened the year before, in Washington, D.C.”

The impact of this trip – on both the veterans and the private pilots making the flights possible – was extraordinary. From that one trip, the nonprofit Honor Flight Network was born.

“Through the end of 2012, the Honor Flight Network has transported more than 98,500 WWII veterans to Washington, D.C. to see their memorial. The program presently has 121 hubs in 41 states.”

One of those hubs is at the Akron Canton Airport, and since September 2007, Honor Flight CAK has transported 1,100 WWII veterans from 20 Northeast Ohio counties to our nation’s capital at no cost where they visited their memorial as well as other D.C. attractions. Almost from the start, Valerie Kinney has been the heart and soul of Honor Flight CAK. As the director of Honor Flight CAK, Val was responsible for organizing the twice yearly flights, rounding up legions of volunteers to assist, raising the funds to make the trips possible, accompanying the veterans and their guardians through their day of touring and making sure that all went smoothly, from the programs printed for each flight to the wheelchairs required by the aging veterans.

On Sept. 22, 2012 Honor Flight CAK flew its last mission, taking a plane of veterans to Washington. Its “mission accomplished,” Honor Flight CAK is celebrating with a day of memories and moments from the past six years at the MAPS Air Museum near the Akron Canton Airport this Saturday, April 20.

On NewsNite for April 19, we spotlight Honor Flight CAK by talking with Val Kinney, who shares with us her memories of the past six years and 11 flights . Those memories include some of the highlights of this program; the details of what went into organizing each flight; and the reactions of the veterans and their families to this unique opportunity.

We also welcome to the program Kim Kovesci, the executive director of MAPS, who provides us with some insight on this extraordinary museum and its role as part of the Honor Flight Program and the site for the day of celebration for Honor Flight CAK’s “Mission Accomplished.” By the way, the keynote speaker at the dinner celebration will be Honor Flight’s founder Earl Morse.

To learn more, check out their websites: Honor Flight CAK and the Honor Flight Network.

This is a heartwarming story, especially so as the numbers of those in that “Greatest Generation” are diminishing daily, given their advancing ages. I know how proud my father, a WWII veteran, would have been to see “his” memorial, but I also know how emotional that would have been for him as well. Just thinking of that is enough to bring me to tears, but it also reinforces how one man’s idea can mean so much for so many deserving of honor, even more than 60 years later.

Many of us are parents and all of us – especially the parents of teenagers – want to believe and protect our children. But given the pressures of peer groups, social media, and society in general, that’s not an easy task. And there is a big difference between believing our children and turning a blind eye to clues of behavior that can endanger them. Sometimes those clues may actually be Hidden in Plain Sight.

That is the title of an innovative educational exhibit and program put together by personnel from the Bath Township and Copley Township Police Departments. It’s a program that can make parents more aware of signs of risky, potentially dangerous, and even illegal activities among their children.

On NewsNite this week, we welcome to the program Marcie Mason, Youth Worker, Bath and Copley Police Juvenile Offender Diversion Program; Lisa Baker, Communications Specialist with the Bath Police Department; and Detective Paul Webb with the Copley Police Department. All are parents and all are committed to ensuring that other parents know what they know. We talk about the conception of the Hidden in Plain Sight program and how it has been put together as an interactive exhibit that is set up as the mock bedroom of a typical teenager. Yet in that “bedroom” are nearly 200 items that are not what they seem to be.

• When is a dictionary not just full of words but marijuana? When it’s been hollowed out …
• When is a pretty, beaded bracelet not just a piece of jewelry? When it’s a sign of anorexia or bulimia …
• When is a computer mouse not just a technological gadget? When it comes apart to reveal a scale for weighing drugs…

We spend much of the program being amazed by items brought on our set by Marcie, Lisa, and Paul, showing the creativeness and inventiveness of teens, who are adept at hiding so many clues to dangerous behaviors. That is also one of the reasons why, when Hidden in Plain Sight tours – for free – around Northeast Ohio, teens are not admitted.

We also talk about the kinds of issues teens are facing today, from substance abuse and peer pressure to sexting and the dangers of the Internet and social media, as well as how teens and parents have changed in the past generation. I know it was gratifying for me to hear both Lisa and Paul, both of whom have teens living at home, explain their “house rules,” especially about computers and cell phones.

This is a most informative NewsNite, and one I would recommend that every parent and grandparent see. It will open your eyes and it may just save the life of a loved one. For more information on Hidden in Plain Sight, including upcoming presentations or how to reach Marcie Mason, contact either the Bath Township Police Department at 330-666-3736 or the Copley Township Police Department at 330-666-4218.