| Lydia* was only twelve-years-old when the gangsters told her the rule: They would sell her for sex to men outside the gang, but members of the gang could use her body for free. For two years, Lydia was taken to abandoned garages, men’s bathrooms, apartments and hotels, enduring hours of abuse with multiple men so gang members could get money.Across the world and in the streets of your own town, human traffickers, gang members, exploiters and oppressors are generating more than 30 billion dollars of profit annually by selling men, women and children, just like Lydia, into sexual bondage and slavery. More children, women and men are victims of modern-day slavery today than at any other point in history. Global Centurion Foundation’s (GCF) work to prevent modern day slavery is needed now more than ever.What makes us different from other anti-trafficking organizations? Our approach. Human trafficking and modern slavery operate under a well-established business model: supple (the victims), distribution (the traffickers), and demand (the “customers”).
While there are many organizations that focus on supply (rescue, restoration for trafficking victims), and many focusing on the traffickers (arrest, prosecution, conviction), GCF uniquely targets the demand side of the equation–the perpetrators, exploiters, buyers and end-users of human beings, seeking to prevent modern slavery at its source.
In the wake of the Haitian earthquake, Global Centurion led grassroots educational campaigns to prevent human trafficking, reaching over one million through food-stamp messages, anti-trafficking t-shirts, relief and development protocols and briefings, and volunteer trainings.
Since 2008, GC has employed a unique, three-pronged approach to combat demand by:
- Developingdemand-reduction research and programs;
- Providinginnovative education, awareness and advocacy trainingto communities, civic leaders, NGOs, law enforcement and at-risk populations; and,
- Establishingpartnerships and collaborative networksto address human trafficking.
Through your generous donation, much progress has been made over the past twelve months:
- Educational Curriculum.We have developed an educational curriculum that will help middle school and high school children understand that women and young girls are not commodities for sale. We are identifying schools and communities to pilot the program with in 2013.
- Haiti and Human Trafficking.Following the earthquake in Haiti, we partnered with over a dozen NGOs to form the Haiti and Human Trafficking Coalition, and we spearheaded anti-human trafficking grassroots social marketing and education campaigns that reached nearly one million Haitians.
- Street Gangs and Human Trafficking. GCF uncovered over two hundred cases in which street gangs were involved in sex trafficking. We analyzed the case law for patterns, and used this data to draw up a set of recommendations for federal, state and local leaders. These recommendations influenced members of Congress, and local lawmakers, resulting in new laws to address street gang sex trafficking.
- Stop Sex Slavery (Triple S) Network.GC created a network of 85 survivor-centered service providers and anti-trafficking advocacy organizations across the United States, which gives us unparalleled access to basic information about health, human services, and other needs of survivors across the U.S. and around the world.
- International Case Law Database.Our anchor research project is collecting case law from 10,000 foreign national cases to create a searchable, longitudinal database of all forms of human trafficking to help inform prevention-focused policy.
- Reducing Demand & Rescuing Victims.Over the past four years, GC has been advising NGOs and FBOs in cities hosting the Super Bowl, Olympics, and other Big Games to help communities create a comprehensive plan to prevent trafficking, prosecute traffickers, and protect and assist victims, resulting in real lives saved (Over 30 children were rescued and over 84 arrests were made during the Super Bowl XIII in Tampa; In Dallas, police made 133 arrests and rescued 33 children as a result of coordinated efforts led by GC). GC was also invited by the AGs office to develop an anti-trafficking campaign for the upcoming Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Over the next twelve months, we seek to greatly expand these efforts, butwe need your support.Will youjoin with usat this critical time in our organizations history to continue our efforts to fight modern day slavery by focusing on demand? Yourtax-deductible giftof any amount will directly support GCs demand-focused initiatives worldwide.
Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a happy and prosperous New Year.
Warmly,
Laura J. Lederer
President
P.S. Your investment helps protect and prevent women, men and children like Lydia from becoming the victims of brutal sexual violence, forced labor and oppression. Preventing modern slavery by supporting our research, education, awareness and collaborative demand-focused efforts is one of the greatest investments you can make this season. We are so grateful for your support!
*Lydias name has been changed. |
