with them. apart from all the other problems, they are involved with the "family" and the usual xian-reichwing missionary mindset.

I don't know y-wam but this place is crawling with that type. They come to help the people find Jesus, like he was lost or something, but are oblivious to all the evil right under their nose.

I wrote to the NY Covenant House to get some help. I see they're Church-affiliated too. I hope the Family's not linked to them.

This is kind of embarrassing because I was told they closed their center here, but their website says they opened a new residential program in Dec 2010. You helped me already but leading me to find that!

Guatemala is a hotbed for human trafficking. As the 2009 U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report aptly states, "Guatemala is a source, transit, and destination country for Guatemalans and Central Americans trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor." Covenant House's 27 years of experience in Guatemala corroborates this claim, with many hundreds of cases of children and young people flowing through our doors seeking protection, legal support, rehabilitation and other services. As the recent crack-down on international adoptions demonstrated - a charge that was led, in large part, by Covenant House - human trafficking in Guatemala affects the most marginalized and voiceless populations.

Utilizing the breadth of its experience, Covenant House in its re-entry stage has designed a four-pronged approach to combating trafficking in persons in Guatemala. Through public education, public policy advocacy, a residential program for child victims of trafficking, and legal advocacy on behalf of individual victims, Covenant House aims to develop a comprehensive anti-trafficking program that will last well beyond the scope of this project. By training public servants, NGOs, and communities in effective strategies for combating trafficking, by launching a collective public policy advocacy campaign with others by its side into the public limelight, by serving 12 to 18 year old victims of this crime, and by advocating on behalf of child victims in a court of law, Covenant House leverages its broad and deep organizational wisdom, from within Guatemala and beyond, to create an approach that aims to effectively combat child trafficking from many fronts so as to involve the NGO community, the State, the Guatemalan community at large, and the victims themselves in this effort.

Covenant House in Guatemala (known locally as "La Alianza", or "The Covenant&quot will open its newest residential program in December of 2010. The residence will initially house 12 child victims of human trafficking, and will expand over time to serve many more victims of family violence, physical and sexual abuse, and children living and working on the streets. At present, the community outreach program is working to reach the most vulnerable populations in Guatemala to teach them about trafficking and how to protect themselves from falling victim. In May of this year alone, Covenant House Guatemala trained nearly 1,200 young people and at-risk workers of on the dangers of human trafficking, providing them with knowledge and material to share with their families, as well.

http://www.covenanthouse.org/homeless-youth-shelter/guatemala

your name is showing up twice. why is that? is it a bug that needs to be reported?




thanks for this thread. I was also wondering if it should be xposted to GD for more exposure.

maybe not perspective but input because I'd really like to find a feminist organization that helps women and children.

Maybe I'm being too narrow-minded? You're really making me have to think about this and why the first place I came for help was feminists.

So I'm thinking... thinking... and I think it's because I want someone to tell me there's an international sisterhood out there trying to lift all women out of their misery and not just worrying about their own little groups.

If there's no such organization, I'll go to GD but women of DU, please tell me there's a group that helps women everywhere and that there's some sort of an international solidarity movement for women that we can turn to for support. Or at least an American (Canada, North America, Central America, South America) movement that exists already.

(I learned down here never to reply "America" when people ask you where you're from because to the people who were on this continent before, America is all of it) so I'm using American that way.

one thing that has happened because of all the fall out in this group is that awareness has been made and all of us are THINKING.

Good luck to us all.

And yes, I understand why it is important to realize that I live in USA not America

because it seems so natural to say "I'm American" or "I'm from America". It works all over the world until you say it to a native American.

Even that got me thinking so hard because I'm around poor Mayans and I realized it's bad enough we stole their wealth but then we steal the whole name too? You're one step ahead of me because I made that mistake several times until the correction sank in.

Indeed. Good luck to us all because we're either gonna row together or sink together

it once.

xposting it to gd is a good idea

weird, eh?

froze up.

Do you mean the Government of Guatamala, Catherina?

80% of the population lives below poverty level subsisting of corn tortillas and beans. I'd say another 10% is middle class and the rest are up there with the 1%.

With that many poor people in need of help, they've given up on even pretending which I think is where we're heading if we don't stop the trend.

10 agents is for the whole country of Guatemala. Thanks for pointing out that I needed to clarify which country I was talking about. I don't even know if we even have 10 agents now because the right took over recently.

Oct 13, 2009

Only 10 Agents to Fight Human Trafficking Nationwide
By Danilo Valladares

GUATEMALA CITY, Oct 13 , 2009 (IPS) - In spite of a new law against human trafficking in effect since March, little has been done in Guatemala to fight the trafficking of children, and child sex tourism has begun to flourish, experts warn.

"The office of the public prosecutor has only 10 agents (to fight human trafficking) throughout the entire country, and they have no telephone and just three or four computers," and "the police do not have the capacity to tackle the problem at a national level," said Sandra Gularte, an official with the ombudsman's office.

Activist Leonel Dubón, director of the Asociación El Refugio de la Niñez, which provides shelter for rescued children, told IPS that "they brought two girls from El Salvador to work in a cafeteria, and the day after the girls got here they were prostituted. Young girls are preferred, because they bring the biggest profits in the sexual exploitation market."

Dubón said trafficking of children occurs mainly in border areas, although he said it also exists in the capital, where underage girls are brought in by means of false job offers.


http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48850

by a woman who started a campaign against human trafficing in her country. Her story was so inspiring, how she came to do this alone while still in college and against so many odds.

One of my college age relatives invited us and I was so impressed by this woman. The organization that brought her here is called 'Not For Sale'.

I am looking for her information but so far have not found it, will post if I do.

But this organization might be worth contacting as they go all over the world and I believe the founder is one of the people I met that night:

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

Eg, it's possible they might be able to donate some computers to the agents trying to work on this. Seems like that at least would be a fairly simple campaign to organize here for Not For Sale.

It is a horrendous problem and growing worldwide, according to this organization. And it is here also.

and they're right next door in El Salvador. That's exactly what I was looking for! I'll read everything on their site and then contact them to see if there's any way to work with them from Guatemala.

Could you please find the information for your friend's organization too? You know how grateful I'll be.

She was sent to countries where children were sold and used to work at ages as young as 5 or 6 years old. They apparently would talk the 'owners' into releasing some of the children to them.

I would say that this organization would be very receptive to hearing from you. They work more in a diplomatic way than a confrontational way from what I understood and which seems to be more effective. I remember asking her how dangerous it was to try to negotiate with the 'owners'. She said often because it is such a part of their culture, the 'owners' had not realized there was anything wrong with what they were doing and were not usually antagonistic towards them. Of course it takes a lot of diplomacy to persuade them to give up what to them is a means of making a living. But they did, many times. So they are experienced in how to go about this. Still, they are only one organization and as you pointed out below, the problem is enormous, worldwide.

Still looking for the information on the woman I mentioned.

and I know a lot of people have young servants but it's not as cruel as the trafficking. Usually it's because they're providing shelter, in exhange for work and a small salary, to an entire family so the kids help out with the chores.

We're looking more at the women and children who were forced against their will for sexual exploitation. The thought of some of those tourist PIGS on those young girls makes me ill everytime I think about it.

I'm not sure how open sexual predators are going to be to any negotiations.
This is all in beginning stages. I don't know where we're heading with this. Maybe all we'll have is a shelter for people who were already rescued or a center to come get information and help.

Me? I just want to camp outside of those places with a camera and a pitchfork but I don't think that what my older female friends have in mind.

I believe they try to work with the governments whenever possible in order to try to stop it. In Thailand, eg, many of the abandoned poverty stricken children they are rescuing do end up in the sex trade. I see they have raised over $2 million to help those children and the government doesn't particularly like the embarrassment of being seen as IN the sex trade even if they would like to ignore it.

and just sat there even sadder.

How is it that we're half of this world and we're so exploited? We're the ones who raise the other half. Most of the menial tasks that keep this world running are on our backs.

I read our market rate, to be sold into sexual slavery, is $2000 in the US, much less in the countries of origin. The global weighted average is $400. The profit is over $100 billion a year.

If you ever come visit me, please pack a pitchfork.

"There are more than 30 million slaves in the world today, more than at any other point in human history"

That's from your site. 30 million! Do people know how many tears and how much pain that is? 30 million!

I'm still reading.

BACKGROUND

There are more than 30 million slaves in the world today, more than at any other point in history. Men, women, and children are bought and sold like commodities–tricked and forced to work in brothels, hotels, restaurants, factories, fields, and more. Traffickers prey on vulnerable populations, from refugees to slum dwellers, using deceptive tales of rewarding work to coerce victims. In most cases, trafficking victims are marginalized people who live in poverty and lack opportunities. Not for Sale recognizes that ending human trafficking requires not only educated and equipped abolitionists but also resources to provide alternative economic opportunities to people living in poverty.’

METHODOLOGY

To create futures for survivors of modern-day slavery, Not For Sale strategically addresses the needs of human trafficking victims and at-risk populations through a three-stage process. Our proven model, implemented in over six countries around the world, is adapted to the unique needs of trafficking survivors. The core of the model is to work closely with survivors to build self-confidence and income-generating skills which directly lead to improved opportunities.

Stage I) Stability & Safety: In order to break the cycle of exploitation, Not For Sale helps survivors and at-risk communities to meet their basic needs. This step is essential in stabilizing individuals who have endured a traumatic past. Stage one involves providing adequate shelter, food, healthcare, and legal services to create a safe environment capable of fostering opportunities for a stable future.

Stage II) Life Skills & Job Training: Once the livelihood of at-risk communities is sustained, investing in goods and services that create opportunities for victims and at-risk populations is critical for promoting inclusive social and economic growth. Not For Sale believes that equipping at-risk communities with basic skills will prepare individuals for sustainable long-term opportunities. Stage two seeks to provide targeted populations with formal and non-formal education such as vocational training, health education, reproductive rights, self-worth, resume/CV writing, cooking, sewing, and jewelry making.

Stage III) Dignified Work & Sustainable Future: To prevent and protect vulnerable communities from human trafficking, Not For Sale promotes economic opportunities that lead to long-term employment and viable incomes for at-risk communities. Not For Sale facilitates the creation of job opportunities for survivors through innovative partnerships with the private sector. Stage three incorporates either two means of social enterprise:

1. Incubate Best Practices:
Not For Sale incubates new businesses that create employment in at-risk communities and that model supply chain responsibility from the ground up. In 2011, Not For Sale launched its first Montara Circle, where fifty leaders from the private and public sectors brainstormed for thirty-six hours to formulate a business plan that would generate economic opportunities in the Peruvian Amazon. As a main vehicle for incubating social enterprises to combat human trafficking, Not For Sale plans to host a Montara Circle on every continent by 2012, each of which will generate at least one new social enterprise concept.

2. Engage Industry Leaders:
Not For Sale engages industry leaders to model best practices in supply chain responsibility while organization-targeted initiatives create jobs in at-risk communities. Examples include collaborations with companies to design Not For Sale-labeled products that are sourced in areas vulnerable to trafficking or made directly by survivors. Additionally, Not For Sale works with its partners to improve policies and positive impacts of existing supply chains.

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/global-initiatives/international-projects-methodology/

She approached the table where the kids were sitting and calmly said, “Let’s go. I’m taking you out of here.” Within minutes, she was leading two girls and a boy out the door and to a safe destination in Chiang Mai.

almost vulnerable on the surface, but clearly she is a woman of incredible strength and determination. I truly feel privileged to have met her

Some of my friends are involved in combating it, and I'll ask them for links to send you. If you would like to send me a PM with info about your local area I'll see what I can find.

In the meantime, this site might contain information or links to organizations that could help you:
http://ncstophumantrafficking.wordpress.com/

Thanks for posting this here.

They're North Carolina-based but that's a great start. And I like that they're not affiliated with any faith-based groups. It's important for us that the groups be neutral without political, religious or economic agendas though I'm sure we'll any money whereever it comes from as long as their are no strings attached.

I appreciate your offer to get some more information from your friends. I'll PM you my email shortly.

I'm all over that site right now. Thanks again!

I wish these websites were publicized more. I think people want to help stop this, they just don't know how.