2010 April « Stop Child Slavery

Apr 30 2010

Teen Fights Child Slavery With Graphic Design

I’m moved by the initiative of one very talented young man. John Mark Herskind is a 17-year old from Irmo, South Carolina, and he’s taking action to make a difference in the fight against child slavery. His group, Designers Against Child Slavery, “calls on designers and artists world wide to unite their talents and create art packs.These art packs will be used to raise awareness as well as money for children in Southeast Asia.”

And his actions have attracted artists and graphic designers from all over the world to donate their art to raise awareness.

He’s also teamed up with The Blind Project which is a group devoted to exposing the sex trade. Through the connections he’s made, John Mark is putting together an art exhibition in Columbia which will feature work from world renowned graphic designers. – WLTX.com

If you’re a graphic designer, please take a moment to go check out his group to see if you can help.

Tagged child slavery, graphic design, sex trafficking, trafficking

Apr 20 2010

3 Comments

Child Sex Trafficking, From Twitter, United States

Arizona Bill Makes It Easier To Prosecute For Human Trafficking

You’d think it would be simple to prosecute someone for enslaving another human being. You’d be wrong.

Changes to existing laws are required to insure that authorities have the tools necessary to expedite the prosecution of those involved in sex traficking and modern forms of slavery. Arizona House Bill 2673, penned by Krysten Sinema, is an example of the kind of simple changes required to make it easier. The bill did away with a provision that police need to prove that a trafficked person was acquired “for transport” to be considered being trafficked.

“This bill gives law enforcement a greater ability to fight heinous crimes like human trafficking for sex or slave labor,” Sinema said. “It’s a simple fix that makes a huge difference for public safety in our neighborhoods and offers a real solution to violence along the border.”

Kudos to Arizona. Thank you, Representative Sinema.

Tagged arizona, human trafficking, sex trafficking, slavery

Apr 17 2010

1 Comment

From Twitter, haiti

Demi Moore Talks About Haitian Restaveks

Some of the biggest problems facing the fight to end child slavery are cultural.

The restavek is a a Haitian child who is sent by their parents to work for another family as a servant. This is a common practice and done because the parents lack the ability to take care of the child. While the term can refer to a child simply staying with another family, as it is literally translated “one who stays with,” it is more commonly used now to describe those who are abused and mistreated in the process.

The interview between Anderson Cooper and Demi More only begins to touch on the massive obstacles in the way of changing this system. I think what she is attempting to do with her DNA foundation is worthy of exposure.

Tagged child slavery, culture, haiti, restavek

Apr 07 2010

2 Comments

poverty, United States

A Need To Properly Define “Modern Day Slavery”

I think the title of the following video is inaccurate.

What I see in this video is exploitation, but I don’t see slavery. And I think to fight modern slavery properly, we need to make sure we define it properly. Kevin Bales, in his TED presentation on how to combat modern slavery, went out of his way to make certain his audience understood what he meant by “slave.” He needed to be specific to frame the conversation properly. And his definition of a slave and mine are the same: a slave is someone who is forced to work, under the threat of physical harm, without pay.

What this video is documenting is important. It’s just not slavery. Perhaps that’s why “modern day slavery” is in quotes. I don’t know. What I do know is that the tactics required to fight modern slavery are different than those required to fight the exploitation of the poor and disenfranchised. Both camps will be better served if we focus properly.

What are your thoughts?

Tagged economics, exploitation, poor, slavery

Apr 01 2010

1 Comment

slavery, Videos

How To Combat Modern Slavery – Watch This

“If you worship in the temple of learning, do not mock the gods. Because they will take you, fill you with curiosity and desire, and drive you with a passion to change things.” – Kevin Bales, Free The Slaves

“Are you willing to live in a world with slavery? I think there is enough intellectual power in this room to end slavery. And if we can’t use our collective intelligence power to bring about the end of slavery, are we truly free?” – Kevn Bales

I hope you worship in the temple of learning.

18 minutes long. Make the time.

Tagged capitalism, change, slavery

Stop Child Slavery

We Must End Child Slavery In Our Lifetime

Posted in April 2010 …

Teen Fights Child Slavery With Graphic Design

Arizona Bill Makes It Easier To Prosecute For Human Trafficking

Demi Moore Talks About Haitian Restaveks

A Need To Properly Define “Modern Day Slavery”

How To Combat Modern Slavery – Watch This

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