Information and articles about equity for women and girls.

UPDATE on International Women’s Day 2013

President Obama signed into law the updated Violence Against Women Act on March 7. Thanks go to everyone who contacted their Congressional Representatives.

Now…let us consider an International VAWA so that all the worlds females are provided with their human rights as human beings. For more on this, read the Kristoff and WuDunn article from the NYT that is also posted on the WG-USA site on January 30, 2013.

Previous Information:
VAWA Will be voted upon in early February – take action today and tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Last week, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID) introduced S. 47, a strong, bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)! This bill is very similar to the bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Leahy and Crapo last Congress and would improve VAWA programs and strengthen protections for all victims of violence (see description of legislation below for an explanation of some of the changes).

Senator Leahy has arranged for VAWA to go directly to the Senate floor and Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised to bring VAWA up for a vote in the next week. In order to continue our incredible momentum from last Congress and get VAWA passed right now, we need you to take action TODAY by contacting your U.S. Senators to co-sponsor S. 47. After only 4 working days since introduction, the bill has 50 sponsors including 5 Republicans. Our goal is to get 60 co-sponsors by January 31st so that VAWA passes resoundingly on the Senate floor for a jubilant bipartisan victory. We need to keep the phones ringing starting right now!

Recognizing January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month as designated by President Obama, the Department of Homeland Security launched its ‘Blue Campaign’ by Secretary Janet Napolitano. Here is a recent press release:

President Obama has proclaimed January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month to recognize the vital role we can all play in eliminating all forms of human trafficking. And as we begin a new year, we also mark the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, a powerful reminder to rededicate ourselves to bringing an end to slavery and human trafficking. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked in countries around the world, including the United States.

Human trafficking is a horrendous crime and at DHS, we are committed to doing all we can to prevent it. Every year, we initiate hundreds of investigations and make arrests, while providing support for victims through the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Victim Assistance Program. To protect victims, we also provide immigration assistance in the form of Continued Presence, T visas and U visas. DHS also works to educate state and local law enforcement and members of the public on how to identify victims of human trafficking and report the crime.

Over two years ago, Secretary Napolitano launched the Blue Campaign to enhance and unify the Department’s anti-human trafficking efforts. Working in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement, government, non-governmental and private organizations, the Blue Campaign strives to protect the basic right of freedom and to bring criminals who exploit human lives to justice.

Everyone has a role in identifying and combating human trafficking, and together we can help protect innocent victims and prevent this form of modern-day slavery. And while we pay close attention today and this month, we must continue this fight every day. I encourage all of you to take a few minutes to review some of the indicators of human trafficking and how to report it.

Thank you for your continued efforts to combat human trafficking. To learn more about human trafficking, how to identify victims, and report suspected cases of human trafficking, please visit us here or visit our Facebook page.

Thank you!

Alice Hill
Senior Counselor to the Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Washington, D.C. (September 25, 2012) – The following is a statement by Polaris Project Executive Director Bradley Myles following President Obama’s remarks on human trafficking in New York today:

“Today, President Obama rightly declared that fighting modern slavery is one of the great human rights battles of our era in a speech detailing a number of concrete measures to help identify victims of human trafficking and reduce this crime and human rights abuse throughout the United States and globally.

“Importantly the President’s words help to shift the paradigm from
treating trafficked persons as criminals to seeing them as crime
vict­ims to be protected. This is a core belief here at Polaris Project and we welcome all efforts to ensure that victims of human trafficking are treated with dignity and respect and are provided with comprehensive social services.

“We support the President’s plan to ensure that government contractors do not engage in human trafficking and forced labor, to increase training and tools for law enforcement and prosecutors, and to promote greater collaboration among federal agencies. These initiatives will have a significant impact. Additionally we echo President Obama’s call to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and urge Congress to move forward quickly to approve this measure which has previously been reauthorized three times by bipartisan majorities.

The current Senate bill, S. 1301, has 52 cosponsors.

“We know first-hand that victims all over the United States need support to leave their trafficking situation and rebuild their lives. Thousands of victims have called the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline on their own behalf to request help. This national hotline is one of our country’s best tools to identify and reach victims and connect them to the services they need.

“President Obama has made it clear that his Administration wants to make these survivors a top priority. His speech and policy announcements represent a turning point in the fight against human trafficking which clearly signal that this is a real problem here in our country. We do not face an insurmountable challenge, but we must heed this call and redouble our efforts to create a world without modern slavery. With the help of business leaders, community members, law enforcement, and federal and state officials, we can come together to support victims of trafficking and eradicate this crime from our communities.”

Human Trafficking Resource Center.

The Polaris Project

Minnesota is ranked by the FBI as 13th in the nation as a center of human trafficking of children. The Twin Cities local news station, KARE11 by reporter Tricia Volpe, examined the situation in this news item broadcast February 15, 2012.

From the Minneapolis StarTribune, 28 January 2012

For the first time, a state foundation has opened its vaults to create a dedicated funding stream for programs against sex trafficking. For the first time, a foundation has spearheaded a public education campaign on trafficking, handed out grants to law enforcement and prosecutors, and collaborated with state players to build a safety net for the victims.

Last week the foundation announced its first grants in Minnesota, which is becoming a national model for combating the teen sex trade.

Read the article at the StarTribune.

Human trafficking is one of the issues that affect women and girls that is a focus of the program and advocacy work of Women Graduates-USA.

On June 27, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released the 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report, a critical tool in the fight against modern-day slavery. The annual report shines a spotlight on human trafficking in 184 countries and grades their governments’ efforts to combat it. View the new report and read Secretary Clinton’s and Ambassador Luis CdeBaca’s remarks.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) was introduced in the U.S. Senate on June 29, 2011, by Senators Leahy (D-VT), Brown (R-MA), Kerry (D-MA), Boxer (D-CA), Cardin (D-MD), and Wyden (D-OR). This bi-partisan bill will renew the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, which established the State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, authorized the annual Trafficking in Persons report, and established a global minimum standard for confronting trafficking and slavery.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has launched the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons. The Fund is an important element of the new United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons adopted by the UN General Assembly on 30 July 2010. It is associated with UNODC’s Blue Heart campaign to rally world public opinion against human trafficking.

IFUW’s Policy Resolution 2010 No.5 calls for IFUW to advocate for measures to reduce trafficking and for NFAs to monitor the ratification and implementation of the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (2003). NFAs are encouraged to send updates on their efforts to ifuw@ifuw.org. For more information see: http://ifuw.org/priorities/trafficking/ and http://www.wg-usa.org/hr_trafficking.shtml.

The issue of trafficking is one of the priorities for Women Graduates-USA. Research indicates that only the following states have not passed laws in regard to this issue: South Dakota, Wyoming, Massachusetts, West Virginia and Hawaii.

Margot Wallstrom, special representative of the secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict, issued a statement welcoming the apprehension of “Lieutenant Colonel” Mayele, a rebel commander of the group Mai Mai Cheka in the Democratic Republic of Congo, WeNews correspondent Amy Lieberman reported Oct. 5.

That group is presumed to be responsible for the mass rapes that happened in North Kivu over the summer.

The statement came while Wallstrom was in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. “It is a victory for justice, especially for the many women who have suffered rapes and other forms of sexual violence,” Wallstrom said in her statement. “The numerous criminal acts committed under “Lt. Col.” Mayele’s command cannot be undone, but let his apprehension be a signal to all perpetrators of sexual violence that impunity for these types of crimes is not accepted and justice will prevail.” MONUSCO, or U.N. peacekeeping forces, apprehended Mayele.

For further information click here.

The UN Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund)was established by UN General Assembly resolution 50/166 in 1996 and is managed by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) on behalf of the UN system. The UN Trust Fund is the only multilateral grant-making mechanism exclusively devoted to supporting local and national efforts to end violence against women and girls.

In 2009, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women its 14th Call for Proposals to support the implementation of laws, policies and action plans on ending violence against women and girls. A total of 1,643 concept notes were received with requests totaling US$857 million. Following an extensive and rigorous review process, the UN Trust Fund awarded US$20.5 million to 26 initiatives in 33 countries.