How much has the media played a part in the lack of true awareness of child sex slavery?  Perhaps a great deal, and possibly, since sex trafficking has been become a women’s issue, there is gender bias in the reporting of cases and numbers.  This is the theme of a Girl Scout conference to be held in Phoenix this week–”how the misrepresentation of girls in the media contributes to this crime”.

“A Girl’s World is Different (AGWID) is the premier one-day conference addressing the most important issues affecting the lives of Arizona’s girls.  . . . Participants will hear the latest on prevention and early intervention of human trafficking, leave with relevant resources and learn how misrepresentation of girls in the media contributes to this issue.

The conference will feature Julian Sher as Key Note speaker.  As an award-winning investigative journalist in print, TV, radio and on the Web, Sher has written on a wide number of topics, including child sex trafficking and internet predators.

Other highlights of A Girl’s World is Different conference:

Miss Representation 8 min. Trailer 8/23/11 from Miss Representation on Vimeo.

Screening of the  film Miss Representation, which explores how the media’s misrepresentations of women have led to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence.

Breakout sessions to gain deeper understanding of sex trafficking and the work to find and restore the victims
From Dreams to Nightmares: Do you want this job? –Kathleen Mitchell
Kathleen Mitchell is the founder of Catholic Charities AZ DIGNITY programs for women wanting out of prostitution, with over 2000 women on her success rolls.

The Prosecutor’s Perspective- Erin Otis
Erin Otis is an award-winning Assistant Bureau Chief in the Sex Crimes Bureau of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and has been with the office for 8 1/2 years, dealing with the prosecution of child prostitution, child molestation, and sexual assault cases.

 Time with Julian: Media’s Role in Human Trafficking- Julian Sher

Internet Safety: How to Protect your Kids from Cyber-Predators- Sgt. Chris Bray
Sergeant Chris Bray is a subject matter expert on Human Trafficking and has served 27 years with the Phoenix Police Department with the last 12 years as an investigative supervisor in the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Bureaus.

The Slippery Slope: How to recognize signs and symptoms of exploitation- Dr. John McCaine
Dr. McCaine, a consultant and trainer in areas of prevention and intervention with high risk adolescents.  He is currently the Clinical Director of Bayless Behavioral Health Solution’s South Phoenix Clinic and a member of the specialized forensic team providing expert courtroom testimony.

Advocacy Tools to Stop the Trade- Dr. Sarah Buel
Sarah Buel, a domestic violence survivor, has founded  domestic violence victim advocacy centers across the US over the past 30 years.  She is the faculty director of the new Diane Halle Center for Family Justice, which houses the NextCare Urgent Care Family Violence Legal Clinic.

Conference details:

Date: Friday, February 24, 2012  8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Location:  Desert Willow  Conference Center
4340 E Cotton Center Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85040
Cost:  $70
Online Registration

Be part of the solution to Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking.  Find out more about the matter with A Girl’s World is Different conference.

Domestic sex trafficking: The issue is too big for us to do nothing. Credit: Sex+Money team

Hope Covenant Church in Chandler, Arizona is offering a free screening of the documentary Sex+Money this Saturday afternoon. You and your church are invited to watch this film that shines light on a very dark and oppressive reality. The film informs about the domestic minor sex trafficking issue that plagues our country and the modern-day abolitionist’s movement to stop it.

According to Shared Hope International, about 300, 000 American children under the age of 17 are commercially sexually exploited within our U.S. borders. The average age of entry into prostitution in the United States is 12 to 14 years old.

The idea for the film originated from a group of student photojournalists who traveled to more than 20 nations motivated by their love for photography and passion for justice. In their travels, they found a common theme of human suffering and injustice- children sold for sexual slavery.

In making the documentary of trafficking in the US, the film’s producer, Morgan Perry and her crew traveled nationwide and conducted over 75 interviews. According to their official website, the goal of the Sex+Money film is to bring freedom to those enslaved and expose this national issue.

Individual action against sex trafficking can make a difference. Find out how. Credits: Sex+Money team

After the film screening, a panel of local and national experts will be featured to provide an opportunity for discussion and further information. Some of the discussion topics are strategies used for victim recruitment, the relationship of internet porn to child sex trafficking and de-programming victims in aftercare. Some of the guests featured on the panel are Beau Ouellette, author of Porn and a Pastor, Micheal Klinkner, StreetlightUSA^SM program director, Sargeant Bray from Phoenix VICE. and Carolyn, a former victim.

Hope Covenant Church has embraced human trafficking as one of their church passions as it relates locally, nationally and globally. Joyce Vogt and her pastor became aware of Streetlight’s local efforts through the Global Forum of Human Trafficking hosted by the Not for Sale campaign. The church has already financially supported the renovation of one of the Streetlight cottages.  Brandon Hovey, Associate Pastor at Hope Covenant Church states,

“We are excited about having the community join us to learn more about this growing issue of social
injustice. While this is a very difficult issue for most to grapple with, knowledge is power, and it is time that we organize the strengths and assets within our community to address this horrific criminal behavior. There is so much that even the average person can do, and we hope to educate and empower those attending this event with information that can fend off this injustice in our community and prevent any more of our children from being compromised in this way.”

Campaign 13, sponsored by StreetlightUSA^SM  is an opportunity for churches and businesses to be lighthouses in their communities of financial support for Streetlight.  Come this Saturday afternoon to learn how you can help protect our greatest American asset, our children, and how to protect your family from the world’s largest form of organized crime.

Sex Trafficking Media Event Information:

Cost: Free screening with childcare and snacks provided.

When: Saturday February 25th

Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Where: Hope Covenant Church

1770 S Dobson Rd, Chandler, AZ 85287

Light the Night: Bands, bounce houses, carnival rides for the cause of helping foster kids. Credits: Light the Night

Come this Friday night to Encanto Park in Phoenix to support Arizona’s foster care children and StreetLightUSA!

Two events will be featured, Light the Night and Night of Giving. There will be free food, music and bounce houses at Light the Night. Live music will be provided by local bands, Covenant 31, Consider This, and Dotty & Tina from Calvary
Chapel Arrowhead.

Night of Giving will feature $3 unlimited ride wristbands for Enchanted Island Amusement Park. All proceeds from wristband sales will benefit the Foster Children’s Carnival. This 3rd Annual Foster Children’s Carnival provides a special day of fun activities for foster children.

Light the Night and Night of Giving are hosted by Manna Ministries, Grace Walk Community Church and several
local churches. Streelight USA and K-LOVE will also be at the event. K-LOVE will be collecting baby diapers, wipes and formula for Child Protective Services. Bring the whole family this Friday night to Encanto Park to support this great cause.

Event Information:

Cost: Free Event and $3 unlimited ride wristbands for the Enchanted Island Amusement Park.

When: Friday, February 17th

Time: Light the Night 4:30 p.m. to 8:3o p.m.

Night of Giving 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Where: Enchanted Island Amusement Park

1202 W Encanto Blvd Phoenix, AZ 85007

Please see the event page on Facebook for more information and directions to Encanto Park.

Get a sneak preview of the featured bands:

Covenant 31  

Whole Again by Covenant 31

Consider This

Consider This is one of the bands playing for Light the Night in Phoenix

Hope Covenant Church is hosting a free screening of Sex+Money. Credits: Hope Covenant Church

Hope Covenant Church in Chandler has a group of people who are passionate about doing their part to stop sex trafficking of children.  They are providing a free community event to launch StreetLightUSA^SM‘s Campaign13^SM in their church to help bring greater awareness, action and funding to the matter.

The key component of the day is the screening of the film Sex+Money.  This documentary was released in November to depict the depth of the child sex slavery issue in the United States. It is the first film to focus solely on domestic trafficking and is being used to raise $1 million for StreetLightUSA^SM.

Other highlights of the event include a panel of experts discussing:

de-programming minor victims,
strategies for recruitment,
the growth of Internet porn and its relationship to DMST
and much more.

Members of the panel include a member of the Phoenix Vice squad, a survivor or Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, and an author/expert on the issue of demand and the explosive growth of porn addiction.

Event details

When:  Saturday, February 25, 1:00-4:00 PM
Where:  Hope Covenant Church
                   1770 S Dobson Rd, Chandler, AZ
Cost:  Free.  Donations given will go directly to StreetLight.
Childcare is available for children under 12.
RSVP: and more details on the Facebook Event page
Contact for more information: Brandon Hovey
480.899.7255
 info@hopeispossible.org
Preview trailer for Sex+Money: www.sexandmoneyfilm.com
Purchase your own copy of the DVD: http://sexandmoneystore.com/
75% of all the proceeds from the Sex+Money store up to $1 million will go to the care of the resident girls at StreetLightUSA^SM

Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Comb
Shampoo
Conditioner
Soap
Lotion

Trial size bottles are perfect and each kit should be placed in a small zip-loc bag and taken to our drop-off point at one of our events by March 15.  If you have a collection of unopened items from your hotel stays and want to donate those, that would be tremendous as well.  They can be combined with other items to make a complete kit. Please contact Bob Battillo, 623-435-0900 Ext 103 or bob@streetlightusa.org for questions.

*****************************

Security volunteers are needed at the StreetLight campus for the following times:

Monday 5-10pm
Friday 5-10 pm
Saturday 2-10pm
Sunday 8am – 1pm
Sunday 5-10pm

If interested, please complete a volunteer application and contact Maria Robles, 623-435-0900 Ext 107 or maria@streetlightusa.org

*****************

Adopt-a-Cottage Project is still going on.  You can be a part.
Read more for the details on the specific needs

Relationship abuse can be devastating for the victims. Credits: Photobucket/Shellena_03

“In America, an alarming number of young people experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse as part of a controlling or violent dating relationship.”  President Barack Obama, Presidential Proclamation of National Teen Dating Violence and Prevention Month

Physical and emotional abuse is common in nearly every type of relationship, and dating encounters are no different.  Classified as a subset of domestic violence, teen dating violence affects at least one in three to four young people.  More than half of college women know someone who dated an abuser.    Although domestic violence awareness programs have been in effect since the 1980s, it has only been since 2006 that teen dating violence got national recognition with a prevention week in February.  In 2010, by presidential proclamation, February became the National Teen Dating Violence and Prevention Month.

With such a prevalence of relational violence between people who are supposed to care about each other, it is no wonder that teens are easy prey for pimps who exhibit the same patterns.  First, there is kindness and attention and caring acts.  A young lady may interpret  this as true love and blindly ignore the coming red flags. This can move quickly to acts of control, physical aggression and forced sex.

The extreme end for an unhealthy relationship of dating violence, whether or not the abuser starts pimping the girl, is physical violence ending in death.

Warning signs of dating violence

Checking your cell phone or email without permission
Constantly putting you down
Extreme jealousy or insecurity
Explosive temper
Isolating you from family or friends
Making false accusations
Mood swings
Physically hurting you in any way
Possessiveness
Telling you what to do
Stalking, in person or electronically

Relationship violence is not a joke, and it is not cute and romantic.  It is an abusive form of bullying and a serious crime that leads to intrapersonal damage and worse.  Find a trusted and knowledgeable person with whom to confide and plan for your own safety.  Today, February 9, is National Stop Bullying day.  Maybe it is a good time to start looking out for yourself.

Resources:

U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233
http://www.loveisrespect.org
www.CDC.gov/features/datingviolence
www.WhiteHouse.gov/1is2many.
http://www.loveisnotabuse.com/
http://www.seeitandstopit.org/

Healthy relationships do not include physical or emotional violence. Credits: Holly Craw

“If dads were doing their jobs of being good fathers, we wouldn’t have the gangs and crime activity that we see everyday on the streets.”  Paraphrased from the Courageous movie.

February is Relationship Wellness Month, a timely topic for the weeks surrounding Valentine’s Day.  Positive couple dynamics are critically important for a healthy home, and empower children to know how to seek out and create friendships and marriages that are fulfilling.

Unfortunately, unhealthy family units usually give rise to dysfunctional behavior in the children which may be compounded as they seek out relationships of their own.  The vast majority of children who become sex trafficking victims have come from homes of abuse, abandonment, or addiction.  Just as in Darla’s story, this leaves a young girl feeling vulnerable and indebted to one who is nice to her, no matter how fleetingly.

What are key signs of an unhealthy relationship?

 Lack of trust
Do you get asked incessant questions about what you did and who you saw or how you spent your money?  Is someone blowing up your phone with constant messages or texts about where you are?  Do you have adequate privacy?  Are you able to set proper boundaries for your life?  Do you feel safe and secure in the relationship?  Do you have trouble trusting others?

 Lack of mutual respect
Do you have an equal share in decision making or are you told what to do?  Are your needs considered in everyday interactions?  Are you treated with love and kindness?  Are you allowed to have your own thoughts and feelings, and are these heard and treated with respect?  Do you feel cared for, even in a disagreement?

 Lack of healthy communication
Do you feel unable to share your needs, wants, thoughts, questions, hopes without getting in an argument or being ridiculed?  Does most conversation include yelling, sarcasm, put-downs or negativity?  Do the majority of verbal interactions leave you feeling guilty, fearful, angry, trapped, lonely or worthless?

 Presence of physical violence
Have you ever been threatened with physical harm through words or body language?  Has anyone hit, slapped, pushed, choked, pulled your hair, thrown something at you, or physically forced you to do something?  Has a weapon been used to intimidate or harm you?

 Presence of mental, emotional or sexual violence
Does anyone force you to perform sexual acts or call you names?  Do you feel intimidated or controlled?  Are you told that harm will come to you or your loved ones if you tell anyone, disobey the rules, leave, or disagree with the other?

 Lack of independence
Are you prevented from coming and going as you choose?  Are you isolated from family and friends?  Are your restricted in your activities?

 An environment that doesn’t lead to personal growth
Are you demeaned and ridiculed for your life story or your own uniqueness?  Are you told that your past defines you and you will never be worthy of better things?  Are you made to feel ashamed of who you are, through words or actions of the other person?

 Uneven relational power
Are you able to have equal say in decision making or do you feel forced to do what the other person wants?  Do you feel generally satisfied  in the outcome of the decisions or are your needs not considered?

 Lack of similar goals
Do you feel trapped on a path that is not your choice?  Do you yearn for something positive that you can share together?  Do you have to sneak around to do things that are meaningful to yourself?

 Lack of support
Are you discouraged from trying new things to improve yourself?  Are your needs for self expression shut down?  Are you forced to do things you don’t want to do or bear the consequences?

 Compromised sexual relations
Do you feel obligated to have sex with someone because he bought you something or did something nice for you?  Have you ever had to do sexual acts you did not want to do?  Have you been intimidated or forced into doing sex acts with other parties for any reason?  Have you bartered sex for basic necessities of life such as food and shelter?  Does the relationship seem to focus on sex and little else?

 Unbalanced perspective of love
Do you allow yourself to be satisfied with small acts of kindness the other shows on occasion, when the majority of the relationship is abusive or unfulfilling?  Are you obsessively loyal to the idea of his love for you and your love for him even if  behaviors would contradict that notion?  Do small amounts of positive experience outweigh the negative and obligate you to remain in an unhealthy relationship?  Does he insist that the negative behaviors are because he loves you and you must prove your love by doing what he demands?

Relationships are designed for us to bring out the best in each other.  Each of these characteristics in themselves can hinder intra- and inter-personal development as well as become toxic to one or both parties.  The typical dynamics of a pimp and sex trafficked victim will include a cluster of several of these behaviors, and the path of destruction of personhood is well underway.

One of the desired outcomes for the residents of StreetLightUSA^SM is to help the girls understand healthy relationships and to work through their own issues that make them susceptible to poor choice making.  Another goal is to celebrate the ways that families,  churches and organizations are being teachers and positive role models for relationships that create healthy individuals.

Many children who are prostituted felt they didn't have a choice. Credits: Holly Craw

All I am asking is that you try walking a day in my heels!  Then say what you want.

“Dear Diary,

It’s so easy to judge one another, but do we ever take the time to ask? I know at one point in my life, I didn’t.

I also know that I didn’t wake up one morning wanting to be a prostitute. I felt that I was left alone in a city that is unknown. Try sleeping at a bus stop, or walking around in a trench coat with no clothes underneath, not because that was what I wanted, but because I had no other clothes to put on.

I came to meet my father in an unknown state, by myself, and not knowing anybody or anything. But all I got in return was [to be] left on a street. I did what I thought I had to do, so I didn’t have to go another three days with out any food, so I didn’t have to sleep out side again.

When you go out on a date and, because he gave you a nice dinner, [do] you feel that it is right to sleep with him? Well, that is prostitution. Or, [are you] feeling the need to sleep with your boyfriend because he bought you something nice? That is prostitution.

If we take a look at our lives, many young women are prostituting for many different reasons and they might not even know that they are doing it. So what makes any of you different from me? The only thing different is I had to do it to have a roof over my head and clothes on my back.

Everyone has so much spare time to judge, but is timeless when it comes to asking how I feel or felt after opening myself up to a stranger.  Well, let me tell you I FELT degraded, dirty, no longer a human being.  I felt more alone, confused, and madder at myself then ever. Nobody takes the time to hear this, but everybody makes time to call people names.

Have you ever thought about what leads people to suicide? Look, I made a mistake. I have [done] and seen things that I thought that I would have never had to. I won’t apologize to anybody besides my family because I know that I put them through just as much hell as I have been through, but its funny how they are still welcoming with open arms. The people that are in no way affected by my actions are the ones judging. All I am asking is that you try walking a day in my heels! Then say what you want.

I am now helping myself get back on the right track, and I CAN NOT take any more criticism! So if you have anything negative to say about me, and [are] not willing to try and help me, then please leave me alone. Instead of putting me down (I am already too low to go any lower), please say a quick prayer and pray that my situation doesn’t happen to your daughter or sister one day.

Thank you to who ever still loves me and to the people that think of me as a young women with potential. I am coming home soon, just know that everybody does something for a reason. Try taking a little time to find out what that reason is before you lead somebody to potential death.

Love, Darla*”

Editor’s note:  Darla is one of the teen survivors at StreetLightUSA^SM.  In the short time she has been a resident, she has quickly seen through the lies and manipulations of the pimp who controlled her.  She is working hard on her own life and issues and earnestly desires healing and wholeness.

*Name changed for privacy

The Bridge benefit concert for StreetLightUSA hosts 5 bands and lots of family activities. Credits: Chandler Christian Church

This weekend The Bridge Youth Recreation Center will be hosting a benefit fundraiser for StreetLightUSA^SM. The event will host five live bands:  The Tanks, Third Star, Elegy, Jon Yee and Underground Highway. Food, a raffle and a guest speaker will also be featured. Some of the raffle items will be an autographed Cardinals football and Golfland passes. The center will have their skate park, rockwall and café available. This is a great event for the whole family and all proceeds will benefit the Street Light Safehouse. Please come out and support this event.

The Bridge Youth Recreation Center is a non-profit organization serving the junior high and high school community of Chandler.  They offer after school tutoring, sports activities, exercise classes and full family programs.

Event Information:

Cost: Tickets will be sold at the door for $5.00.
When: Saturday February 11th 6:00 p.m. to 10:oo p.m.
Where: The Bridge Youth Recreation Center
1825 S Alma School Rd Chandler, AZ 85286
Off the San Tan Highway (202) at the SE Corner of Germann and Alma School at Chandler Christian Church.

Check out the event page on Facebook.

A release form is required for the skate park and rock wall and can be printed ahead of time and brought with you.

Police and law enforcement units from 8 states were involved in National Day of Johns Arrests Credits: Holly Craw

Indianapolis legislature and law enforcement expected to deal with sex traffickers locally during Super Bowl weekend, but police and FBI departments broadened their attention to a nationwide sting of sex buyers.  The ten days of surveillance and arrests, known as “The National Day of Johns Arrests”, culminated February 6 with 314 men in eight states being booked on sex solicitation charges.

The states involved in the sting:

• Illinois (Orland Park, Aurora, Elgin, and Kane and Cook Counties)
•  Indiana (Indianapolis)
•  Massachusetts (Boston)
•  California (Los Angeles)
•  Arizona (Phoenix)
•  Nevada (Las Vegas)
•  Virginia (Newport News)
•  Ohio (Cincinnati and Dayton)

Local police and FBI departments tracked down a total of 565 individuals by targeting likely transaction places–hotels, street corners, brothels and internet websites.  Other charges included misdemeanors (227-some of which were for prostitution), human trafficking (2), pimping (5), pandering (3), theft (4), possession of drugs (10), weapons (12).

State laws are casting attention more on the demand side of the sex for sale equation and giving tougher penalties to the purchasers of sex, especially cases involving minors. Some locales have “john schools” for the arrested customers.  Here they have opportunity to avoid prosecution by paying a stiff fine and taking a one day class on the effects of paid sex for them and the community.

States are also making progress in treating the prostituted persons as victims rather than as criminals, and offering assistance for them to turn their lives around.  Agencies such as StreetLightUSA, which cares for female teen sex trafficking victims, work very closely with local law enforcement and social services organizations so the rescued girls can have a safe place and the multitude of needed resources for a second chance.