iAbolish

2008-03-11T13:41:00.001-05:00

The New York Times finally notices: Darfur is horrible, but the situation for Africans in Southern Sudan might soon be much worse.

He writes:

Those who focused on Sudan’s atrocities in Darfur, myself included, may have inadvertently removed the spotlight from South Sudan. Without easing the outrage over Darfur — where the bloodshed has been particularly appalling lately — we must broaden the focus to include the threat to the south.

Background:

For over a decade, the American Anti-Slavery Group fought to bring to light the religiously inspired genocidal attack on Black Africans, most of whom are Christian or tribalists, by the Islamic fundamentalist regime in Khartoum. According to the US State Department, over 2 million have been killed, and tens of thousands enslaved, since 1989, when a “holy war” was declared on the South. We, along with other organizations, pressed two American Administrations to work for a peace treaty. This finally was achieved in 2005 when President Bush sent Senator Danforth to Sudan to press for an end to hostilities. The result was a peace treaty and slave raids and slaughter were halted.

But as Nicholas Kristof now writes, that peace is being threatened and if war breaks the people of Southern Sudan, the world may see a crisis that dwarfs the horrors in Darfur.

Charles Jacobs

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The New York Times
February 28, 2008

Op-Ed Columnist

A Genocide Foretold
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

JUBA, Sudan

The Sudanese government started the first genocide of the 21st century in Darfur, and now it seems to be preparing to start the second here among the thatch-roof huts of southern Sudan.

South Sudan is rich in oil, but its people are among the poorest in the world, far poorer than those in Darfur. Only 1 percent of girls here finish elementary school, meaning that a young woman is more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than to become literate. Leprosy and Ebola linger here. South Sudan is the size of Texas, yet it has only 10 miles of paved road and almost no electricity; just about the only running water here is the Nile River.

The poverty is mostly the result of the civil war between North and South Sudan that raged across the southern part of the country for two decades and cost 2 million lives. For many impoverished villagers, their only exposure to modern technology has been to endure bombings by the Sudanese Air Force. The war finally ended, thanks in part to strong American pressure, in 2005 with a landmark peace agreement — but that peace is now fraying.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is backing away from the peace agreement, and prodding Arab militias to revive the war with the South Sudan military forces. Small-scale armed clashes have broken out since late last year, and it looks increasingly likely that Darfur will become simply the prologue to a far bloodier conflict that engulfs all Sudan.

Even my presence here is a sign of the rising tensions and mistrust. The Sudanese government refuses me visas, but the authorities in the south let me enter from Kenya without a visa because they want the word to get out that war is again looming.

The authorities in disputed areas such as the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile State also welcomed me, rather than arresting me, even though those areas technically are on the northern side of the dividing line. Local officials in both areas warned that President Bashir and his radical Arab political party are preparing to revive the war against non-Arab groups in the south and center of the country.

“If things go on as they are now, war will break out,” said Sila Musa Kangi, the commissioner of Kormuk in Blue Nile. “And it can break out at any time.”

Although people speak of renewed “war,” the violence is more likely to resemble what happens in a stockyard. If it is like the last time, government-sponsored Arab militias will slaughter civilians so as to terrorize local populations and drive them far away from oil wells.

Under the 2005 deal that ended the war, Sudan is supposed to hold elections early next year, but President Bashir is unlikely to allow them because he almost surely would lose. Likewise, Mr. Bashir is unlikely to abide by his commitment to allow the south to hold a referendum in 2011 to decide whether to separate from Sudan because southerners would likely vote overwhelmingly for independence — and more than three-quarters of the country’s oil is in the south.

Already, the Sudanese government is backtracking on its commitments under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or C.P.A.: It still hasn’t withdrawn all of its troops from the south; it hasn’t accepted a boundary commission report for the oil-rich border area of Abyei; it keeps delaying a census needed for the elections; and it appears to be cheating the south of oil revenues. And the U.S. and other countries have acquiesced in all this.

“We say to the international community, ‘you midwifed the C.P.A., and then you left,’ ” said Rebecca Garang, the widow of the longtime southern leader, John Garang. “You must come back and check the baby.”

Those who focused on Sudan’s atrocities in Darfur, myself included, may have inadvertently removed the spotlight from South Sudan. Without easing the outrage over Darfur — where the bloodshed has been particularly appalling lately — we must broaden the focus to include the threat to the south.

One of the lessons of Darfur, Rwanda and Bosnia is that it is much easier to avert a genocide ahead of time than to put the pieces together afterward. So let’s not wait until gunshots are ringing out again all over the south.

There are steps that the U.S. can take to diminish the risk of a new war. We can work with the international community to raise the costs to President Bashir of defying his treaty obligations.

We can warn Sudan that if it starts a new war, we will supply anti-aircraft weapons to the south to make it harder for the north to resume bombing hospitals, churches and schools. We can also raise the possibility of protecting the south with a no-fly zone, which might be enough to deter Mr. Bashir from starting yet another genocide.

Comment on this column on my blog at: www.nytimes.com/ontheground.

Valentine's Day - Make Sure to Buy Fair Trade!

2008-01-31T14:59:00.000-05:00

Organic Consumers Association has posted an article just in time for Valentine's Day, "Unchain Your Heart"...

"Valentines Day marks the biggest shopping day of the year, when it comes to chocolate and flowers. But did you know that by purchasing organic and Fair Trade chocolate and flowers your consumer dollars will no longer be going towards toxic pesticides, child slavery, and farm worker exploitation?

Over 40 percent of the world’s conventional chocolate (i.e. non-organic and non-Fair Trade) comes from Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), where the International Labor Organization (ILO) and US State Department have reported widespread instances of child slavery. Exploitation of cacao farmers and farm workers is the global norm in the chocolate industry, rather than the exception."

To read more and view OCA's buyers guide, click here.

Make Valentine's Day truly sweet affair this year!

Congratulations Francis Bok!

2008-01-18T17:14:00.000-05:00

What were Memphians reading in 2007? Davis-Kidd Booksellers knows. Memphis’ largest independent bookstore has released its annual list of top sellers and Francis Bok's Escape from Slavery made number 9!

Listed below are the 25 most popular titles:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J. K. Rowling
2. Home to Holly Springs – Jan Karon
3. Simply Salads - Jennifer Chandler
4. Eat Pray Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
5. The American Plague (hardcover & PB combined) – Molly Caldwell Crosby
6. Simple Solutions – Thomas Schmitt & Arnold Perl
7. The Legend of Quito Road – Dwight Fryer
8. The Heir – Barbara Taylor Bradford
9. Escape from Slavery – Francis Bok
10. Talent is Never Enough – John C. Maxwell
11. Somebody is Going to Die If Lily Beth Doesn’t Catch That Bouquet - Gayden Metcalfe
12. Mid-South Garden Guide – Garden Club of Memphis
13. Boom! – Tom Brokaw
14. The Dangerous Book for Boys – Conn Iggulden
15. Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen
16. A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini
17. The Secret – Rhonda Byrne
18. The Peabody: A History of the South’s Grand Hotel - Sharyn Burson
19. Playing for Pizza – John Grisham
20. Praying in Color – Sybil Macbeth
21. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter – Kim Edwards
22. The Way It Was – Victor L. Robilio, Jr.
23. Forever in Blue – Ann Brashares
24. Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy – Jane O’Connor
25. Heart & Soul Cookbook – Junior League of Memphis

*This list is comprised of total book sales at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Memphis, TN from January 1 through December 31, 2007. Non-event titles special ordered in bulk quantities are not included on the list.

Happy Freedom's Eve!

2007-12-31T11:59:00.000-05:00

Or Watch Night, as it's also called throughout the U.S. Robert Smith's blog posting, Watch Night tradition rings in New Year for black churches, explains that "Watch Night has been know to Methodists since the mid-1700s, when John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, encouraged new-year "covenant services" as a means of reaffirming faith. "

"The vigils won the fealty of black America in 1863, many say, when Abraham Lincoln decreed that his Emancipation Proclamation would take effect Jan. 1. Abolitionists and slaves are said to have congregated on "Freedom's Eve" to await what the new year would bring. "

Tonight, many Methodist churches in the United States will celebrate and hold vigils. I am not a Methodist, or an African American, but I am an abolitionist. And this Freedom's Eve I will pray and resolve (again) to help bring sweet freedom of all men, women and children who are still enslaved. Please join me.

To read Robert Smith's complete posting, click here.

“Trafficking Free NYC”

2007-12-13T15:00:00.000-05:00

Want to know what it's like to be a prostitute in a NYC brothel? Definitely not Pretty Woman. Sonia Ossorio, president of NOW-NYC, tells it like it is in her article "Voices of NOW NYC: Aiming for a “Trafficking Free NYC”. She doesn't sugar coat it. A gipping picture indeed...

"If you never had a picture of what the low-budget, factory-style prostitution that makes up much of the local NYC sex industry, this is it – up close, uncomfortable and a mockery of sex and all it stands for – pleasure, sharing, sexual empowerment and women’s liberation.

At the beginning of each shift, the women are given a produce box top with two rolls of paper towels, a bottle of lube, alcohol and a baggie filled with unwrapped condoms. The condoms are prepped much like vegetables at restaurants before the rush hits. There are tips that go to the men who stand on the corners as dusk sets in and pass out business cards for the brothels and give directions to the houses where sex can be bought $30 for 15 minutes. The price went up this year from $25."

Many of these brothels are advertised in the yellow pages and local magazines - some showing pictures of children! NOW-NYC is spearheading a campaign called “Trafficking Free NYC!” asking publishers to use common sense, do some basic due diligence and stop taking ads that exploit women through commercial sex work. To learn more about NOW-NYC, click here.

Nivasa Foundation is hosting a Dinner and Dance Party

2007-12-05T12:49:00.000-05:00

Beatrice’s Fernando's Nivasa Foundation (one of AASG's speaking associate) is hosting a Dinner and Dance Party with authentic Sri Lankan cuisine and FREE dance lessons and you’re invited!

What: Dinner and Dance Party (featuring Sri Lankan food and FREE dance lessons)

When: December 8 @ 6:30 to 10:00 pm

Where: Knights of Columbus, Charlestown

Contact: www.NivasaFoundation.org, 781 -888-9880

*Purchase tickets in advance or make a donation.

As a Sri Lankan survivor of slavery, Beatrice Fernando founded the the Nivasa Foundation, a non-profit organization helping to end the cycle of slavery in Sri Lanka. By funding the education and basic necessities of the children of Sri Lankan victims of slavery, we prevent these women from again being deceived into situations of slavery and provide their children with better opportunities.

The Dinner and Dance party is a fundraiser for the Nivasa Foundation and will provide Sri Lankan cuisine and free ballroom dancing lessons and other entertainment, as well as raffles and prizes for a ticket price of $40. Space is limited so please reserve your spot in advance. If you are unable to attend, please consider making a donation to the Nivasa Foundation. A donation of $37/month will provide a child with an education, food, clothing, and school supplies.

Please call 781 -888-9880 or send your contribution to Nivasa Foundation, P.O. Box 95, Merrimac, MA 01860. You can also make a donation, purchase tickets, and read more about our work at www.NivasaFoundation.org.

TONIGHT -"Bearing Witness in Darfur: Who Will Be My Sister's Keeper?"

2007-11-29T09:17:00.000-05:00

Thursday, November 29th, 7:00pm
First Church in Jamaica Plain, Unitarian Universalist, Sanctuary
6 Eliot St. (Across from the Monument)
http://www.jamaicaplainforum.org

Since her first visit to southern Sudan in 2001, Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, co-pastor of Jamaica Plain s Bethel AME Church, knew that she wanted to stand in solidarity with the women of that country. She had served as a medical missionary during several trips to Botswana, Cote d Ivore, and South Africa, but it was on delegation of several other African-American ministers to Sudan that, Rev. White-Hammond participated in the liberation of over 6,700 enslaved women and children. Bearing witness to the untenable realities of slavery taking place in the 21st century changed her life forever.

Upon her return to Boston, she co-founded My Sister s Keeper, a humanitarian women's group that partners with women in Sudan and their efforts toward reconciliation and reconstruction of their communities. Since it s inception in 2002, My Sister s Keeper has listen closely to the concerns and opinions of the Sudanese women. It has assisted in community-initiated economic development, healthcare and education projects in Gogrial County, Sudan. Furthermore, by mobilizing resources in the United States on their behalf, My Sister s Keeper works to lift up the plight of Sudanese women to the World.

This event will be in honor of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Nov. 25th), World AIDS Day (Dec. 1st), and Human Rights Day (Dec. 10).

Sexual Slavery: Can You Really Define It?

2007-11-27T16:47:00.000-05:00

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is doing just that. According to a recent article in Front Page Magazine, "a prostitute or a victim of trafficking is entitled to justice but only if he/she has been "forced, tricked or coerced" into doing what the DOJ calls "sex work" - and only if they can prove it."

In addition, the DOJ is more sympathetic to those victims in third world countries as opposed to a young woman from Massachusetts or California. Most shocking is that a minor, yes a child, used in "commercial sex acts" is not considered "coerced" or "duped" as defined by the DOJ. The most vulnerable, those who need this protection the most, are subjected to less because they cannot defend themselves or prove their own case.

Why is the DOJ failing? How are those connected to legalizing "sex work" opposing abolitionists in a new way? Read the full article, "Stopping Sexual Slavery" by clicking here.

Darfur Too Dark Too Far - Featuring Simon Deng

2007-11-12T15:32:00.000-05:00

Darfur Too Dark Too Far: FREE Film Screening & Panel Discussion

Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 5:00 PM - Reception to Follow Ames Courtroom, Austin Hall, Harvard Law School 1515 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138

Award-winning filmmaker Hafiz Farid has recently released his award-winning film, Darfur Too Dark Too Far (http://www.darfur2dark2far.com/). This powerful documentary film addresses the horrific crisis in Darfur, as well as the root causes of genocide… slavery, racism and oppression in the name of religion. Darfur Too Dark Too Far was awarded Best Social Documentary in the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, Best of the Best in the Martha’s Vineyard African-American Film Festival, and Excellence for Cinema for a Documentary in the Los Angeles International Independent Film Festival. A panel discussion will follow the film screening, featuring: Simon Deng, iAbolish American Anti-Slavery Group; Former Sudanese Slave; Human Rights Activist Dr. Jerry Ehrlich, Pediatrician, Doctors Without Borders Hafiz Farid, Award-Winning Filmmaker/Director; Executive Director, NoCane, Inc. Dr. Lori Heninger, Executive Director, HiTOPS, Inc., Teen Health & Education Center; Former Director, Children and Adolescents Program, Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children

To RSVP: Click Here

Call For Papers

2007-08-30T10:31:00.001-05:00

The Anti-Human Trafficking Conference held at the University of Missouri-Columbia, is seeking panelists. From their website:

We are seeking panelists from diverse backgrounds, including activists, legislators, academics, NGO representatives, religious groups, and victim advocates. We are also seeking booth and art display proposals that focus on issues relating to human trafficking from individuals and organizations.

We are particularly interested in panel, paper, and booth proposals on the following issues as they relate to trafficking in persons: labor, gender, sex, children, US foreign policy, militarization, economics, politics/policy, the EU, activism, religious perspectives, prevention/protection/prosecution/best practices.

Panel and paper proposals: Each proposal should include a brief abstract explaining the presenter’s main ideas and focus for the talk or paper, and a biographical sketch detailing the presenter’s background and contact/affiliation information. Presenters should plan to present their work and/or research for approximately 20-25 minutes (not including questions). We will consider proposals for both individual presenters that may be grouped with other presenters and full panel proposals.

Booth and art display proposals: Each booth proposal should include a brief description of the organization and nature of the booth. We are also interested in booth proposals from filmmakers who have made films about human trafficking; there may be the opportunity to show excerpts from the films as well. Each art display proposal should include a brief description of the artists’ background, details about the materials necessary to display the artwork, and a description and/or pictures of the art work. Time will be set aside for booth representatives and art creators to talk about their work and answer questions at their booths/displays.

Website: www.stoptrafficnow.com and http://wgst.missouri.edu/
Contact: Jessica Jennrich, Associate Chair, Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Missouri-Columbia, jennrichj@missouri.edu

Submission: Proposals should be submitted to jennrichj@missouri.edu and muhtc2008@gmail.com or
Women’s and Gender Studies,
University of Missouri-Columbia
325 General Classroom Building
Columbia, MO 65211-4130

Deadline for Proposals: September 15th, 2007

Conference Dates: March 21, 22, and 23, 2008

Domestic Servitude in Haiti

2007-08-28T10:27:00.000-05:00

MSNBC.com has a look at Haiti's restavec system, which claims as many as 300,000 Haitian children who are, more often then not, promised a good home and an education and instead find themselves forced into domestic servitude. Some, like AASG Associate Micheline Slattery, are taken in by extended family after being orphaned; others are given up by parents too poor to feed them; still others are runaways taken from the streets.

The piece offers a good overview of not only the realities of the restavec system for those children who are caught up in it, but also some of the social, historical and economic roots of the system.

Click here for the full story.

More on Mauritania

2007-08-27T15:41:00.000-05:00

A story on IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, offers some in-depth analysis of Mauritania's new law against slavery and the additional steps that will be needed in the coming months to ensure that abolition comes about as quickly as possible.

According to the article, the new law requires victims themselves to take their complaints to the police, who lack both the mentality and resources to address the problem. Moreover, the new law makes no provisions for life after slavery--NGOs and other advocates are pushing for education, social and economic reintegration projects and an awareness campaign about the new law.

Click here to read more.

Three Mexican nationals indicted in South Carolina sex trafficking case

2007-08-24T10:50:00.000-05:00

Three Mexican nationals were indicted on Wednesday in Washington for conspiring to bring women, and at least one minor, into the U.S. for commercial sex.

If convicted, they face a collective fine of over $1 million and a minimum of 10 years in prison.

Click here for the full story.

Anti-Trafficking Conference in California

2007-08-24T08:33:00.000-05:00

I got this email in my box this morning:

The 5th Preventing Abuse Conference: "Women and Children at Risk of Human Trafficking, Abduction and Internet Predators."
Sponsored by the Cedars Cultural and Education Foundation

November 15, 2007
Universal Hilton Hotel, Universal City, CA
7:45am-4:00pm

Registration:
$49/person in advance, $59/person at the door
includes lunch
Click here for more information and to register online.

Topics to be covered include:

Internet safety;
Protecting children;
What to do if the unthinkable happens;
The effects of human trafficking on our nation and families;
What fuels the demand for commercial sexual exploitation;
The importance of the Church in the struggle to end human trafficking;
National security;
and the impact of pornography.

Abuk Bak featured in the Boston Globe!

2007-08-22T10:29:00.001-05:00

Abuk Bak, formerly of the AASG Speakers' Bureau was featured this Monday in a two page article in the Boston Globe. The article focused on the widespread nature of slavery today and how there are abundant witnesses, even in Massachusetts.

"Now 33 years old and living in Lynn, Abuk has found happiness. She has been married for nine years, has three children, and works as an aide in a Lynnfield nursing home. Abuk shares her story for many reasons, among them catharsis and to create awareness. 'Nobody is paying attention, like killings, kidnapping -- they should really know -- being put as slaves, and no one knows,' she said."

To read the full article click here.

Abuk also wrote her story of capture, enslavement and escape for Enslaved: True Stories of Modern Day Slavery, our anthology of modern slave narratives.

California Couple Pleads Guilty to Slavery

2007-08-22T10:16:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth and James Jackson of California plead guilty yesterday to enslaving a Filipino woman in their home.

"Elizabeth Jackson faces a maximum sentence of 46 months in prison for her forced labor charge. James Jackson’s sentence will include 200 hours of community service[...]" The sentencing will take place November 5.

The press release from the Department of Justice gave no information on what became of the Filipino woman.

To read the press release click here.

Fighting Slavery by Shopping

2007-08-16T10:08:00.000-05:00

At AASG, we receive a constant stream of inquiries asking what can be done by individuals to stop slavery. The citizens of New Zealand are just as outraged as Americans, and they've decided to take matters into their own hands.

Trade Aid, a fair trade organization, has led the way with their campaign "Slavery still exists, and you may be supporting it ..." One of the campaign's main initiatives is circulating a petition, which calls for "the government to make importation of slave made products illegal."

According to a recent article, not one New Zealander has refused to sign. The petition, which carries tens of thousands of signatures, will be brought before Parliament on August 23, the day the UN marks for International Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

To read more about this story, click here.
To learn more about Trade Aid's campaign, click here.

Victory in Mauritania!

2007-08-09T12:38:00.000-05:00

Enslavement is finally a crime in Mauritania. Although outlawed in 1981, slavery still continues openly in the country. Until today, no punishment existed for enslaving others or attempting to justify the the chattel system.

Since its inception, AASG has worked to eradicate slavery in Sudan and Mauritania. Today we were proud to say that the Mauritanian government has taken a step in the right direction. While this is a great victory for abolitionists everywhere, we are also aware that the fight is not over. We urge the Mauritanian government to see today as a foundation on which to make further efforts to end slavery once and for all.

The clandestine SOS Slaves, a Mauritanian human rights organization, has advocated to get this legislation passed. Our associate Abdel Nasser Ould Yessa, is a former slave owner and co-founder of SOS Slaves. He works with them in exile in France.

To learn more about slavery in Mauritania visit Yessa's biography here.

To learn more about the legislation that was passed, check out some of the following stories: Voice of America News, Telegraph, Guardian Unlimited, Miami Herald, BBC World News.

Sudan Update: Worst Flooding in Recent History

2007-08-02T11:35:00.000-05:00

Dear Supporters,

This week has brought news of the worst flooding in Sudan in decades, displacing tens of thousands as heavy rainfall has swelled the banks of the White and Blue Nile Rivers and caused at least 41 flash floods across the country.

"What happened this year can only be matched by what happened 40 years ago," Riek Machar, the Vice President of South Sudan, told the BBC after touring the flood-affected areas.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies expect 2.4 million people to be affected by the flooding before the rainy season ends in September.

Standing water left behind by the floods provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes, often bringing with them outbreaks of malaria. At least 25,000 and as many as 35,000 homes have been destroyed, as well as over 100 government buildings, including schools, and roads are shut down throughout the country. Added to the ongoing violence in Sudan, it is not hard to see why the rainy season, in particular, is a crucial time for aid delivery.

Since the beginning of June we have raised nearly 2/3 of our $75,000 goal, which will help purchase and deliver vital supplies--tarpaulins to protect from the rain; mosquito nets to protect from malaria; food for the remainder of the rainy season and seed to plant for harvest when it ends. To all of those who have contributed over the past two months, our many thanks.

If you have not and would like to help us raise the remainder of our goal--another $25,000--there is still time. You can do so by clicking here.

Read more from Reuters, and allAfrica.com.

In Freedom,
AASG

Ads Highlight Victims of Human Trafficking

2007-07-31T15:56:00.000-05:00

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a public service campaign to draw attention to human trafficking victims.

The campaign involves video ads as well as large billboards in select cities that say, 'Look beneath the surface, a victim of trafficking may look like many of the people you see every day.'

Martha Newton, a director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement for HHS, said, 'if something doesn’t seem right about the situation, perhaps it's a young worker who isn’t allowed to leave.'

The ads point victims and those who know of victims to a toll-free number for the National Human Trafficking Resource Center: (888) 373-7888.

Lisa Thompson, who heads the Salvation Army's efforts to combat trafficking in persons, told Family News in Focus that 'everybody can play a part in fighting trafficking.'

'This is really, for the first time, giving the general public that chance to play that role so that they can be sensitized a little bit about what trafficking is.'"

That story can be found here.

Miami Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Sex Tourism

2007-07-31T15:49:00.000-05:00

"Miami resident Kent Frank was sentenced to 40 years in prison on sex tourism and child pornography charges, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta of the Southern District of Florida announced today.

On April 5, 2007, a federal jury in Miami found Frank guilty of eight counts of child exploitation offenses related to his sexual abuse of three young females in Cambodia. Frank was convicted of four counts of traveling in foreign commerce and engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. The jury also found Frank guilty of three counts of purchasing a minor with the intent to produce child pornography and one count of traveling in foreign commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor."

Read the full story here.

Slavery in Ohio

2007-07-31T15:46:00.000-05:00

"When a woman was jailed after a recent fight, police brought in a translator to help communicate with her.

That's when authorities uncovered allegations of a more horrific crime. The young woman said she had been lured from her homeland for what she thought was a visit -- only to be forced into domestic servitude, spending long days cleaning house, cooking and caring for young children.

The woman was afraid to tell anyone because her visitor's visa expired and by then she was in the United States illegally.

Victims of human trafficking can be found throughout the country, even in Columbus where this woman had been staying. Police are investigating her allegations.

To help identify and aid victims, about three dozen Columbus-area organizations have formed the Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking coalition, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."

Read the full story here.

Looking For Somewhere to Buy Jewelry?

2007-07-31T15:23:00.000-05:00

"Jewelry 4 God International, Inc., a not-for-profit organization, announced today its' official launch in response to the overwhelming need to empower and rescue others around the world from human trafficking, the sex industry, drug addiction, gangs, and other life controlling problems.

'Worldwide, women exploit their bodies because of the need for money, in many cases, in order to support their parents or children. Those who are sold into the sex industry are all too often tied, beaten, raped, and burned until they comply,' Tim Zello, Founder and President of Jewelry 4 God said.

Jewelry 4 God teaches hand crafting one of a kind jewelry out of sterling silver and semi-precious stones and product marketing to [human trafficking victims]."

Read the full story here.

Sudanese Defense Minister Accuses Jews of "Fueling" Darfur Conflict

2007-07-30T10:15:00.000-05:00

Sudanese Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein told a Saudi newspaper that Jewish organizations are responsible for the conflict in Darfur. Which, according to Hussein, doesn't actually exist. There is merely "friction between farmers and herders and shepherds."

The root of the problem? Water, "which is used to exploit the differences and fuel the conflict." This must be related to the stories from a few weeks ago claiming that global warming is to blame for genocide in Darfur.

Oh, wait. There is no genocide. Sorry, Mr. Hussein.

Click here for the full story. Click here to read about the efforts of Jewish young people and the Save Darfur coalition (of the American Anti-Slavery Group is a part) to raise awareness about and end genocide in Sudan.

Click here for Sudan Expert Eric Reeves's take on Darfur and global warming.

Screening in NYC: "Darfur: Too Dark Too Far"

2007-07-30T09:29:00.000-05:00

"On Tuesday night, July 31, Luna Stage will be screening the documentary 'Darfur: Too Dark Too Far,' directed by Hafiz Farid. The film, which examines the root causes of genocide, begins at 7:30pm, with a Q&A with Farid and Sudanese activist and AASG Associate Simon Deng. Minimum contribution is $50."

Details here.

UN Finally Takes Notice of Human Rights Violations in Darfur

2007-07-27T12:50:00.000-05:00

"The United Nations Human Rights Committee on Friday called on Sudan to halt and prosecute war crimes in Darfur and ensure no support reached militias carrying out ethnic cleansing.

'Widespread and systematic serious human rights violations including murder, rape, forced displacement and attacks against the civil population, have been and continue to be committed with total impunity throughout Sudan and particularly in Darfur,' the body of 18 independent experts said in a report.

It expressed concern that Sudan had not carried out a thorough and independent investigation into serious human rights violations, especially in Darfur where violence has been raging for more than four years."

Read the complete story here.

Stop Slavery in Sudan TODAY

2007-07-27T12:39:00.000-05:00

In 1780, William Wilberforce began his campaign in the British Parliament to abolish the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Today, 200 years after the abolition of the slave trade, an estimated 12,000 people remain enslaved in northern Sudan, victims of the 23-year civil war.

Help us honor this bicentennial year by urging your representative in Congress to take meaningful action to put an end to slavery in Sudan. Contact your legislators and ask them to support Representative Chris Smith as he re-introduces the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act. If passed, this bill will create a commission that would investigate and end slavery in Sudan.

Sign the petition at http://ga0.org/campaign/wilberforce to bring us closer to our goal of 390,000 signatures.

Please repost and forward to your friends!

In freedom,
AASG

Spielberg May Quit Beijing Olympics Over Darfur

2007-07-27T10:40:00.000-05:00

"Director Steven Spielberg may step down as artistic adviser to the 2008 Beijing Olympics unless China adopts a tougher stance towards Sudan over the conflict in Darfur, ABC television said Friday.

'Steven will make a determination in the next few weeks regarding his work with the Chinese,' Spielberg's spokesman Andy Spahn told ABC television.

'Our main interest is ending the genocide. No one is clear on the best way to do this,' said Spahn in an article appearing on the network's website Friday. He said 'all options were on the table,' including resigning."

Read the full story here and here.

Charlotte Organizations to Battle Human Trafficking

2007-07-25T15:22:00.000-05:00

"Local authorities are launching a program to fight human trafficking in the Charlotte area.

Federal Bureau of Investigation and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department investigators say hundreds of women from other countries have been brought to the Queen City and forced into prostitution.

The women, and sometimes men and children, are lured to the United States with the promise of a better life and decent jobs.But authorities say the women are put to work as sex slaves, often in brothels in neighborhoods along North Tryon Street, The Plaza and South Boulevard.

They said criminals turn small homes into illegal houses of prostitution and hold the women against their will. In fact, two were shut down last week.

Now local law enforcement agencies and other community organizations are joining the Rescue And Restore Victims Of Human Trafficking education campaign underway in 20 cities and states nationwide. The campaign includes social service providers, child welfare groups, churches and health providers that are helping identify victims of human trafficking."

Read the full story here.

New Program to Fight Human Trafficking

2007-07-25T10:57:00.000-05:00

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families will announce a program Tuesday that hopes to educate agencies and individuals about human trafficking in North Carolina and across the country.

The federal department estimates that 14,500-17,500 people are trafficked into the United States every year.

Several high-profile cases have come up in North Carolina in recent years, including a sex ring in the Triangle and a legal suit filed by 22 Thai farm workers fromJohnston County earlier this year.

The federal program comes alongside an ongoing statewide coalition that has been working several years to train social services and law enforcement agencies about how to identify and help trafficking victims.

'It's so hidden right now, and people are afraid to come forward and, often, don't have the capacity to come forward,' said Kaci Bishop, an immigration attorney with the N.C. Justice Center who will be at Tuesday's news conference in Raleigh."

Read the full story here.

Sudan: President Declares 2007 Year of Peace

2007-07-25T10:52:00.000-05:00

"Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir has declared 2007 as the Year of Peace in Darfur.

Speaking at a mass rally in Fashir, the regional capital of North Darfur State the Sudanese president urged the rebels in the conflict-torn region to to join the peace process.

President Al-Bashir called for an end to the war in Darfur and for a move towards peace and rehabilitation, stressing that Sudan with its economic and manpower resources was capable of becoming a major power.

The President said that the Sudanese Council of Ministers had arrived in Darfur at the weekend to see the situation on the ground and to find the best solution.

Next month, the two Special Envoys will convene another meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, after which invitations will be issued to the parties to commence political negotiations later in August."

Read the full story here.

Anti-slavery call-in a success; We still need your help!

2007-07-20T09:09:00.000-05:00

Dear Supporter,

Recently, we organized a call-in to help Representative Chris Smith gain original co-sponsors for the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act, a bill to create an independent commission of experts to ensure the discontinuation and prevention of the enslavement of Sudanese people. Thanks to your calls and letters, the bill gained four new co-sponsors, including Tom Tancredo, Jeff Fortenberry, Frank Wolf, and Diane Watson.

We still need your help to pass this important anti-slavery legislation.

There is still time for you to act to support this bill. We will be extending the call-in all day tomorrow, Friday, July 20, so that if you did not get a chance participate in our last campaign, you can still be a part of this movement.

Your call will help Chris Smith gain the co-sponsorship necessary to pass this critical legislation. The following members of Congress are strongly considering signing onto the bill--give them a call and encourage them to do so!
Name District Office Washington DC Office
Donald Payne (973) 645-3213 (202) 225-3436
Barney Frank (617) 332-3920 (202) 225-5931
Michael Capuano (617) 621-6208 (202) 225-5111
Tom Lantos (650) 342-0300 (202) 225-3531

Here is a sample script of what to say when calling:

"I am calling to urge ____________ to co-sponsor the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act. Tens of thousands of people are currently enslaved in Northern Sudan. This is contrary to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees all people the right to live free from bondage. We must fight these blatant human rights abuses with legislation like the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act. Please urge the Congressman/Congresswoman to call Chris Smith's office and to sign on to this bill."

If you have not yet signed our petition, please take a moment to let your Congressperson know how important it is that he or she takes meaningful action to put an end to slavery in Sudan. Help us further by forwarding this to 10 friends to help us reach our goal of 390,000 signatures.

http://ga0.org/campaign/wilberforce

In freedom,

The iAbolish Team

PS - AASG associate Simon Deng feels very strongly about this bill and would be out there himself to gain support for this bill if it were not for his recent accident. You can help Simon while he recovers by pushing for the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act.

Is your money funding genocide?

2007-07-18T15:39:00.000-05:00

Want to participate in divestment from Sudan? KLD has created an index of company's that exhibit fair social practices and have no economic/political involvement to Sudan to assist investors in making choices that are not only profitable but also socially sensitive. Are your assets invested in company's on this list?

Link to the official site:
http://www.kld.com/indexes/lcsfsindex/index.html

Link to the article in Investment News magazine:
http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070709/FREE/70709028/1017

Ancient Lake Offers Hope for Darfur's Future

2007-07-18T15:36:00.000-05:00

"Deep below the troubled and arid land of Sudan’s Darfur region are the remnants of an ancient lake. Scientists say while the lake may have disappeared thousands of years ago, the discovery offers hope of relieving water shortages there today.

The ancient lake was the size of Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes in the United States. Or to put it another way, it was as big as the US state of Massachusetts. The lake covered just about all of Northern Darfur State, one of three states making up the Darfur region. Scientists found it using satellite radar.

Dr. El-Baz says since water existed in the region for tens of thousands of years, it’s likely much of that water seeped down deep below the surface.

'Some of that water would still be there as ground water, which means that this is a signal to the people in Darfur that there may be plenty of water down there to resolve many of the real problems,' he says."

Read the complete story here.

"Lost Boy" Organizes Sudan School Fundraiser

2007-07-18T13:41:00.000-05:00

"Aluong Garang, one of the 'lost boys' of Sudan who resettled in Pittsburgh in 2001, has organized a fundraiser for Saturday to help build a school in his homeland.

As a 9-year-old, Mr. Garang survived a thousand-mile trek dodging soldiers and wild animals, and then spent almost nine years in a refugee camp.

Now a student at Community College of Allegheny County, he helped form a nonprofit foundation to build a school in his village of Duk in southern Sudan.

The Fair Trade Sale will offer crafts from Africa, Asia and Latin America at St. Valentine's Church in Bethel Park, in addition to T-shirts bearing the logo 'Lost Boys' School'"

Read the complete story here.

Trial Set in Overseas Child Sex Case

2007-07-16T09:27:00.000-05:00

"Bianchi, 44, of North Wildwood, N.J., faces trial beginning Monday under a controversial federal law aimed at thwarting "sex tourism." He is accused in this country of committing crimes - assaulting nearly a dozen minors - on foreign soil.

'Americans go to these countries and create a pretty bad image,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Levy said. 'A hundred dollars can buy a lot of food for a pretty long time for a lot of these families. ... This is the kind of case that shows why there's a need for this [law].'"

Read the full story here.

"Deliverance" to show at Lights, Camera, Action Film Festival

2007-07-13T15:14:00.001-05:00

Lights, Camera, Action Film Festival
Kendall Square Cinema
Cambridge, MA
Monday July 16, 2007
7:00 PM

"Deliverance: The Story behind the AASG" is a short video about The American Anti-Slavery Group and their quest to eradicate modern day slavery around the world. In addition the video gives the viewers a glimpse into the stories of former slaves.

Crash Kills 'Lost Boy Of Sudan'

2007-07-11T15:06:00.000-05:00

"A man who survived the violence of civil war in Sudan and found refuge in San Diego County died over the weekend in a car crash in Santee, [California].

Anyoun Anyoun, 26, of La Mesa, was killed on Highway 67 at Riverford Road Friday. According to the California Highway Patrol, a speeding motorist cut off another driver, killing Anyoun and injuring four others.

He fled his home village of Aweil, Sudan, when he was 7 years old. In a biography he later wrote, he talked about seeing his parents slain before his eyes. In the book, he said his mother's last words were, 'Run for your life and don't look back.'

A cousin and fellow 'Lost Boy' Isaac Amol, reflected on the community's loss. 'We have lost a person who was also trying to make a difference in other people's lives. Anyoun was really one of the persons that a lot of us were hoping in the future to bring something bigger,' Amol said."

Read the full story here | digg story

Three Men Held on Charges of Enslaving Chinese Acrobat Team

2007-07-10T09:16:00.000-05:00

"Three men are facing criminal charges in Las Vegas over slavery allegations concerning 20 members of a Chinese acrobatic troupe, justice officials said Monday.

The FBI raided [the men's] house in Las Vegas and found 14 members of the troupe who were identitied as being victims of human trafficking and were then taken into protective custody.

An FBI spokesman said the acrobats had been given limited food, were not being paid the salary promised to them and had had their passports and visas confiscated."

Read the complete story here.

Appeals Judge to Free Couple in Long Island Slave Case

2007-07-10T08:57:00.000-05:00

"The wealthy Long Island couple accused of torturing two housekeepers and holding them as virtual slaves in their Muttontown mansion will go free before their September trial.

The Sabhnanis will pay for a private security force to keep an eye on them 24 hours a day. And their bail package, secured by cash and property, has been increased by $1 million to $4.5 million.

The couple faces up to 40 years in prison on charges of forced labor and harboring illegal aliens. They are accused of keeping two Indonesian women in their home under slavelike conditions and subjecting them to physical abuse.

Federal prosecutors sought to keep the couple in jail while they await trial and questioned hundreds of wire transfers totaling $17.2 million that their perfume business made to banks in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The appeals court said the physical conditions of home arrest would prevent the couple from using their wealth to flee."

Read the complete story here.

Slave Workers Freed from Brazilian Plantation

2007-07-09T11:37:00.000-05:00

"More than 1,100 workers held under slave conditions in Brazil were freed in the country's largest operation against forced labour in recent years, according to media reports Tuesday.

Officers from the Brazilian Labour Ministry and the federal police raided a sugar cane plantation used in the production of ethanol fuel in the northern state of Para. Reports said it was the largest such operation since the so-called razzia system - a fresh commitment by the government to root out slavery - was introduced in 1995.

In 2006, 3,308 men, women and children were freed from slave working conditions throughout Brazil.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 25,000- 40,000 people are subjected to such forced labour in Brazil, where slavery was officially abolished in 1888."

Read the complete story here.

Mauritania Slavery Bill is 'Weak'

2007-07-09T11:34:00.000-05:00

"Anti-Slavery International welcomed the Mauritanian government's initiative but said the proposed law was too weak.

Slavery has existed for centuries in Mauritania. A presidential decree abolished it in 1981, but no criminal laws were passed to enforce the ban.

This meant slavery continues as before and a huge effort is still needed to eradicate the practice, the group says.

It does not cover contemporary aspects of slavery, such as forced marriage, indentured labour or debt bondage, she said.

She said they and Mauritanian campaign group SOS Slavery were lobbying the government to strengthen the definition.

Any new legislation should punish slavery by up to 30 years in prison and provide for reparation payments to the victims, she said."

Read the full article here.

Man Receives Life Sentence for Sex Trafficking of Minors

2007-07-09T11:29:00.000-05:00

"According to a press release from the United States Department of Justice, a man was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Monday for transporting minors across state lines to engage in prostitution. The man had a previous conviction for child exploitation.

The life in prison without parole sentence was mandatory due to the nature of the crime. The 18 U.S.C. Section 3559(e) statute mandates require life in prison sentences for those that have repeat offenses of sex crimes against children.

Authorities maintain that Doss conspired with his wife, Jacquay Quinn Ford, to transport two female minors across state lines to engage in prostitution. The girls were aged 14 and 16; authorities claim Doss recruited and transported the 16 year old girl by force. The couple transported and made the girls work as prostitutes in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oakland, and San Francisco.

Ford was recently sentenced to 15 months in prison for conspiracy after working with authorities and testifying against her husband."

Read the complete story here.

Bust of Minneapolis Brothel Launches Sweep

2007-07-09T11:16:00.000-05:00

"In May, 25 people were charged in federal court with running eight brothels. Eighteen of the suspects are illegal immigrants, according to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court. Five of the brothels operated in Minneapolis; the others were in Richfield, West St. Paul and Austin, Minn.

When the women arrived from Mexico and Central America, their passports and other identifying documents were taken away and they were forced into prostitution. In one night, more than 80 men paid two women for sex in a south Minneapolis house.

Last year, the Legislature commissioned the first state report on human trafficking, which found that 43 percent of the 119 human service providers it surveyed had helped a victim of human trafficking -- and that they were helping about 200 victims at the time of the survey."

Read the full story here.

URGENT! Call to Support Anti-Slavery Bill TODAY!

2007-07-03T10:19:00.000-05:00

Last week we sent you a message asking you to support
Representative Chris Smith's bill, the Eradication of Slavery in
Sudan Act. Representative Smith cannot reintroduce this vital
piece of legislation without co-sponsorship--and for that we
need your help!

You can help make the abolition of slavery in Sudan a reality by
adding your voice and participating in the American Anti-Slavery
Group's Call-in for the Eradication of Slavery.

The call-in will take place today, Tuesday, July 3, from 1:00
p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST.

AASG associate Simon Deng strongly supports this initiative. We
have already informed Simon of the tremendous response to
yesterday's message and we know that his spirits will be lifted
even more by your taking action today to help end slavery.

We are targeting a few specific members of Congress to try to
gain original sponsors for the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan
Act.

Click here for a list of phone numbers for targeted

Congresspeople and a script of what to say:

http://ga0.org/ct/e7AEma91qY8c/

If you don't have time to call each of them, please take the
time to call at least two!

Please also take a moment, if you haven't already, to send your
representative an email asking for his or her support.

http://ga0.org/ct/edAEma91qY8d/

Let your legislators know that this issue is important to you as
a voter!

In freedom,

The iAbolish Team

UN Mission in Sudan News Bulletin

2007-07-02T10:37:00.000-05:00

"The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) met on Friday 29 June with potential troop- and police-contributing countries for the African Union-United Nations hybrid operation for Darfur.

A new UNHCR study of seven African countries challenges previous assumptions that conflict, forced displacement and wide-scale rape have increased the prevalence of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and that refugees fleeing conflict spread the infection in host communities. A UNHCR team led by Dr. Paul Spiegel of UNHCR s Public Health and HIV Section, studied population data in the Democratic Republic of Congo, southern Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Burundi.

The study, published last week in the British medical journal The Lancet, says a survey of data on HIV prevalence in 12 refugee camps showed that nine actually had a lower prevalence of infection than surrounding host communities, while two had similar rates and only one a higher prevalence.

Dr. Spiegel says that while conflict in the seven sub-Saharan African countries does not appear to increase HIV infection to the same degree as in surrounding countries not in conflict, this does not mean that conflict in all countries would mean lower HIV infection than non-conflict countries. Each case would need to be examined. Nor should the findings be interpreted to mean we shouldn't worry about HIV or rape in conflict. Individuals are still vulnerable to HIV during conflict and in any incident of rape."

Read the complete story here.

American Anti-Slavery Group's Call-in for the Eradication of Slavery Act

2007-06-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, a long time supporter of AASG, is trying to reintroduce House Resolution 5911, the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act. This bill will create a commission of experts charged with the following:

(1) Identifying the location of slaves in Sudan and ensure their freedom;

(2) Ensuring safe passage of freed slaves and family reunification;

(3) Documenting existing slavery and working to prevent new cases;

(4) Ensuring that former slaves have access to basic social services needed for rehabilitation and reintegration;

(5) Ensuring that enslavers are brought to justice.

You can help make the abolition of slavery in Sudan a reality by adding your voice and participating in the American Anti-Slavery Group’s call-in for HR 5911. The call-in will take place on Tuesday, July 3, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. We are targeting the following members of Congress to try to gain original sponsors for the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act.

Name	State	Party	DC Office	State Office
Diane Watson	California	Democrat	(202) 225-7084	(323) 965-1422
Donald Payne	New Jersey	Democrat	(202) 225-3436	(973) 645-3213
Michael Capuano	Massachusetts	Democrat	(202) 225-5111	(617) 621-6208
Frank Wolf	Virginia	Republican	(202) 225-5136	(703) 709-5800
Mel Watt	North Carolina	Democrat	(202) 225-1510	(704) 344-9950
Barney Frank	Massachusetts	Democrat	(202) 225-5931	(617) 332-3920

Please take the time to call some or all of these legislators, each call you make will have a huge impact. Below is a sample script of what to say when calling:

“I am calling to urge the Congressman/Congresswoman to co-sponsor the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act. Tens of thousands of people are currently enslaved in Northern Sudan. This is contrary to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees all people the right to live free from bondage. We must fight these blatant human rights abuses with legislation like the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act. Please urge the Congressman/Congresswoman to call Chris Smith's office and to sign on to this bill.”

Sudan Must Rewrite Rape Laws to Protect Victims

2007-06-29T10:04:00.000-05:00

"An international aid group called on Sudan on Thursday to rewrite its laws to protect women from 'mass rape' in the war-torn Darfur region.

A report from U.S.-based Refugees International accused government-backed armed groups of systematic sex attacks on women and girls in the country's remote west.

Legally, it is 'all but impossible' to prosecute rapists, the report found.

Women who admit to being raped risk prosecution for having sex outside marriage -- an offence punishable by 100 lashes or death by stoning, it added.

Sudan's Foreign Ministry declined immediate comment on the report. But Khartoum has often denied that mass rape occurs in Darfur, accusing Western media of sensationalism."

Read the complete story here.

Twenty Girls Saved From Circus Slavery

2007-06-29T09:50:00.000-05:00

"According to Lt. Col. Philip Holmes, who founded the charity in memory of his first wife, about 500 Nepalese children, mostly girls, are slaves in Indian circuses.

The girls are usually sold for about £70.

'Probably the main factor is poverty,' he said. 'It has to be said there is also an element of greed, and some nasty parents are quick to off-load children from a previous marriage.'

'I was sleeping when he came,' said one 15-year-old girl. 'He hit me on the back. He said that he would kill me, and then he raped me. If anyone came to know, he said that he would kill me.'"

Read the complete story here.

Sudan: China's Influence a Key to Peace in Darfur, Rice Says

2007-06-28T12:54:00.000-05:00

"China's economic clout in Africa has grown over the years, putting it in a significant position to help end the genocide in Darfur, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a press interview in Paris.

The international community cannot continue to leave 'innocent populations ... to their fate,' Rice said of the victims of the government-supported Jingaweit militia, which has devastated the Western Sudanese region, killing more than 200,000 people and displacing 2 million others since 2003.

Rice said in a June 25 interview with French television that the Chinese 'do have a special relationship with the Khartoum government and recently they've begun to speak out about the need for the Khartoum government to live up to the obligations it has repeatedly taken [to protect Darfuris] and then not followed through.'

'I really do believe that the Chinese government will do now what it has said it will do, which is to use its relationship to push the Khartoum government forward' to end the crisis in Darfur, Rice said in the French television interview."

Read the complete story here.

Environmental Degradation Triggering Tensions and Conflict in Sudan

2007-06-28T12:49:00.000-05:00

"Sudan is unlikely to see a lasting peace unless widespread and rapidly accelerating environmental degradation is urgently addressed.

A new assessment of the country, including the troubled region of Darfur, indicates that among the root causes of decades of social strife and conflict are the rapidly eroding environmental services in several key parts of the country.

Investment in environmental management, financed by the international community and from the country's emerging boom in oil and gas exports, will be a vital part of the peace building effort, says the report.

The scale of climate change as recorded in Northern Darfur is almost unprecedented, and its impacts are closely linked to conflict in the region, as desertification has added significantly to the stress on traditional agricultural and pastoral livelihoods.

In addition, 'forecast climate change is expected to further reduce food production due to declining rainfall and increased variability, particularly in the Sahel belt. A drop in crop yields of up to 70 per cent is forecast for the most vulnerable areas,' says the Sudan Post-Conflict Assessment."

You can read the complete story here.

Meeting Seeks To Find Plan For Darfur

2007-06-27T10:30:00.000-05:00

"French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged swift international action Monday toward speeding up deployment of troops in Darfur, as key world players met to try to consolidate efforts and resources for the ravaged Sudanese region.

Sudan was not invited to the one-day Paris conference, organized by a new French government that has made the four-year conflict in Darfur a top priority. The meetings come after Sudan agreed, under international pressure, to allow the deployment of a joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force in the region.

Sarkozy pledged an additional $13.4 million to the existing--and cash-strapped--African Union force. 'Silence is killing,' in Darfur, Sarkozy said in greeting participants to the conference."

Read the full story here.

More Than 53,000 Enslaved Workers Used in Brick Kilns

2007-06-27T10:18:00.000-05:00

"Brick kilns and mines at the centre of a slave labour scandal used more than 53,000 illegal migrant workers, a Xinhua reported today. Fan Duixiang, a senior member of the Shanxi provincial congress, said investigations found that 2,036 of the 3,347 firms it had raided were operating without the necessary licences and illegally using 53,036 migrant workers.

So far nearly 600 people, including dozens of under-aged children, have been released from slavery in Shanxi and Henan province.

The rescue was sparked by an internet petition posted by concerned parents in early June that said up to 1,000 children were languishing in the brickyards and small mines, triggering widespread attention.

In the past two weeks thousands of policemen have raided more than 8,000 brickyards and small coal mines in the two provinces in an effort to end the slave labour.

Still, the parents of 400 missing children last week launched a fresh internet appeal, saying their children had still not turned up and expressing fears that the youths could have been hidden by brickyard bosses."

Read the full story here.

Oregon Senate Unanimously Passes Bill to Make Human Trafficking a Crime

2007-06-27T10:14:00.000-05:00

"The Senate on Friday passed a bill making it a crime to subject anyone to involuntary servitude in Oregon. The vote was unanimous, and the bill goes next to the House.

Senate Bill 578 would bring Oregon into line with 27 other states, including Washington and California, which have laws criminalizing human trafficking. The Oregon bill would make the crime of 'trafficking in persons' punishable by up to 10 years in prison or a $250,000 fine, or both.

Thousands of people a year are brought to the United States from other countries for purposes of sexual or labor exploitation, according to the U.S. State Department. Once here, they are subjected to involuntary servitude, including commercial sex trade, child labor or debt bondage.

'As a corridor between Mexico and Canada, Oregon needs to make this a crime,' said Sen. Joanne Verger, D-Coos Bay, a chief co-sponsor of the bill. 'It's a modern-day form of slavery.'"

That story can be found here.

Migrant Workers Settle Claims Against Connecticut Nursery

2007-06-27T10:12:00.000-05:00

"Part of a human trafficking federal lawsuit filed in Connecticut by workers from Central America has been settled.

A dozen Guatemalan workers have reached a settlement with Imperial Nurseries in Granby. The workers had accused the nursery of forcing them to work nearly 80 hours a week for less than minimum wage.

The workers say they were promised jobs planting trees in North Carolina for seven and a-half dollars an hour.

Instead, they say they were taken in a van to Connecticut without their consent, had their passports confiscated so they would not escape and were threatened with arrest or deportation."

Read the complete story here.

Detroit Man Gets 14 Years for Human Trafficking

2007-06-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

"A Michigan man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for trafficking in Eastern European women forced to work as strippers.

Aleksandr Maksimenko pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering, involuntary servitude and immigration offenses.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts ordered Maksimenko to repay $1.5 million to 12 women, the Detroit News reported.

'They took my money and my spirit,' one victim, a 21-year-old from the Ukraine, said of Maksimenko and co-defendant Michail Aronov."

Read the complete story here.

Help Provide Essential Aid to Sudan

2007-06-22T11:43:00.001-05:00

This month AASG board member John Eibner will return to Sudan with our partner organization, Christian Solidarity International, to lead a relief mission.

Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing the violence in Darfur for Southern Sudan. Without your help, they will go without food, shelter or medicine this rainy season.

Please donate today by clicking here.

We need to raise at least $75,000 to meet the goals we have set.

Your gift will help:

* Secure a sustainable food source for Darfuri and Southern Sudanese refugees;
* Give the gift of freedom to 200 enslaved boys and girls;
* Provide survivor kits to 2,100 refugees and liberated slaves so that they may fulfill their basic needs.

A single survivor kit costs $36. Can you buy two?

The rainy season has begun, and hundreds of thousands are without food, shelter or medical care. In addition to liberating slaves and providing survivor kits, we plan to deliver at least 50 metric tons of sorghum seed for planting--creating a sustainable food source for those in need.

Planting must take place immediately for there to be a harvest this fall. Make your contribution today.

If you cannot contribute financially today, please take a moment to forward this message to those of your friends, family and colleagues who can. Every bit helps.

In freedom,
AASG

Chinese Parents Still Wait for Slave Victims

2007-06-22T10:31:00.000-05:00

"Hundreds of children who were working as slaves in Chinese brickyards remain missing more than a week after the brutal human trafficking ring was exposed, state press reported on Thursday.

The parents of 400 missing children have issued a fresh appeal to China's leaders to find their sons and daughters, amid fears the brickyard bosses had hidden the youths in an attempt to avoid punishment.

Chinese authorities say that 45 000 policemen have raided more than 8 000 brickyards and small coal mines in Shanxi and Henan provinces in central and northern China over the past two weeks in an effort to end the slave labour.

Police have rescued 591 workers, but only 51 of those are children, according to the latest report by the official Xinhua news agency."

Read the complete story here.

Sudan Will Not Hand Over Any Citizen to ICC

2007-06-22T10:14:00.000-05:00

"A top Sudanese government official has reiterated that his country will not hand over any citizen to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for trial in connection with the Darfur violence.

On May 3, the ICC had issued arrest warrants against two suspects wanted in connection with the violence in Sudan’s Darfur region. The warrants issued against Ahmed Muhammed Haroon, former minister of state for interior of the government of Sudan and currently minister of state for humanitarian affairs, and Janjaweed militia leader Ali Muhammed Abdul Rahman, who were accused of targeting civilians in attacks on four villages in West Darfur between August 2003 and March 2004.

On the armed violence that erupted lately in the capital, Khartoum, which has claimed the lives of many, the presidential adviser said measures were in place to avert recurrence of such incidents."

Read the full story here.

China Closes Slave-Trading Job Agencies

2007-06-21T15:30:00.000-05:00

"Thirteen job agencies at the main railway station of a major Chinese city have been closed for tricking people into working as slaves, state press reported on Wednesday.

The agencies at Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province, were allegedly 'deceiving rural workers and sending them to work as slaves in illegal brick kilns,' Xinhua news agency reported, citing the city’s railway chief.

More than 500 workers, some of them children, have been rescued from the brutally run brickyards in Shanxi and Henan province in recent days, while around 170 people have been arrested for their involvement in the slave trade.

State press reports have said more than 1,000 people had likely been enslaved but human rights groups believe the situation is likely far bigger than officially acknowledged."

Full story here.

China Province to Ban Cheap Bricks to Fight Slavery

2007-06-21T11:11:00.000-05:00

"A Chinese province at the centre of a scandal over forced labour at brick kilns will ban the making of cheap bricks -- but not for another 18 months -- in an effort to end the practice, the official Xinhua news agency said.

From the end of next year, cities in northern Shanxi province will no longer be allowed to use solid clay bricks of the kind made cheaply in small kilns, Xinhua reported, citing the provincial government."

Read the complete story here.

Man Who Enslaved Mexican Woman Will Be Deported

2007-06-21T11:09:00.000-05:00

"A man suspected of keeping a slave from Mexico in his Montcalm County home will be deported.

Fermin Pedro Ramos has agreed to plead guilty to three charges related to transporting and harboring an illegal alien.

As part of the agreement, the Greenville man agreed to be deported, pay back wages to the victim and pay the government $45,000 or forfeit his personal assets.

Ramos was originally charged with seven counts, including sexual abuse, against a woman he had brought to the U.S. from Mexico."

That story can be found here.

China Slave Labor Scandal Widens

2007-06-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

"China's slavery scandal widened yesterday with the state-run press reporting that young girls had been forced into prostitution at a brickyard work camp where abuse and beatings were routine.

According to the government, police have so far rescued up to 570 enslaved workers, some of them children, and detained nearly 170 people suspected of trafficking, beating and enslaving workers in Shanxi and Henan.

As authorities focused on ending the slavery, a report in the Communist Party magazine 'Democracy and Law' said some female slaves had been forced into prostitution. Two girls aged 17 and 16 had been forced into prostitution at the Wangjiang brick factory in Hebei province in 2004, according to the report."

The full story can be read here.

Oxfam to Withdraw from Darfur's Largest Camp

2007-06-19T09:51:00.000-05:00

"International aid agency Oxfam today announced it will permanently phase out activities in Gereida, the largest camp in Darfur where more than 130,000 people have sought refuge from violence. The agency criticized the local SLM authorities' lack of action to improve security in the area and address violence against aid workers, in the six months since an unprecedented attack forced the evacuation of staff and suspension of humanitarian operations. Oxfam urged the international community to do more to pressure all parties to the conflict in Darfur to end attacks on civilians and aid workers."

To read the complete story, click here.

Free a Slave in Sudan

2007-06-15T10:59:00.000-05:00

Two months ago, the American Anti-Slavery Group asked our supporters to help fund an aid mission to Sudan in April and May. Thanks to hundreds of generous responses, we were able to contribute nearly $10,000 to this latest slave liberation and humanitarian aid mission conducted by our partner organization, Christian Solidarity International.

The aid team liberated 250 slaves – Dinka men and boys – from their masters in Northern Sudan and provided them with essential services and supplies to begin life anew as free people. AASG Board Member and CSI President John Eibner led the mission, and AASG Speaking Associate and slavery survivor Simon Deng met with the freed slaves and assisted in documenting their experiences.

The report from that trip can be found at: http://www.iabolish.com/apr07_tr/trip_report-1.html

This month CSI President and AASG board member John Eibner will return to Sudan to lead a relief mission. In addition to securing the freedom of 200 slaves, we plan to deliver 2,100 survivor kits and organize the provision and planting of seed.

Planting must take place before the rainy season ends in September. Doing so will mean providing a sustainable food source for thousands of displaced Darfuris and South Sudanese.

A $54 donation can free a slave or a $90 donation can both free a slave and provide a survivor kit to meet his or her needs. Today, an estimated 12,000 South Sudanese are being held in bondage. Our work will not be finished until each of them is free. Please consider this very worthy cause. You may donate by visiting our secure site at: https://secure.ga0.org/02/free_slaves

Thanks in advance for your generosity!

In freedom,
AASG

Human Trafficking Case Discovered in Indiana

2007-06-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

Rolando Gomez and Roberto Can were pulled over Wednesday night at mile marker 73 on I-70 in Indiana. Five females were among the 10 other passengers in the van, including several who were underage.

"As long as you can keep them in the dark and keep them scared that is more control you have over them," said Lt. Sheperd.

The full story can be read here.

CNN, 2007 Trafficking Report

2007-06-14T10:42:00.000-05:00

Two Bostonians Plead Guilty to Sex Trafficking

2007-06-14T09:11:00.000-05:00

Two Brazilian nationals living in the US pleaded guilty to charges related to the sex trafficking of 11 women between 2004 and 2006. Vanessa Guedes Lopes, 25, and Raphael Eller Mello, 27, forced the 11 women to have sex with johns after advertising them on a website as "escorts".

“Trafficking has been around a long time. Because of issues with immigration, we can no longer not address it,” states Sgt. Detective Kelley O’Connell, a member of the Boston Police Department’s trafficking task force. The task force has busted 10 human trafficking operations since it was established in 2005.

The full story can be read here.

Human Trafficking Target of New Legislation

2007-06-14T09:02:00.000-05:00

A new anti-human trafficking bill in Michigan is entering the legislature. The bill will mirror the existing federal human trafficking law and will allow the government to seize more of convicted human traffickers' assets and provide more restitution for victims.

"Human trafficking is slavery, plain and simple," states Rep. Dudley Spade, one of the bill's sponsors.

The full story can be read here.

Congress Using Olympics to Pressure China on Sudan

2007-06-14T08:53:00.000-05:00

The US House of Representatives is urging China to divest from Sudan, saying they will use the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing as leverage. Members of a foreign affairs subcommittee testified that China's influence could bring an end to the war in Sudan.

Daoud Hari, an Olympic athlete and refugee from Sudan says, "I remember seeing how the Janjaweed killed the villagers. In one case, they dismembered the family bodies and put them in the village well to poison the water resources for the area."

Jill Savitt, leader of the campaign Olympic Dream for Darfur says it this way: "If there are ways members of Congress and members of this subcommittee can approach the Olympic sponsors, can approach the International Olympic Committee and say that they do not want the Olympics tarnished by genocide, that the Olympics host can not be complicit in an ongoing genocide."

Beijing has allegedly appointed a special envoy to Sudan and is making"unremitting efforts" to find a solution.

The full article can be read here.

Cape Cod Woman Fights Human Trafficking With Crafts

2007-06-13T15:06:00.000-05:00

On May 15 a Cape Cod woman opened Emancipation Imports, a store that sells crafts by former slaves and women and children at high risk to be sold into slavery. The story buys crafts from India, Nepal, Cambodia, Africa, Russia and Serbia to provide women and girls with an income to allow them to become self-sufficient.

"It's empowerment," said Symons.

Read the full story here.

Seven Nations Added to State Department's Human Trafficking Blacklist

2007-06-13T14:54:00.000-05:00

Seven nations have been added to the US State Department's human trafficking blacklist for allegedly not doing enough to end human trafficking. The new additions to the tiered report are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Malaysia.

This brings the total number blacklisted to 16. Returning nations include Myanmar (Burma), Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Syria.

Read the TIME story here or the complete State Department report here.

Woman Pleads Guilty to Human Trafficking Related Charges

2007-06-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Olga Mondragon pleaded guilty today to charges related to her role in a human trafficking operation. She was convicted on a total of 13 counts after she and 7 co-defendants attempted to smuggle women and children from Central America into Houston to work in conditions of debt bondage. The trafficking ring threatened the women if they attempted to leave before they paid off their alleged debts.

"This insidious crime is nothing more than thinly-cloaked modern day slavery. Seven defendants have been held accountable for these crimes and should serve as a warning to any who are engaged in this form of human trafficking and oppression," said U.S. Attorney DeGabrielle.

Sentencing is set for September 24.

Read the full story here.

Justice Served in Oregon Sex Trafficking Case

2007-06-11T09:07:00.000-05:00

Vance Jay Roberts has been found guilty on 27 charges relating to the sexual trafficking of two women just outside of Portland, Oregon. New evidence was brought forth during this 90 minute trial, including books entitled "The White Slaver," "Raped and Abandoned," "The Raped School Girl" and "The Unwilling Model".

Sentencing is to occur in August.

Embassy Builders in Iraq Accused of Human Trafficking

2007-06-08T08:48:00.000-05:00

"The Department of Justice is investigating whether or not a Kuwaiti construction firm contracted to build the US Embassy in Iraq has carried out human trafficking with its laborers, according to a report in Thursday's Wall Street Journal.

'The Department of Justice launched the probe of First Kuwaiti General Trading & Contracting Co. after former employees alleged that workers at the company were told they were being sent to Dubai, only to wind up in Iraq instead... First Kuwaiti confiscated the workers' passports, so they were unable to depart Baghdad, these people said,' wrote Yochi J. Dreazen.

Iraqis were not hired by First Kuwaiti for the $592 million project out of fear that they could compromise the project's security."

The full story can be read here.

Fifth Graders Hold Car Wash to Raise Money to Rescue Slaves in Sudan, Africa

2007-06-07T09:21:00.000-05:00

WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA, May 22, 2007 – Fifth graders at Coburn School have been studying racism since the end of February. Some of what they’ve learned would surprise you. For example, slavery still exists. “I thought it was done. I thought it was back then,” says Austin Lyne, one of the students. So the students thought of an idea to help.

They are holding a car wash Friday, June 8^th, at Coburn School on Southworth Street. The time they are holding it is from 10:00am to 1:00pm. “Even my mom can make it to the car wash. It’s her lunch break,” says Miranda Lavender, another student. For a regular car it’s $4.00, for a larger car or truck it’s $5.00, and for a really dirty car it’s $6.00. They will also have a donation box so you can donate money without getting your car washed.

All of this washing has a purpose – they’re donating 100% of the proceeds to the American Anti-Slavery Group (www.iabolish.com), a group that purchases slaves from their owners in Sudan, Africa and then returns them back to their families. Buying a slave’s freedom costs about $50. “For less than a Friday family night at the movies, we can free a slave for life,” explains Sara Palmer, their fifth grade teacher. “When the students heard how horrible slavery is, and how many slaves there are in Northern Sudan, they couldn’t wait to make a difference.”

Here’s how the fifth graders describe slavery: to be a slave, imagine if you were taken away from your family and friends. Your captors give you a little food every day. They bring you to a place and sell you to a person and he makes you work. You work every day, in hot weather; you work without water, and if you do something wrong, he punishes you or hits you. Slaves are not treated like people, not even pets, because you care for pets. Slaves are nothing. Slaves are objects.

Donations are also accepted before June 8^th. Please send your donation to:

Room 21 Racism Group

115 Southworth Street

West Springfield, MA 01089

These West Springfield students know they’ll affect children they’ll never meet face to face. But they don’t need a thank you. Victor Sinigur says it best. “Please come. We can help the slaves.”

Contact: Ms. Sara Palmer, 413-263-3318 or spalmer@wsps.org

Governor of New York Signs Anti-Trafficking Bill

2007-06-07T09:10:00.000-05:00

Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York has signed an anti-trafficking bill into law. The law makes labor trafficking a class D felony and sex trafficking a class B felony, eligible for up to seven and up to twenty-five years in prison respectively.

The law also helps trafficking victims to obtain visas in the U.S. and refugee assistance

“Human trafficking is modern day slavery and among the most repugnant crimes. We have given law enforcement the ability to adequately prosecute perpetrators, and have provided meaningful assistance for the unfortunate victims of these egregious crimes," said Governor Spitzer.

The U.S. State Department estimates that 20,000 people, the vast majority of which are women and children, are trafficked into the U.S. for slavery purposes.

For more on this story, click here and here.

Couple in Long Island Slavery Case Change Lawyers; Still No Bail

2007-06-07T08:51:00.000-05:00

Thomas Platt, the judge in the high-profile Long Island Slavery case, has said that before he would issue a ruling that the couples' attorneys would have to respond in writing to recently issued government court papers. Prosecutors have objected to the Sabhnanis being released because of their risk of running away and committing further crimes.

The couple has also fired their lawyers and have hired new lawyers for the trial. The former attorney's detention plan for the couple was to turn the couple's house into a prison with three guards posted around the house, which would cost around $15,000 a day.

The couple will now have to wait until at least Monday until a federal judge could potentially release them on bail to home detention.

Satellite Images Show Devastation in Darfur

2007-06-06T11:52:00.000-05:00

Amnesty International launched a new website called Eyes on Darfur, focusing on the atrocities going on in Sudan and parts of Chad. The site shows before and after high-quality satellite images of different areas that have been attacked and gruesome pictures of the aftermath if you go to the photo tab. Particularly terrifying pictures are seen from the Um Sidir area.

Visit Amnesty's Darfur site here and click on "satellite evidence" for those images.

Update in Oregon Sex Slave Case

2007-06-06T09:39:00.000-05:00

A jury unanimously convicted Vance Roberts of eight counts of first-degree kidnap, six counts of first-degree rape, four counts of first-degree sodomy, three counts of first-degree sexual abuse, two counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object, and one count of possession of marijuana.

Roberts still contends that everything was consensual, but authorities say that the women were forced to participate in abusive and demeaning sexual activities for several days at a time.

Washington County senior deputy district attorney Jeff Lesowski says that it is likely that Roberts will receive life in prison. Sentencing is to take place August 3.

Roberts' half-brother, Paul Jackson, who was a participant in this scandal, is still at large.

That story can be found here and here.

Simon Deng of AASG Interviewed on Fox News

2007-06-06T08:56:00.000-05:00

Georgia Funds to Jump Start Centers for Prostituted Girls

2007-06-04T10:59:00.000-05:00

"To help young girls who have been prostituted, Georgia lawmakers have earmarked $140,000 —- far less than advocates wanted.

Few places exist to help sexually exploited kids, even though authorities call metro Atlanta a major hub for child prostitution.

Many prostituted girls end up locked in youth detention centers or back on the streets. One option is Angela's House, a group home in rural Fulton County, that the Juvenile Justice Fund owns. But the house has room for only six girls at a time, and they stay for up to six months. In five years, more than 90 girls, some as young as 11, have come to Angela's House for help. Some were runaways lured into prostitution, some were kidnapped and forced into prostitution, some were homeless and desperate.

'This is not something a 10-, 11- or 12-year-old can get over in a week or two,' [Sen. Vincent] Fort said. 'They need services, ongoing services.'

Next year, the Juvenile Justice Fund will seek $700,000 from the General Assembly again."

To read the complete story, click here.

Darfuri-led advocacy group comments on announcement of sanctions against Sudan

2007-06-01T14:21:00.000-05:00

The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy, an advocacy organization founded by Darfuri refugees and led by AASG Speaking Associate Mohamed Yahya, released a statement yesterday in response to President Bush’s announcement of new trade sanctions against Sudan.

Damanga’s statement on the new sanctions is below. As part of the Darfuri community, Damanga is a crucial voice on this issue.

To set up an interview with Mohamed, or to invite him to speak in your community, contact the American Anti-Slavery Group: 1-800-884-0719 or visit www.iabolish.org.

***

President Bush Announces Sanctions Against Government of Sudan

Darfuri advocacy organization commends steps taken; emphasizes need for stronger action

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy welcomes news steps taken this week by President Bush to put pressure on the government of Sudan to stop the violence in Darfur.

According to the International Herald Tribune and other major newspapers, in a speech on May 29, President Bush reiterated the U.S. view that the atrocities in Darfur constitute genocide. He announced stiffer economic sanctions against Sudan. He also urged the international community, especially the United Nations, to impose additional sanctions against Sudan.

President Bush was highly critical of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, saying, "President Bashir's actions over the past few weeks follow a long pattern of promising cooperation while finding new methods for obstruction."

Adding to existing sanctions against about 100 Sudanese companies, President Bush has imposed sanctions on an additional 31 companies and against several individuals accused of war crimes. It is a crime for any U.S. company or individual to knowingly do business with any of these companies. The President’s new measures also include directing Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to work more intensively with Great Britain and other allies to impose broad international sanctions.

Currently, economic sanctions are opposed by China, Russia, and South Africa. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has decided to pursue a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Darfur. President Bush said in his speech that he has agreed to allow those diplomatic efforts to continue. However, he also warned, "The time for promises is over—President Bashir must act."

Damanga thanks President Bush on behalf of Darfur people for his serious initiative. Damanga pledges to work with the President and all Americans, as well as the rest of the world, to stop the genocide. But we emphasize that more must be done.

Damanga believes that U.N. peacekeepers must be deployed immediately to Darfur in order to make peace a reality. The international community must also help refugees return home and rebuild their destroyed villages. Damanga believes that security will not be fully provided without a hybrid U.N. and African Union peacekeeping force numbering over 27,000. Damanga urges the U.S. to take leadership of those troops. We also urge the whole international community to fully cooperate with the U.S., the U.N., and the European Union to stop the genocide now.

Any delays will certainly cost more lives in Darfur and will undermine the credibility of the entire international community. Action is a question of conscience and moral obligation. Stronger steps must be taken now.

Sex Slave Trial Gets Under Way in Oregon

2007-06-01T08:46:00.000-05:00

A man accused of kidnapping two teenage girls and holding them as sex slaves was in court on Thursday, where he heard testimony from the alleged victims that included detailed descriptions about the horror they said they went through.

In court on Thursday, Roberts listened as the two women who said they were victimized told their stories. One said she was held hostage and raped for a week and the other said she dove through a window to escape. Both said they thought they would die.

'There was no way to escape,' one of the women testified. 'I was in some form of bondage at all times, meaning a chain around my waist or handcuffed at my wrists or my ankles.'

On at least two dates, once in 1988 and once in 1990, Roberts cruised the streets of Portland in his "beater" Datsun pickup looking for hookers. Once a deal was struck, he would drive the women to a remote location. At that point, Jackson would emerge from the covered bed of the pickup and the women would be forced into the back. They were chained to a U-bolt, hooded with a pillowcase and driven to the Hillsboro home. While Jackson drove, the women said Roberts would repeatedly sodomize them.

Things only got worse when they arrived at the home, Lesowski said. The women were chained up in a partially sound-proofed storage room off the master bedroom. Along with repeated rapes, the women were forcibly sodomized with sex toys and other objects and photographed wearing diapers and performing sex acts."

To read the complete story, click here and here.

Three Women Arrested in San Antonio Human Trafficking Case

2007-06-01T08:38:00.000-05:00

Three San Antonio women have been arrested on charges of human trafficking. The women are accused of smuggling in young girls from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico to be prostitutes in San Antonio and could face between 10 years and life in prison if convicted. The three women are the first to be tried under the Trafficking in Victims Protection Act of 2000.

The victims were promised $600 each to accompany men on business trips and were told that no inappropriate behavior would be involved. Instead, however, they were prepared to serve men as prostitutes and threatened that if they tried to run away that they and their families would be killed.

Of the incident, one of the girls says, "At the house, we were to attend to customers there, dance, disrobe, and have sexual relations with the customers."

According to the Justice Department, federal prosecutors handled 555 cases involving human trafficking between 2001 and 2005, 129 involving the sex trafficking of children.

For more on this story, click here and here.

Detroit Couple Sentenced to Prison for Slavery Charges

2007-05-31T14:05:00.000-05:00

A Cameroonian couple living in the US was sentenced to prison for bringing a young girl, 14 at the time, to the United States and holding her in slavery. Joseph Djoumessi was sentenced to 17 years in prison and his wife, Evelyn was sentenced to 5 years and the couple was ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution to the west African girl after more than three years of enslavement in their Michigan home.

The victim was forced to do chores and care for the couple’s children without pay and testified that she had been beaten with a belt, a spoon, and a shoe in order to force her to complete the tasks. Additionally, Joseph Djoumessi was found to have sexually abused the young girl.

“Today’s sentence gives fair warning to all human traffickers and any others who would ever seek to force an innocent teenager to become the equivalent of a personal slave: you will pay a steep price for your crime,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy for the Eastern District of Michigan.

To read the complete story, click here.

Major Human Trafficking Ring Busted in the UK

2007-05-31T13:52:00.000-05:00

"Police in Lancashire are celebrating after smashing a major people trafficking ring near Preston.

Last week, seven people from the Czech Republic were sentenced for a total of more than 20 years in jail following the police operation which started when a woman from the Czech Republic told police she had been raped at a restaurant in Samlesbury in February last year.

All seven, who lived in the Manchester or Leeds area, were found guilty of a variety of people trafficking and controlling prostitution charges."

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Committee on the Rights of the Child Examines Report of Sudan on Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography

2007-05-30T10:35:00.001-05:00

Joyce Aluoch, serving as Rapporteur for a report on Sudan by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, says that things are looking bright for Sudan and that the country is set to put in new laws to better protect Sudanese children. Still today, however, it is estimated that at least 12,000 people are still being held in slavery in northern Sudan, many of whom are children.

The Committee has begun to review a report compiled by Sudan in regards to that country’s implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which addresses child prostitution, the sale of children, and child pornography.

According to Sami Abd Eldaim Yassin, the State Minister with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Women and Child Affairs of Sudan, a draft bill is now being presented to Parliament in order to synchronize existing domestic laws on children with those outlined in the Optional Protocols. This bill includes:

The establishment of a special children's protection unit within the military
An action plan on violence against children
The creation of a group in conjunction with the UN, the African Union, and several NGOs specializing in the protecting children from sexual abuse in conflict areas

With these new measures, however, experts on the Committee were still inclined to ask why laws have not specifically prohibited the sale of children, what was being done to end the abduction of children from villages, whether there was a court capable of prosecuting crimes as outlined in the Protocol, and what was being done to end child slavery in Sudan.

Two Sudanese non-governmental organizations responded by saying that many child slaves had been bought back by groups such as Christian Solidarity International and Save the Children and that another unspecified program had been put in place to return abducted women and children. The government in Southern Sudan, however, has stopped Save the Children from buying back children.

Currently, Sudan is signed on to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Optional Protocols, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Four Geneva Conventions.

To read the entire article, click here.

Bush to Tighten Fiscal Penalties Against Sudan

2007-05-29T15:16:00.001-05:00

President Bush is to announce new measures Tuesday against the Sudan. These actions come after Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s refusal to allow U.N. peacekeepers into the country, fulfilling a threat made by the President nearly six weeks prior. The Bush Administration is calling for:

Stricter enforcement of present sanctions
The addition of 31 other companies
Imposing sanctions on a rebel leader and two senior officials
Introducing a United Nations resolution to ban the sale of arms to Sudan and to bar military flights in Darfur.

These measures are the administration’s response to the estimated 200,000 killed and 2.5 million displaced in the western Sudanese area of Darfur and amid pressure from human rights advocates, some of whom are religious conservatives who align themselves with the Bush administration.

For more information on this story, click here.

Desperate Iraqi Refugees Turn to Sex Trade in Syria

2007-05-29T15:15:00.001-05:00

Thousands of Iraqi refugee women and girls are being forced into the sex trade in Syria. Because of its policy of open borders for citizens of other Arab countries, Syria has had an influx of roughly 1.2 million Iraqis seeking shelter within the country. Many women find themselves in a situation as first time workers in a country where unemployment is very high and find prostitution to be their only option. Some others are tricked into prostitution, including girls barely in their teens. An official from the U.N. refugee agency in Syria has expressed concern that young girls are being smuggled into the country in order to participate in Syria’s sex trade. It is estimated that 70 to 80 percent of prostitutes are Iraqi women. Mouna Asaad, a women’s rights lawyer in Syria, says, however, that prostitution isn't the only major problem the country is facing right now.

“Our schools are overcrowded, and the prices of services, food and transportation have all risen. We don’t have the proper infrastructure to deal with this. We don’t have shelters or health centers that these women can go to,” Asaad says.

For more information on this story, click here.

Press Release from Governor Spitzer on New York's anti-trafficking legislation

2007-05-18T12:19:00.001-05:00

State of New York
For Immediate Release:
Executive Chamber
May 16, 2007
Eliot Spitzer, Governor

Agreement Reached on Anti-Human Trafficking Legislation

Governor Eliot Spitzer, Lieutenant Governor David Paterson and legislative leaders today announced an agreement on legislation that will combat the trafficking of human beings. The legislation makes Sex Trafficking and Labor Trafficking felony-level crimes and provides access to state social services for trafficking victims.

The United States Department of State has estimated that between 18,000 and 20,000 people are trafficked into the United States each year for forcedlabor, involuntary domestic servitude, or sexual exploitation. New York is known to be a frequent port of entry for such activity. Trafficking also originates domestically, and both types of trafficking frequently involve children.

To fight these forms of modern-day slavery, New York now joins the federal government and 24 other states that have enacted anti-human trafficking legislation. Under the legislation, traffickers who advance or profit from prostitution activity by compelling, inducing, deceiving or forcing their victims into prostitution activity can be convicted of the class B felony of Sex Trafficking. Traffickers who exploit workers using similar types of coercive activity can be convicted of the class D felony of Labor Trafficking.

Under the new legislation, victims of trafficking who are not otherwise eligible for social services, either because they are not United States citizens or because they are foreign nationals who have not yet been certified as eligible for federal assistance programs, can now receive social service assistance from the state. These services include case management, emergency temporary housing, health and mental health care, drug addiction screening and treatment, language and translation services, and job training. They also include coordination with the federal government to obtain special visas that allow the victims in the United States to testify against the traffickers, eventually becoming eligible for refugee status.

The new legislation also provides for the following:

Creation of an interagency task force to coordinate implementation of the new law, collect data on trafficking, and recommend best practices for training and community outreach to help law enforcement, social service providers, prosecutors, defense attorneys and the general public to recognize trafficking situations. The Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) has already begun training for prosecutors and law enforcement agencies.
Clarifying in statute that knowingly selling travel-related services to facilitate prostitution - a business known as "prostitution tourism"- is the class D felony of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree.
Suppressing the demand for prostitution by elevating the lowest-level patronizing a prostitute crime from a B to an A misdemeanor.

"Updating and enhancing our human-trafficking laws to adequately punish the perpetrators of these unspeakable crimes and sufficiently support victims is critically important," said Governor Spitzer. "New York is finally joining the ranks of other states in ensuring that those who exploit
innocent people and children and cause extreme suffering are subject to strict punishment under state law."

Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson said: "This legislation does more than protect victims and punish perpetrators. This law sends a clear message to those who suffer this form of modern-day slavery: you are not at fault, you can start over, and you are not alone. Empowering victims by providing access to services for which they might otherwise be ineligible gives them a real chance to overcome their hardship."

Speaker Sheldon Silver said: "Human trafficking is an international scourge that defies human decency. As a society, we are all diminished when human suffering goes unchecked. This agreement sends a crystal, clear message to those who prey upon the innocent: this abhorrent, criminal behavior simply will not be tolerated in New York State. I commend the determined efforts of Assembly Codes Committee Chair Joseph Lentol, bill sponsor Jeffrey Dinowitz and Assembly member Amy Paulin in bringing this agreement to fruition. The Assembly expects to move swiftly to ensure this bill becomes law so that victims are protected and criminals receive harsh punishment."

Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno said: "Human trafficking is nothing more than modern-day slavery. The Senate has passed human trafficking legislation unanimously for three years in a row. This legislation will punish the despicable people who engage in human trafficking and provide assistance and support to the victims. I congratulate Senator Frank Padavan who has championed this issue for five years for his work in reaching this agreement."

Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith said: "The agreement we've reached will not only increase penalties for those who commit the heinous crime of human trafficking, but will also help the victims, who often have no where to go and no one to turn to when they have been rescued. This measure will give them an opportunity to rebuild their lives and regain their dignity."

Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco said: "This is a good law. Unfortunately this sick practice does exist in the shadows and dark corners of some places in New York. It needs to be exposed. Those responsible need to be severely punished and victims need to be protected and rehabilitated."

Michael E. Bongiorno, Rockland County District Attorney said: "I am glad that the New York State District Attorneys Association was able to work with Governor Spitzer, the state legislature and victim advocate organizations to draft human trafficking legislation. It may be difficult for the average citizen to comprehend, but even in this day and age there are people who are forced into prostitution or labor servitude. This law will provide law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to successfully investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases."

Executive Director of Equality Now Taina Bien-Aimé said: "Equality Now and the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition are delighted to learn that New York State is soon to adopt a strong anti-trafficking law. This bill would not have been possible without the extraordinary leadership of Governor Eliot Spitzer and his deeply dedicated staff, as well as the vision and commitment of Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. Among other provisions, the New York State bill comprehensively addresses the prosecution of traffickers and the protection of its victims, elements that will make it a model law and the strongest state anti-trafficking legislation in the Nation."

Chairperson of the Downstate Coalition for Crime Victims Susan Xenarios said: "The Downstate Coalition for Crime Victims supports comprehensive NYS human anti-trafficking legislation which not only criminalizes this heinous act but also addresses the services needed for victims and the training needed for law enforcement and service providers. This bill is the culmination of the collaborative efforts of criminal justice, law enforcement and victim rights organizations in NYS. We applaud the
> Governor
> and the state legislature for respecting the urgency and moving
> quickly on
> this bill."

Deng Returns from Sudan, Fight Against Slavery Continues

2007-05-18T10:22:00.000-05:00

This is coverage of an exclusive interview with Simon Deng, a former slave in Sudan and a speaking associate with the American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG).

Deng, who has made it his goal to fight for the end of the practice of slavery, recently returned home from a trip to Sudan. Working with Christian Solidarity International, the partner organization to the AASG, Deng helped from 250 more children from Arab slave holders in the north.

The article offers an introduction to the background and history of slavery, as well as insight into what Deng struggles with in his fight to end it.

Read the full article here.

Anti-human Trafficking Legislation Still Pending

2007-05-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

Gloria Steinem, renowned women's rights activist and author of the forward to Enslaved, is leading a fight to pass anti-human trafficking legislation in the New York State Assembly.

Steinem urges constituents to become active and vocal for the cause. "We must have this legislation. It is completely inadequate to arm our prosecutors only with current laws against sexual assault or kidnapping."

New York State is a major entry point and destination for human trafficking. Twenty-nine other states have laws against the practice.

Read more here!

"It happens here, too"

2007-05-17T13:00:00.000-05:00

"The conduct the defendants committed is monstrous," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Demetri Jones. "It's truly a case of modern-day slavery,"

and it happened right here in the United States. Varsha Mahender Sabhnani and her husband, Mahender Murliddhar Sabhnani were accused of enslaving two women from Southeast Asia at their million-dollar estate in a quiet, exclusive suburb of Long Island.

The women were forced to work in the home, with little or no monetary compensation, and were not allowed to leave. Varsha allegedly beat and tortured them frequently, with demands to run up and down stairs for extended lengths of time, take thirty or more cold showers in a row, and eat up to 25 hot chili peppers at once. She was also accused of beating them with objects like broomsticks, and even pouring scalding hot water on one of the women.

Police found one of the escaped slaves wandering around in front of Dunkin Donuts at 6am on Sunday. She led police to the house, where they found the other enslaved woman hidden in a closet. The Sabhnani couple was arraigned yesterday, a trial will follow.

Read the whole article here.

AASG Freedom Festival

2007-04-27T09:19:00.000-05:00

The American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG) held a rally in the Boston Common Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM to promote awareness of slavery and human trafficking throughout the world.

Founded in 1994 in Boston MA, the non-profit organization set up their event around the Parkman Bandstand to attract passersby on Saturday. The event included live music, free food and drinks, face painting and balloon animals for children, and stands with information, books and merchandise, and featured special guest speakers.

Beatrice Fernando, a woman from Sri Lanka who escaped slavery, spoke to the audience, urging them to use their birth given freedom to help free those less fortunate.

"When you are trapped in slavery, you are not just trapped physically, you are trapped emotionally, mentally and spiritually," Fernando said.

She spoke of her enslavement in Lebanon as a housemaid, saying, "As a house maid I was beaten, stabbed and kept in the house against my own will."

Abdarahmane Wone from Mauratania in West Africa, who joined AASG in 2003, said, "Raising awareness about slavery outside the United States is difficult, but I think [today] the message was sent."

"In countries such as Sudan and Mauritania there are people who own other people," Wone said. "It still exists and I think that people who are interested by this topic will know about it."

Kate Donnelly, a junior at Emerson and the director for the days events, reflected positively on the demonstration. "I think the Freedom Festival was a success. Abda Wone kept reminding me that if we touch one person, we have been successful. I completely agree with him," Donnelly said.

"The bottom line is to spread awareness, educate people, and hope that they will become a part of the abolitionist movement," Donnelly said.

According to AASG, today approximately 27 million people all over the world are enslaved in one way or another, often in the form of chattel slavery, debt bondage, and sex slavery. As many as 17000 victims are trafficked into the US each year, the CIA estimates.

Chattel slavery resembles the type prevalent in America prior to the establishment of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Debt bondage constitutes slavery where one offers him or herself or a child into slavery as collateral for a loan. Oftentimes inflated interest makes paying the debt off nearly impossible. AASG claims this is the most common type of human slavery in the world.

Women and children are often the victims of sex slavery, where many of the victims are sold by male family members or are simply abducted and forced to work as personal slaves or in brothels.

AASG uses donations to support direct aid funds centrally in Sudan and Mauritania, its focus areas. Donations also go towards funds for advocacy and activism as well as awareness campaigns, rallies and demonstrations in public and private locations.

AASG states that it has helped free over 80000 slaves since its inception in 1994.

by Benjamin Buday
Student Journalist

1st AASG College Chapter Started at Emerson College

2007-04-04T13:38:00.000-05:00

According to JSONS: The first campus chapter of the American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG) was recently formed at Emerson College, and held its initial meeting Wednesday night.

The AASG is a Boston based non-profit organization that works to eliminate slavery worldwide. Emerson's chapter will work to raise funds and support at Emerson and in the Boston community for the parent organization.

Emerson junior Kate Donnelly, founder and president of the Emerson chapter, has worked as an intern for the AASG for almost a year. Through her involvement there, she found that no campus chapters existed, and thought Emerson would be the perfect place to form the first one.

"Emerson seems to be pretty involved in social advocacy in many issues, and I thought this was an important issue to bring into Emerson," she said.

The chapter, which has about 10 members so far, is not recognized by the Student Government Association (SGA) as an official Emerson organization because the chapter is affiliated with a non-profit group outside of Emerson. Instead, the Emerson chapter will be incorporated into Imagine Students Reaching Out, an Emerson club dedicated to promoting community service among students. Funds for the Emerson chapter will also come from Imagine's budget.

Donnelly said the organization will aim to raise awareness that slavery did not simply vanish in the 1800s, even in the United States. The CIA estimates that as many as 17,000 slaves are trafficked into the U.S. every year, with many sold into sexual or debt slavery..."I think people will listen to what we have to say at Emerson," Donnelly said. "It's just a matter of having someone to say it."

To read the full article click here.

From Memory to Action

2007-04-04T09:02:00.000-05:00

One of the ways to work towards ending slavery is to raise awareness of it! This blog, committed to the discussion of genocide and human rights abuses, includes the work of Jeanne Segil, a sophomore at Pomona College. Her article, titled, "Slavery Still Continues Today", highlights the struggles of former slave victims, such as Francis Bok. It also delves into the issue of genocide in Darfur. Read the article and other blog entries here.

Cambodia's Sex Industry

2007-03-26T10:44:00.000-05:00

Cambodia's sex slave industry traps 50,000 to 100,000 women and children into a brutal life of forced prostitution. An estimated 30 percent of the sex workers in Phnom Penh (Cambodia's capital) are under the age of 18. CNN is currently running two stories to call attention to this chilling issue. The first article is from an Anderson Cooper blog featuring Somaly Mam, a former child sex slave who now runs a network to rescue children who have been sold into the same torture. This article can be viewed here. The second article is focused on Somaly and one of the children she rescued, 6 year old Srey who was sold to a brothel by her parents at the age of 5. To read the full text, click here. These stories are important testimonies to the need for awareness and action on this issue.

For those of you who would like more information on this issue, this is the link is to the home page of Acting for Women in Distressing Situations (AFESIP), an organization focused on combating the trafficking of women and children into sex slavery in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

Interview with AASG Associate, Beatrice Fernando

2007-03-26T09:45:00.000-05:00

Beatrice Fernando is featured in an interview for Vision magazine, talking about her experiences since escaping slavery. There are some really inspiring messages in this interview, and the whole article can be viewed here.

excerpt:

"No one should be treated like a “nobody.” There needs to be a law that no human being can be traded like an animal...What happened to me was not an unfortunate accident. It was a crime against humanity. Human trafficking has become one of the largest crimes in the world. It is our duty to come together to rise against it, to put an end to this dehumanizing trait. This is not one man or woman’s fight. Don’t blame the world for this, you are the world. If you want to change the world you have to take the steps."

- Beatrice Fernando

BBC Creates Comprehensive Website on Modern Slavery

2007-03-23T11:33:00.000-05:00

“It is slavery of the worst kind. They have total power over you; they get you to do anything they want.” -Dalyn, former sex slave, interviewed by BBC News

BBC News has created a page with information, pictures, and stories modern day slavery. It features facts and figures, narratives from slaves from around the world, interviews, and articles. There are also several photo journals depicting victims of slavery. This is a excellent site, with so much to see and learn!

We encourage you to visit the website!