I am pleased to post this bulletin from my friends at the Project Meridian Foundation, who are involved in the rescue and counseling of victims of child sexual exploitation. It is an organization you might consider contributing to (their website is linked on this blog.) Their goal is to build safe houses, where victims can receive shelter, protection and preliminary care before going on to longer-term care.
“Combating Human Trafficking of Children and Young Women”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESaturday January 9th, 2010 CONTACT: Nathan Wilson
contact.us@projectmeridianfoundation.org
Monday January 11, 2010 “Domestic Human Trafficking Awareness Day”
Monday January 11, 2010 is the third Anniversary day of observance of “Domestic Human Trafficking Awareness Day”. Amidst the rampant media coverage this past week of “news” such as the now-ubiquitous Healthcare Bills and how we can secure our airports, many Americans may have failed to notice one underreported story involving American children who were actually in mortal peril. During the last quarter of 2009, a nation-wide, FBI led sting operation titled Operation Cross-Country IV netted 691 suspects who were indicted on charges related to child prostitution. Fifty-two children, the youngest reportedly being 10 years old, were freed as a result of this operation. Enforcement actions took place in 36 cities; in Miami alone, 85 individuals were apprehended. Despite the scope and severity of this sting operation, from the minimal amount of media attention it received, one would think the FBI had busted a pirated video game ring. This gross negligence of the media to address the startling results of this operation demonstrates our general obliviousness as a society towards the expansive threat of Human and Sex Trafficking. Human Trafficking is the transportation of human beings as goods, or the illegal dealing and trading of Human beings, most often for purposes of sexual exploitation or forced labor. Such unawareness, partnered with misconceptions, has enabled Human Trafficking to proliferate largely unchecked. CEO and founder of Project Meridian Foundation Nathan Wilson states, “Almost invariably, when I inform someone of my line of work, I am asked if Human Trafficking is actually that big of a deal in the United States. Well, you would never know from the scant attention which Operation Cross Country IV received, but its results clearly indicate that yes, yes it is. ” Human and Sex Trafficking is not an isolated phenomenon; it is an enormously substantial issue. Sex Trafficking of children and young women makes up almost 80% of Human Trafficking; and labor Trafficking is a much lower percentage.
What is transpiring behind our backs is nothing less than a systemic corruption of our youth and our society. This problem goes beyond isolated incidents of sexual exploitation. Sex Trafficking has become a viable criminal enterprise which has proliferated within our borders; and most Americans are oblivious to the gravity of the situation. Human Trafficking is not merely “modern-day slavery,” as it is so frequently, and arbitrarily, termed, but it is a pivotal player in a wider, intricate web of corruption. Human Trafficking, along with weapons and drugs, comprises the three largest sources of funding for worldwide terrorism. Likewise, organized crime and gangs rely on Sex Trafficking just as much as arms and drugs to keep their illicit operations going. Furthermore, the expansion of Human Trafficking networks, often for purposes of sexual exploitation, vastly increases the chances of spreading HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. As long as we refuse to acknowledge the scope of – or stay oblivious to -the extent of Human and Sex Trafficking, we allow its criminal corollaries to spread and further threaten our national security at a time in which our safety is paramount.
Furthermore, while these 52 children have been rescued from this atrocity, their futures are still hazy. At the moment, there are no sufficient safe havens for victims of Sex Trafficking to receive the proper and secure conditions for rehabilitation. This is a vital point of concern. Most of those involved in the sex trade, despite what Hollywood might depict, are not hard-on-their-luck women looking to make some money to raise a family. Most are young children and young women forced into this inhumane ring of degradation against their will, and remain there under the constant threat of violence. As such, there are significant dangers in rehabilitating Trafficking victims within city limits, where they can be susceptible to the reaches of organized crime and gangs or vulnerable to running away from their new shelters. This is a critical issue which Project Meridian Foundation (PMF) is ardently working to address. PMF is actively advocating for the establishment of safehouses far outside of city limits, where victims of Trafficking can be recuperated with the proper health and psychiatric care, education, and vocational training. Despite our passionate efforts, we have much work to do before this vision can be realized. Because Congress has failed to appropriate money to establish safehouses for victims of Human Trafficking, we are looking for concerned individuals who share our goals and our passion for justice and Human Rights. If you are interested in learning more about Project Meridian Foundation and our work, or just educating yourself about Human Trafficking, please go to our website at www.projectmeridianfoundation.org or call us at (202)257-0987. Even acknowledging this threat is helping to combat it. Don’t wait until it affects you or someone in your life to recognize it.
About Project Meridian Foundation
Project Meridian Foundation (PMF) works to assist International, Federal, State, and Local law enforcement agencies by offering education and awareness training so they may identify and recover victims of human and sex trafficking. PMF strives to bring awareness to the most vulnerable youth in the United States between the ages of 11 and 17, as well as educating University students; and provides our country’s leaders, civic groups and other organizations with factual and relevant information empowering them to take action against human and sex trafficking. Project Meridian Foundation is preparing for the launch of Operation Safe House; an initiative to provide the victims of human and sex trafficking with shelter, healthcare, education, and vocational training so they can resume a normal life. Project Meridian Foundation is a tax deductible 501(c) (3) Organization with Federal Tax identification number EIN # 20-5052942.www.projectmeridianfoundation.org
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