Alicia Keys: Against Our Will: Poetry From Survivors of Human Trafficking

As an artist, I know that in times of despair, self-expression can be one of the only outlets that makes life feel better. And that’s exactly what these courageous young women — each of whom are sex trafficking survivors from Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS) — did with their thought-provoking poetry.

I was awestruck by the words of these strong and beautiful young women who shed light on the issue of human trafficking, despite the dark depths of suffering they’ve experienced by being forced to sell their bodies. These young women rise above to evoke compassion, hope and inspiration. The sad truth is, while what they’ve experienced is so humanly unimaginable to many of us, they are speaking to a very real problem in our country right now. Modern-day slavery is real. Whether it’s sex trafficking or labor trafficking, in which people are being made to work brutally long hours with no pay, it’s happening right in our backyards and it’s heartbreaking. In the past two years, incidences of human trafficking have been reported in all 50 states.

I was honored to get together with P!nk, Jada Pinkett Smith and the mtvU Against Our Will Campaignto narrate several poems from the GEMS girls. I only hope that we were able to give their work the proper justice it deserves. These young women were coerced into a life that no one should live, and you can hear the strife they’ve faced in their words. But, you can also hear bold declarations of confidence and self-worth; the determination to make a better life.

Source: Huffington Post

Link to Alicia Key’s Poetry

Meet The Nonprofit Helping the White House Stop Human Trafficking

A screenshot of the Free2Work iPhone app.

The Obama administration has confirmed that the California-based nonprofit has been tapped to participate in an upcoming forum at the White House, along with Obama’s Faith-Based Advisory Council, to talk to major corporations about how their electronics, apparel and food can be produced without the use of “slaves.”

In his September speech, Obama said it was time to call victims of human trafficking—the illegal trade of human beings for labor or sex—”modern slavery.” The International Labor Organization, a United Nations agency that handles labor issues, estimates there are nearly 21 million slaves globally today.

“We help companies source differently, we say ‘here’s some great Cacao providers’ [that don’t use human trafficking]. … Washington is very interested in those kind of incentives,” David Batstone, president and co-founder of Not For Sale, tells Whispers. “There’s also a strong demographic under the age of 35 who care about how products are made, so that’s a market reward for corporations.”

Not For Sale says it will also work with the White House toward a possible new federal law inspired by California’s Transparency In Supply Chains Act, which requires every company making $100 million in revenue or more to report where their products were made. The White House declined to comment on the possible new law, but spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden told Whispers the president’s remarks made clear that the administration will be “working with the Congress and private sector and others [on this issue], because a whole-of-nation approach is needed.”

Source: US News

Nigeria launches anti-human trafficking campaign, as two Goodwill Ambassadors are named

The Government of Nigeria, jointly with UNODC and the European Union, has launched a nationwide three-year anti-human trafficking campaign. Entitled “I am Priceless”, the campaign is aimed at raising awareness about the reality, dangers and possible impact of irregular migration, as a consequence of either being smuggled or being a victim of trafficking in persons. UNODC also appointed two Nigerian celebrities, Joke Silva and Jude Abaga, as Goodwill Ambassadors to spearhead activities connected to the campaign, particularly among the young and vulnerable.

A 2009 UNODC threat assessment, Transnational Trafficking and the Rule of Law in West Africa, revealed that thousands of women are trafficked each year from West Africa to Europe in a multimillion-dollar criminal industry. With an estimated value of between $152 million and $228 million annually, the market sees a yearly inflow of between 3,800 and 5,700 women. It is estimated that West African trafficking victims, many of whom originate in Nigeria, comprise about 10 per cent of forced sex workers in Western Europe.

Source: UNODC