Over the entire school day we completed 6 Presentations on Human Trafficking & Modern Day Slavery to over 500 students of Healdsburg High School. After a brief introduction we viewed a 30 min abridged version of "NOT MY LIFE", a documentary filmed on 5 continents and 12 countries. After the viewing we discussed ways to get involved and make a difference. We talked about organizations working to make a difference, like the Polaris Proje...ct, International Justice Mission & Not For Sale. We left feeling charged knowing that so many young people really care and want to make a difference and proud to be part of a socially responsible town that stands for global relationships based on fairness and mutual respect.
We look forward to continued outreach and promotion of businesses
locally while eliminating the exploitation of producers globally. We strongly
believe that poverty and lack of opportunity are the common denominators for
many forms of exploitation. We believe that Fair Trade is a means to eradicate
sweat shops, forced labor, child labor and debt bondage. We encourage
conscience consumerism so please "Shop Local" first and "Shop Fair Trade" for
those products not produced locally.
Polaris
Project
By successfully pushing for stronger federal and state
laws, operating the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline
(1-888-373-7888), conducting trainings, and providing vital services to victims
of trafficking, Polaris Project creates long-term solutions that move our
society closer to a world without slavery. Learn more at www.polarisproject.org.International Justice Mission
International Justice Mission is a human rights agency
that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms
of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals
work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to
prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems. http://www.ijm.org/
Not
For Sale
Not For Sale creates tools that engage business,
government and grassroots in order to incubate and grow social enterprises to
benefit enslaved and vulnerable communities. Through social projects
spanning the globe in countries like Peru, the Netherlands, India, Thailand and
South Africa, Not For Sale works to provide restoration, challenge institutional
thinking, and create new futures for survivors. http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
Green America
Their mission is to harness economic power-the
strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace-to create a
socially just and environmentally sustainable society. To work for a world
where all people have enough, where all communities are healthy and safe, and
where the bounty of the Earth is preserved for all the generations to come. http://www.greenamerica.org/
Free2Work
Have you ever wondered where your consumer electronics come from? 
The supply chain for consumer electronics is complex, composed of many layers, and involves many parties. This makes it difficult to trace where labor abuses occur. Most products travel through various parts of the world, and the making of electronics is a prime example of that. Our goal at Free2Work is to shed light on this process.Take a look at the ongoing research the Free2Work team is conducting to decipher the consumer electronic supply chain. From conflict mines in the Congo to the electronics we rely on, follow the supply chain to see the global reach of our consumer goods. http://www.free2work.org/
Green America's Guide to Fair Trade
Finding Fair Trade resources has never been easier! Want to know where to get the latest Fair Trade products? Need organizing material for your business or organization? Discover all the possibilities of Fair Trade in Green America’s new full color Guide to Fair Trade! Inside you'll find descriptions of dozens of national and international Fair Trade products. http://www.greenamerica.org/PDF/GuideFairTrade.pdf
Green America's Guide to Ending Sweatshops
Finding sweat-free products has never been easier! Want to know where to get the latest sweat-free fashions? Need organizing material for your business or organization? Inside you'll find a complete guide to a sweat-free wardrobe, an interview with a former sweatshop worker, and the dirt on the worst apparel producing corporations. http://www.greenamerica.org/PDF/EndingSweatshops.pdf
The Better World Shopping Guide
The only comprehensive guide for socially and environmentally responsible consumers available, this book ranks every product on the shelf from A to F so you can quickly tell the “good guys” from the “bad guys” — turning your grocery list into a powerful tool to change the world. Representing over 15 years of distilled research, data is organized into the most common product categories including coffee, energy bars, computers, gasoline, clothing, banks, cars, water and more. http://www.betterworldshopper.com/book.html
Safe Harbor Law Petition to State LawmakersThere are better policy approaches and better options, ones that literally save the lives of children and teens.
Safe Harbor laws are that better option. These laws define these sexually exploited children as victims of abuse, help them find protection and support, and grant them immunity from prosecution for prostitution while they are under 18 years of age.
Safe Harbor laws also can increase funding for specialized services like long-term housing, mental health care, educational support, and job training to help these children recover. Thirty-nine states lack these basic Safe Harbor protections – including Texas, Michigan, Nebraska, and Louisiana. Every state can do more to increase services for child victims of sex trafficking. http://www.change.org/petitions/state-lawmakers-kids-not-criminals-pass-safe-harbor-laws?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=url_share&utm_campaign=url_share_after_sign
President Obama will begin his second term as our nation commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation – the great promise of freedom to America’s slaves authored by President Lincoln. As Dr Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “There is but one way to commemorate the Emancipation Proclamation. That is to make its declarations of freedom real…”
Now is the perfect time to ask President Obama to use his second term to help make freedom real for children and families around the world waiting for rescue. Join us in asking the president to lead on a comprehensive plan to eradicate slavery at home and abroad. http://freedomcommons.ijm.org/action-alert/ask-president-help-make-freedom-real?utm_source=Bitly&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=Obama2013
