By Amanda Kloer at change.org –
The Texas Rangers baseball team are celebrating finally getting two new pitchers from the Dominican Republic just in time for spring training. The team hired Omar Beltre and Alexi Ogando five years ago, but they were banned from traveling to the U.S. at the time because they had been convicted of being involved in a human trafficking ring in the DR.
But the two new pitchers have served their time and even performed voluntary community service. The ban has been lifted, and they are now …

from the Vancouver Observer by Kathie Wallace -
The Salvation Army has launched “The Truth isn’t Sexy” campaign to raise public awareness about human trafficking in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
As Trisha Baptie, a former sex-trade worker said, “It’s human slavery. There are women in brothels in Vancouver right now, and more will come before the Games.”
The Salvation Army defines human trafficking as “…illegal movement of people for the purpose of exploitation in the form of commercial sex, domestic service, manual labour, and sales of organs.” The Salvation Army’s focus …

from the Huffington Post -
“A resolution passed by the US Senate in 2007 marked January 11 as a day of awareness for the countless victims of human trafficking across the globe. And it does occur everywhere across the globe. Certain countries have created huge demand. And like most marketplaces, where there is demand, supply follows.
We could talk about which nations are source, transit and destination countries. We could state how some countries have become so infamous for trafficking that they are now known as both supply and destination countries. We …

From the Global Nation Inquirer -
MANILA, Philippines — The first public official involved in human trafficking has been convicted by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 9.
Judge Amelia Tria-Infante meted out the penalty of life imprisonment to Police Officer 2 Dennis A. Reci and his co-accused Feliciano Manansala after finding them guilty of qualified trafficking, the gravest offense under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (Republic Act 9208).
Reci, while still a policeman, owned and operated 8RC bar, which he and his associate Manansala used as a front for child prostitution.
They were …

I, along with the rest of the nation have watched in horror this past week as the details of the Jaycee Dugard captivity emerge. Very little angers me as much as hearing about the sexual assault of children. While I generally favor justice that restores criminals, cases like this almost make me want to support the death penalty or at least slow, painful castration for rapists. I can hardly imagine the damage done to Jaycee and the years of healing she and her family now face.
That said, …

from End Human Trafficking -
In 2007, a case of crucifixes purchased by St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York was traced back to a factory in China where girls as young as 15 were forced to work up to 19-hour days, seven days a week. Today, Christian items from bible covers to t-shirts are being made in factorys which abuse and traffic workers. And some Christians are standing up and refusing to stand for slavery.
The Just Holy Hardware Campaign has launched this week as part of a movement to …

From the Austin-American Statesman
Austinites hope drink coasters can help battle human trafficking
Each coaster bears the story of a victim.
By Chelsea Duttweiler
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, August 08, 2009
They say they’re part of a new abolitionist movement, a wave of people dedicated to ending what they see as modern-day slavery. And they’re doing it, in part, using drink coasters at local pubs.
Austinites Shelton Green and Kester Smith, both 33, are working with seven friends to distribute coasters to bars and coffee shops with information about human trafficking.
“Trafficked people are all around us,” Green said. …

The End Human Trafficking site has a great post up on 7 Ways to Fight Slavery at the Grocery Store. It lists seven common foods that are tainted by human slavery and suggests shopping habits to avoid supporting those practices of slavery. While the slave connection to foods like chocolate is fairly well known, it may be a surprise to read how slavery taints even our seafood and strawberries. So check out the post and find out how you can avoid supporting systems of slavery when you …

From WTTE-TV
Ohio panel begins look at human trafficking
July 30, 2009 08:51 EDT
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A special task force has begun its investigation of human trafficking in Ohio that steers child and adult victims into prostitution and forced labor.
Wednesday’s first meeting of the Trafficking in Persons Study Commission came almost seven months after Gov. Ted Strickland signed a law to increase sentences for crimes if human trafficking is involved.
Kathleen Davis, of the Washington-based Polaris Project, gave the panel an estimate that up to 17,500 trafficking victims come through Ohio every …

So last night I got a chance to go see the documentary Call+Response about modern day slavery. I have to start by saying – go see this film. It should be required viewing for anyone with a beating heart. I know a lot about modern day slavery – I’ve read the books, I’ve seen the pictures, I’ve heard the stories. I still left this movie raw. It is hard not to have a visceral reaction of absolute rage after seeing it. Rage at …