Slavery Still Exists Campaign at KSU

This past week, Students at Kansas State University have been taking part in a nation-wide campaign to raise mass awareness for the issue of human trafficking. This campaign was started by Polaris Project earlier this month as an easy way to spark national conversation about the issue and to promote more action around the issue. Freedom Alliance at Kansas State University is just one organization in the United States asking people to take pictures to add to the Slavery Still Exists album on their Facebook Page. Co-Presidents, Kristen Tebow and Noelle Remy say, "This will hopefully encourage others to become further involved in more action around the cause. We are also taking these pictures and making a collage to present to our student government when applying for funds. We are not well-funded by the student government and we want to prove that our students and faculty care about this cause."

If you would like to be involved, please take a picture holding a sign that reads "Slavery Still Exists" and post it as your profile picture on Facebook.

Start a Task Force for Human Trafficking in Kansas - Manhattan

Targeting: The Governor of KS, The KS State Senate, The KS State House, see more...

Started by: Kristen Tebow

Some people say that slavery ended with the Emancipation Proclamation. The truth is that there are more slaves in America in modern times, than during the Civil War. Modern slavery has a new name. That name is human trafficking.

Human trafficking is defined by the Trafficking Protocol of 2000 as "a criminal activity in which people are recruited, harboured, transported, bought, or kidnapped to serve an exploitative purpose, such as sexual slavery, forced labor, or child soldiery." As one can see, there are many different faces of human trafficking. The most prevalent cases of human trafficking that exist in America are sex trafficking cases. Most of these cases involve young girls involved in prostitution.

Contrary to popular belief, there are cases of trafficking that happen in the heartland of the United States. A lot of these cases are never brought to justice. However, in 2009, the U.S. Attorney's Office launched a sting operation called "Operation Guardian Angel" and there were several cases that took place in Kansas so it is obvious that a task force would be a need for a task force in Kansas.

Also in the same article, it was mentioned that there is no official task force like there are in other states in the U.S. where human trafficking is prevalent such as Colorado, California, Florida,Illinois, Ohio, and Texas. There are many arguments that can be made about population sizes of the cities in these states compared to Kansas, but I can counter each argument with Craigslist Trafficking that happens all over Kansas and the long stretch of I-70 that runs through Kansas. Also, since the overall population of Kansas is low, Kansas is arguably a terrific place for human trafficking because of the remoteness of the state.

There should be a task force in Kansas. Where is a more perfect place to start a task force than Manhattan, KS? We have four student organizations at Kansas State University who are active in the movement. We have over 25 individuals dedicated to the issue and professors who have done research on trafficking on a local, national, and global level. This petition will prove that the community wants Kansas to get involved in ending the most hideous of crimes committed in the world.

Another reason you should care: All of us, even Kansans, contribute to human trafficking by buying consumer goods that are made by underpaid workers who are often maltreated. Most of the time these workers are children.

Most importantly and the reason you all should care: We had a student at Kansas State University who was kidnapped, gang-raped, and trafficked at Fort Riley. I think that this alone should warrant a prevention movement.

The task force would provide prevention educational programs, research on the issue, awareness event-planning, community action and outreach, and it would provide jobs for the community. There are many benefits for launching something like this in our town!

Please help us join the fight and show that Kansas cares!

http://humantrafficking.change.org/petitions/view/start_a_task_force_for_human_trafficking_in_kansas_-_manhattan#

ACTIVISM AT KSU

This semester has been exceedingly progressive at Kansas State University with new advocates and activists coming out of the woodwork. In September, I collaborated with other local shelters and organizations to put on a very successful “Take Back the Night” event in Lawrence, KS.

To view the news clip from the event click HERE

October was a busy month! We supported a fellow organization on campus, Coalition, who put on a Rave to Save to raise money for Zindagi Trust, an organization working to aid refugees affected by the flooding in Pakistan. Together, with other organizations on campus, including members of KSUAID, they raised over $700 for the cause.

Also this month, we put on our CARE 2010 MDG event. We showed the short film “Baht” and invited a fellow professor, Nadia Shapkina, from KSU to speak on the issue of Global Gender Inequality and how it prevents women from entering into the workforce in their own countries forcing them to find jobs in other countries and makes them 10 times more vulnerable to human trafficking situations. It was a very successful event with no spending and we had many students, community members, and even students from other campuses (and even Missouri and Florida) attend the event. The official headcount was 83 people in attendance. By the end of the film, we had people leave before questions, but it was a very interactive audience with numerous questions. Pictures are coming soon!

We are currently planning two major events, as well as several fundraisers for these events. These events will be happening on K-State’s campus in Manhattan, KS.

For the first event, we are planning on showing the film “Blood Diamonds” and providing alternative options for buying fair trade diamonds. We are also looking into different options in speakers such as bringing Robert Goff, a former NonProfit lawyer and expert on the issue of child soldiers. We would love any suggestions in bringing someone that has been directly affected by the issue of blood diamonds.We have successfully formed several co-sponsorships to pay for the film rights and pre-events. We are looking into different options in paying for a speaker. We are scheduled to meet with SGA about our allocated funds of $600 and we are also planning on applying for a mini-grant with AIDemocracy.

The second event is currently in the works and we have only completely planned one day, but we have a vision on how this week of events will go. The Love146 Freedom Concert will take place on Sunday, April 3rd in the Union Ballroom at Kansas State University. We have 4 local bands performing and also have formed a contract with Cloverton, a very talented Christian Rock group who does benefit concerts and is associated with Hope For Haiti. They have won many music awards and we are proud to have them come to campus! We are also working on bringing a speaker from the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking in Denver, Colorado who will come and talk to us about Trafficking on a Global Level vs. Trafficking in the US and Community Involvement. All of the proceeds for the concert will go to Love146 and the LCHT. We have filled out a Diversity Grant Application for $6,000 and we are planning on doing a couple of fundraisers and applying for mini-grants from AIDemocracy. More to come on this!

Lastly, I am working very hard to create my very own Human Trafficking NGO for the Kansas Community. We do not have an NGO in Kansas like the one I am working on building. We have various shelters and many supporting NGO’s and limited opportunities for grads to get jobs when they graduate in the field. The new NGO will provide education programs for high school and college students, teaching them about the issue and prevention. We will provide referrals and research and design programs that hopefully will be implemented in law enforcement and existing shelters to train individuals on the issue and victim’s needs. We will also plan community events, create volunteer and internship opportunities for students at KSU and other Universities, and provide jobs for those interested in this type of work. It’s a work in progress!

More to come!

RC Kristen Tebow, Kansas/Missouri Region

The Dark Side of Halloween - Chocolate Trade

I have been extremely busy these last couple of months planning events, speaking at different events, and working to form the first anti-trafficking NGO in Manhattan, KS so I have not had time to blog. Since we have just celebrated a holiday that greatly measures success on costume and candy sales, I would like to take this time to talk about the dark side of Halloween.

We all go trick or treating on Halloween or take our children trick or treating. When I was growing up, I remember the competitions that my friends and I had while we were trick or treating. Whoever filled up the bag of candy first had bragging rights until the next Halloween. What I don't remember from the early days is wondering where the chocolate in these candy bags came from. Now that I am old enough, I think about where everything comes from.

Here are a few things that were done in the few weeks leading up to Halloween, and also a few ideas that you can do for next year.

The Dark Side of Chocolate

The International Labor Rights Forum, along with Global Exchange, Green America and Oasis USA, organized screenings of The Dark Side of Chocolate all across the country. This new documentary exposed the ongoing use of child labor, forced labor and trafficking in the cocoa industry in West Africa. It is a great resources for increasing awareness of this critical labor rights issue.

As part of the Raise the Bar Hershey campaign, they asked concerned individuals to host screenings in their communities throughout October 2010, especially during a national week of action from October 25 through October 31.

For more information, please contact Tim Newman at Tim.Newman@ILRF.org or 202-347-4100

Reverse Trick-or-Treating
Ten to twenty thousand groups of children, college students, and activists (including myself) handed chocolate back to adults during their regular neighborhood trick-or-treating rounds this Halloween. They distributed Fair Trade certified chocolate attached to a card explaining the labor and environmental problems in the cocoa industry globally and how Fair Trade provides a solution. The event, Reverse Trick-or-Treating, was launched to raise awareness of the pervasive problem of child labor, forced labor and trafficking in the cocoa fields, to empower consumers to press the chocolate industry for more fair cocoa sourcing policies, to shift the industry toward sourcing Fair Trade certified cocoa, and to inform consumers about Fair Trade companies that are leading the way to industry reform. Fair Trade standards prohibit the use of abusive child labor, contain extensive environmental sustainability protections, and enable farmers to escape poverty.

How Can YOU Fight HT

Whenever I go and speak, I am asked this question quite a bit. Usually I will refer the askers to different websites because I am getting my info from them.

Human Trafficking.org

Not For Sale

Polaris Project

and a few others

I usually have the inkling to just tell people to "GOOGLE IT" but today, I thought that I would put up a simple guide to help answer some of these questions for what the community can do.

I HOPE THIS HELPS!

1. The way to teach others about the issue, it is important to learn more about the facts of human trafficking and slavery so that you can be more informed. Consider memorizing some of the statistics or some of the facts that you think are most profound. They really come in handy when it comes time to present them in a presentation or to a group of non-believers.

2. Tell others. This is the up-most important aspect of advocacy. Without spreading the word, the mission dies. Mention some of the new info you've learned in conversation with people you come in contact with. This is a basic way to spread awareness. Putting up an informational booth, handing out flyers, and chalking are ways that are easy to do and shows people that the issue is important enough to make the effort.

3. Use whatever talents or abilities you have to promote awareness and challenge others to join the effort. You can use practically any form of creative expression or talent to communicate a message of awareness or state a challenge. Advocating for this issue doesn't have to be depressing. Putting on events, talent shows, art shows, writing contests, and even concerts can be turned into educational events. In fact, making something fun is more effective than drilling a whole bunch of statistics into someone's head. It is better to appeal to your audience...know what the people want =).

4. Volunteer your time or services to help an organization that fights human trafficking and/or helps rescue victims of trafficking. Even if it isn't an actual shelter, any organization that fights on any front of the mission needs help in all kinds of ways. There is always need for people to help promote the organization and help with the events. Where I'm from, we really don't have many resources to get involved in the anti-trafficking movement. In that case, create one. There are several resources on the internet of starting a coalition. Form an anti-trafficking coalition on your college campus. American's for Informed Democracy is an organization that advocates for change on pretty much every political front. Human Rights is a huge political issue and guess what falls under Human Rights? That's right....human trafficking.

5. Buy fair trade products. Oh come on, do I really have to explain this one out to you. All right, so be it. What I mean by Fair Trade is that the products that are being consumed by everyday Americans are NOT being made with slave labor. It is easy to find lists on the Internet to see if the products you are using come from slave labor. Click Here

6. Sign petitions or contact your legislation about the issues that you think need to be addressed. In order for these petitions to appear in your radar, most of the time you have to sign up on mailing lists for different anti-trafficking organizations. Facebook even has certain causes that will send you a notification about a petition that comes up. It is very important to sign petitions because this is one of the most effective ways an Average Joe like you and me can be a direct part of the trafficking movement.

7. Become a member of an existing organization that is already creating positive change and support their efforts. This one is kind of self explanatory. Find one in your area, join! They are everywhere!!

8. Stay alert for any signs of human trafficking in your area. If you see anything that looks remotely suspicious, report it to the authorities. Remember that you can make an anonymous call that will not endanger you in any way. First learn the signs, then you will be able to affectively identify any sort of trafficking behavior.

9. You can financially support an organization that fights human trafficking and/or helps rescue victims of trafficking and slavery. There are tons of wonderful organizations out there that fund rehabilitation services and even prevention services to many at-risk populations in almost every country. Really all you have to do is GOOGLE IT =)

10. And perhaps the most important part. DON'T BUY OTHER HUMAN BEINGS.

That is all. I wish you the very best of luck in your endeavors.

The Deadly Chameleon

I look at the stage and think -
what words are on the brink
of my mind that could show
a glimpse of the foe?

But complexity makes me see
how difficult that can be,
when the foe is a chameleon
and blends in with the millions.

The foe is no respecter
of skin color or gender
and often looks so typical
we've become so easy to fool.

The foe's skin can be light or dark
with no distinguishing mark;
the words spouting from their tongue
teasing and enticing the young...

Looking for those who seem to be
impressionable or unable to see
common tricks in a predator's day,
luring and isolating its prey.

One way is tokens of affection.
A suave and charming grin,
plus appealing whispers of love,
he can slowly draw her in.

When her longing heart falls for him
and other voices become so dim,
his first requests seem so small
and he leads her down an unknown hall.

He stares in her eyes and holds her hand;
she stares back and awaits his command.
He promises protection and love
as her heart soars in the clouds above.

He leads her in the room with a bed
and as she remembers what he said,
she allows his hand to roam
and gets excited by his groan.

After their time together is spent
she learns what he really meant.
His eyes become possessive and cold
and for the first time fear takes hold.

With a warning not to leave
she knows not what he will achieve
by stalking out of the room
and locking the door - sealing her doom.

Her heart pounds and feels confused
wanting love, not to be used.
But fear grips her heart and takes hold
as she wonders if she'll be sold.

The door is unlocked and creaks open
and she sees a line of men -
whose faces will soon blur together -
as more men multiply their sins.

Debbie's Story: Sex Trafficking in American Girls - Part 2

Treated Like a Dog

After the horrifying gang rape, police say Debbie was trapped in one of Phoenix's roughest neighborhoods. In a rundown, garbage-strewn apartment, her captors were trying to break her down.

"They were asking me if I was hungry," she said. "I told them no. That's when they put a dog biscuit in my mouth, trying to get me to eat it."

After a sleepless night, Debbie was tossed back into the car and again driven around Phoenix. She said they talked to her about prostitution, and that one of the men forced her to have sex with him in the car and then later in a park.

The same man took her back to his apartment, and Debbie said, "I ended up in the dog kennel."

Greg Scheffer, an officer with the Phoenix police department, said Debbie was kept in a small dog crate for several days. Lying on her back in the tiny space, her whole body went numb.

"She was subject to various abuses while in there," Scheffer said. "This is all part of the breaking down period where [he] gains complete control of this girl."

Unbeknownst to Debbie, police say her captors had put an ad on Craig's List -- a national Web site better-known for helping people find apartments and roommates. Shortly after the ad ran, men began arriving at the apartment at all hours of the day and night demanding sex from her.

She said she had to comply. "I had no other choice," she said.

Debbie sais she was earning hundreds of dollars a night -- all of it, she said, going to the pimp.

Scheffer said Debbie was forced to have sex with at least 50 men -- and that's not counting the men who gang-raped her on a periodic basis.

Debbie had no idea who the men were. "I didn't know them," she said. "But most of them were married, with kids. And every single one of them, I asked them why they were coming to me if they had a wife at home. ... They didn't have an answer. So, like, I felt so nasty."

For more than 40 days, police say Debbie remained captive, often beaten and forced daily to have sex of the most degrading kind. During that time, she said she did not try to escape because her captors had done what police say so many pimps do -- threatened her and terrified her.

Debbie said that the pimps told her they would go after her family, and they even threatened to throw battery acid on her 19-month-old niece.

"After they told me that, I didn't care what happened to me as long as my family stayed alive," she said. "And that's pretty much what I had in my head. Staying there to keep my family alive."

The Search for Debbie

For Debbie, who police said been held by her captors at gunpoint and kept in a dog cage for more than 40 days, the chances of getting out alive seemed slim. But then police investigating the case heard tips that she was being kept in an apartment in the Phoenix area.

Police searched the apartment but didn't find Debbie.

But they were still suspicious. So on Nov. 8, police broke down the doors to the same apartment and realized with a shock why they'd been unable to find Debbie -- she was there, but she was tied up and crushed into a drawer under a bed.

Debbie said she heard Officer James Perry calling her name but was too frightened to answer. "I didn't know what to say; I was just lying under the bed, stiff as a board, shaking," she said "And then he opens the middle drawer, and he was like, 'Oh my God!'"

Trying to Regain Innocence

When Debbie was finally freed from the drawer, she was sobbing, and said she gave the officer "the biggest hug in the world."

"I was so relieved!" she said. "And then that's when my ... I was standing there, and my knees started ... they gave out."

While it seems unbelievable that these girls didn't try to escape earlier, experts say it's not so uncommon.

"These are human beings who are owned by someone else, who lack the ability to walk away, who lack the ability to make a decision in their own self-interest to do something else," said Allen. "If that's not slavery, I don't know what is."

Police arrested two people at the apartment, and Debbie was taken to a safe house for children while her mother was called.

"I remember I got the call while I was driving to work," Kersti said. "That was scary. I had to pull over. But, uh, it was just wild, it was. I drove as fast as I legally could. I walked in and I saw her and we just flew to each other."

Within hours, Debbie was safely home. "I was so happy," she said. "I was so happy to see my mom. I was so happy to be home. I'm able to be with my family. I don't know -- it's crazy."

The two officers who rescued Debbie were so touched by her strength and her story that they visited her this Christmas and gave her a cross -- a token of affection and protection.

"She is a very strong, amazing girl," said Scheffer. "We ran into a few other girls that are like that. I don't know how they have the strength. They are very brave."

Debbie has been joyfully reunited with her family, but they have put their house up for sale. They've decided to leave Arizona and move to the Midwest, where Debbie hopes she can find some of the innocence she lost one grim night in September.

Debbie's Story: Sex Trafficking in American Girls - Part 1

Fifteen-year-old "Debbie" is the middle child in a close-knit Air Force family from suburban Phoenix, and a straight-A student -- the last person most of us would expect to be forced into the seamy world of sex trafficking.

The FBI estimates that there are well over 100,000 children and teens in the United States -- most of them young girls -- being trafficked in the sex trade.

(ABC News)

But Debbie, which is not her real name, is one of thousands of young American girls who authorities say have been abducted or lured from their normal lives and made into sex slaves. While many Americans have heard of human trafficking in other parts of the world -- Thailand, Cambodia, Latin America and eastern Europe, for example -- few people know it happens here in the United States.

The FBI estimates that well over 100,000 children and young women are trafficked in America today. They range in age from 9 to 19, with the average age being 11.

And many victims are no longer just runaways, or kids who've been abandoned. Many of them are from what would be considered "good" families, who are lured or coerced by clever predators, say experts.

"These predators are particularly adept at reading children, at reading kids, and knowing what their vulnerabilities are," said FBI Deputy Assistant Director, Chip Burrus, who started the Lost Innocence project, which specializes in child- and teen-sex trafficking.

And, he said, these predators are going where the kids are.

"What you can see, time and time again, is that the predators will adapt their means to whatever the young people are doing -- whether it's malls, whether it's ski slopes, whether it's beaches," Burrus said. "Predators ... are going to do everything in their power to try to convince young girls, young boys, to come with them and enter this particular lifestyle."

Abducted From Her Own Driveway, Teen Says

Debbie's story is particularly chilling. One evening Debbie said she got a call from a casual friend, Bianca, who asked to stop by Debbie's house. Wearing a pair of Sponge Bob pajamas, Debbie went outside to meet Bianca, who drove up in a Cadillac with two older men, Mark and Matthew. After a few minutes of visiting, Bianca said they were going to leave.

"So I went and I started to go give her a hug," Debbie told "Primetime." "And that's when she pushed me in the car."

As they sped away from her house, Debbie said that one of the men told Bianca to tie her up and said he threatened to shoot Bianca if she didn't comply.

"She tied up my hands first, and then she put the tape over my mouth. And she put tape over my eyes," Debbie said. "While she was putting tape on me, Matthew told me if I screamed or acted stupid, he'd shoot me. So I just stayed quiet."

Unbelievably, police say Debbie was kidnapped from her own driveway with her mother, Kersti, right inside. Back home with her other kids, Kersti had no idea Debbie wasn't there.

"I was in the house. I mean, it was a confusing night. I had all the kids coming in and out. The last I knew she had come back in," Kersti said. "It was just so weird that night. I mean, I normally check on all my kids, and that night I didn't. I should have."

Debbie said her captors drove her around the streets of Phoenix for hours. Exhausted and confused, she was finally taken to an apartment 25 miles from her home. She said one of her captors put a gun to her head.

"He goes, 'If I was to shoot you right now, where would you want to be shot -- in your head, in your back or in your chest?'" Debbie said. "And then I hear him start messing with his gun. And he counted to three and then he pulled the trigger. And then I was still alive. I opened my eyes, and I just saw him laughing."

Debbie said she was then drugged by her captors and other men were brought into the room, where she was gang raped.

"And then that's when I heard them say there was a middle-aged guy in the living room that wanted to take advantage of a 15-year-old girl," she said. "And then he goes, 'Bend her over. I want to see what I'm working with.' And that's when he started to rape me. And I see more guys, four other guys had come into the room. And they all had a turn. It was really scary."

US Ranked on Human Trafficking Report for First Time

The United States was ranked for the first time in the 10th annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report documenting human trafficking and modern slavery, released on Monday by the Department of State. The report found that in America men, women, and children were subject to trafficking for “forced labor, debt bondage, and forced prostitution.”

The report represents a “whole decade of work the State Department has pioneered,” said Andrea Bertone, director of Human Trafficking.org, who spoke with the Epoch Times by phone. She said the report is important in her work to prevent human trafficking and each year includes greater detail about trafficking situations in countries around the world.

The report ranks 177 countries based on “the extent of government action to combat trafficking,” with Tier 1 as the highest ranking. A Tier 1 ranking indicates that a state government has recognized the problem of human trafficking, has made efforts to address the issue, and meets the TVPA’s (Torture Victim Protection Act) minimum standards. A country with a Tier 2 rating has not met the standards but has made efforts to do so, while a Tier 3 rating means the country has not met the minimum standards and has not attempted to do so. The United States received a Tier 1 rating.

Andrea Bertone said the rating for the United States is the result of continued requests by NGOs for the United States to rate itself. Bertone said she is not sure how objective the United States could be in rating itself, "Would the U.S. get anything other than a Tier 1 rating?"

Jennifer Bernal Garcia of the Center for a New American Security says including the United States in the report makes sense. Speaking by phone, she said that human trafficking is a transnational phenomenon and the “U.S. is in no way immune.”

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton announced the release of the report in Washington, D.C., urging governments as well as businesses that profit from human trafficking to take “shared responsibility” for these human rights violations. Undersecretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero and Ambassador-at-Large Luis CdeBaca also spoke at the press conference.

Important national and international legislation was passed 10 years ago that allowed the report to begin its annual research and assessment of human trafficking across the world. In 2000, the United States passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, establishing the tier ranking system of the report. The United Nations also adopted the Palermo Protocol that year, which provided for “the criminalization of all acts of trafficking—including forced labor, slavery, and slaverylike practices—and that governmental response should incorporate the '3P' paradigm: prevention, criminal prosecution, and victim protection,” according to the report’s website.

Secretary Clinton said that the task of ending modern slavery cannot be simply given to nongovernmental organizations. In order to bring traffickers to justice, “We can’t just blame international organized crime and rely on law enforcement to pursue them. It is everyone’s responsibility. Businesses that knowingly profit or exhibit reckless disregard about their supply chains, governments that turn a blind eye, or do not devote serious resources to addressing the problem, all of us have to speak out and act forcefully,” said Clinton at the press conference.

Ambassador CdeBaca noted that 10 years ago when the report was compiled for the first time, human trafficking was “a little-understood crime that took place in the shadows, cast a darkness over our fundamental rights whether constitutional, international norms, or personal liberties.” Ten years later, it has become a topic of great concern, and there is an even greater need to take bold steps forward, said CdeBaca.

CdeBaca addressed America’s participation in human trafficking. The 2010 report documents the United States not just as a destination or transit country for trafficking, but “we, too, are a source country for people held in servitude.”

Advocates who fought to end slavery and human trafficking in their countries were named heroes and were presented certificates. They came from such diverse countries as Brazil, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Hungary.

This year marks a year of progress against human trafficking. For example, Argentina made its first conviction under an anti-trafficking law, Clinton said. But there is still much left to do to end slavery once and for all, and Clinton said she hopes “this report galvanizes further action.”

Retrieved from Adapted from: Annie Wu and Nicholas Zifcak. "US Ranked on Human Trafficking for First Time." The Epoch Times. 14 June 2010.

Exerpt from the Mary Todd Blog

For More Posts from Mary Todd:
Click HERE
Rape: The Dilemma of Obtaining Justice, Protecting Rights. and Everyone's Privacy Choices

If you work with trauma victims--individuals who have suffered from sexual assault, battery, kidnapping, etc. You know that there is not just one way that people respond to trauma, and there is not only one right way to assist in recovery.

At Universities, many of the advocacy and counseling issues are complicated by legal issues and administrations' desires to create a safe place for all.
Because of the Post-Event Trauma associated with rape, many victims of this crime choose not to pursue Justice.

They have seen friends being dragged through a legal system that has been perverted (Whores of the Court) (Justice for Some) and have seen the statistics that indicate a poor chance for prosecutions, let alone convictions.

Unlike burglary victims, who are not asked why they had so many pretty things sitting in plain view through the garage windows, or murder victims, who are not asked why they had the gall to show off their vitality, Rape Victims are often asked, in court, why they dressed provokatively or allowed a date to kiss them.
Yes, those questions are being asked in court by the Best Defense Attorneys in 2010.
They have seen parents freak out and boyfriends accuse,
They have decided to spare a sister or brother from the vicarious trauma.
(Many erroneously believe that by pushing the trauma aside, it will go away.)

Some decide that the retaliation they will endure after reporting is not worth the feelings of futility and frustration. When victims have been ordered in court NOT to use the word, "rape" but instead use "sexual intercourse" (!) -- No wonder they assume the worst. Most students i have worked with decided not to pursue legal remedies, either through the campus policies or through the legal system.

Many were informed by police or lawyers that their case would "probably" not be picked up for trial. So in that case-- the perpetrator would be questioned once or twice, enough to let him know who reported him, then the matter would be dropped by officials.
and the crime victim lives on...
( The Kansas City Star had an excellent article about the aftermath:HERE)

So here is the Issue I'd like to hear about and ponder and get your emails and comments:
How do we turn around the reporting issues that surround Sexual Assault?
When women do show great bravery and push for justice, it is usually to "keep the guy from doing it again"--do we think that works?

When will women and men (i do not speak of girls and boys) decide they and their families will have to endure all the pain, and maybe for nothing, in order to change the culture of non-reporting?
Should we hide victims' names?
When will all sexual crime victims feel it is OK to report and be safe afterwards?

Shall we have a national day of reporting?


Here is a dilemma for you:
1. If a student who is raped decides not to pursue legal remedies, and the perpetrator rapes again, is the first victim to blame?

2. If a university employee knows the name of the perpetrator--perhaps the victim told a teacher, or an advocate, or a nurse or a custodial staff friend--and the university does not pursue the perpetrator, even though the victims has expressly said, I Do Not Want To Pursue It-- and the perpetrator rapes another student, is the first victim to blame or is the university to blame?

3. If the victim does say, yes, i want to pursue, through university policies or the legal system, this crime, please help me--and the case is never brought to trial because of lack of evidence, and the rapist rapes again, who is to blame?

4. If the rapist is convicted and he is released and rapes again, is the rehabilitation system to blame?

Keep in mind: Rapists do not rape for sex, but to assuage feelings of inferiority.
Rapists have access to consensual sex. But the act of overpowering,taking, forcing, winning, is what makes rape attractive to this selfish individual. According to the primary researacher of campus sexual assault, most rapists continue to rape until they are stopped. read and watch: (Dr. David Lisak-The Undetected Rapist)