Human trafficking. Dehumanization and abuse of women and girls. Intertwined roots in execrable theology. That, dear reader, is a hat trick of blog post subjects for me if ever there was one. I determined I would write a post on the 270 kidnapped Nigerian school girls and the global response, hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. I had the …
Category: Human Trafficking
Victory! What’s next?
Thursday was a really good day. After months and even years of delay, the U.S. House of Representatives FINALLY passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) - and with it the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA)! The General Board of Church & Society of The United Methodist Church reminded us what The United Methodist …
‘Break the Chains…Women Are Not Possessions’
It's noon on Valentine's Day. It's time to dance and break the chains! If I could be, I would be downtown dancing with Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE) or War Chest Boutique: Naperville to join in with 1 Billion Rising. UPDATE: Check out pictures from CAASE's rising in Daley Plaza. A friend who works …
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‘a people robbed and plundered…trapped in holes and hidden’
I must admit that the list of national observance days and months is overwhelming and often tedious if not down right ridiculous. For instance, January sports National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week and National Handwriting Analysis Week. This month is National Get Organized Month, Oatmeal Month, and National Polka Music Month, among many others. (Ok, my …
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Trafficking jam
It has been a very busy day in the anti-human trafficking world! Most notably, President Obama used his time at the Clinton Global Initiative to deliver remarks about human trafficking, including new initiatives to engage the fight. As the President rightly stated, this issue is important to all of us: It ought to concern every …
Celebrating Freedom
Happy Independence Day to all my USAmerican readers! It's been a while since my last post on human trafficking, so what better day to rectify that than today, the national holiday celebrating freedom? Ok, sure, most of us just use today as an excuse to blow stuff up. Doesn't mean we can't try to redeem …
Good Tribune article on human trafficking
Yesterday's Chicago Tribune had one of the better articles I've read on local efforts to fight human trafficking. Our friends at CAASE (Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation) even get a shout out! Annie Sweeny: New task force targets traffickers who force children into sex trade Inside the Harrison Police District station, the officers sat in …
Crazy cool video!
This video is amazing! Not sure how long it has been around, but a friend sent it to me today and I had to share. Be sure to watch it all the way to the end. Admittedly, I'm not familiar with Stop the Traffik, but they seem to be doing good work in Europe. …
Nothing says “I love you, Mom” like freedom.
This week I had the privilege of meeting Ashley, the store manager at WAR Chest Boutique in downtown Naperville. I know. At first glance, it's a really odd name. "WAR Chest? What kind of horrible stuff do they sell?!?" But step inside and you quickly discover - not a dark place with skulls or guns …
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It’s still about supply and demand. #EndDemand #EndSlavery
You've heard the River Story, right? I first heard it from Jim Wallis, but it seems to be a popular parable. I heard it invoked again at the meeting of Bread for the World activists last week. It occurs to me that is the context within which I have heard it used: ending poverty. But …
Continue reading It’s still about supply and demand. #EndDemand #EndSlavery
All That I Can't Leave Unsaid 