Tag: Sex trafficking

Thistle Farms helps ‘women survivors overcome and heal from systems of prostitution and exploitation.’

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn crime2 Comments

I discovered Thistle Farms in Nashville while looking at the list of grantees of the Isabell Allende Foundation. According to Thistle Farms’ website:

Your support helps create sanctuary and healing for women survivors.

  • 2 Years of Free Housing
  • Healthcare and Trauma Therapy
  • Meaningful Employment
  • Advocacy and Public Policy Initiatives

It’s horrifying to discover just how many women, including those in the United States, need this kind of sanctuary. In addition to donations, Thistle Farms supports its programs through the sale of candles, essential oils, soaps, and similar products that you can find here.

The organization houses “up to 36 residents at a time in a therapeutic setting that offers healing and transformation through housing, healthcare, counseling, employment, and community building. Housing and clinical services are free of charge and provided without Federal assistance.  Five years after program completion, 75% of our graduates are living healthy, independent lives. Broken relationships have been restored. Hopelessness has been replaced with hope.”

In an on-site article called “The Many Faces of Human Trafficking,” Tasha Kennard writes, “90-percent of sex trafficking victims in the US are female, of which women and girls of color make up a disproportionate number of trafficked individuals. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of those purchasing sex – creating the demand that drives even more bodies into the sex trade – are men.

“Most of the women Thistle Farms serves report having first experienced sexual abuse between the ages of 7-11, began using alcohol or drugs by the age of 13 as a means of coping with trauma, and are first on the streets between the ages of 14 and 16.”

The problem is worse than most of us know. According to Child USA, “1 in 5 girls and 1 in 13 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18.” Empower The Fight states, “Human trafficking is the fastest-growing organized crime activity in the United States. Estimating 250,000 children per year are victims of sex trafficking. Most older children are trafficked while still going to school and living at home!”

I celebrate the organizations such as Thistle Farms that help fight the results of this evil and, like many, am surprised that it’s so pervasive in the U.S., especially within indigenous groups.

–Malcolm

Human Trafficking Awareness Month

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn issues, Life4 Comments

nativehopeAlthough human trafficking “is a global issue, it is also prevalent very close to home. Native American women and children make up 40% of sex trafficking victims in the state of South Dakota alone. According to federal data, Native women are twice as likely to be sexually assaulted as women of other races. They are also subject to high rates of intimate-partner violence and other forms of assault. These factors, along with poverty, substance abuse, and foster care, can make them vulnerable to exploitation. Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, reiterates the ‘threat of human trafficking to Native communities and sex trafficking of Native Americans and Alaska Natives,” describing the ‘first citizens of the United States as some of the most vulnerable.’” – Native Hope

Read more at Native Hope

According to their website, 88% of the crimes committed against native women are committed by non-Indians. This is a long-standing and intolerable problem and, frankly, the kind of statistic we believe we’re more likely to hear from a third-world nation. Of course, many Indian reservations rank below many third world nations when it comes to health care, employment, sanitation and other services most of us take for granted, and quality of life. Nonetheless, the facts surprise me.

Most of us cannot do anything about this problem by ourselves. Yet, through working with others, we can create meaningful change and improve the lives of countless women.

You can help by clicking on the highlighted link above, learning more, and considering a donation.

And, as the site says, “If you believe someone you know may be a victim or is in a vulnerable position, read our article on signs to watch for. If you are a victim and need help, please call the hotline at the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888.”

See also: National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center  and Wiconi Wawokiya – a Lifeway to a Better Future Without Violence in Our Community.

–Malcolm