The city of West Hollywood is inviting the public to a free virtual educational training to discuss issues pertaining to human trafficking to assist participants in helping support and advocate for victims.
According to a press release from the city of West Hollywood, the Human Trafficking Community Training will take place on Tuesday, March 23, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. via a Zoom webinar; the training is open to the public, but registration is required to attend.
Training will be led by Dawn Schiller, an expert survivor-leader in the anti-trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault movements, who previously provided trainings for a similar topic for West Hollywood. Schiller provides firsthand insight to community advocates on survivorship, education, and service to others. She is a national speaker, educator, consultant, and author.
In 2020, she participated in the City’s Human Rights Speakers Series panel discussion about human trafficking. In 2019, she provided training to public safety personnel, law enforcement personnel, fire department personnel, and code compliance officers about human trafficking, notice requirements, and standards for businesses.
“As important as it is to conduct training among our public safety personnel, it is just as critical to educate and raise awareness among our city’s commissioners, advisory board members, and the community at large,” said West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tempore Lauren Meister. “Being able to recognize the signs of human trafficking is the first step to combatting human trafficking.”
“Human trafficking is a crisis throughout the world. Hundreds of thousands of victims are trafficked in the United States,” said City of West Hollywood Councilmember Sepi Shyne. “This training provides our community and City officials with the crucial tools needed to join the fight against human trafficking. We need to know what to look for in order to see something and say something.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, human trafficking is “modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.” Victims of human trafficking include all genders, ages, races, countries, and socioeconomic statuses. Individuals in vulnerable situations — including migrants and refugees fleeing conflict or disaster, homeless LGBTQ youth, women and girls, and children in poverty — are preyed upon and may be more likely to be targeted by traffickers. The different kinds of human trafficking include sex trafficking, forced labor, and domestic servitude. Any person under the age of 18 involved in a commercial sex act is considered a victim of human trafficking.
According to the Polaris Project, which publishes data based on calls, text messages, webforms, emails, and webchats with the National Human Trafficking Hotline, over 25 million people are trafficked worldwide, and California is one of the largest sites of human trafficking in the United States.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline has seen a 40-percent increase in emergency calls since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST),a Los Angeles-based human rights organization and one of the nation’s largest provider of services to survivors of human trafficking, has seen a 185 percent increase in human trafficking cases during the pandemic, compared to 2019. One-hundred percent of CAST’s urgent trafficking cases have been homeless people who were trafficked.
For anyone who has become a victim of human trafficking or know of a trafficking situation, there are resources to help:
For more information about the Human Trafficking Community Training, contact Kerry McCormack, City of West Hollywood Event Services Coordinator, at (323) 848-6385 or at kmccormack@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, call TTY (323) 848-6496.
To register, visit https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NHNZ8sA_Q2G789u9pkMpKQ. A link to the Zoom event, including a call-in number for those unable to join online, will be emailed to participants prior to the event.
Join us as we host our 10th annual training conference September 8th-10th, 2021. This year we invite approved victim service providers to our list of attendees. The conference will offer plenary and breakout sessions for Investigators, Prosecutors, Crime Analysts, Victim Service Providers and other HT Practitioners.
To determine if you qualify send us an email 2021conference@iahti.org
Here is the reservation link you can use to make hotel reservations:
Book your group rate for Fundamentals in Human Trafficking
If you have questions or need help with the link, please do not hesitate to contact the Sheraton Sand Key staff directly by calling 727-595-1611 and ask for in-house reservations.
Event Summary: 10th Annual Human Trafficking Conference
Hotel(s) offering your special group rate:Sheraton Sand Key Resort
for $124 USD per night
Venue address:
1160 Gulf Blvd
Clearwater, Florida 33767
The International Association of Human Trafficking Investigators will provide an advanced training conference for Investigators, Crime Analysts, Prosecutors and Victim Service Providers.
Course topics include:
This 20-hour course is geared towards Human Trafficking Investigators, Prosecutors, Crime Analysts, DCF, DJJ, Victim Advocates and victim service providers affiliated with Law Enforcement. This training will be conducted by Human Trafficking Practitioners with real world case experience. The objective of this course is for attendees to increase their investigative skills pertaining to human trafficking investigations. In addition to the great training we offer two networking sessions for the attendees. This allows the attendees the opportunity to network with HT Practitioners from across the United States and Canada.
ARE YOU TIRED OF JUST BEING AWARE OF THE PROBLEM?
THIS COURSE will EQUIP YOU to actually get involved.
You will gain knowledge and skills to combat sex trafficking effectively in the areas of prevention, intervention, rescue, advocacy or direct services to victims/survivors.
INSTRUCTORS:
BAZZEL BAZ: ARC Founder and President
TINA PAULSON: ARC Human Trafficking Program Director
STRATEGIC PARTNER INSTRUCTORS: Specialists with backgrounds in CIA, Military Special Operations, Law Enforcement and other distinguished fields
WE MUST protect the MOST VULNERABLE...our children. Threats to our children go undetected by most Americans, and the tactics of exploiters are cunning, sophisticated and well-disguised. With specialized expertise gained by ARC's operators and years of experience rescuing missing, exploited and trafficked American children/youth, learn what ARC can teach you about protecting them.
Training Course Schedule
RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA
Registration deadline March 2, 2021
DURATION: 5 days, 8 hours per day (40 hours total)
DAYS: Tuesday-Saturday, April 20 - 24, 2021
HOURS: Daily 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (Lunch break 12-1 pm)
LOCATION:
Courtyard By Marriott Rapid City, SD
580 Watiki Way
Box Elder, South Dakota 57719, US
Registration deadline April 1, 2021
DURATION: 5 days, 8 hours per day (40 hours total)
DAYS: Tuesday-Saturday, May 31-June 4, 2021
HOURS: Daily 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (Lunch break 12-1 pm)
LOCATION:
Acton Academy Placer
725 Vernon St,
Roseville, CA 95678 (near Sacramento)
ASHEVILLE, NC
Registration deadline May 3, 2021
DURATION: 5 days from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
DAYS: Mon-Fri, June 14 - June 18, 2021
HOURS: Daily 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (Lunch break 12-1 pm)
LOCATION:
Address TBD,
Asheville North Carolina
JACKSONVILLE, FL
Registration deadline June 7, 2021
DURATION: 5 days, 8 hours per day (40 hours total)
DAYS: Tuesday-Saturday, May 31-June 4, 2021
HOURS: Daily 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (Lunch break 12-1 pm)
LOCATION:
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge
5530 Beach Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL 32207
These are direct quotes from ARC Comprehensive Training Course alumni. These are used by permission from their evaluation forms.
More Details Click Here
To Register, Click Here
Check out recordings of the two Zoom breakout sessions held at the 2020 Rotary International Conference focusing on Education and Prevention of human trafficking. These are both great sessions focusing on learning more about the issue and how you can help.
RAGAS Education /Prevention - Bob Derring and Ashlie Bryant
For more information, please visit the RAGAS website here.
During this pandemic, our children are spending more and more time online, putting them at higher risk for interacting with predators. The San Diego Trafficking Prevention Collective is providing online training to teachers in order to continue their mission of bringing human trafficking education, prevention and awareness training into every public school in San Diego County.
To learn more, please click here.
Imagine waking up every morning to people you love and feel safe with.
Then, suddenly, strangers take you away and place you in a dull, unfamiliar place to share with other girls and some of them don’t even like you. You go from feeling like you have options to feeling like you have rules to follow or else suffer consequences.
Imagine the ways a child may have suffered, but then is referred to as “ungrateful”, or “angry”, which makes them lose trust with providers, and potentially return to their trafficker.
Justice is not served unless it’s through the eyes of the victim.
A trafficker is aware of these perspectives and situations surrounding care facilities and youth not feeling supported. Just like social workers have a role and police have a role, so do traffickers. They have strategic planning, research, undercover partners, and skills that make them the best fit for their job.
Traffickers know that kids still see them as a safe haven.
Now imagine being a youth who has finally gained the mental strength to see those “helpful” people who took you from everything you knew did so because what you knew was not healthy. You write a victim impact statement to help get your trafficker locked away just to find out that, according to the law, he is not even considered a violent offender (though you know full well he did multiple violent things to you.) What now?
There are so many aspects of surviving trafficking that many of us would not even consider. We are grateful to hear from those with lived experience to ensure we are becoming the best possible advocates. This is why we’re passionate about creating resources to help us better understand the perspectives of those we’re trying to serve. They’ve already been through so much and now they need people to champion them, not students.
Included in the course:
Advocacy Opportunity: Helping the Homeless during COVID-19
At SPY, we’re so thrilled to be part of such a resilient and connected community. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the outpouring of support we’ve received during these unpredictable times.
We’re thankful for our dedicated team members who are still working every day to provide life-saving support and essential services at SPY’s Access Center and across all of our residential programs.
We’re thankful for the swift action to prioritize the vulnerability of the homeless population in Los Angeles, providing handwashing stations and opening additional shelters to provide a safe space during this time of uncertainty.
We’re grateful for the policies that have already been enacted and actions that are already taking place to continue to protect and support our homeless neighbors. And, we’re extremely thankful that we can continue to move SPY’s mission forward. But we can’t fight this fight alone.
The street-based and at-risk youth we serve are at an increased risk of complications if they contract COVID-19. According to a report published by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “Homeless individuals infected by COVID-19 would be twice as likely to be hospitalized, two to four times as likely to require critical care, and two to three times as likely to die than the general population.”
Housing Highlights
At SPY, we believe housing is an integral part of helping street-based youth find stability. We’re delighted by the projects, originally goals in our strategic plan, that have become realities over the past few months.
A Bridge Home Sunset
In February, in partnership with People Assisting The Homeless (PATH), SPY celebrated the opening of A Bridge Home Sunset in Venice (ABH). As a result, 54 transition-aged youth have been moving off of the streets and into their home. ABH will house residents for three to six months as they work with SPY staff to secure permanent supportive housing. While at ABH, residents are provided three nutritious meals a day and receive dedicated case management, education and employment support, and access to health and wellness care to help them transition from the streets and stabilize.
The Nest
The Nest, which opened in December 2019, is SPY’s housing program designed specifically for youth who are pregnant and/or parenting. The program has the capacity to host 8 to 10 parenting youth and their families for up to 36 months. Each resident has a dedicated case manager, together they focus on goals like finding housing, completing education, and improving life skills. Residents also receive targeted family services and parenting classes. We are thrilled to share that as of April 1, we have reached full capacity at The Nest!
A Furry Reunion
Marquise and his dog Cloud 9 have been unhoused in Venice and coming to SPYs Access Center for services since 2016. Marquise, a talented guitar player, participates in SPY's Healing Arts program and has worked closely with his Case Manager to plan his short and long term goals for stability. Through SPY's partnership with Project Minnie, Marquise is also able to provide excellent care for Cloud 9.
On the streets of Abbot Kinney, Marquise met Rick, a community member who immediately bonded with Marquise. Unfortunately in October 2019, LAPD removed Cloud 9 from Marquise's custody, leaving the two separated and Cloud 9 in an animal shelter.
In an effort to support Marquise reuniting with Cloud 9, Rick became Marquise's mentor through SPY's Mentorship Program, which matches volunteers to mentor youth on an individual basis. With Marquise's dedication, Rick's determination, and SPY's driven case management team providing advocacy in the courtroom and in the community, Marquise and Cloud 9 have finally been reunited! The two are now residing at SPY's bridge housing program, A Bridge Home Sunset, where we love seeing them together every day.
Rotary District 5180 has developed a project combating Human Trafficking to not only educate people in the area but to educate students as to what to look for so as not to fall into the grips of traffickers.
Copyright © 2019 Rotarians Fighting Human Trafficking - All Rights Reserved
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