More on Human Trafficking

sex-trafficking-market

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.

2012 was marked by President Obama proclaiming January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month as a call upon the people of the United States to recognize the vital role we can play in ending modern slavery and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.

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 could mention how the average age of a prostitute/sex slave in the United States is 13 years.

We could talk about who gets trafficked and for what reasons: women and children for sex; men, women and children for labor.

The main issue is that it is HAPPENING in Riverside County NOW! Spread the awareness to everyone you know.

Riverside is fortunate in having the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force. This is a collaborative effort of law enforcement agencies and Social Services as well as Operation SafeHouse. The Task Force has provided trainings for community groups, Law Enforcement groups and Social Service groups as well as developing myriads of materials. And they are responsible for The Sound of Hope.

The Sound of Hope

To increase your awareness, stop by The Riverside Art Museum. They are exhibiting some of our Riverside Survivor’s Art Work called The Sound of Hope.

They are located: 3425 Mission Inn Ave. Riverside, California 92501

The Sound of Hope came as an outcome to the many art therapy session we have with survivors. It was stated best by Joan Turkus, M.D when she said “It is so difficult to put the complexities of the trauma recovery process into words-artwork does this much better!”

Each art therapy medium is carefully selected to support giving voice to the survivor’s experience. While they may not be able to put what they feel into words, viewing their work in front of them is something else entirely-something that can lead to their healing and remind them of hope in their journey so far.

Each sex trafficking survivor that chose to participate was given a record. The record serves as a symbol of music, someone’s poetic story of an experience in their life or a hope of what is to come. We encouraged the survivors to see their medium- the record – as a symbol of their journey and their hope as their story is not yet over.

The survivor’s works you see are all made by those recovered from sex slavery and ages range from 15 to 29 years. Each of them has expressed the sound of their hope, the things that keep them going, and their battle to claim their life back after slavery.

Family and Medical Leave

Since the Family and Medical Leave Act was signed into law in 1993, its job-protected leave has been used more than 100 million times to help employees recover from their own major medical situations or to care for loved ones. Because so many Americans work and are also caregivers — for children and spouses but also for aging parents and grandparents — family and medical leave is key to employees’ success in the workplace. That’s why AAUW has long called for a federal paid family and medical leave program and supports this week’s introduction of the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act) by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT).

While FMLA is a success story, many Americans do not use their FMLA leave because it is unpaid, and they cannot afford the time off of work without a paycheck. In addition, many more Americans are not covered by FMLA either because they work for a small business or do not have the tenure in their current job to access leave. Very few workers, only 11 percent of the private sector workforce, have paid family leave through their employers, and fewer than 40 percent have personal medical leave through an employer-provided temporary disability program. Workers nationwide need the FAMILY ACT.

The FAMILY Act would create a self-sustaining fund, which both employees and employers contribute to, to ensure that people have a much-needed paycheck when using family and medical leave. Employees would earn a portion of their wages for a limited period of time to address their own serious health issue; to deal with the serious health issue of a parent, spouse, domestic partner, or child; to care for a new child; or for particular military caregiving and leave purposes.

We know that paid family and medical leave works: It helps employees take care of themselves and their families and go back to work. Such programs have existed in California since 2004 and in New Jersey since 2009. Analyses of the implementation of California’s program show that both employers and employees have benefited. Just this year, Rhode Island passed a program that will be implemented in 2014.

Write to your representatives about how important paid family and medical leave is to you and to your loved ones.

Something Big Happened Last Month

I am a Woman

By Ruth Anderson Wilson

I am a woman. I devoutly believe In equality of spirit that we all are entitled to, but all do not have. I love this country for being as close as it is for providing me with what I now so enjoy . I do what I can to keep that democratic belief alive for tomorrow’s population.

I am proud of being wife, sister, mother, aunt, grandmother, and friend of the military. I know how the Military is run. It cannot be called a democracy. The leaders call the shots, right or wrong.

My mother was a re-converted Catholic. Like the military, the priests were the final word. The Catholic Church has never been a democracy. The only dissent is to leave the church. I saw the huge role of the despotic cleric in Iraq, and see it continue to rule in many places today.

When one has a vote, one should not need to defend that position. It is the right of that person to express his position with the vote. We need independent thinkers in the government structure or we lose today’s planning for tomorrow’s future. It goes instead to money for the privileged..

Rule means money to keep being in power. Power creates money to continue to rule.

That is not democracy. That is today’s world happening right now.

Dr. Judy White Named Citizen of the Year

On November 20, 2013, the Moreno Valley Chamber of Commerce announced its 2014 Citizen of the Year, Dr. Judy White, the Superintendent of the Moreno Valley Unified School District. Dr. White was among seven candidates nominated.

Dr. Judy D. White began her tenure as Superintendent for Moreno Valley Unified School District in February 2011, and immediately began connecting with the community, ultimately moving her family to our city. With over 35 years of experience in education she came in with a wealth of ideas, and has embedded her heart and soul to the students and families in this community. She has procured several outside grants for literacy, volunteerism, and closing the achievement gap. She serves on the Board for National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST), Moreno Valley Cultural Arts Commission, ACCESS to the Future, and United Way of the Inland Valleys and serves on the UCR Citizen’s Advisory Committee for Teacher Education.

She was recently awarded the 2013 Woman of the Year for Moreno Valley by the 61st District Assemblyman, José Medina. Some of her other involvements include Optimists, Relay for Life, Music Changing Lives and Fighting for the Family Ministries. She developed a formal Adopt-a-School program to engage the business and faith communities into the school district to support the students.

Dr. White embraces a united effort of “Excellence on Purpose” and has become known as an inspirational advocate for all students. She has made a name for herself in the community for reaching out, embracing change for the better, and holding the district accountable for student success. In speaking to the Riverside AAUW Branch she certainly displayed her very positive, upbeat personality.