Thursday, March 20, 2008
Amazing Grace Movie at Cinus!
Amazing Grace, a movie based on William Wilberforce's life (and his mission to put an end to the slave trade in Britain and its colonies in the 1800s) is playing at Cinus (Rodeotown) this week. Over the spring break, if you have a chance to see it, I highly recommend it. It is a powerful testimony to Wilberforce's convictions about slavery, and how God created all men, and woman, as equals. This ties directly to our current campaign about human trafficking (a form of modern-day slavery). Check out the web site www.amazingchange.com and read about what some groups are doing to address slavery in 2008. There are also two great books recommended on this site: Not For Sale and Be The Change. Both deal with modern-day slavery and what we can do to end it.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Letter Writing #1
February 20, 2008
Minister Song Min-soon,
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
37 Sejong (Doryeom-dong),
Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-787,
Republic of Korea
Dear Minister Song Min-soon,
I am a student from Taejon Christian International School in South Korea, and I am a member of our student Amnesty International group; we gather together to protect the human rights of people at risk of, or experiencing, injustice.
We are very concerned about human trafficking, the act of trading people for business that often involves the sale of women for the purposes of prostitution. Women and children are transported abroad, by the means of force, and many are abused and live in harsh situations.
In South Korea, there are instances of foreign and Korean women being bought and sold like products. This occurs in large cities like Seoul, as well as smaller centers. As young people studying in this country, we want to speak out for these mistreated people.
In the UN Declaration of Human Rights it says in article 2: “Everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” And article 5 states: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruelty, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” All people should be protected by the law.
We ask for your support in stopping the practice of human trafficking in South Korea. Please consider drafting legislation to address this issue, and to uphold the basic human rights of all individuals in this country.
Sincerely,
Minister Song Min-soon,
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
37 Sejong (Doryeom-dong),
Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-787,
Republic of Korea
Dear Minister Song Min-soon,
I am a student from Taejon Christian International School in South Korea, and I am a member of our student Amnesty International group; we gather together to protect the human rights of people at risk of, or experiencing, injustice.
We are very concerned about human trafficking, the act of trading people for business that often involves the sale of women for the purposes of prostitution. Women and children are transported abroad, by the means of force, and many are abused and live in harsh situations.
In South Korea, there are instances of foreign and Korean women being bought and sold like products. This occurs in large cities like Seoul, as well as smaller centers. As young people studying in this country, we want to speak out for these mistreated people.
In the UN Declaration of Human Rights it says in article 2: “Everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” And article 5 states: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruelty, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” All people should be protected by the law.
We ask for your support in stopping the practice of human trafficking in South Korea. Please consider drafting legislation to address this issue, and to uphold the basic human rights of all individuals in this country.
Sincerely,
Friday, February 1, 2008
HUMAN TRAFFICKING......
What is Human Trafficking?
•Human Trafficking is simply defined as the trafficking of human beings by the recruitment, transportation, harbouring, or receipt of people for the purpose of exploitation.
•It is estimated to be a $5 to $9 billion-a-year industry.
•Trafficking victims typically are recruited using deception, fraud, the abuse of power. Threats, violence, or receiving unlawful payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, and for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor.
•Exploitation includes forcing people into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services which are practices similar to slavery, For children exploitation may also include forced prostitution, illegal international adoption.
The trafficking of women and girls happens all over the world yet remains hidden from public view.Many women who are offered the opportunity of ‘work’ in other countries, find themselves trapped in a world of physical, psychological and sexual abuse and economic deprivation.
•80% of women are trafficking victims, are particularly at risk to become involved in sex trafficking. Traffic kidnappers lie to their victims of promising them a good job, good opportunities. Some women learn that they have been deceived about the nature of the work they will do; most have been lied to about the financial arrangements and conditions of their employment; and all find themselves in coercive and abusive situations from which escape is both difficult and dangerous.
•The main motive of a woman (in some cases of an underage girl) is to accept an offer from a trafficker is better financial opportunities for herself or her family. In many cases traffickers initially offer ‘legitimate’ work or the promise of an opportunity to study. The main types of work offered are in the catering and hotel industry, in bars and clubs, modeling contracts etc. Traffickers sometimes use offers of marriage, threats, intimidation and kidnapping as means of obtaining victims. In the majority of cases, the women end up in prostitution. Also some (migrating) prostitutes become victims of human trafficking. Some women know they will be working as prostitutes, but they have an inaccurate view of the circumstances and the conditions of the work in their country of destination.
•Trafficking of children often involves exploitation of the parents' extreme poverty. Children are sold to traffickers in order to pay off debts or gain income or they may be deceived concerning the prospects of training and a better life for their children. In West Africa, trafficked children have often lost one or both parents and also due to the African AIDS crisis.
•The adoption process, legal and illegal, results in cases of trafficking of babies and pregnant women between the West and the developing world.
•Men are also at risk of being trafficked for unskilled work predominantly involving hard labor. Other forms of trafficking include bonded and sweatshop labor, forced marriage, and for domestic service.
-United States State Department data "estimated 600,000 to 820,000 men, women, and children [are] trafficked across international borders each year, approximately 80 percent are women and girls and up to 50% are minors.
•In the United Kingdom, 71 women were known to have been trafficked into prostitution in 1998 and the Home Office recognized that the scale is likely greater as the problem is hidden and research estimates that the actual figure could be up to 1,420 women trafficked into the UK during the same period. While in Russia, there are women, who are trafficked globally for the purpose of sexual exploitation, Russian women are in prostitution in over 50 countries. Annually, thousands of Russian women end up as prostitutes in Israel, China, Japan or South Korea.
•In Asia, Japan is the major destination country for trafficked women, especially from the Philippines and Thailand. , There are currently an estimated 300,000 women and children involved in the sex trade throughout Southeast Asia. It is common that Thai women are lured(taken) to Japan and sold to Yakuza-controlled brothels where they are forced to work off their price.
•South Korean women and girls are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation in the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, Guam, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Western Europe. A small number of migrants seeking economic opportunities abroad are believed to be trafficking victims. Some women and girls were trafficked to become brides for South Korean men or to work in child sex tourism. Some victims were recruited by false promises of employment in the entertainment industry but were later coerced into exploitative conditions. Although South Korea has extraterritorial laws to prosecute South Korean citizens for child sexual exploitation abroad, there have been no prosecutions.
Causes of trafficking
Some causes of trafficking include:
•lack of employment opportunities.
•organized crime and presence of organized criminal gangs.
•regional imbalances.
•social discrimination.
•corruption in government.
•political instability and etc.
There are some tv shows or movies that simply projects the views of human trafficking, such movies as Lilya 4-ever, a film based loosely on the real life of Dangoule Rasalaite, portrays a young woman from the former Soviet Union who is deceived into being trafficked for exploitation in Sweden. Human trafficking has also been portrayed in the Canadian/UK TV drama.
The 2007 film Trade deals with human trafficking out of Mexico and a brother's attempt to rescue his kidnapped and trafficked young sister.The 2007 film Trade deals with human trafficking out of Mexico and a brother's attempt to rescue his kidnapped and trafficked young sister.
The film The Transporter deals with the hero, Frank Martin, played by Jason Statham, trying to stop a container full of men and women being illegally transported.
Human Trafficking (2005) (TV) by Christian Duguay stars Mira Sorvino, Donald Sutherland, and Robert Carlyle. A sixteen-year-old girl from the Ukraine, a single mother from Russia, an orphaned seventeen-year-old girl from Romania, and a twelve-year-old American tourist become the victims of international sex slave traffickers. Sorvino and Sutherland are the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who struggle to save them.
Ghosts (2006 film) a documentary by independent film maker Nick Broomfield, follows the story of the victims of the Morcambe Bay cockle picking disaster, in which smuggled immigrants are forced in to hard labour.
The new film The Sugar Babies (2007) by Amy Serrano is a documentary that highlights the plight of Haitian victims of human trafficking in the Dominican Republic.
The European series Matroesjka's deals with girls from ex-soviet countries, who have been deceived into sex slavery in Belgium.
The video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas features a mission in which the main character helps free refugees trafficked onboard a container ship travelling from Vietnam to the United States.
SUMMARY AND OPINION ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
Human Trafficking is a big issue in our society. It seems like the world is a place for lack of freedom, leading to human live issues. Human trafficking is targeted at all age and gender. But according to my research, women and girls are the ones who suffer the most, they are bought and forced into prostitution, raped and all types of sexual abuse. The men and boys are mistreated as slaves for labors. The history of human trafficking is very painful. Human trafficking is also known as the modern term of slavery. Human trafficking can happen to anyone, it could be your MOTHER, FATHER, BROTHER, SISTER, COUSIN, ETC OR YOU!!!!!!!
Nongovernmental Organizations
Several nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been formed to combat human trafficking:
The American Anti-Slavery Group
Anti-Slavery International
Free the Slaves
HumanTrafficking.org
Shared Hope International
Not For Sale
Please help donate money and STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING!!!!
Here are some videos related to human trafficking:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xwAhti93QYU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iDJ9h_o1mWc&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0e_CaS--yOY&feature=related
•Human Trafficking is simply defined as the trafficking of human beings by the recruitment, transportation, harbouring, or receipt of people for the purpose of exploitation.
•It is estimated to be a $5 to $9 billion-a-year industry.
•Trafficking victims typically are recruited using deception, fraud, the abuse of power. Threats, violence, or receiving unlawful payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, and for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor.
•Exploitation includes forcing people into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services which are practices similar to slavery, For children exploitation may also include forced prostitution, illegal international adoption.
The trafficking of women and girls happens all over the world yet remains hidden from public view.Many women who are offered the opportunity of ‘work’ in other countries, find themselves trapped in a world of physical, psychological and sexual abuse and economic deprivation.
•80% of women are trafficking victims, are particularly at risk to become involved in sex trafficking. Traffic kidnappers lie to their victims of promising them a good job, good opportunities. Some women learn that they have been deceived about the nature of the work they will do; most have been lied to about the financial arrangements and conditions of their employment; and all find themselves in coercive and abusive situations from which escape is both difficult and dangerous.
•The main motive of a woman (in some cases of an underage girl) is to accept an offer from a trafficker is better financial opportunities for herself or her family. In many cases traffickers initially offer ‘legitimate’ work or the promise of an opportunity to study. The main types of work offered are in the catering and hotel industry, in bars and clubs, modeling contracts etc. Traffickers sometimes use offers of marriage, threats, intimidation and kidnapping as means of obtaining victims. In the majority of cases, the women end up in prostitution. Also some (migrating) prostitutes become victims of human trafficking. Some women know they will be working as prostitutes, but they have an inaccurate view of the circumstances and the conditions of the work in their country of destination.
•Trafficking of children often involves exploitation of the parents' extreme poverty. Children are sold to traffickers in order to pay off debts or gain income or they may be deceived concerning the prospects of training and a better life for their children. In West Africa, trafficked children have often lost one or both parents and also due to the African AIDS crisis.
•The adoption process, legal and illegal, results in cases of trafficking of babies and pregnant women between the West and the developing world.
•Men are also at risk of being trafficked for unskilled work predominantly involving hard labor. Other forms of trafficking include bonded and sweatshop labor, forced marriage, and for domestic service.
-United States State Department data "estimated 600,000 to 820,000 men, women, and children [are] trafficked across international borders each year, approximately 80 percent are women and girls and up to 50% are minors.
•In the United Kingdom, 71 women were known to have been trafficked into prostitution in 1998 and the Home Office recognized that the scale is likely greater as the problem is hidden and research estimates that the actual figure could be up to 1,420 women trafficked into the UK during the same period. While in Russia, there are women, who are trafficked globally for the purpose of sexual exploitation, Russian women are in prostitution in over 50 countries. Annually, thousands of Russian women end up as prostitutes in Israel, China, Japan or South Korea.
•In Asia, Japan is the major destination country for trafficked women, especially from the Philippines and Thailand. , There are currently an estimated 300,000 women and children involved in the sex trade throughout Southeast Asia. It is common that Thai women are lured(taken) to Japan and sold to Yakuza-controlled brothels where they are forced to work off their price.
•South Korean women and girls are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation in the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, Guam, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Western Europe. A small number of migrants seeking economic opportunities abroad are believed to be trafficking victims. Some women and girls were trafficked to become brides for South Korean men or to work in child sex tourism. Some victims were recruited by false promises of employment in the entertainment industry but were later coerced into exploitative conditions. Although South Korea has extraterritorial laws to prosecute South Korean citizens for child sexual exploitation abroad, there have been no prosecutions.
Causes of trafficking
Some causes of trafficking include:
•lack of employment opportunities.
•organized crime and presence of organized criminal gangs.
•regional imbalances.
•social discrimination.
•corruption in government.
•political instability and etc.
There are some tv shows or movies that simply projects the views of human trafficking, such movies as Lilya 4-ever, a film based loosely on the real life of Dangoule Rasalaite, portrays a young woman from the former Soviet Union who is deceived into being trafficked for exploitation in Sweden. Human trafficking has also been portrayed in the Canadian/UK TV drama.
The 2007 film Trade deals with human trafficking out of Mexico and a brother's attempt to rescue his kidnapped and trafficked young sister.The 2007 film Trade deals with human trafficking out of Mexico and a brother's attempt to rescue his kidnapped and trafficked young sister.
The film The Transporter deals with the hero, Frank Martin, played by Jason Statham, trying to stop a container full of men and women being illegally transported.
Human Trafficking (2005) (TV) by Christian Duguay stars Mira Sorvino, Donald Sutherland, and Robert Carlyle. A sixteen-year-old girl from the Ukraine, a single mother from Russia, an orphaned seventeen-year-old girl from Romania, and a twelve-year-old American tourist become the victims of international sex slave traffickers. Sorvino and Sutherland are the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who struggle to save them.
Ghosts (2006 film) a documentary by independent film maker Nick Broomfield, follows the story of the victims of the Morcambe Bay cockle picking disaster, in which smuggled immigrants are forced in to hard labour.
The new film The Sugar Babies (2007) by Amy Serrano is a documentary that highlights the plight of Haitian victims of human trafficking in the Dominican Republic.
The European series Matroesjka's deals with girls from ex-soviet countries, who have been deceived into sex slavery in Belgium.
The video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas features a mission in which the main character helps free refugees trafficked onboard a container ship travelling from Vietnam to the United States.
SUMMARY AND OPINION ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
Human Trafficking is a big issue in our society. It seems like the world is a place for lack of freedom, leading to human live issues. Human trafficking is targeted at all age and gender. But according to my research, women and girls are the ones who suffer the most, they are bought and forced into prostitution, raped and all types of sexual abuse. The men and boys are mistreated as slaves for labors. The history of human trafficking is very painful. Human trafficking is also known as the modern term of slavery. Human trafficking can happen to anyone, it could be your MOTHER, FATHER, BROTHER, SISTER, COUSIN, ETC OR YOU!!!!!!!
Nongovernmental Organizations
Several nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been formed to combat human trafficking:
The American Anti-Slavery Group
Anti-Slavery International
Free the Slaves
HumanTrafficking.org
Shared Hope International
Not For Sale
Please help donate money and STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING!!!!
Here are some videos related to human trafficking:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xwAhti93QYU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iDJ9h_o1mWc&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0e_CaS--yOY&feature=related
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Child Soldiers: Info for Campaign
Hey Guys! Here is some information about the three possible countries we will focus on in our campaign. Click the links to see more details about the country.
In Africa up to 100,000 children are thought to have been involved in armed conflict last year. The AK-47 is the weapon of choice for child soldiers, as it is light and easy to use but can discharge 600 rounds per minute.
Sierra Leon - Child soldiers routinely suffer killings, beatings and other forms of torture or ill-treatment, and forced labour. Girls are raped and forced into sexual slavery. Many child soldiers struggle to overcome the physical and psychological consequences of their experiences; it may take years for them to be fully rehabilitated and able to reintegrate into society and resume their lives.
http://www.un.org/works/goingon/soldiers/goingon_soldiers.html (several soldier’s points of view)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_leon http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4500358.stm (great story)
Rwanda – Child soldiers have been used by Rwandan government forces and paramilitaries, as well as government-backed forces operating within the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some child recruitment is still reported in refugee camps.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda
Sudan – Thousands of children fight with the Sudan People's Armed Forces, the Sudan People's Liberation Army and their Joint Integrated Units. In Darfur, the Sudanese army, the Janjaweed militias, Sudan Liberation Army factions and paramilitary forces reportedly use at least 7,000 child soldiers in the region. The Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan-based group, also has child soldiers in Sudan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan
Please post a comment below about what country you think we should focus on for our fall campaign!
In Africa up to 100,000 children are thought to have been involved in armed conflict last year. The AK-47 is the weapon of choice for child soldiers, as it is light and easy to use but can discharge 600 rounds per minute.
Sierra Leon - Child soldiers routinely suffer killings, beatings and other forms of torture or ill-treatment, and forced labour. Girls are raped and forced into sexual slavery. Many child soldiers struggle to overcome the physical and psychological consequences of their experiences; it may take years for them to be fully rehabilitated and able to reintegrate into society and resume their lives.
http://www.un.org/works/goingon/soldiers/goingon_soldiers.html (several soldier’s points of view)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_leon http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4500358.stm (great story)
Rwanda – Child soldiers have been used by Rwandan government forces and paramilitaries, as well as government-backed forces operating within the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some child recruitment is still reported in refugee camps.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda
Sudan – Thousands of children fight with the Sudan People's Armed Forces, the Sudan People's Liberation Army and their Joint Integrated Units. In Darfur, the Sudanese army, the Janjaweed militias, Sudan Liberation Army factions and paramilitary forces reportedly use at least 7,000 child soldiers in the region. The Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan-based group, also has child soldiers in Sudan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan
Please post a comment below about what country you think we should focus on for our fall campaign!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Letter Writing #1
Hi folks! Here is the link to the first Amnesty letter we have written for the 07/08 school year. If you couldn't make the Wednesday or Thursday meeting, copy the letter, sign your name and bring the letter to school (you can deliver it to Brian Ree - sophomore - or to Mrs. Lavender or Ms. Huffman or Mr. Emery and we'll make sure it gets into the mail). Let's help stop violence against women particularly, in this case, in Saudi Arabia.
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/sau-160307-action-eng
Saturday, August 25, 2007
First Big Meeting of 2007!
On Wednesday, August 29th, the TCIS student chapter of Amnesty International will kick off its 07/08 year! Come to room 104 at 3:30 and learn more about what Amnesty International is all about, and about our goals for this year. Everyone is welcome. Watch this short background video to learn more about the work of Amnesty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5-81AmFkCc
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Calling all justice seekers!
Hello TCIS students! This is the new official space for our student chapter of Amnesty International, which was launched at our school in January of 2007. For the 2007/08 school year, check this blog regularly for information on our campaigns, as well as weekly letter-writing links. Together, we can make a difference in transforming our world and upholding human rights and justice. In Zechariah 7:9-10 God says: "And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 'This is what the Lord Almight says: Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor." There are many other verses of scripture that echo God's call for His people to love mercy and justice. Let's live out this calling together!
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