November 2008
Vol 1, Issue 3
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Walk the Talk
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EXPLOITATION
by PS Perkins, VOW Board Member
You don't see me
with your eager hands
and lowered eyes,
you don't see
my mother as she rakes the fields
12 hours a day to bring home
3 sad potatoes for evening soup,
you don't see
my brothers search the
trash for something to sell,
to eat, to build their dreams,
you don't see my
father's face as he hides
his shame behind
a bottle with your name,
you don't see I had no choice
to have no voice
in this horrid game,
you don't see
your blindness has numbed my
body and stilled my mind,
you don't see that
my spirit survives
underneath your putrid lies,
you don't see the death you have
bought to your own front door,
you don't see me as you lie down to
rise again and fade away,
but I see you; we all do.
In our quarterly newsletter, Voices of Women will feature a nonprofit organization that we believe deserves our attention and support. VOW hopes that you will find this feature helpful and insightful in your decision of causes to support.
Voices of Women has selected the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (BSCC) as our nonprofit featured for this quarter's newsletter. We believe that the work the BSCC is accomplishing aligns with VOW's goals.
Sex Trafficking: A Hugely Successful Shadow Industry
by Anne Hoiberg, Member, VOW Board of Directors
On September 20, 2008, Voices of Women presented its first "Sex-trafficking Summit ," which highlighted the many contributions that Marisa Urgarte and Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition have made in ending the commercial exploitation of women and children as well as the work and research of five other experts.
From this summit, we learned that sex trafficking would not exist without the demand for commercial sex. To meet this demand, more than two million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade each year. Crossing national borders and/or state lines within their own countries, millions of women and children, who are duped, coerced, or tricked, feed this shadow economy by supplying the commodity--their bodies. The traffickers connect the supply with the demand, creating a criminal industry estimated to yield $31.6 billion in profits annually.
VOW Board Member Anne Hoiberg with BSCC's
Marisa Urgarte
In 2000, the U.S. adopted the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), which has been funded through 2009 and centers on three major areas of concern: prevention, protection, and prosecution. Shortly after enactment of the TVPA, child advocate Marisa Ugarte founded the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (BSCC), a nonprofit nongovernmental organization (NGO) made up of more than 65 government agencies (e.g., Federal Bureau of Investigation), faith-based organizations (e.g., Catholic Charities), other NGOs (e.g., Freedom from Exploitation), and international agencies (e.g., Save the Children-Sweden). This network of agencies and NGOs offers a wide array of services to support and assist victims of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.
After a victim has been rescued, the process typically begins with a law enforcement or government official contacting the BSCC, where Marisa or a staff member assesses the needs of the victim and develops the case management protocol. Rescued victims in this border region are placed in a safe location (unaccompanied minors separately from adults), and the restoration process is initiated. The "Rescue and Restore" campaign meets the "protection" element of the TVPA by offering the victim shelter as well as psychological, medical, educational, and legal services. Victims also are provided counseling in preparation for prosecuting the trafficker or pimp in a court of justice, thereby beginning the "prosecution" phase of the TVPA.
With funding from local foundations and several federal departments (e.g., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), BSCC not only provides delivery of services to victims, but Marisa also organizes forums, conferences, and training events throughout Southern California and the Mexico-U.S. border region. Through her efforts and that of BSCC members, these educational and training programs have been presented to address the "prevention" of human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of women and children. The BSCC advocates for social change by increasing public awareness of the problem of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation--and encouraging local, state, national, and international authorities to eradicate these human rights violations.
Through these efforts, Marisa and BSCC have rescued the exploited and is dedicated to restoring their lost human dignity and respect. We in VOW applaud these humane endeavors.
Meet Our Board
by Stacey Blanchet, VOW Board Member
To interview Anne Hoiberg is to encounter a woman on a mission. At the present time, Anne sits on several boards that include, Voices of Women, Women's History Museum,and Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition. She is Director of the Women's Equity Council of the United Nations Association, Co-President of the League of Women Voters of San Diego, President of the International Museum of Human Rights at San Diego, and President of the Southern California National League of American Pen Women (and currently serves as one of five Vice Presidents of National League of American Pen Women based in Washington, D.C.). As if that weren't enough for one person, she is currently working on bringing the first human rights museum to San Diego and to develop a Women's Building in San Diego that includes the Women's History Museum and space for all women's organizations (e.g., Voices of Women) in Balboa Park. Anne will surely accomplish these two goals given everything else she has accomplished in her life.
Iraqi women in training program
with Women for Women International
In the coming year, a self-help book for "women baby boomers"who are retiring includes Anne's chapter titled, "On the Road from Amman to Baghdad." This chapter details Anne's life from childhood through all of her adventures in far-away places, such as Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, China, Tunisia, Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Uganda, and Occupied Palestinian Territories. This chapter describes how Anne felt that, when she retired from her government position before her 55th birthday, it was the perfect time to start a second chapter in her life that would utilize her activist spirit and desire for world peace.
During our interview I asked three questions that I felt would help us understand how Anne came to be here and where Anne would like to go.
Did you have a mentor that either knew he or she were your mentor or someone who came into your life and made an impact?
"My mother, of course, had a tremendous impact. For example, until she married at age 38, she was a career woman who had the courage to speak up and then received the same salary as her male counterparts (she and another woman in a field of 100 men). My mother was astonished that I encountered the same inequity 35 years later. She loved it when I, too, made a fuss and was promoted!"
Is there a moment in your life that you felt changed you for the better and made you who you are today?"I think the NATO Symposium in 1980 to which I was invited to convene propelled me into being more of a global citizen. The Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 cemented that role and enhanced my dedication to the advancement and empowerment of women".
What would you like to accomplish in the coming years?"I hope to do more writing, especially after winning a "First Prize" in a writing competition on June 6, 2008. I plan to become even more of a community activist and continue to write and speak out on issues of great importance, e.g., women's rights, world peace, trafficking of women and children, women and political participation, violence against women and girls, human rights, child marriage, United Nations, poverty, Iraqi women, Afghan women, Palestinian women, etc. etc."
Women in Baghdad (and Anne) march for their rights
During Anne's life she has been a trailblazer for women's issues. She never followed the traditions that were laid out for women and defied all the odds against her. She set out to try new things and, in turn, became a new person herself. Anne decided to move west with a friend and to attend graduate school instead of getting married.
She earned her Master's Degree in Psychology. She accepted a full-time job at the U.S. Navy Neuropsychiatric Research Unit, which led her to participate in researching the effective- ness of Project 100,000, as part of President Johnson's War on Poverty. After that, Anne began her research on women in the military to help create policies concerning marriage, pregnancy, abortion, and combat. Her C.V. includes two books and more than 130 book chapters, scientific articles, and reports.
As you can see from the first chapter of her life, she has rewritten the rules for herself and created new rules for us all to follow by example. I, for one, am glad that people are documenting Anne's life so that women can see what is possible in any time period. There really are no excuses for not doing what you feel is your destiny in life. There are people who see Anne as the writer, speaker, moderator, world traveler, and trailblazer. I see Anne as a work in progress and can't wait to see what she does next!
Book Corner
Recommendations by VOW Board Member, Christie Edwards
Frank Schatzing's "The Swarm" has taken Germany by storm and remained on the top of the bestseller list since its debut in 2006. This gripping novel examines the ecological catastrophes that would occur if the planet started to fight back against the abuse it has endured for centuries. From natural disasters and changing weather patterns to mutating plant and animal life forms, the environment begins to take revenge on mankind, while teams of scientists and researchers desperately look for a solution.
Schatzing combines vivid characters with realistic scientific explanations of the ecological phenomenons to create a compelling and thrilling story that will both captivate your mind and motivate your heart to better preserve our planet. The suspense as the characters race for a way to save the planet will keep you turning the pages with anticipation until the very end ... at which point you will most likely become highly motivated to start recycling and composting!
Beanies for Babies
A follow-up from Carol Clarke, VOW Board Member
The Beanies for Babies project is moving along well. By mid-month we had sent 1,123 beanies to our nurse midwife contact in Maryland, to be distributed in various countries of Africa and to Pakistan and Afghanistan. We have 23 knitters who have contributed at least 1 beanie or more. We have one knitter, an 86 yr old Great- Grandmother, who has contributed 284 beanies to date and is still happily knitting. It gives us great joy to know we are able to contribute something so simple, yet so effective in protecting newborns around the world. We would like to thank SCNM and their Global Outreach Program for providing us with this picture.
It is through your continued support that VOW is able to present high caliber programs. We are very proud that we continue to present educational events which have covered global issues. We truly couldn't do it without you! If you haven't yet renewed your VOW supportership for 2009, now is the time to do so.
