In Numbers:

• 8,940: Number of Internet protocol (IP) addresses in Ontario where child porn is suspected of having been downloaded in the last three months
• 23: Number of police services searching 76 locations to seize computer equipment
• 60: Number of suspects arrested
• 213: Number of charges filed, including sexual assault, child luring and making, possessing and distributing child pornography
• 22: Number of identified victims, now longer being abused

MP Joy Smith issued a statement on the bust, commending those who worked long hours to put an end to this crime.

I want to commend the Ontario Provincial Police Child Sexual Exploitation Section and the 23 law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation for their dedication and commitment to tracking down the individuals who created, distributed and made available child sexual abuse material. These investigations are long and complex and exert significant emotional and physical tolls on the officers involved.  Due to the immense and heroic efforts of these police officers, 22 child victims have been rescued and are now receiving care.

Children are the most precious members of our society but also the most vulnerable. The creation and distribution of child sexual abuse materials results in devastating trauma in young victims. As a nation, it is incumbent on each of us to support efforts that protect children, hold predators accountable, and restore rescued victims.

I echo her words. This kind of predatory behaviour is unacceptable, and I am so grateful for those one the front lines who are doing something about this injustice.  My hope is that victims can now get healing, and that the perpetrators experience true heart change while paying for what they did. Considering that some of those accused have already had previous sex-related convictions, I am reminded that some form of restorative justice is so necessary in our country.  For more information, check out these articles:

• Repeat offenders among those charged in huge Ontario child porn bust by Tu Thanh Ha at Globe and Mail
• Region police investigate 4 men as part of province-wide child porn bust by The Waterloo Record

Joe and I in the bottom row at an anti-trafficking event at the University of Guelph, 2008

Please see the concert details below, and learn more about Joe and his CD on his website. My personal favourite from the album is #6 (hint: Something I aspire to & very cute), but you’ll have to come to the concert to find out why! Jay and I will be presenting on the current project we are working on as well. Hope to see you there, and don’t forget to bring a friend!

Please note: we were switching hosting this week for the HFTS website, and are correcting any small glitches there may still be floating around.  Thanks for your patience.  Should just be minor things though.  Contact section is functioning fine.  I will remove this message very soon, once everything has been dealt with.

When I was younger, I remember hearing that the most powerful comfort can come from a wounded healer.  Many of the women at Treasures have experienced exploitation, manipulation, self-loathing, regret, and abuse, enabling them to understand fully and empathize with those trapped in the trade who feel forgotten.  Check out the Treasures website to read stories and learn more.

We recently had the honour of speaking at a spa and awareness event put together by Trade Sensation, an event planning company based out of Toronto.  They suggested we make “in lieu of wedding favours” available through Hope for the Sold. Here’s what I came up with:

If you would like to make a donation to Hope for the Sold in lieu of wedding favours, you can select which style of card you’d like to give your guests.  Once I have your information, I will then customize it with your names, wedding date, and picture, and send you the PDF file that you can get printed for those attending your wedding.

All the money from the donations will be going toward this project.  All donations will receive a charitable tax receipt (this is possible for U.S. donations as well).  You can find out how to give online or by cheque on the bottom of this page.  If you are interested in donating in lieu of wedding favours, please contact me here, with subject line “wedding favours” so we can get the ball rolling!

If you know of any people getting married, just copy this link to send this post their way: http://bit.ly/HFTSWeddingFavours

The phone awoke me from my slumber.  My best friend Katharine had been in a car accident. Coach bus.  Airlifted.  Serious condition. Words became a jumble in my head.  Along with her family and closest friends, I spent the long, dark night at the hospital by her side.  The next day we were all ushered into a small room with very white walls, and the doctor told us what we’d all feared: at 19 years old, our Katharine’s vibrant young life was over.

Life, interrupted.

Fast forward five years to just 11 days ago.  My husband and I found out that one of our dearest friends, who was a groomsman at our wedding, had just been diagnosed with leukemia.  The chemotherapy began the next day, and as I write this our friend is still at the hospital, fighting for his life and trying to stay as positive as possible as we cheer him on and try to help in any way we can.

Life, interrupted.

Life has such heavy burdens, doesn’t it?  I think of all the split second moments when life is interrupted, and schedules, routines, and plans fade into the background.  Chances are some of you have been though this, and you know exactly what this is like.  Whether it’s a scary diagnosis, the loss of a loved one, financial crisis, betrayal, the death of a dream, or even the devastating moment a trafficking victim realizes they are trapped, life is often made up of what ifs and if onlys.

If only she hadn’t gotten into her car that day.  If only he hadn’t said that.  If only she had eaten healthier. If only I had not believed his promises.  If only I’d been a better dad.  If only If only, if only, if only.

Our minds and hearts can become so weighed down by the pain and suffering in our own lives, let alone the suffering we hear about all over the world.  Human trafficking, poverty, exploitation, war, disease, famine.  Discouragement, heartbreak, disappointment, despair.  What is our role in all this? How can we, even in the midst of devastating interruptions, live in such a way that we do not get overwhelmed?

I have been learning a lot from Ann Voskamp, author of a book called One Thousand Gifts.  I’ve been working through the concept of being more grateful, and here is a quote that really resonates with me:

“I know there is poor and hideous suffering, and I’ve seen the hungry and the guns that go to war.  I have lived pain, and my life can tell: I only deepen the wound of the world when I neglect to give thanks for early light dappled through leaves and the heavy perfume of wild roses in early July and the song of crickets on humid nights and the rivers that run and the stars that rise and the rain the falls and all the good things that a good God gives.  Why would the world need more anger, more outrage?  How does it save the world to reject unabashed joy when it is joy that saves us?  Rejecting joy to stand in solidarity with the suffering doesn’t rescue the suffering.  The converse does.  The brave who focus on all things good and all things beautiful and all things true, even in the small, who give thanks for it and discover joy even in the here and now, they are the change agents who bring fullest light to all the world.  When we lay the soil of our hard lives open to the rain of grace and let joy penetrate our cracked and dry places, let joy soak into our broken skin and deep crevices, life grows.  How can this not be the best thing for the world?  For us?  The clouds open when we mouth thanks.”

I am the last person who would flippantly tell you to grin and bear it.  That suffering is not real.  That pain is exaggerated.  That grieving is easy.  But I know that for myself, the suffering in this world often leaves me burdened and wounded so deeply that all my energy is sapped and I want to quit caring.

Let’s not stop caring.

Let’s start noticing the little joys and the little gifts, intentionally practicing gratefulness, and taking the time to focus on moments that bring life.

Disappointment, interrupted.  Fear, interrupted. Anguish, interrupted.  Hopelessness, interrupted.

In doing so we can begin to flood light into a world that is so, so broken.

We will post pictures of the event next week, and I promise to get back on the blogging horse now that I am feeling myself again.

How true is that?!

Jay and I will be showing some clips from our documentary on sex trafficking in Canada as well as sharing about this very important and heartbreaking issue.  100% of the entrance fee is going to Hope for the Sold, as well as 10% from sales proceeds.  I am told there will be some Swiss-made organic make-up available for those of you who are interested as well as open forums on several topics.  We will also be highlighting how you can sign up to donate to Hope for the Sold in lieu of wedding favours.

So come on out on Sunday, January 22 from 3:00 to 7:00 pm at 238 Supertest Road in Toronto, ready to feel good, learn lots, and take a stand on behalf of the exploited.

Please pass this onto other friends or family that might be interested, and RSVP to info@tradesensation.com before January 20th.

Hope to see you there!

I love hearing about people who do creative things to fight human trafficking.  Right now a group of women is getting prepared to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, with the purpose of raising funds and awareness to combat modern day slavery and exploitation.  As described on The Freedom Climb website:

Women from across the globe will begin their ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on January 11, 2012, the National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the U.S. Climbers will be raising awareness, prayers, and finances for women and children being oppressed, enslaved, exploited and trafficked. The Freedom Climb goal for 2012 is to affect the lives of 10,000 women through projects that break the cycles of poverty, shame, slavery, and despair. These projects include micro-loans, education, skills training, and protection from exploitation.

Why Mt. Kilimanjaro? The highest mountain in Africa, its summit is known as Uhuru Peak. Uhuru is the Swahili word for freedom. Climbing Kilimanjaro is symbolic of the huge climb to freedom faced daily by millions of enslaved women and children worldwide.

Women climbing for women.  Beautiful.

Nikki Fairlie giving feathered hair extensions (Source: Welland Tribune)

One of the climbers, Regine Huettner, has a friend back home who is using her skills to raise some money for the cause. Hairstylist Nikki Fairlie is offering feathered hair extensions to clients in Welland, Ontario.  For a minimum donation of $2 per feather to help support the Freedom Climb, Fairlie will give you feathered hair extensions – which are suitable for all ages and most hair lengths.  Nikki is a great example of what it looks like to use your skills and ideas to do support the fight against human trafficking!

If you are in the Welland area, call Nikki at 289-820-9662 to book an appointment!  The climb is taking place this week, and Nikki’s offer last until January 16.

For more information, read this Welland Tribune article, check out the Freedom Climb website, or the Feather for Freedom facebook page.  If you want to support Regine in her climb but can’t make it out to Welland, you can sponsor her here.  Check out the rest of the team’s profiles here.  Regine & team, we are so excited for your climb this week and are cheering you on!

1.  Find out how many slaves work for you. Think you’re off the hook?  That slavery was abolished years ago?  Take this survey to find out your slavery footprint.  It will take about 15 minutes, and is well worth it.  The key here is to be honest. The result may shock you – let that push you to reconsider your consumer habits because lives are actually on the line.

2.  Sign three petitions. Tell the government of Canada that: (a) Canada should adopt a national action plan to fight human trafficking, (b) that you do not support the legalization of prostitution, and  (c) that Canadians who traffic people outside of the country’s borders should be prosecuted for their crimes. Get more details about these anti-trafficking petitions and send a message to your representative!  For those of you in the U.S., you can find an amazing selection of petitions here.

3. Donate your old cell phones. Have a cellphone that is broken or is collecting dust on your shelf? Phones4Freedom reuses or recycles them to help warn remote villages in impoverished countries of trafficking operations.  Find our more about this innovative anti-trafficking program and send in your phones!

4.  Watch The Candy Shop. This short film uses beautiful but haunting metaphor to demonstrate how boys get lured into the business of trafficking girls and women.  Film length is approximately 30 minutes. Watch now.

5.  Get trained. Apply to the Not for Sale Abolitionist Academy, a program in San Francisco that offers intensive one week courses that prepare you to combat human trafficking effectively.  Do you want to learn about how to investigate trafficking situations or how to provide aftercare for victims?  Here is your chance.  The cost of attending the San Francisco Academy is $300 for the 5 day session or $575 for the investigative + aftercare package.  Dates are set in May and June, get more details here.  Who knows, it might be the first step to you fighting trafficking on the front lines, like my friend Saskia Wishart.

6.  Buy or borrow a book. Here are some ideas:

• Invisible Chains: Canada’s Underground World of Human Trafficking by Benjamin Perrin
• The Natashas: Inside The New Global Sex Trade by Victor Malarek
• Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn.

7.  The ten minute challenge. Set a timer and give yourself 10 minutes to check out these 10 organizations, spend one minute on each.  I have a sneaking suspicion you might end up shutting off the timer and spending more time, but start with the not-so-daunting challenge of just 10 minutes. (Bonus points: make a donation to the one that resonates with you most!)

• Transitions Global
• International Justice Mission
• Walk With Me
• Ratanak
• Love 146
• EVE (Formerly Exploited Voices Now Educating)
• Sextrade 101
• A21
• Stella’s House
• Free-them

8.  Buy a greeting card. Not only do survivors of sex trafficking undergo an extensive healing process physically and emotionally, but they also have to learn some life skills.  Sanctuary Spring offers some of these young women opportunities to rebuild their lives, one greeting card at a time.  Instead of heading to Hallmark for your next greeting card, why not get it through Sanctuary Spring, where sex trafficking survivors craft these beautiful cards.

9.  Movie night. Rent, borrow, or buy TRADE or The Whistleblower. Feature length movies are a good way to see a story unfold.  Really engaging – it was TRADE that got me into anti-trafficking activism. Don’t bother making popcorn, these are tough movies to watch.  The Whistleblower should be available on DVD later this month, and TRADE has been out for a a few years already.

10.  Stop supporting the commercial sex industry. Trafficked girls and women are often used in pornography, strip clubs & massage parlours.  If you are providing demand, traffickers will keep filling supply.  Economics 101.

11.  Know the hotlines. If you are in the U.S. and want to report a tip, call 1-888-373-7888.  It is a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year.  Watch this clip to see how important it is.  In Canada, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 to report a tip, and if you are a victim of sexual exploitation and need to talk, call Canada’s national hotline at 1-866-528-7109.

12.  Support Hope for the Sold. We are working on an exciting project to help prevent sex trafficking on a massive scale.  We would love your help to make that a reality.  Learn more about this project and how you can support us here.

Once you’ve tried these action steps, let me know how they went and what you learned.  Let’s make this year count!