Free Screening of Half the Sky

CAASE will be participating in a FREE film screening this weekend of  Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. The film  follows Nicholas Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn, and celebrity activists America Ferrera, Diane Lane, Eva Mendes, Meg Ryan, Gabrielle Union, and Olivia Wilde on a journey to tell the stories of inspiring, courageous individuals. Across the globe oppression is being confronted and real meaningful solutions are being fashioned through health care, education, and economic empowerment for women and girls. The linked problems of sex trafficking and forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality present to us the vital opportunity to make a change. All over the world women are seizing this opportunity.

Saturday, September 15th, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER
in the Claudia Cassidy Theater
This event is FREE and open to the public.But you can reserve your tickets here.
Doors: 1:00 PM
Film: 2:00 PM
Panel: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Agents of Change Expo: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM in the 1st Floor Garland Room


Host: Kathy Im, Director of Media, Culture and Special Initiatives,
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Welcome: K. Sujata, President, Chicago Foundation for Women
Moderator: Jane M. Saks, Executive Director,
Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in Arts and Media
Rachel Durchslag, Executive Director, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE)
Serena Chen Low, Executive Director, Apna Ghar
Mony Ruiz-Velasco, Legal Director, National Immigrant Justice Center
Sheherazade Tillet, Executive Director, A Long Walk Home

If you can't make it to the event, the film will also be broadcasting on PBS October 1st and 2nd, 2012.

Help Pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Act

What's Happening? The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (S. 1301) was introduced in the Senate over a year ago and has still not passed. Today, Tuesday September 4, is a national call-in day to encourage legislators to pass the bill. Why does this matter? The Trafficking Victims Protection Act is the cornerstone of all U.S. efforts to combat human trafficking. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) created the first comprehensive federal law to address human trafficking in the U.S. and around the world. On October 1, 2011 this important piece of legislation, the largest piece of anti-trafficking legislation in U.S. history, expired as a result of Congressional inaction and partisanship. This failure threatens U.S. global leadership in the fight against human trafficking and jeopardizes the progress made over the last decade. What can I do? Let’s push the TVPRA over the finish line in the Senate! Call Illinois Senator Mark Kirk (R) (202) 224-2854 You can say: Hi, my name is __________ and I am a constituent from ____________.  I am calling to ask that Senator Kirk support the reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, S. 1301.  I would like the Senate to vote on this bill as soon as possible. Thank you.” Send a tweet @SenatorKirk Support the bi-partisan Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, S.1301 What's next? Find more resources and learn more at www.passTVPRAnow.org

Meet 3 More Runners Who Are Racing for CAASE!

Name:  Aaron Schlessman

Age: 27
Hometown: Morton, Illinois
Occupation: Student/Intern
Running Experience: None. Casual.
 
How did you find out about CAASE? I was doing human trafficking research at Northeastern University. 

Why do you support CAASE’s work?  
I believe in the type of community that CAASE is trying to create and support, especially the prevention efforts. Society can react to offenders and provide services all day long, but until you get to the root of the issue—men—you’re not going to put a dent in it. 

Is there any specific part of CAASE’s work/mission that interests you the most? Prevention. Working with the young men in the schools. The outreach work is absolutely important as well. 

Why is running for CAASE important to you? It’s more than just supporting a cause I believe in—it’s that agencies like this don’t get enough financial support for all the incredible work that they do. 

Name: Susie Moya 
Age: 28 
Hometown: Chicago, IL 
Occupation: Practitioner/Community Educator 

Running Experience: I recently began running last fall. I ran my first 5K (Hot Chocolate Run) in November 2011 and loved it! 

How did you find out about CAASE? I found out about the organization through grad school at University of Chicago. Once I learned about the work that CAASE does, I knew immediately that is where I wanted to intern, and I did for two years! 

Is there any specific part of CAASE’s work/mission that interests you the most? What attracted me the most to the organization is its holistic approach to ending sexual exploitation by addressing the ones who perpetrate, support, and profit from sexual harm. I believe that the key to living in a community free of sexual exploitation is by addressing the root cause: the demand to purchase sex. 

Why is running for CAASE important to you? I am a strong supporter of innovative and fun strategies to create awareness of different causes. I believe running is one of those. CAASE is an amazing organization and running serves as a fun and self-care activity for me. Therefore by participating in the Race for CAASE, I am able to support an amazing organization and practice self-care--it’s the best of both worlds!

Name: Erika A. Rist 
Age: 19 
Hometown: Wyomissing, PA 
Occupation: Undergraduate Student at The University of Chicago 
Running Experience: I've been running and racing for my schools since I was 13. 

How did you find out about CAASE? Once I found out about and began researching sex trafficking, CAASE was always mentioned in reference to the most recent and transformative Illinois legislation combating the misconceptions that sustain the sex trade in Chicago. I had to find out more about this groundbreaking organization. 

Is there any specific part of CAASE's work/mission that interests you the most? I am most compelled CAASE's foremost philosophy--to end trafficking, we need to end the demand that sustains the industry. 

Want to support the Race for CAASE Team? Visit their Razoo team fundraising page here, and share with a friend! 

This post is by Sasha Wolff, CAASE's communications intern.

Don't Let Myths Shape Public Policy about Women's Reproductive Health

As most of you have heard by now, over the weekend Congressman Todd Akin of Missouri made deeply disturbing and misinformed comments about sexual assault and women’s reproductive health. He said that women who are “legitimately” raped do not get pregnant: "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down," he said.

This is, of course, misinformed and betrays a lack of basic knowledge about sexual assault and women’s physiology. The sad reality is that there are many myths about sexual assault that permeate our culture and, in turn, perpetuate violence. To respond to Akin by merely saying, “oh that’s ridiculous” ignores the fact that many people around us do believe these types of myths about rape.

An important response about these myths has come from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: “A woman who is raped has no control over ovulation, fertilization, or implantation of a fertilized egg (ie, pregnancy). To suggest otherwise contradicts basic biological truths.”  

Yesterday, President Obama responded by saying “rape is rape,” and decried Akin’s comments. Obama said, “So what I think [Akin’s] comments do underscore is why we shouldn’t have a bunch of politicians, a majority of whom are men, making health care decisions on behalf of women.” 

It’s time to speak out when legislators and leaders are using these untruths to shape public policies.

·         First, let’s educate ourselves about common rape myths so we can stand up against rape culture. Our allies at Rape Victim Advocates in Chicago have gathered an excellent list of myths and facts to get started. 

·         Next, consider taking action to help pass the Violence Against Women Act, which offers protection to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

·         To learn more about CAASE’s work to hold perpetrators of sexual violence accountable, visit our legal services page. 

Gold Coast Murder Leads to Victim-Blaming

A woman was found murdered in a hotel in Chicago’s Gold Coast this week, and the tone of the media coverage has been deeply disturbing. The woman was likely the victim of a crime, and yet all reports have centered on what she may have done to deserve it. Why would the media be so cruel? For one reason: this woman had also been arrested for prostitution.

Reports about the murder assert that the woman lived a“high-risk” lifestyle because of her involvement in the commercial sex trade. Certainly it’s important for the public to know that the murder could possibly be connected to prostitution, and it’s true that prostitution is dangerous for many women involved. The deeply disturbing detail that’s being left out is this: the most frequent perpetrators of violence in the prostitution are the customers, often called “johns.”

In her study, Sisters Speak Out, Jody Raphael of DePaulUniversity interviewed 222 women in Chicago about their experiences in the sex trade. The women said that customers were the number one perpetrators of violence, both in indoor sex trade venues and on the street. Even women in escort services reported high rates of violence; more than half reported being raped. Instead of having compassion for prostituted people, our culture tends to blame these women for the harm they’ve endured.

Johns have also remained invisible as the public expressed surprise that prostitution could take place at a high-end hotel. In reality, most men who buy sex would have the means to pay for that hotel room. Ourresearch of 113 johns in Chicago found that most johns earned more than $40,000 a year, with 17% earning more than $80,000. These are men with disposable income, and they are facing few deterrents to their crime. Only 7% of men interviewed had ever been arrested for solicitation.

When conversations about women in prostitution come up, it’s time to stop stigmatizing women and start talking about johns. To learn more about efforts to create accountability for johns in Illinois and resources for survivors of the sex trade, visit www.enddemandillinois.org

Illinois' Anti-Trafficking Laws Among Best in Nation

Sex traffickers in Illinois should be warned: our state’s laws are improving each year and prosecutors are doing more to hold traffickers accountable for the harm they cause.

This week, Polaris Project announced their 2012 rating of U.S. human trafficking laws, state by state. Again, Illinois has become a leader on this list and is considered a Tier 1 state, which means our “State has passed significant laws to combat human trafficking, and should continue to take steps to improve and implement its laws.” Read the full report here. http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do/policy-advocacy/current-laws

CAASE is proud that our End Demand Illinois campaign has played a vital role in passing three anti-trafficking laws in our state in the past three years. Polaris Project is a partner on the EDI campaign and they have been important contributors to our policy committee, helping to shape new laws to hold traffickers accountable.

Just this past Saturday, Governor Pat Quinn signed our latest End Demand Illinois bill. Public Act 97-0897 reforms our state’s trafficking code to include tactics like “plans or schemes” that traffickers use to ensnare victims. It also closes a loophole so that fines collected from johns can be funneled into services for survivors of the sex trade. Learn more about the new law here.

Leeanna Majors (pictured above) is a survivor of sex trafficking and advocates with EDI campaign partner Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. She testified on behalf of the bill. "The bill is important so that women can be empowered to make a change in their lives, and the traffickers can be held accountable,” Majors said. “Survivors won’t need to show bruises to prove they were trafficked,” she added. Leeanna and CAASE’s Policy and Advocacy Director Lynne Johnson were interviewed on FOX Chicago about the law. Watch the full story here.

To learn more about End Demand Illinois, sign up for our action alerts. 

Meet Runners who are Racing for CAASE!

Our Race for CAASE team has come together, and we are already impressed by their dedication to training, fundraising, and spreading the word about ending sex trafficking and sexual assault.

On September 9, 2012, there are 32 runners who will be racing in the Chicago Half Marathon to raise support for all of CAASE’s work. So far, they’re off to an incredible start—rallying to train and fundraise. With an overall goal of $17,000 and over $7,000 raised so far, the team is already well over 1/3 of the way there.

 

Racing 13.1 miles to end sexual exploitation is a big commitment. You can support the team by visiting their page here and making a donation. You can boost an individual runner’s goal by giving through their personal pages, or you can give to the effort in general here.

So who are some of these runners? We interviewed a few of CAASE’s interns who will be running the Half Marathon so you can see yourself!

Name: Kendra Harding
Age: 23

Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa

Occupation: Student/Intern at CAASE

Running Experience: I have run 5Ks and 10Ks for the past 7 years. I also ran my first Half-Marathon last January.

How did you find out about CAASE?

I was reading Girls Like Us by Rachel Lloyd of GEMS and on the back I saw a reference to CAASE. I immediately Googled it and learned everything I could about it.

Why is running for CAASE important to you?

I think CAASE is an amazing organization and I think it’s important that I support it because it has a lot of the same beliefs about society that I do. Plus, I love running.

View Kendra's Fundraising Page Here!

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Name: Rachel Johnson

Age: 27

Hometown: Oak Park, Illinois

Occupation: Law student/Legal intern at CAASE

Running Experience: Elementary school gym class.

How did you find out about CAASE? Through working in the public interest legal company. Also, my mentor at law school interned here.

Is there any specific part of CAASE’s work/mission that interests you the most?

I would say in general, I really love CAASE’s holistic approach to ending demand in sexual exploitation through educational policy and legal policy. But as a law student, I’m specifically interested in how CAASE uses the law to promote equality and end sexual exploitation.

Why is running for CAASE important to you?

I believe in the work that we do here and I believe in the community here. I want to support it through academic and volunteer work, but also financially and with team effort.

View Rachel's Fundraising Page Here!

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Name: Margaret Livingston

Age: 26

Hometown: Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Occupation: Student/Legal Intern at CAASE

Running Experience: On and off.

How did you find out about CAASE? Lynne Johnson, CAASE's Policy and Advocacy Director, spoke at the Organization of Women and Trade at John Marshall Law School in the fall, and after I heard her speak I just hounded them in the fall to see when they were taking applications.

Is there any specific part of CAASE’s work/mission that interests you the most?

The Sexual Assault Justice Project. That’s what I work on and that’s really important because a lot of people who would otherwise have no access to legal aid or might be deterred from seeking justice can find a legal advocate here. I also think that the End Demand campaign is extremely important.

Why is running for CAASE important to you?

I thought it’d be a really fun way to get to know people outside of the office. The legal work can be challenging but fulfilling, and I wanted to continue challenging myself outside of my work life. 

View Margaret's Fundraising Page Here!

Want to support the Race for CAASE Team? Visit their Razoo team fundraising page here, and share with a friend!

This post is by Sasha Wolff, CAASE's communications intern.