Finding Fearless: Help CAASE Win $10K This Week

We need your help! More specifically, we need your clicks and your social media charisma. You've got it, trust us:

What’s Happening?

CAASE has a real chance of doubling a $10,000 grant we received from the Finding Fearless campaign through the Case Foundation (no affiliation to CAASE).

Why does this matter?

Our executive director, Rachel Durchslag, applied and WON a $10,000 grant to support our prevention curriculum for young men in high school. Now, there’s a contest for us to win a $10K bonus grant, money that would help us continue our work with young men in high school.

Sometimes voting in social media campaigns feel like a shot in the dark, but this one is different. There are only 20 organizations competing, and we’re already in the top 10.

How can I help?

Vote for us via Facebook. Go to the Finding Fearless page and vote for Ending Sexual Exploitation for the $10,000 bonus grant. Make sure that you submit your ballot—it’s sort of tricky, you have to “confirm ballot.” If you’re a little compulsive, like me, you can try voting again. It should give you a message that you’ve already voted, which means that your vote counted.

Or, vote via email. If you’re signing in via email, you need to take some extra steps to make sure your vote is counted. After you submit your vote, you will get a confirmation email from the Case Foundation. You must REPLY to this email for your vote to count.

You can only vote once in this contest.

How can I spread the word?

Here are some messages you can post to Twitter or Facebook:

Facebook

The Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation has the chance to win a $10K bonus grant through the Finding Fearless campaign. This money will help support their prevention curriculum for young men in high school. They’re in the top 10 and need a boost, will you take a minute to vote for them, and share this if you feel like it? Thanks! https://www.facebook.com/casefoundation/app_467687463264055

Twitter:

Please help this organization I support, @TheCAASE, double their $10,000 grant to End Sexual Exploitation. Vote here: http://ow.ly/fpiEX

Vote for @TheCAASE in the #FindingFearless campaign to help empower young men in high school to end sexual exploitation. It’s $10K at stake!  http://ow.ly/fpiEX

Send an Email:

Hello,

I'm writing because an organization I support, the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, has a real chance of winning a $10,000 bonus grant through the Finding Fearless campaign this week. These funds would help their prevention curriculum for young men in high school--teaching them about the realities of the sex trade and empowering them to be allies in the movement to end violence against women.

Would you take 5 minutes and vote for them today?

Vote via Facebook. Go to the Finding Fearless page and nominate Ending Sexual Exploitation for the $10,000 bonus grant. Make sure that you submit your ballot and it is counted--you have to “confirm ballot.”https://www.facebook.com/casefoundation/app_467687463264055

Or, vote via email. If you’re voting via email, you need to take some extra steps to make sure your vote is counted. After you submit your vote, you will get a confirmation email from the Case Foundation. You must REPLY to this email for your vote to count. Vote here. http://befearless.casefoundation.org/finding-fearless/vote

______

If you have any questions, please email Kristin@caase.org. Thank you! 

FOX Chicago Tackles Pretty Woman Myth

Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News

Robin Robinson reported two stories this week addressing the “Pretty Woman” myths surrounding prostitution and escort services in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. She interviewed CAASE’s Executive Director Rachel Durchslag, as well as Brenda Myers-Powell of the Dreamcatcher Foundation.

Part of what inspired Robin to investigate this topic was the death of Briana Gardner, a young woman who was murdered by a john in a Gold Coast hotel. We hope that Robin’s reporting will bring light to the fact that the sex trade exists all throughout Chicago and that the violence that johns, pimps and traffickers perpetrate doesn’t end when prostitution goes indoors. To learn more about our work advocating to end violence in the sex trade, visit www.caase.org.

Police Must Do More to Prevent Abuse of People Impacted by the Sex Trade

News broke late last week that a Chicago police officer, Nelson Stewart, has been charged with “custodial sexual misconduct, official misconduct and bribery, all felonies” after he solicited a prisoner who had been jailed for prostitution to perform a sex act in exchange for being released.

This abuse of power is unacceptable, and we are encouraged that this police officer is being held accountable. Unfortunately, research has revealed that people in the sex trade are frequently coerced or threatened into having sex with members of law enforcement in similar situations. We call on Superintendent of Police Garry McCarthy to implement department-wide orders that expressly prohibit any sexual activity between officers and prostituted people and establish safe, confidential reporting options for prostituted people to report this abuse.

We also call on the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to reconsider their decision to charge the crime victim in this case with felony prostitution. After being exploited by this police officer, we believe that that this survivor deserves help and support, not to be criminally prosecuted. The habitual arrest and re-arrest of people in prostitution is a waste of law enforcement resources and promotes recidivism.

Instead, we propose that people impacted by the sex trade should be offered options and resources; doing so could help end commercial sexual exploitation.

To learn more about the need for comprehensive support for survivors of the sex trade, please read our new proposal from End Demand Illinois.

Ending Demand is Working in Illinois

On Sunday, The New York Times ran an opinion piece that mischaracterizes the national movement to end demand for the sex trade as a moral crusade that is solely focused on arresting johns. Speaking locally, the End Demand Illinois campaign advocates for a variety of strategies, including some of the very solutions that reporter Noy Thrupkaew puts forward, such as better accountability for traffickers, and social services for survivors of the sex trade.

Ms. Thrupkaew falsely claims that those working to end demand are narrowly focused on helping “an abused teenage girl…forced into prostitution by an older man” and that we “disregard” the diverse needs of others who have entered the sex trade under different circumstances. This is untrue, as End Demand Illinois works with survivors and community allies of different backgrounds, ages and genders to help shape new policies and laws to address conditions that impact most people in the sex trade. In doing so, we consider research that consistently shows that the majority of people in the sex trade were recruited as minors by pimps and have experienced childhood sexual abuse.

Last year, Ms. Thrupkaew spent time with us, and we shared with her End Demand Illinois’ multi-dimensional, survivor-informed approach to the issue. By omitting this information from her piece, Ms. Thrupkaew has left readers with a distorted view of demand-suppression efforts. Here are a few ways that the End Demand Illinois campaign and our allies have worked to end exploitation against all people in the sex trade:

End Demand Illinois is changing laws to hold more traffickers accountable and help survivors of the trade: Rather than discounting the views of people impacted by the sex trade, we have worked with survivors to create and lobby for stronger human trafficking laws.

• We passed the Illinois Safe Children Act in 2010, the most progressive state law of its kind to decriminalize all young people in prostitution. The law also allowed for wiretapping in trafficking investigations, and as a result prosecutors in Illinois have used the statute to begin charging and convicting violent pimps.
•  In 2011, we passed a law to help survivors of sex trafficking petition to have prostitution convictions overturned that were a result of trafficking.
  
  
• Just this year, we strengthened Illinois’ human trafficking code so it now covers more tactics commonly used by traffickers, such as schemes and plans. Leeanna Majors, a survivor of sex trafficking in Chicago, advocates with Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and 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.

End Demand Illinois advocates for specialized services for all people impacted by the sex trade, including adults, youth, and transgender people: Over the past two years, End Demand Illinois has interviewed survivors and advocates throughout the United States to discover best practices for empowering survivors of the sex trade. Just this summer, we released a proposal for drop-in centers and safe homes that would be survivor-led and survivor-centered, and we are starting to seek legislative champions who can help us turn the proposal into a reality.

Going after the demand side of the sex trade makes sense, just ask the johns.
Johns themselves say being arrested and charged would deter them from buying sex. Unfortunately, law enforcement is not focusing on arresting johns. In a CAASE study of 113 johns in Chicago, only 7% of men interviewed had been arrested for solicitation. In forthcoming research from CAASE’s Lara Janson, johns in online message boards take note of stings that target customers and warn each other to stay away from those communities. One john said, “I would never pick any one up [in this town] because there have been too many busts.” Traditionally, law enforcement has arrested and rearrested prostituted people and let johns go—and efforts to change this response in the United States, like those led by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, are really just beginning to gain momentum.

We need your help. Spread the word about what ending demand really means.
Now we need your help. You can share your support of the End Demand approach by sharing this article with your networks and learning more about the End Demand Illinois campaign.

Tweet your support: A sample tweet could be:
I support @EndDemandIL and its advocacy for holding pimps, johns and traffickers accountable. Pls RT! #enddemand http://t.co/VFc2WuCY

I stand with survivors @EndDemandIL who have advocated to improve human trafficking laws. Pls RT!  #enddemand http://t.co/VFc2WuCY

Send a letter to the editor. Ideas for content could include:
I support efforts to end exploitation in the sex trade and believe suppressing demand is an effective approach. Johns themselves say that they could be deterred if they were arrested, but few face any consequence for their actions. Ending demand is about holding people accountable when they profit from the sale of another person, and creating specialized services for survivors of the sex trade.

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.