Invest in a Childsafe Holiday

Summer is the best time to jet out of town for a few days or weeks. The kids are out of school, the weather is nice, and you've got those few vacation days saved up. If you are planning on vacationing in Southeast Asia, you are likely to have loads of options for hotels and hostels, tuk-tuks and moto-drivers, resturants and taverns. Even though you are on holiday you can still uphold the ideals of the organizations you suport by choosing child safe options.

What do I mean by this? Well it's truly simple. All you need to do is choose lodgings, transportation, and dining options that follow the ChildSafe International guidelines. Child safe businesses are trained to look for sexual abuse in children. When a child is spotted in danger they alert the proper local authorities. Tuk-tuks and moto drivers are trained to help stop the trafficking before it can even happen by refusing to give information to travelers of places selling children for purposes of prostitution. Even internet cafe's are places where pedophiles can lure children, but Childsafe member internet cafes have trained staff to recognize such deviant behavior. To identify and support these business's in Cambodia visit: http://www.childsafe-international.org/CAMBODIA/CSCambodia.asp

Also, be aware of your surroundings and follow these tips from the Childsafe Network:

• Though it sounds harsh avoid buying gums, cd's/dvd's, and books from children, and refrain from giving to begging children. If you do not, it tells the child this is an easy way to make money, rather then encouraging him or her to seek education or job training.
• Purchase things instead made by parents or youth in training. Doing so supports a stable and sustainable enviornment for children. 
• Avoid situations and attractions that lead to child exploitation, this includes visiting slums and orphanages for photo ops. It is a child's home and they too have a right to privacy.
• Do not take a child to your hotel room for any reason. Even if you just want to give a child a safe place to sleep for the night, notify a local NGO or government official rather then running the risk of being caught as a pedophile.
• Avoid places that tolerate prostitution (ie... bars and karaokes that allow sex workers and johns to dine or drink together) as many of these men and women in prostitution are underage. These business clearly are under the category of exploiting minors, therefore they do not need your financial support or presence.
• Keep your eyes open. Often travelers can help local NGO's and governmental organizations by reporting situations when a child is in danger. If you see such a situation please see:  www.interpol.org or contact the local authorities immediatly.

Enjoy your Childsafe summer holiday!

A Picture Says A Thousand Words

By Guest Blogger, Becky Owens Bullard

The power of an image is immeasurable, especially when it comes to promoting awareness of an issue that people don’t exactly understand.  When we want every day citizens to engage in an issue they’d rather pretend doesn’t exist, we try to pique their interest by providing a photograph or video that they can associate with the issue – an image that will be burnt in their memory and make the issue real for them. Often times, these images that we use in awareness campaigns and community education on issues of abuse are our best chance of catching someone’s attention long enough to raise awareness and promote positive social change. Unfortunately, to inform our already media-saturated public we often resort to flashy visuals that do very little to accurately portray the crimes we hope to stop.

Image found at sf-hrc.org

Example: human trafficking.  Try looking up “human trafficking” on an image search and you may see what I mean about exaggerated or inaccurate portrayals of abuse. While there are some clever images (for example,  humans with price tags representing the idea that people are still bought and sold), the photos most commonly associated with human trafficking are of people shackled or locked in a cage. Now think about the movies you’ve seen or the books that you’ve read on human trafficking.  Most have likely contained a story line about someone who was kidnapped by a large criminal operation, thrown into a brothel and “rescued” by someone from their trafficking situation. I can’t tell you how many times I spoke with individuals when I worked on the national human trafficking hotline who were outraged about human trafficking because they had just seen this type of over-the-top image or video on human trafficking.

While these images and media portrayals of human trafficking are fairly compelling and may serve to spark interest or outrage in the issue, they are also misleading. A human trafficking case where an individual is physically chained or caged is not the norm. In fact, the “chains” that keep a victim tied to a trafficker are often the things that you can’t see – fear, shame, hope and love.

So how harmful are images that portray human trafficking victims as shackled, caged and battered? While some may argue that they are just an innocuous way to grab someone’s attention, these images often promote misconceptions about the issue and make it difficult for victims and survivors to speak out about what happened to them. For example, if someone’s understanding of human trafficking is limited to images of slavery, chains and rescue missions and they sit on a jury for a human trafficking case where they hear testimony from a victim who had a cell phone or was able to go to the store alone, that person would likely think, “this isn’t human trafficking.”

And they would be wrong. Cycles of violence and various non-physical forms of abuse are extremely common in both sex and labor trafficking. The failure to clearly communicate these dynamics is damaging to the issue as a whole and is what led me to create the human trafficking power and control wheel while I worked at the national hotline to detail forms of abuse beyond physical violence that occur in trafficking situations.

Image from Identity Magazine

Example: domestic violence. Now try an image search for “domestic violence.” You will likely see images of women and children bruised and battered, being choked, silenced and slapped. Think of the movies or music videos you’ve seen about domestic violence – they are often aggressive and extremely volatile. While we’ve started to get more creative with domestic violence images and encourage people to see beyond the physical forms of abuse (see this portrayal of verbal abuse), it is still all too common that a black eye is what is associated with abuse instead of the manipulation, isolation and emotional abuse that survivors often say are the most damaging. I can’t tell you how many times I heard the phrase, “it’s not like he punched me square in the face” when I worked as a domestic violence victim advocate in court. The pervasive images of fist punching and serious bodily injury is what the general public, as well as victims themselves, associate with intimate partner and familial abuse.

So how harmful are images of domestic violence centered on black eyes and bruises? Just like with human trafficking, the flashy image of physical injury may seem completely harmless and a way to get a non-interested citizen to agree that domestic violence is a bad thing. But think of that person that is now sitting on the jury for a domestic violence case. When they hear that the defendant threatened the victim and restrained her from leaving the house, but there were no visible injuries, they just might think, “doesn’t sound like domestic violence to me.”  Again, they would be very wrong.

These narrow images paint an incomplete picture of abuse, resulting in unintentional victim blaming. Understandably, the general public may have a hard time reconciling the reality of abuse with the images that they are familiar with and wonder “why didn’t s/he leave if they weren’t chained up?” or “is it really domestic violence when s/he didn’t get hit?”

What’s worse, these images may also persuade victims to minimize their own suffering and think, “I am not a victim because I wasn’t locked away” or “I can’t be a victim because I didn’t get punched in the face.”

While the anti-violence movement has to find thoughtful ways to educate the general public about crimes that affect millions of people each day, it is important to do it the right way. Even though it is necessary to be catchy and inventive to engage individuals who would rather not hear about the prevalence of violence, resorting to exaggerated or inaccurate images that perpetuate misconceptions does nothing but harm victims and survivors while miseducating those who can help us end violence.

So let’s be true to what we know about abuse in the images we use for our education and awareness efforts – that it isn’t all big black eyes and someone chained to a wall. Abuse is complex, psychologically manipulative and incredibly difficult to end without an accurate understanding of its dynamics. It’s time for the anti-violence movement to rise above the desire to be provocative and instead, refocus on our passion of empowering others to end violence by providing images that truly reflect the crimes we seek to eliminate.

Posted with permission from author. Originally posted on Voices Against Violence Project.

Short-term missions...Long-term effects?

Recently Charlie and I were asked to contribute to World Vision Canada's French publication on development issues and church involvement. We were asked a number of questions on short-term missions, a subject about which we have much to say! The whole issue will soon be available (although only in French) here. We wrote our submission initially in English, so here it is!

Q: What is it like to receive short-term mission groups?  

Receiving short-term mission groups takes a lot of work on the part of the receiving organization, in terms of preparing for the group, hosting and leading the group, and often in catching up on missed work after the group has gone. There is a lot of preparation that goes into hosting a group that the traveling team is not aware of. If a host organization does not have an assigned short-term mission coordinator, which some do, other project staff will probably have to work overtime to prepare for and accommodate a visiting team.

We have heard from various field workers (both local and expat) that the groups who visit their programs often promise continued support, such as staying in touch, raising funds, or raising awareness; however, in the majority of cases, organizations never hear from these visitors again. Thus, the time spent with the visitors ends up being an investment on the part of the host organization with no long-term positive effects.

Q: What makes a successful cross-cultural experience?

A cross-cultural experience, especially if it is a first encounter with a particular culture or country, will be successful if the traveler goes with a learning spirit and an attitude of humility. When groups return from a short-term mission saying, "We met this person... We learned about this issue...," these are often the groups that have a lasting positive outlook of their experience and the culture they encountered, rather than groups who only report on what they did. Going only to do makes a team work on outcomes rather than relationships, which turns their focus inward and closes them off to discovering and learning from new experiences.

Q: What do Christian leaders need to know before planning a trip?

Before planning a trip, Christian leaders should know the answers to these two questions.  How will you ensure your trip has a lasting, meaningful effect? What are the skill sets that your group possesses, and how will you use them effectively?

The purpose of the first question is to think through why you want to go. If building a long term, lasting relationship between your community and the host community is not a top priority, this is an indicator that your trip is being dreamed up for personal reasons. If you want to share experiences with a group, and plan to encourage your team to become advocates, raise awareness or build a relationship with another community when they get back, you have the right idea, keep going.

The purpose of the second question is to make certain you are using your skills wisely. People often think that in order to do a mission trip properly, they need to build something, or that they need to manage a project. In fact, around the world there is a great need for teachers, technicians, graphic artists, and many other skills that we have and that we use on a daily basis. Finding an organization that will allow your team to use the skills they have developed over their lifetimes will help to create meaningful work for your team, will fill actual gaps for the host organization, and will help to develop deeper relationships.

Q: What are the dangers of not taking the time to plan appropriately?

A common assumption by short term mission teams, is that the first thing on their to-do list is to raise money for travel. In fact, there are many more important things to do to plan for a short-term mission trip, such as exploring team's members' reasons for going, setting goals for the trip, learning about the host country and preparing for culture shock, discussing whether a trip is really the best way to steward your funds, and, then, raising money not only for your travel costs, but also to donate to the host organization's projects.

When a group does not plan appropriately, and has not adequately thought through their goals for the trip, members of the group can lose sight of the big picture and spend much of the trip being overwhelmed by unexpected events. If the group has prepared, maintains an attitude of flexibility, and focuses more on walking alongside people, rather than going to do work for people, than even big changes in circumstances will not ruin the trip, but add to the learning experience.

Spring blooms new life.

Green, a color which signifies growth, filled the room of our annual Chab Dai member meeting. I could not help but notice it was a color that suited the past two days, as our members have shown countless sprouts grounded in community and family focused care. Members from Hagar, Transitions, and Sunshine Cambodia began our conference by sharing new strategies on how to incorporate community focused care. During the process of rehabilitation, it is the right of the child to be nurtured and supported by family; this was the theme firmly planted in the past two days by all presenting organizations.

Community connections between local and governmental organizations were strengthened over sips of coffee, bites of lunch, and in small groups during the speed networking session. As the Global Learning Community has noticed, it is time we stop the duplicity of effort and work together. By sharing our experiences, we are saving time, energy, and precious resources. 

The green shoots of growth continued to present themselves as participants welcomed two new Steering Committee Members and the new medical support team, Dr. Sapna Jain & Dr. Kathrine Welch. I learned the steering Committee Members will have the responsibility of supervising overall management and operations of Chab Dai. And the medical support pilot program will commence visits to numerous rehabilitation centers in order to educate social workers on how to best advise clients during a health crisis. International directors from US and Canada offices also presented on the extension of its vast network through the Freedom Registry project. 

After two days of lectures, I am greatly encouraged by the upward growth of Chab Dai. Meeting passionate members and hearing well educated research has remind me that we are all together in this fight against trafficking. It is our community of compassionate hearts that will help shift the tide of trafficking. As the new social media intern for Chab Dai International, it will be my pleasure to update you on exactly how that growth progresses. I, Nikki, hope to meet you all in the months to come, until then if you have any questions, I am only an email away: communications@chabdai.org 

Top 5 reasons you should sign up for Freedom Registry NOW!

five- This is quite literally the first project of its kind.  It is new, innovative, essential and it has huge potential.  Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that?

four-  Though we all know of amazing organizations doing great work, there are gaps.  And these gaps need our attention.  Freedom Registry brings these gaps to light.  After all, we are all working towards the same goal and we need to make sure we are doing so in the best way possible.

three- Freedom Registry goes public in one week.  That means there is still time for you to get your organization on the list before everyone has access. It is free and really simple to sign up.

two-  Signing up for Freedom Registry is a way for you to show the public that your organization is using the best possible practices.  Through the verification process, donors, volunteers, and stakeholders can trust that organizations on the Freedom Registry are using the best practices.

one- collaboration, collaboration, collaboration.  Babe Ruth said, “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.” We need to make sure we are working as a TEAM to fight trafficking and CSE.  Join us on that team!

Register Here