ECPAT-USA

Slavery still exists today; so many children in America and across the world are held in bondage, but rather than physical chains many are instead chained by fear, shame, and depression. Many Americans are still unaware that this is the case, but we are thankful that those who do know about it are willing to do something about it. These people, these modern-day abolitionists, are standing arm in arm with us in the fight against child sex trafficking.

Each month we highlight one of our supporters and fellow abolitionists and give them thanks for helping us in the fight. This month, we wish to single out Constance Broz, who has been a dedicated supporter our work for years. We asked her to tell us a bit about herself and why she choose to donate to us these past few years, here’s what she said:

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Children are completely dependent on adults for their very existence. They require some type of relationship in order to receive the basics of life: food, shelter, clothing. So kids absolutely must trust someone in order to stay alive.

Adults who violate this trust violate the very essence of what makes us all human. We all began life as helpless, with only our ability to cry and to appeal to others for sustenance. To take a child, degrade that child, use that child as a funding source, degrades all of humanity.

We must protect those who can’t protect themselves. What makes us human isn’t how much power or money we amass, how attractive or successful we are. It’s how we treat those who are powerless that demonstrates our true power, which comes from, I believe, God’s unconditional love.

Funding an organization like ECPAT, that seeks to educate and stop the practice of annihilating vulnerable kids’ childhoods to feed the sicknesses of some adults, helps to restore love to the world.

Whether you have children, as my husband and I do, or whether you just were a child once, as we all were, we must, as Dylan Thomas said, “rage against the dying of the light”. Anger can propel action. Our anger against “mans inhumanity to man” (Robert Burns) ratchets up many notches when it is instead man’s inhumanity against children. And giving money, or securities as we did, can turn that action into more action. And more action into a manifestation of love.
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Click here for past donors of the month

Slavery still exists today; so many children in America and across the world are held in bondage, but rather than physical chains many are instead chained by fear, shame, and depression. Many Americans are still unaware that this is the case, but we are thankful that those who do know about it are willing to do something about it. These people, these modern-day abolitionists, are standing arm in arm with us in the fight against child sex trafficking.

Each month we highlight one of our supporters and fellow abolitionists and give them thanks for helping us in the fight. This month, we wish to single out Constance Broz, who has been a dedicated supporter our work for years. We asked her to tell us a bit about herself and why she choose to donate to us these past few years, here’s what she said:

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As a woman and mother of two beautiful children, I have great reverence for the way in which the sacred manifests itself through human sexuality. How could one not marvel at the wonder of Life as it express itself thru matter! However, from the moment that we separate body from soul, mind from heart, we begin to violate the sacred dimension of our humanity; and that is exactly what human trafficking does to both victims and criminals.

Twenty five years ago, my husband and I backpacked thru Asia and witnessed in Bangkok how children lives were tragically destroyed. It was frightening to observe how little was done at the time to even bring up the issue, let alone do anything about it! I clearly remember telling myself that at some point I would do something to fight against this tragic reality.

Years passed but when our family was in a position to make donations, I searched the internet and was relieved to discover that a few organizations were now addressing this tragedy. I was first attracted by ECPAT Thailand due to my past traveling experience but shortly afterward I had the chance to meet Carol Smolenski and was impressed by her incredible dedication and drive. It also became clearer that changing consciousness at home would have a significant impact worldwide which led us to support wholeheartedly ECPAT USA . Bringing the subject in the political arena is key and that is what ECPAT is doing, State by State.

We may not be able to resolve the root cause of human trafficking in our lifetime, over one million children are trafficked worldwide primarily for sexual purposes, but at least we are talking about it today. Courageous voices are being heard, giving hope to the millions trapped in this inhuman horror. So giving financially and piercing the veil of silence by talking to others about ECPAT's work is what as a mother, daughter and human being I am thankful to be part of.

There is now a response to the despair!
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Click here for past donors of the month

Slavery still exists today; so many children in America and across the world are held in bondage, but rather than physical chains many are instead chained by fear, shame, and depression. Many Americans are still unaware that this is the case, but we are thankful that those who do know about it are willing to do something about it. These people, these modern-day abolitionists, are standing arm in arm with us in the fight against child sex trafficking.

Each month we highlight one of our supporters and fellow abolitionists and give them thanks for helping us in the fight. This month, we wish to single out James Kilberg, who has been a dedicated supporter our work for years. We asked him to tell us a bit about himself and why he choose to donate to us these past few years, here’s what he said:

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I've always had a soft spot of children. 25 years ago, I had a good friend who was a District Attorney and was known for his coming to the aid of abused children - those children that slip through the cracks of society, or that society is unwilling to acknowledge. At that time I pursued an idea to develop a Big Brother/Big Sister program for the abused, but for insurance reasons I couldn't accomplish this task. For many years, the character of our giving (for both me and my wife) was about our colleges, arts organizations, our religious affiliation and the like. However, several years ago, after my wife heard New York Times writer Nicholas Kristolf talk about his passions in areas of women's and children's rights, after which we both read his book "Half the Sky". This book changed our giving priorities forever. Half the Sky opened our eyes up to many of the sad atrocities throughout the world, but at the same time we both found it incredibly uplifting. Of course, one of the charities that Mr. Kristolf wrote about was ECPAT-USA, and we found the work of your charity extremely worthy. As a result, we hope to be donors for many years.
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Click here for past donors of the month

Slavery still exists today; so many children in America and across the world are held in bondage, but rather than physical chains many are instead chained by fear, shame, and depression. Many Americans are still unaware that this is the case, but we are thankful that those who do know about it are willing to do something about it. These people, these modern-day abolitionists, are standing arm in arm with us in the fight against child sex trafficking.

Each month we highlight one of our supporters and fellow abolitionists and give them thanks for helping us in the fight. This month, we wish to single out Annmarie Aiello, here are her own words as to why she supports us.

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Working towards combating human trafficking became my passion while in graduate school in Prague, Czech Republic. I took a class on refugee issues where we learned about the threat many young female refugees faced of falling victim to sexual exploitation and human trafficking. At that moment, it became clear that not only would I research and write my Master's thesis on how globalization impacts the issue of human trafficking, but I would direct my focus to researching and fighting this crime.

Thus, I became an advocate for education. Creating awareness and providing access to education will create a foundation that directly impacts youth and decreases the probability of one falling victim to human trafficking. With this goal in mind, I moved to Albania to work with marginalized youth, and worked on the Anti-Trafficking in Human Beings team at the International Centre for Migration Policy in Vienna, Austria. Working in the field opened my eyes even more to the complexity of human trafficking, especially at home in the United States.

Upon moving back to the United States, I focused on the problem at hand in our own backyard. Being involved with ECPAT-USA as both a volunteer and donor, I know that my contribution is helping raise awareness and providing education on the topic of child exploitation and trafficking. Children are the most vulnerable group, and it is groups like ECPAT that spread the word and are the catalysts that promote all levels of government to open their eyes to the issue at hand. Every child needs a voice, and I am proud that ECPAT is there to be it.
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You can click here to read about previous donors of the month

Slavery still exists today; so many children in America and across the world are held in bondage, but rather than physical chains many are instead chained by fear, shame, and depression. Many Americans are still unaware that this is the case, but we are thankful that those who do know about it are willing to do something about it. These people, these modern-day abolitionists, are standing arm in arm with us in the fight against child sex trafficking.

Each month we highlight one of our supporters and fellow abolitionists and give them thanks for helping us in the fight. This month, we wish to single out Linda Anderman, who in addition to being a supporter of work also aids us in changing the laws of New Mexico to better protect children. We asked her to tell us a bit about herself and why she choose to donate to us and volunteer her time these past few years, here’s what she said:

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I first became aware of human trafficking as a problem a couple of years ago while doing research for an article I was writing on a local youth shelter. Upon doing more research (because that’s what I do), I was appalled to learn what a pervasive problem this is in both the United States and around the world. Within a fairly short period of time, I also came across two documentaries on the child prostitution, one focused in India and the other in New York.

That was pretty much it for me. I began redirecting my donations, from supporting some arts causes to ECPAT. I’m not saying that supporting the arts is wrong, but in my mind addressing the sexual use of children was a much higher priority.

I have also come to believe that while the victims need to be protected, it’s not enough. The supply side of the business needs to be addressed, as do the traffickers themselves. I’m glad to know that ECPAT is addressing all these issues on multiple levels so I feel my money is being very well spent.

I’m now becoming more active at the state level because, as ugly as this subject is, it is one that needs to be addressed. We can all help get the word out on practices that dehumanize our most vulnerable citizens. Awareness is the first step.
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You can click here to read about previous donors of the month

Slavery still exists today; so many children in America and across the world are held in bondage, but rather than physical chains many are instead chained by fear, shame, and depression. Many Americans are still unaware that this is the case, but we are thankful that those who do know about it are willing to do something about it. These people, these modern-day abolitionists, are standing arm in arm with us in the fight against child sex trafficking.

Each month we highlight one of our supporters and fellow abolitionists and give them thanks for helping us in the fight. This month, we wish to single out Nancy Gershman, who has been a dedicated supporter our work for years. We asked her to tell us a bit about herself and why she choose to donate to us these past few years, here’s what she said:

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For me, giving to ECPAT USA is personal. I have two sons who are now 24 and 27 but when they were little they were given clear instructions:' if an abduction is attempted, run for your lives because you'll never be the same if you come out alive'. The point is, not every child is so lucky: some are sold into sexual slavery; some are runaways living on the streets. ECPAT basically creates an invisible shield around vulnerable children created by an ever-growing ring of responsible adults -- corporations in the hospitality business, protective services and so forth. They also work on a shoestring budget: remarkable! All of us Happy Homes should be giving....
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Click here to read about our July 2012 Donor of the Month, Mark Wang

In 1852 Fredrick Douglas, a runaway slave living in the North, was asked to give a Fourth of July speech in Rochester, New York. He gave a speech, but it was on the Fifth of July instead, because, as the theme of his speech went, what is Independence Day to a slave?

Today slavery still exists; so many children in America and across the world are held in bondage, but rather than physical chains many are instead chained by fear, shame, and depression. Many Americans are still unaware that this is the case, but we are thankful that those who do know about it are willing to do something about it. These people, these modern-day abolitionists, are standing arm in arm with us in the fight against child sex trafficking.

We are starting a new feature on our website in which each month we highlight one of our supporters and fellow abolitionists and give them thanks for helping us in the fight. For this inaugural month, we wish to single out Mark Wang, who for years now has supported our work in combatting child sex trafficking through a regular, monthly donation. We asked him to tell us a bit about himself and why he choose to donate to us these past few years, here’s what he said:

“I am married with 3 children (daughter, age 11, daughter age 8 and a son age 7). We live in Albany Oregon and love the pacific northwest (lots of fun outdoor activities to do with the kids here). I own/run a business with professional caregivers who provide in-homecare services to seniors so that they can live safely and independently at home.

“As for why I support ECPAT-USA, years ago I heard a radio interview entitled “The Girls Next Door” with Peter Landesman on NPR (National Public Radio) about sex trafficking survivors and it really touched me in a profound way. I hadn’t ever heard of anything like this before and couldn’t believe that people would mis-treat others (especially children) like that. Having young children of my own and not being able to imagine a future like that for them, I became inspired to look around and find things that I could do to help prevent this from happening to anybody else’ children. In my search, I came across ECPAT International and ECPAT-USA. Your mission and the initiatives you advocate for were a great match with the values I wanted to support, and that’s why I have been so happy to support ECPAT-USA all these years (and will continue to do so).

“One of favorite quotes is by Anne Frank; ‘How wonderful that no one need wait a single moment to improve the world.’.”

We thank Mark Wang, and we know that with the support of people like him we can see an end to the modern day slavery that is child sex trafficking within our lifetimes.