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Empowering Online Safety Guide for Women: Online Dating, Meetup, Intimate Partner Violence, and SOS Apps

STOPP Website Staff

Written by STOPP Website Staff (04/15/2019) This is the third article in a series of three blogs taken from vpnmentor.com, with their permission, and with their encouragement to share this information. Please feel free to use the link below to examine the complete Empowering Online Safety Guide for Women. You will find it to be a wonderful collection of very clear and instructive information having to do with online safety for women. Because 76% of girls who are trafficked begin their contact online, it is important that parents share information with their children in an appropriate way. This Safety Guide Read More

Building Recovery Conference on April 26, 2019

STOPP Website Staff

Written by STOPP Website Staff (04/04/2019) There is an upcoming conference in Richmond, Virginia on April 26, 2019. “Building Recovery:  Starting a Comprehensive Residential Program for Survivors of Human Trafficking” is a one-day conference sponsored by Safe Harbor. Safe Harbor is the first agency in the Richmond area to provide comprehensive services for survivors of sex trafficking.  Their staff will share their expertise along with other experts.  The keynote speaker will be Bonnie Martin, a recognized expert in trauma informed programs who has worked with thousands of victims of violence and human trafficking. Safe Harbor has an application in process Read More

The American Psychiatric Association Position Statement on Human Trafficking

STOPP Website Staff

Written by STOPP Website Staff (03/15/2019) The American Psychiatric Association (APA), which is the author of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), is an authority and resource at the center of mental health in the United States. There is no diagnosis in the DSM for human trafficking per se, but it is notable that the APA in November 2018 published a Position Paper on Human Trafficking. It is important that the scourge of human trafficking is now recognized and acknowledged by the APA. Following is the official release from the APA. http://stopptrafficking.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/position-statement.pdf

The Empowering Internet Safety Guide for Women, Part 2

STOPP Website Staff

Written by STOPP Website Staff (02/15/2019) Harassment at Work According to one study, one in three women ages 18-34 has been sexually harassed at work. 25% of those women were harassed online, but 71% did not report it. If you are in a work situation and are being made uncomfortable by sexual harassment, you should begin recording the incidents. Often larger cases are built on a record of small indictments, which must be documented properly in order to be used as evidence. If you are unsure whether an encounter is harassment, record it because the incidents may worsen as time Read More

The Empowering Internet Safety Guide for Women, Part 1

STOPP Website Staff

Written by STOPP Website Staff (02/05/2019) Many victims of sexual trafficking are first approached online, because online, groomers can remain faceless and anonymous. This is true for even preteen children. In addition, many adult women are harassed online. According to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Center, most online abuse occurs on social media, and women are more than twice as likely as men to experience sexual harassment. More than half the women ages 18-29 report having been sent sexually explicit images without their consent. Many women are intimidated into withdrawing into silenced disengagement. The Empowering Internet Safety Guide Read More

Human Trafficking in Art: The Most Heartbreaking Acts Exposed and Explained With Images Instead of Words

STOPP Website Staff

Written by STOPP Website Staff (01/25/2019) Art has always been used as a powerful method to express all emotions through images. It can be used to express love and beauty but art can also capture the ugly sides of the world. Human Trafficking is one the worst crimes that infects our society and puts the innocent in danger. Below are various forms of art (paintings, photos, tattoos and graphic novels) that help show the anguish and hardship that victims of human trafficking must face and why our society must act to stop this horror. ArtWorks for Freedom ArtWorks for Freedom Read More

How A Student Organization Is Helping To Combat Human Trafficking

STOPP Website Staff

Written by STOPP Website Staff (01/15/2019) According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Ohio is ranked No. 4 in the country when it comes to reported human-trafficking cases, but Ohio State University student organization Why Us? is looking to bring awareness to this terrible issue. Why Us? brings attention to the alarming rise in human trafficking throughout the state. The group aims to spread awareness of human trafficking on college campuses. While it is a relatively new organization on campus, it has made early strides and hopes to make more that will leave a lasting impact at Ohio State University. Read More

The Girl from Cameroon: Human Trafficking Survivor Describes Forced Labor Ordeal in U.S.

STOPP Website Staff

Written by STOPP Website Staff (01/05/2019) Evelyn Chumbow of Cameroon says she was only nine years old when she was trafficked into forced labor in the Washington, D.C. area. Chumbow, who’s now in her mid-30s, says she was sold by her uncle to a woman from her home country of Cameroon who had a home and a business in the United States. She said she came to the United States with the expectation that a better life awaited her. “The image that I had of the U.S. is completely from what I saw on television — you know, ‘(The) Cosby Read More

Online Gaming: The Newest Weapon of Human Traffickers: Part 3

STOPP Website Staff

Written by STOPP Website Staff (12/20/2018) In the first two parts of this three-part story the threat of online gaming was introduced and those it has affected were covered. Now it is time to talk about warning signs and prevention of any online gamers becoming victims of human trafficking. Children put themselves at great risk by communicating in online gaming forums with individuals they do not know in person. This is a place where individuals can interact with microphones or through messaging, and it is a place where traffickers can get in touch with potential victims through the process of Read More

Online Gaming: The Newest Weapon of Human Traffickers: Part 2

STOPP Website Staff

Written by STOPP Website Staff (12/10/2018) In part one of this three part story the dangers of human traffickers using online gaming forums were introduced and covered briefly with the hope of educating the public about this new and very real threat. Now it is time to talk about those who are threatened and those who have become victims of online gaming menaces. Online multiplayer action survival and building games, like Fortnite and Minecraft, are great places to interact and play games with your friends or people all over the world. But they also pose severe risks to children and Read More