Showing posts with label freedom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freedom. Show all posts

Monday, February 7, 2011

Support the Child Protection Compact Act

Did you know... that the CPCA was originally introduced in the House in early June of 2009? The bill, originally H.R. 2737, was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, but it never left the committee. No explanation was given. 

On March 25, 2010, the bill was introduced in the Senate as S. 3184. It was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where it was revised and then passed unanimously on Sept. 21, 2010. 

The bill was then placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders on September 28, 2010. It was expected to pass unanimously in November. It had overwhelming bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House...But the bill was never voted on. It was blocked by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), who objected to spending for foreign aid. 

Don't let this happen again. Contact your representatives today and urge them to pass the Child Protection Compact Act of 2011!


About CPCA:

This legislation authorizes the Secretary of State to provide assistance through grants, cooperative agreements, and/or contracts to countries with a significant prevalence of child trafficking. In order to receive these resources, eligible countries must enter into a Child Protection Compact with the United States to support policies and programs to eradicate the trafficking of children.

The bill was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations, where it is currently being reviewed. The Child Protection Compact Act will provide incentives to "Tier 2" countries and "Tier 2 Watch-List" countries (as identified in the annual U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report) to protect and rescue children subjected to severe forms of trafficking in persons. 

The Compacts will aim to:

1. address institutional weaknesses within the government that result in the failure to protect vulnerable children and to rescue and properly rehabilitate victims;

2. increase local government capacity to apprehend perpetrators who engage in severe forms of trafficking in children and bring perpetrators to justice in national courts of law; and

3. ensure transparency and accountability in achieving the goals stipulated in the Compact over the course of its three-year implementation.

Eligible countries that enter into Compacts with the U.S. could receive up to $15 million in vital funding to combat child trafficking. Contact your congressional representatives and urge them to support the Child Protection Compact Act today!



Sunday, January 30, 2011

Be a Force for Freedom

Check out this preview of new materials we are producing for our new Be a Force for Freedom campaign! These pocket guides are currently being printed and should be delivered soon. We are very excited and hope you are too! :)

You can click on the images to enlarge them :)

Inside panels of tri-folded pocket guide
Outside panels of the tri-folded pocket guide

Friday, September 24, 2010

Why We Love Ben & Jerry's

Other than the amazing flavors (like Cinnamon Buns--did I mention amazing?)...

We love Ben & Jerry's because...

They pay their workers a livable wage. 
All full time manufacturing employees are paid enough to allow for a quality of life that includes decent housing, health care, transportation, food, recreation, savings, and miscellaneous expenses. In recent years, Ben & Jerry's livable wage has been more than twice the national minimum wage.

They are committed to community service.
In recent years, they have cooked, boxed, and planted food for the Vermont Food Bank, rebuilt houses in New Orleans, and built a playground in a low-income neighborhood in Berlin, Germany. In company-owned Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops, they have also created programs with nonprofit partners to help young people facing big challenges to learn job and life skills. Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen once said, “Business has a responsibility to give back to the community.” And we agree.

They give $1.8 million to nonprofit organizations every year through the Ben & Jerry's Foundation. 
This philanthropy is employee-led by non-management, employee advisory groups who consider proposals and recommend grants. Some of the funded organizations include the Center for Immigrant Families, the United Workers Association, Farm Worker Pesticide Project, and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade.

They have a PartnerShop program that offer job and entrepreneurial training to youth and young adults that may face barriers to employment. 
PartnerShops help people build better lives. They are independently owned and operated by community-based nonprofit organizations. And Ben & Jerry's waives the standard franchise fees and provides additional support to help nonprofits operate strong businesses. As PartnerShop operators, nonprofits retain their business proceeds to support their programs.

They work to reduce their impact on the environment. 
They have created "the clean, green freezer" that use hydrocarbon gases. These freezers do not contribute to global warming or the depletion of the ozone layer. They are also a partner of the Dairy Stewardship Alliance, which promotes sustainable farming practices. They have created toolkits to helps dairy farmers assess their own practices and move toward economic, social, and environmental well-being. They also monitor their impact on global warming and invest in programs and projects that try to offset carbon emissions. Ben & Jerry's is "passionate about making their waste less wasteful" by finding creative ways to reuse or repurpose their production waste. And finally, they source all of the paperboard for their cartons from a supplier that uses pulp from sustainably managed forests, and are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

They use Fair Trade certified ingredients.
Many of Ben & Jerry's ice creams use Fair Trade certified vanilla from Uganda, Fair Trade certified cocoa powder from Cote d'Ivoire, Fair Trade certified cocoa powder from the Conacado cooperative in the Dominican Republic, and/or Fair Trade certified coffee beans from the Huatusco cooperative in Mexico. They also use ethically sourced macadamia nuts from Malawi.

They use ethically sourced ingredients and support ethical businesses. 
All of the dairy used in their products come from family farms that have pledged not to treat their cows with artificial growth hormones. Plus, many of these farmers participate in their Caring Dairy programs that pursue more sustainable practices on the farms. And (one of our favorite aspects), the delicious brownies they use in many of their most popular flavors always come from the Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, NY. Greyston Bakery is a model for corporate ethics--they hire and support low-income people who are making the transition towards economic self-sufficiency. They provide housing for the homeless, childcare, employment training, jobs, and comprehensive health care for people living with HIV/AIDS. Through these programs, Greyston is able to reach (and change the lives of) over 2,000 people every year.

There are many more reasons that we love and respect Ben & Jerry's. While no company is perfect, we recognize and commend Ben & Jerry's for their incredible dedication to corporate ethics. And that is why we are buying Ben & Jerry's ice creams for our upcoming film screening. :)

And did we mention that the Cinnamon Buns flavor is incredible? Rock on, Ben & Jerry's. You guys understand how to be a force for freedom.


Monday, August 16, 2010

"The Day My God Died"


I am currently watching this documentary again and once again find myself sobbing uncontrollably out of anger and heartbreak and disbelief. There are days where the weight of this truth is so heavy and the passion inside me for justice is so overwhelming, I fear I might break. There are days where it consumes me. 
 
I ache for these girls and women.
I am enraged by the violence
and injustice
and unspoken horrors committed against them.
I am heartbroken by their hopelessness,
inspired by their resilience,
disillusioned by their struggles,
and encouraged by their recovery.
 
They are the reason I do this work, why I throw my heart and soul into this cause, why I yearn to be there and walk beside them step by step on the path to freedom.

I feel like I am bursting at the seams today, and I wish I could make everyone around me understand why. I hope this documentary helps convey what's in my heart and head a bit. And I hope it makes other people feel the same flurry of emotions (though I swear "emotions" doesn't even begin to encompass this) that I am feeling.
 
Anyone can be a force for freedom. How is your heart being called today?
 
Contact us at ssgf.usc@gmail.com for more ways to get involved. Remember, we are still collecting items/donations for the CAST LA shelter for trafficking survivors. Every little bit helps.