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Pop singer Madonna is being accused of human trafficking and sexually exploiting children by a charitable organization known as the Ethiopian World Federation (EWF), according to AllAfrica. As stated on the federation’s website, the EWF is “a civic service organization that pushes policies and advocates to change the laws that harm all Black People.”
Madonna herself famously adopted four children from Malawi, a landlocked country located in southeastern Africa. In 2006, Madonna founded a charity called Raising Malawi, a non-profit group that seeks to support orphans and vulnerable children through health and education programs.
Seak Smith started the MOM ARMY July 2022 in the United States. The vision and mission of the MOM Army is to bring women together who have a common goal of protecting children. Everyone is welcome. Society, education, medical, Big Tech, the entertainment and media landscape have all contributed to the agenda pushing “the normalization of the sexualization” of our children. Children are today’s currency. Our culture is putting profit over the human dignity and safety of our precious children.
Please learn more about starting your own chapter or joining one in your community.
The federal government has opened an investigation into a Texas school district over its alleged removal of books featuring LGBTQ characters — marking the first test of a new legal argument that failing to represent students in school books can constitute discrimination
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating the Granbury Independent School District, department spokesman Jim Bradshaw said this month. The probe is based on a complaint of discrimination lodged last summer by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, said ACLU attorney Chloe Kempf.
If the government finds in the ACLU’s favor, the determination could have implications for schools nationwide, experts said, forcing libraries to stock more books about LGBTQ individuals and requiring administrators, amid a rising tide of book challenges and bans, to develop procedures ensuring student access to books that some Americans, especially right-leaning parents, deem unacceptable. The books most often targeted explore sometimes-challenging themes of sexual and racial identity.
An upcoming decision in the U.S. Supreme Court case regarding online social media companies’ liability for content posted on their platforms could transform the internet for the worse, Google said in a court filing.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Gonzalez v. Google next month and answer important questions surrounding the scope of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which generally shields online platforms like Google and Facebook from liability for content published by their users. Congress passed the law in 1996, after a New York court held a web service provider liable for offensive messages posted to a bulletin board it hosted.
New York City’s Department of Education has banned ChatGPT from school devices and networks due to concerns that the controversial artificial-intelligence tool will fuel cheating and misinformation, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
Since its release in November, ChatGPT has triggered alarm among educators who fear it will lead to academic dishonesty by allowing students to easily generate essays and other assignments by pressing a few keys.
“Due to concerns about negative impacts on student learning, and concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of content, access to ChatGPT is restricted on New York City Public Schools’ networks and devices,” department of education spokesperson Jenna Lyle said in a statement.
Albany – On Wednesday, January 11th, Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Senator Liz Krueger announced the reintroduction of the Sex Trade Survivors Justice & Equality Act. The bill, carried in the Assembly by Assembly Member Pamela J. Hunter, would decriminalize people in prostitution while continuing to hold their exploiters – sex buyers, pimps, brothel owners, and traffickers – accountable.
“I believe the role of government is to stand up for those with less power against the systems of exploitation that seek to take advantage of their marginalization,” said Senator Krueger, “and that is why I am proud to sponsor the Sex Trade Survivors Justice & Equality Act. This is smart, data-driven, progressive legislation crafted with the invaluable input of advocates and sex trade survivors. It will empower and support people currently or formerly in the sex trade, while holding pimps, brothel owners, and sex buyers accountable for the harms that they cause. New York has the opportunity to be the first state in the U.S. to recognize that the people bought and sold in the sex trade should be protected, not prosecuted, while targeting the source of exploitation and holding perpetrators accountable for the harm they cause.”
New York State has one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the U.S. due in part to New York being a hub for business, transportation, and tourism. Human trafficking is a $150 billion global industry that affects over 25 million victims, occurs in big cities and small towns, and frequently goes unrecognized yet causes immeasurable long-term harm to the child, adolescent, and adult victims who are subjected to physical, sexual and psychological violence by the traffickers who exploit them. In 2021, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 50,123 “signals” by phone, text, email, and other modes of communication about human trafficking cases/issues in the U.S. and U.S. territories, 72% of which were related to sex trafficking. New York has enacted laws at the City and State levels to help combat human trafficking and support survivors, but we must do more. New York State was scored an F on addressing child sex trafficking in 2021 by Shared Hope International.
The Sex Trade Survivors Justice and Equality Act (STSJEA), sponsored by Senator Liz Krueger and Asssembly Member Pamela Hunter, would help to combat sex trafficking and support trafficking victims as follows:
Decriminalizes People in Prostitution and Associated Crimes: A vast majority of people in prostitution are forced, coerced, or enticed into the sex trade by a third-party exploiter or by socio-economic circumstances. These individuals, who are traumatized, and many of whom have suffered extreme violence, are branded as criminals instead of victims in need of social, medical, and therapeutic support.
The STSJEA would repeal the crime of selling sex; prohibit usage of condoms and other reproductive or sexual health devices as evidence in criminal or civil trials for prostitution; and require consideration of whether individuals under investigation for crimes such as practicing massage therapy without a license are victims of compelling prostitution or sex trafficking.
Strengthens Laws against Trafficking and Holds Exploiters Accountable: The STSJEA would keep laws in place that hold accountable pimps and sex traffickers, while fortifying the state’s laws against trafficking and sexual exploitation.
The STSJEA would eliminate a loophole in NYS law that prevents sex buyers from being charged with “promoting prostitution” when they traffic people to themselves; eliminate an “ignorance defense” afforded to those charged with different degrees of buying sex from children; mandating financial penalties for sex buyers, pimps, and traffickers, with increased financial penalties for repeat violations of trafficking and pimping offenses.
Advances Criminal Justice Reform: A majority of children and adults come to the sex trade due to being coerced by a third-party or by socio-economic circumstances. Many also experience traumatic encounters with police officers and are charged with criminal offenses instead of being connected with the supportive services they need. Individuals may be unable to exit the sex trade due to having a prior conviction or for a myriad of other reasons.
The STSJEA would allow individuals to expunge past charges for prostitution-related offenses, and would expand existing police department education mandates to include human trafficking and sexual exploitation awareness.
Expands and Ensures Access to Comprehensive Social Services and Sources of Financial Assistance: Victims of sex trafficking may experience multiple sources of trauma, physical injuries, mental health issues, and substance abuse/addition, as well as a lack of financial resources and independent living skills they need to help exit the sex trade, recover from their traumatic experiences, and make empowered decisions for themselves.
The STSJEA would expand eligibility for Safe Harbour Program services to include sexually-exploited individuals up to the age of 24 at the time of identification; increase access to services for individuals who are not eligible for Safe Harbour Program services; expand the definition of “human trafficking victim” to align with federal law in order to increase access to social services; expand access to youth shelter services up to the age of 24; and create the Victims of Sexual Exploitation Fund.
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BACKGROUND:
– Legislative Presentation on Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation in New York State
– A Roadmap for New York – The Sex Trade Survivors Justice & Equality Act
National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is recognized each year on January 11th. In recognition of this important day, and throughout the month of January, Blue Campaign hosts several special events and educational activities.
Blue Campaign’s largest initiative is #WearBlueDay on January 11th. To raise awareness of human trafficking, we invite the public to take photos of themselves, friends, family, and colleagues wearing blue clothing and share them on social media – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – along with our #WearBlueDay hashtag. Anyone can participate, all you need is a piece of blue clothing!
Follow @DHSBlueCampaign on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information about #WearBlueDay and Campaign efforts throughout the year.
Between 2019 and 2020, there was a 94% increase in adolescent overdose. Social media has amplified the substance abuse epidemic in devastating ways. In fact, commonplace icons have become drug emojis, and are used to solicit drug purchases in ways parental filters may not catch.
Today, emojis are considered the fastest-growing global language. [5] Kids have become fluent in emojis, using these symbols in combinations to form entire sentences. When we are aware of the alternate meanings these emojis signify, we can more easily protect our children.
Emojis can have several possible meanings in this emerging language, and a combination of emojis can mean something else entirely. Context should be taken into account as well.
As an example, text messaging a maple leaf might be referencing Canada, or could be emoji drug slang for an illicit drug.
