Permission for educational and resource use given to Ocean Gate Southern Baptist Church in Hawthorne by Michelle Carmela Saldana/ Founder and Director of Once Upon An Eden
The Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations, December 10, 1948, directly after the Second World War and represents the first global expression of Human Rights.
After the atrocities conducted in World War II were made known to the world the need to define human rights abuses and establish guaranteed international human rights. Representatives from all over the world with various cultural and legal backgrounds came together to formulate General Assembly resolution 217 A (III). Hailed as common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations; it sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
In 1941, in his address before the United States Congress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed in what is called his "Four Freedoms" speech: Freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom of want and freedom of fear were four basic freedoms that could never be legitimately abridged.
Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, has said he believes religious freedom “Whenever religious freedom is being denied, whenever religious freedom is being abused, it is like the canary in the coal mine. It is a danger signal that there are other severe problems in that society that are either present or getting ready to take place.”
Indeed the events leading up to the Holocaust, civil liberties were taken away, shop owners and property owners who were Jewish were killed and arrested, more than 1,000 synagogues were set on fire. Once World War II began, the Jews were sent to ghettos and forced to work as slaves and the systematic "Euthanasia" started. At the height of the "Final Solution" thousands of people were killed a day in the "death factories".
The attempted mass extinction of Jewish population was not the first in history against a people group or a religious group. In fact, an overview of Mankind's history will show various instances of mankind's cruelty towards his fellow man. Even in today's world we have seen what role religious intolerance plays in today's politics despite the adoption of the Declaration of Human Rights.
China: In 2007, the government of China passed a law making it illegal for one to reincarnate without the permission of the Chinese government as a means to curtail the influence of the Dalai Lama of Tibet. However, China is not completely against religion, just religious leaders that they consider divisive or a threat to the unity of the greater good of China. We must keep in mind that not only is a Dalai Lama a religious leader but he is also head of state for Tibet a position that the Chinese government would see as a threat.
China: The book "God's Chinese Son" written by Jonathan Spense, follows the course of Hong Xiuquan who believed himself to be the Brother of Jesus and the second direct Son of God. In this belief he led the Taiping Rebellion against the Qing Dynasty. Establishing himself as the "Heavenly King," Hong Xiuquan established the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom" which covered most of Southern China. The final death toll of the Taiping Rebellion was between twenty -thirty million people mostly civilians who lost their lives from starvation, exposure to the elements and through the "art" of war making it one of the most deadly conflicts in history.
After reading this account of a part of China's history, I understood why China cracks down on various forms of religions. Although I am able to understand the reasoning the methods I personally can not condone and neither can the world under the the General Assembly resolution 217 (III). It is estimated 500,000 people are currently enduring punitive detention without charge or trial or many without access to legal counsel or representation. People are tortured and killed for their faith in China even to this day. High risk of enforced disappearance, illegal and incommunicado detention or house arrest, surveillance, beatings and harassment are still very much a possibility in any peaceful citizen of China practicing his or her religion.
Middle East: After the uprising in Egypt, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a spiritual leader to the Muslim Brotherhood led the Islamic prayer services in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt's uprising. While he asked the entire rally to bow in Islamic prayer, he also used his speech to reassure the Christian minority of their place in Egypt, telling the crowd that "in this square sectarianism died." A Coptic Christian in attendance said it was intimidating; another said the event could be seen as the Muslim Brotherhood taking a greater role in Egypt.
It was just this recent January, that a car bomb was set off near a Coptic church as the people were leaving the building, killed 21 people. The official Muslim Brotherhood charter, amended in 2007, calls for the imposition of Islamic law in Egypt. Among other things, the charter, obtained by WND, states that non-Muslims cannot hold government positions and must pay to the state the jizya, or special Islamic protection tax.
Iran: The Baha-is, followers of Baha'u'llah (1844–1892), who Bahá'ís believe to be the most recent messenger from God are deemed as heretic in Islam. Iran's largest religious minority and the location of one of the largest Bahá'í populations in the world, have been subjected to unwarranted arrests, false imprisonment, beatings, torture, unjustified executions, confiscation and destruction of property owned by individuals and the Bahá'í community, denial of employment, denial of government benefits, denial of civil rights and liberties, and denial of access to higher education.
Afghanistan: Shoaib Assadullah, 23, was arrested Oct. 21 in Mazar-e Sharif after he gave a Bible to a man who turned him in. During a Dec. 28 court hearing Assadullah was given one week to recant Christianity or face the death penalty. Shoaib Assadullah has written in a letter smuggeled out of the prison which he is held stating, "My case is supposed to be sent to the court shortly, because the prosecutor has the right to hold a case only for 30 days... "The court's decision is most definitely going to be the death penalty for me, because the prosecutor has accused me under the Clause 139 of the criminal code which says, 'If the crime is not cited in the criminal code, then the case has to be referred to the Islamic Shariah law.' Shoaib Assadullah also states "Not only has my freedom been taken from me, but I [am] undergoing severe psychological pressure," Assadullah wrote. "Several times I have been attacked physically and threatened to death by fellow prisoners, especially Taliban and anti government prisoners who are in jail."
Assadullah also says his mother died "from the grief" of her son facing the death penalty, and that he was not allowed to attend her funeral.
He concluded his letter, which was written to no one specific person, "I request that you follow my case."
International Christian Concern's ICC for short has asked concerned citizens to call the Afghanistan embassy in the U.S. (202-483-6410). The embassy's web address is www.EmbassyOfAfghanistan.org.
Europe: Sharia Law has now become part of the legal system in Europe. The government has quietly sanctioned the powers for sharia judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those involving domestic violence. The decisions are enforcable with the full power of the judicial system, through the county courts or High Court. Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi, whose Muslim Arbitration Tribunal runs the courts, realised that under the Arbitration Act of 1996 we can make rulings which can be enforced by county and high courts. The act allows disputes to be resolved using alternatives like tribunals. This method is called alternative dispute resolution, which for Muslims is what the sharia courts are.”
Under sharia's civil code, a woman's testimony is worth half of a man's. A man can divorce his wife by repudiation, whereas a woman must give justifications, some of which are difficult to prove. Child custody reverts to the father at a preset age; women who remarry lose custody of their children even before then; and sons inherit twice the share of daughters.
There has been much controversy about Muslim arbitration tribunals, which have attracted attention because they operate as tribunals under the Arbitration Act, making their rulings binding in UK law.
But sharia councils, which are charities, are equally harmful since their mediation differs little from arbitration. Sharia councils will frequently ask people to sign an agreement to abide by their decisions. Councils call themselves courts and the presiding imams are judges. There is neither control over the appointment of these judges nor an independent monitoring mechanism. People often do not have access to legal advice and representation. Proceedings are not recorded, nor are there any searchable legal judgements. Nor is there any real right to appeal.
There is also danger to those at risk of domestic violence. In one study, four out of 10 women attending sharia courts were party to civil injunctions against their husbands.
"In this way, these privatised legal processes were ignoring not only state law intervention and due process but providing little protection and safety for the women.
Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or lack thereof.
The tendency of societies or groups within society to alienate or repress different subcultures is a recurrent theme in human history. Moreover, because a person's religion often determines to a significant extent his or her morality and personal identity, religious differences can be significant cultural factors.
Religious persecution may be triggered by religious bigotry (i.e. the denigration of practitioners' religions other than those of the oppressors) or by the State when it views a particular religious group as a threat to its interests or security. At a societal level, this dehumanization of a particular religious group may readily turn into violence or other forms of persecution.
The United States of America: There are 59 major religions in the United States of America. The top thirty -four religions are decidedly of Christian denominations. However, despite former President Roosevelette's declaration of the "Four Freedoms" which should not be abridged, one being of freedom of religion another freedom of speech, the federal government abridges the free exercise of religion in America by:
Regulating churches and other religious organizations through its tax laws.
Limiting religious liberty in the area of public and private education.
Forbidding non-denominational prayer in public schools and at educational ceremonies.
Excluding the Bible from school classrooms and from other school property.
Refusing to permit the religious displays on public property, such as Christmas and Chanukah.
The American Indian Nations have made distinct and significant contributions in many fields, including agriculture, medicine, music, language, and art, and Native Americans have distinguished themselves as inventors, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and scholars, local and national leaders, artists, and athletes.
Yet the people of the American Indian Nations, still remain isolated on parched desert reservations which are plagued with conditions that are below acceptable santiary conditions. "They are dying from lack of heat, food and even water. They are dying from despair."....Our own indigenous people are among the poorest in the world. " States emphatically actor and activist Jay Tavare.
You will recognize Jay in such films as "The Missing" directed by Ron Howard or "Cold Mountain" directed by Anthony Minghella. In addition to being a distinguished actor, Jay is also a contributing writer for the Huffington post. He writes in the following article, posted Posted: January 28, 2011
"What our children learn about our nation's early history and our relationship with the American Indians is so loosely based on reality, it's actually more of a fairytale. Conveniently, our history books fail to explain the cost paid in human suffering and lives so the rest of us would prosper.
The first Indian reservations were concentration camps. While conditions on the reservations are somewhat different today, they are not better. Reservation life remains unhealthy and unsafe. The average American Indian man on the reservation lives just 46 years."
"American Indian teens take their own lives at more than two times the rate of any other teen demographic in the USA, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For centuries, American Indian culture has been attacked and exploited by our new dominant culture. Traditions, language and spiritual beliefs of so many of the American Indian nations are almost completely extinguished. Is it any wonder that the youth find themselves in an identity crisis?" Indigenous people world wide sometimes, called the "First Nations" view their religion more than their culture or belief. Their religion is their identity - their core being. They are tied so closely to earth and to their god(s) as to have these ingrained and intertwined into their being.
There is a phenomenon in history called the "Stolen Generation" this is term to describe children stolen from their parents and communities forced to assimulate into the prevading culture and "become civilized." This happened in the Americas and also under the rule of the British.
Jay and many other people of American Indian heritage have put action behind their heart's cry for people in pain. The organization "Adopt a Native Elder (27) a philanthropic organization started by Linda Myers and Grace Smith Yellow Hammer on a Navajo reservation over 20 years ago helps meet the needs of the communities elderly and helps perserve a cultural identity for the children. Jay's own project, Adopt a Native Elder, Warming Hearts, raises much needed money for fire wood essential to the Navajo elders during the harsh winters.
Jesus said in Luke 10:27 We are to, "...love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." This scripture is also in Dueteronomy 6:5" One of, or only time that Jesus and the religious leaders of his day came into agreement of the Jewish Law was this: upon all the laws Loving God, thy neighbor and thyself were what all the other laws rested and were also fulfilled.
The book of James states, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27 NIV 1984) This thought is at the core of every major religion. Why? Because it is a matter of survival and of plain common sense.
We are God made. We are not China made, American made, nor are we Made in Canada. We are God's handiwork. The Creator made us in his spectacular image. He is our Father. Because He lives we live. Each person living and breathing is a like a tile in a a gorgeous mosaic. The picture ever beautiful is ever changing yet at the core remains the same message.
Mankind was never given authority to dominate over Mankind. It may be my own naivete', yet I believe as systematic as persecution is we can also systematically change the concept of reality from that of what is placated to us to live the actual reality we were born to live. What is this reality? A simple but challenging command really...
It would astonish and startle some to note that the Bible does recognize the existence of other gods. Jeremiah 10:11, "Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens." Do we really need to prove which god is the Creator of heaven and earth?
1. We are all descendants from the "First Man and First Woman" Does that not make us members of the Human Family?
2. We all bleed red when we are cut.
3. We all breathe the same air.
4. We all have souls clothed by a body. The soul needs the body to be here legally on Earth.
5. Every body needs a stable roof over their head, water to drink, food for nourishment.
6. Every soul needs love and appreciation.
7. Not one of the almost seven billion people on the planet were in existence during the time of the Universe and the World's creation. So it is foolish to insist we know the answers or all the answers to how we came to be. What we do know for certain is that we are all here. We are all here now.
Here and Now IMPLORES that we take care of ourselves and each other. Here and Now DICTATES us to use common sense - the wisdom that applies to us all. Here and Now DEMANDS we follow the commands of Creator/Father/God-Love. How you interperate God or demonstrate your worship (or non-worship) or your belief (or non-belief) is more so a reflection on your own self. It says ever so much more whether or not your views of religion and/or culture motivate you whether or not to help your neighbor in need. When we help our neighbor we help ourselves here and now.
In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus gives the story of what is known as "the Good Samaritian." This is a story of a man who rescues another man that he finds beaten and left for dead. The injured man had prior been passed by two other people, a priest and a Levite, before the Samaritian has even found him. By Old Testament law the priest and Levite were forbidded to touch a dead animal or person. The Samaritian who roots stemmed from combing his worship of pagan dieties incorporated with Jewish law, did not have this stipulation. Does this justify, the priest and the Levite? Again, when we help our neighbor's we help ourselves. This parable was intended to re-inforce the point that we are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul, strength and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus said in verse 28, "Do this and you will live."
My "Good Samaritians" came in the form of the Hari Krsnas who have based their beliefs on Vedic teachings and worship the god Krsna. I have a rare condition called Idiopathic Anaphylaxis. After a hospital stay in Gulfport, Ms, I needed a place to recouperate. The most ideal was the Hari Krsna Temple and farm in Carriere, Ms. Here, I learned what temple life might have been like in the Old Testament and experienced some of the ways of India without having to travel thousands of miles away. Although, to this day, I can not begin to understand why they worship their god(s) by carved images (I am talking feeding, bathing, dressing, having festivals) and the many incarnations of each god, and the idea of re-incarnation. They can not understand that, I who have been in coma or have been clinically dead so often, does not believe in re - incarnation.
However, I have grown to love the Hari Krsna community as much as any other group of friends I have. We stay intouch, we pray for one another, I visit with them and they with me. No, I do not believe as they do, however, that does not stop us from understanding we are to love one another. It is not a matter of deciding to "agree to disagree." At the core of every major ancient religion, Loving God, one's neighbor and one's self is the core teaching.
In order to change the world we must first understand the need to change ourselves. (Matthew 7: 3-5 NIV) The boldest proof of the possibility of God is a person who is living their life according to the words of Jesus.
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the
Father's who sent me. (John 14:22-24)
People are also not appreciated enough for the effort in their life journey. It takes an incredible amount of strength to exist on this world even in a calm uneventful day - let alone a day full of stress and pressures. So realize every person you lay eyes on is a hero just for breathing. Take an interest in what it took for them to be here today.
I have come to realize early in life that negative happenings do not care or discriminate against anyone. Hardships do not pay attention to a person's skin color. Natural disasters do not personally seek out people of different religions. War might happen with a particular race or religion fighting one another but we all pay the cost, we all grieve, we all become emotionally involved.
It is the same with working at your employment location. When you take on a job at a particular place of employment you understand that while you hold true to your own personal convictions, your are expected to put the project and company focus before your own. You are also expected to get along with your co workers. This means agreeing to disagree having your convictions understood not by your words but more so by your actions and how you treat others.
Well for survival sake we need to be just as objective and non judgemental or non discriminatory as disasters. We need to be focused on the tasks on hand as much as we are on our job sites.
What are the tasks on hand? Luke 4:18 gives a concise summary of a list in Isaiah 61: 1-3. Luke 4:18 states, ""The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
THESE PRECIOUS WORDS
(c) 1990 by Michelle Carmela Saldana
(An excerpt from "Take Me Away" - A book of poems, essays and artwork of a child slave to be released in 2012)
These precious words
That I hold here in my hands
My eyes do read
These precious words
That my eyes do read
I hold here in my heart
So my mind may believe
These precious words.
These precious words
That my mind believes
Wash over my soul.
Over my thoughts
Over my actions
Have complete control
So that others may see
These precious words living in me.
In the year 2008, it was estimated that 600,000 - 800,000 people were trafficked into the United States. It is estimated that there are approximately 23-27 million people caught up in human trafficking almost 75% are female children. Here are some clues that may identify a possible trafficking victim:
If you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888. (36)
In the countries like Cambodia, Vietname, and India, child trafficking is seen as a way to ensure a better life for the children. Parents are approached by people they believe are well meaning and are convinced to giving their children over with the promise that they children will obtain a better life. In truth the children are sold to brothels or forced to work in the fields or become child solidiers. Just because a child is spared life in a brothel does not mean the children are not subjected to rapes and tortures and various abuses.
It is an intersting note that more than we realize Religious Persecution is one of the contributors of Human Trafficking. As churches are taken over or closed and villages pillaged family members are killed, kidnapped, separated from one another. People are forced to fend for themselves, if they are children they will almost certainly find the most willing people to take them in are members of organized crime and human trafficking circuits if they are not sent to schools that will "re educate" them. This scenario is played out in various forms in China, India and the Middle East when ever there is an uprising. Every once in a while the captive will become a house slave, some of which are sent to the United States sponsored by a 'benefactor" that upon entry to the country will take away their ID and Passport and any proof of citizenship. These are not people jumping the boarder illegally. These are people that were promised jobs only to learn they were told a lie, or cohersed into compliance, or children who are FOREVER changed, have no way of knowing how to get back to home, if they ever stay alive; a people without country, family or identity. These are people hidden in plain sight.
In many cultures and religions, sex abuse and sex trafficking as well as other forms of human trafficking are "protected" as part of the culture and religion. For instance under Sharia law a woman must be a virgin to marry. Children as young as two have been married or betrothed to men much older than sometimes the father of the child. The founder of the Islamic religion was infact married to a six year old girl and is said to have had the alleged first relations with her when she was nine years old. The Catholic church has had to pay out millions of dollars in restitution to victims and survivors of sexual abuse. On average the greatest percentage of sexual abuse among boys is reported to come from the Catholic church. The Vactican a country to itself, has its own authority to deal the allegations and proved cases of child abuse. Their answer often is to emphatically deny the charges or move people around, when the local authorities of other countries step in, they often help to stone wall the investigations than actually help prosecute the offenders.
In public shools sex abuses are on the rise, with either students committing the crimes or teachers having sex with students.
The impact religious persecution and human trafficking have on society is emphatically negative. Men and women whose identity is shaped by their culture and religion and sexual identity are shaken to the core and stripped of all security of anything they had ever previously identified with. Health problems from STDs, diseases from malnutrition and poor santitation, as well stress related diseases and conditions can harbor themselves in a person's body from childhood well into old age.
People seeking to live normal lives finding a lover, having children and their own bit of earth have to deal with the surreality that living a normal life often brings back the memories of the horrible experiences and the reality that the emotions are tender and shredded raw making it virtually impossible and an epic struggle to live a normal life.
As a result in one human trafficking survivors case, she normal childhood illnesses, STD’s, endometriosis, cancer and the treatments, along with the scarring from the abuse which started at a tender age – prompted doctors to say she would never have children. The doctors were wrong about this but who could for see the health problems she would have even decades afterwards?” As an adult her Adrenal Glands are so adversely depleted and her bone marrow is inflamed and infected, her white cell count is constantly dangerously high, these ingredients cause her to go into coma or die from various allergen triggers which are continously random. All of this which is from the stress that she endured as a child to her teen years, and later when she married into an abusive relationship until her then husband divorced her yet still manages to torment her and abuses the children who are in his care due to her poor health. And her children who have endured watching their parents fight, their mother abused, their mother homeless and hospitalized many times over, have they themselves endured homelessness, abuse and have attempted suicide.
This is only one woman's story. There are thousands more like it annually and the woman who lent her story is the author of this publication. She has for over twenty plus years helped to educate the public about child/domestic abuse, human trafficking and the influence of organized crime upon global society.
Thank you for your desire for awareness and education. However awareness and education are merely apathy when not accompanied with action.
Please use the following list as aides to help yourself or your community... and for more information, please go to www.onceuponaneden.weebly.com
Thank you,
Michelle Carmela Saldana
Founder of Once Upon An Eden
What Is Human Trafficking?
http://www.unescap.org/esid/GAD/Issues/Trafficking/index.asp
Video Explaining Human Trafficking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZTN0TbsRYA
2010 TIP (Trafficking In Persons) Report
http://geneva.usmission.gov/2010/06/14/trafficking-in-persons-report-2010/Be Informed of the YOUR Human Rights The Declaration of Human Rights as adopted Dec 10, 1948
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Fen%2Fdocuments%2Fudhr%2Findex.shtml&ei=mx1nTbnJCYWKlweJv-CBAg&usg=AFQjCNGJ0npihIK9otLax5ADtJzt6f3dog
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Introduction.aspx
The Declaration of Human Rights Video format
http://vimeo.com/1823335Acts and Laws Protecting Against Human Trafficking
US TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION ACT 2000
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/1049.pdf
PROSECUTORIAL REMEDIES and OTHER TOOLS to END the EXPLOITATION of CHILDREN TODAY ACT of 2003 (PROTECT ACT OF 2003)
http://www.state.gov/g/tips/laws/120170/htm
WILLIAM WILBERFORCE TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008
http://www.justic.gov/olp/pdf/wilberforce-act.pdf
HR 972 TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/laws/61106.htm
DOMESTIC MINOR SEX TRAFFICKING DETERRENCE AND VICTIMS SUPPORT ACT OF 2010
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fow.ly%2F2jgUL&h=d76b9
MAP RATING EACH STATE IN THE US ON THEIR EFFORTS TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.polarisproject.org%2Fcontent%2Fview%2F297&h=61c35
JESSICA'S LAW
http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Parole/Sex_offender_facts/index.html
MEGAN'S LAW
1.) http://www.meganslaw.org/
2.) http://www.megans-law.net/
3.) http:/www.pameganslaw.state.pa.us
4.) http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/
NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING RESOURCE CENTER'S 24-HOUR TOLL FREE HOTLINE NUMBER 1-888-3737-888 ( Ms. Saldana tested the NHTRC hotline number herself. Real people answer the phone, friendly curtious, expedient)
NATIONAL DOMESTIC HOTLINE NUMBER ACCESSED FROM ALL 50 STATES: 1-800-799-SAFE(7233)
NATIONAL DOMESTIC HOTLINE NUMBER ACCESSED FROM ALL 50 STATES TTY: 1-800-787-3224
(Translated in 170 languages with aides of interpreter)
RAIN (RAPE, ABUSE AND INCEST NATIONAL NETWORK) 1-800-656-HOPE(4673)
(To find shelters call above number or go online at following web site)
http://www.womenshealth.gov/violence/state
NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE NUMBER: 1800-25-ABUSE(22873)
CHILD HELP USA HOTLINE NUMBER: 1-800-4-A-CHILD(422-4453)
CHILD HELP USA HOTLINE NUMBER TDD: 1-800-2-A-CHILD(222-4453)
Entitites, Authorities and NGO's that are taking part in the erradication of Human Trafficking. *Strongly encourage that this link be used. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_traffickingSuggested measures to release your inner hero and help someone who is a survivor of slavery1. Be an educated consumer. If you can not refurbish, reuse, renew, repurpose items within your home, try purchasing at yard sales first or hold exchange parties with friends. If an item must be purchased, then please, know where your item came from.2. Teach your child to think of the value of an item in not only the dollar price, but also, in terms of time spent to gain the item. As the child becomes older, you might want to include in her purchasing power education whether or not an item used child labor or slave labor to manufacture the item.3. If you can not grow and store your own food then, then purchasing from local farmers is the next best option. Purchase pre-made food items from farmers who use organic materials. Try when possible to avoid Genentically Modified Organisms. Try using home remedies before making a trip to the clinic, doctor or emergency room. Study about the local indigenous communities and do what you can to help them achieve their community goals. For instance in the United States, the American Indian Nations are very much misunderstood and their knowledge undervalued.4. Establish emergency funds for your family and household needs. Establish emergency plans. Each time a scenario is drilled, follow it up by a fun family time. Allow your child to contribute towards the preparations with her opinions, ideas and physical effort. Encourage you spiritual centers to have emergency preparedness plans. Make donations toward the effort.5. Celebrate the elderly and the children in your life. Celebrate and court your life partner. When speaking to people recognize in all your logic that you are speaking to the heart of everyone; so become engaged in the coversation. Look and listen with the intent to understand the people you meet. The elderly have life wisdom. Children being the present gifts that they are hold the promise of the future. Open them up, see the beautiful world they are bringing into fruition as a gift. People are not appreciated enough for their achievement of living – of being. Do not underestimate the power of a smile or kind word. Seek mediums of art to allow everyone, including yourself, to express your inner creativity.6. Keep yourself healthy. Poor health often leads to strained/broken families, depleted finances, homelessness, crime and/or prostitution and sometiems drug/alcohol use.7. Keep yourself informed. Do not shy away from discussions about abuse or slavery. Keep a set of resource and hot line numbers just in case they maybe needed by you or someone you know. Religious centers and community centers should implement practical help strategies for single parents, latch-key kids and the elderly. When you can, as you can, volunteer.Permission for educational and resource use given to Ocean Gate Southern Baptist Church in Hawthorne by Michelle Carmela Saldana/ Founder and Director of Once Upon An EdenThank you for allowing me to be a part of your excellent endeavors. All of God's Blessings upon each and everyone at Ocean Gate Baptist Church from Michelle Carmela and everyone at Once Upon an Eden.
The Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations, December 10, 1948, directly after the Second World War and represents the first global expression of Human Rights.
After the atrocities conducted in World War II were made known to the world the need to define human rights abuses and establish guaranteed international human rights. Representatives from all over the world with various cultural and legal backgrounds came together to formulate General Assembly resolution 217 A (III). Hailed as common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations; it sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
In 1941, in his address before the United States Congress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed in what is called his "Four Freedoms" speech: Freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom of want and freedom of fear were four basic freedoms that could never be legitimately abridged.
Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, has said he believes religious freedom “Whenever religious freedom is being denied, whenever religious freedom is being abused, it is like the canary in the coal mine. It is a danger signal that there are other severe problems in that society that are either present or getting ready to take place.”
Indeed the events leading up to the Holocaust, civil liberties were taken away, shop owners and property owners who were Jewish were killed and arrested, more than 1,000 synagogues were set on fire. Once World War II began, the Jews were sent to ghettos and forced to work as slaves and the systematic "Euthanasia" started. At the height of the "Final Solution" thousands of people were killed a day in the "death factories".
The attempted mass extinction of Jewish population was not the first in history against a people group or a religious group. In fact, an overview of Mankind's history will show various instances of mankind's cruelty towards his fellow man. Even in today's world we have seen what role religious intolerance plays in today's politics despite the adoption of the Declaration of Human Rights.
China: In 2007, the government of China passed a law making it illegal for one to reincarnate without the permission of the Chinese government as a means to curtail the influence of the Dalai Lama of Tibet. However, China is not completely against religion, just religious leaders that they consider divisive or a threat to the unity of the greater good of China. We must keep in mind that not only is a Dalai Lama a religious leader but he is also head of state for Tibet a position that the Chinese government would see as a threat.
China: The book "God's Chinese Son" written by Jonathan Spense, follows the course of Hong Xiuquan who believed himself to be the Brother of Jesus and the second direct Son of God. In this belief he led the Taiping Rebellion against the Qing Dynasty. Establishing himself as the "Heavenly King," Hong Xiuquan established the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom" which covered most of Southern China. The final death toll of the Taiping Rebellion was between twenty -thirty million people mostly civilians who lost their lives from starvation, exposure to the elements and through the "art" of war making it one of the most deadly conflicts in history.
After reading this account of a part of China's history, I understood why China cracks down on various forms of religions. Although I am able to understand the reasoning the methods I personally can not condone and neither can the world under the the General Assembly resolution 217 (III). It is estimated 500,000 people are currently enduring punitive detention without charge or trial or many without access to legal counsel or representation. People are tortured and killed for their faith in China even to this day. High risk of enforced disappearance, illegal and incommunicado detention or house arrest, surveillance, beatings and harassment are still very much a possibility in any peaceful citizen of China practicing his or her religion.
Middle East: After the uprising in Egypt, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a spiritual leader to the Muslim Brotherhood led the Islamic prayer services in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt's uprising. While he asked the entire rally to bow in Islamic prayer, he also used his speech to reassure the Christian minority of their place in Egypt, telling the crowd that "in this square sectarianism died." A Coptic Christian in attendance said it was intimidating; another said the event could be seen as the Muslim Brotherhood taking a greater role in Egypt.
It was just this recent January, that a car bomb was set off near a Coptic church as the people were leaving the building, killed 21 people. The official Muslim Brotherhood charter, amended in 2007, calls for the imposition of Islamic law in Egypt. Among other things, the charter, obtained by WND, states that non-Muslims cannot hold government positions and must pay to the state the jizya, or special Islamic protection tax.
Iran: The Baha-is, followers of Baha'u'llah (1844–1892), who Bahá'ís believe to be the most recent messenger from God are deemed as heretic in Islam. Iran's largest religious minority and the location of one of the largest Bahá'í populations in the world, have been subjected to unwarranted arrests, false imprisonment, beatings, torture, unjustified executions, confiscation and destruction of property owned by individuals and the Bahá'í community, denial of employment, denial of government benefits, denial of civil rights and liberties, and denial of access to higher education.
Afghanistan: Shoaib Assadullah, 23, was arrested Oct. 21 in Mazar-e Sharif after he gave a Bible to a man who turned him in. During a Dec. 28 court hearing Assadullah was given one week to recant Christianity or face the death penalty. Shoaib Assadullah has written in a letter smuggeled out of the prison which he is held stating, "My case is supposed to be sent to the court shortly, because the prosecutor has the right to hold a case only for 30 days... "The court's decision is most definitely going to be the death penalty for me, because the prosecutor has accused me under the Clause 139 of the criminal code which says, 'If the crime is not cited in the criminal code, then the case has to be referred to the Islamic Shariah law.' Shoaib Assadullah also states "Not only has my freedom been taken from me, but I [am] undergoing severe psychological pressure," Assadullah wrote. "Several times I have been attacked physically and threatened to death by fellow prisoners, especially Taliban and anti government prisoners who are in jail."
Assadullah also says his mother died "from the grief" of her son facing the death penalty, and that he was not allowed to attend her funeral.
He concluded his letter, which was written to no one specific person, "I request that you follow my case."
International Christian Concern's ICC for short has asked concerned citizens to call the Afghanistan embassy in the U.S. (202-483-6410). The embassy's web address is www.EmbassyOfAfghanistan.org.
Europe: Sharia Law has now become part of the legal system in Europe. The government has quietly sanctioned the powers for sharia judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those involving domestic violence. The decisions are enforcable with the full power of the judicial system, through the county courts or High Court. Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi, whose Muslim Arbitration Tribunal runs the courts, realised that under the Arbitration Act of 1996 we can make rulings which can be enforced by county and high courts. The act allows disputes to be resolved using alternatives like tribunals. This method is called alternative dispute resolution, which for Muslims is what the sharia courts are.”
Under sharia's civil code, a woman's testimony is worth half of a man's. A man can divorce his wife by repudiation, whereas a woman must give justifications, some of which are difficult to prove. Child custody reverts to the father at a preset age; women who remarry lose custody of their children even before then; and sons inherit twice the share of daughters.
There has been much controversy about Muslim arbitration tribunals, which have attracted attention because they operate as tribunals under the Arbitration Act, making their rulings binding in UK law.
But sharia councils, which are charities, are equally harmful since their mediation differs little from arbitration. Sharia councils will frequently ask people to sign an agreement to abide by their decisions. Councils call themselves courts and the presiding imams are judges. There is neither control over the appointment of these judges nor an independent monitoring mechanism. People often do not have access to legal advice and representation. Proceedings are not recorded, nor are there any searchable legal judgements. Nor is there any real right to appeal.
There is also danger to those at risk of domestic violence. In one study, four out of 10 women attending sharia courts were party to civil injunctions against their husbands.
"In this way, these privatised legal processes were ignoring not only state law intervention and due process but providing little protection and safety for the women.
Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or lack thereof.
The tendency of societies or groups within society to alienate or repress different subcultures is a recurrent theme in human history. Moreover, because a person's religion often determines to a significant extent his or her morality and personal identity, religious differences can be significant cultural factors.
Religious persecution may be triggered by religious bigotry (i.e. the denigration of practitioners' religions other than those of the oppressors) or by the State when it views a particular religious group as a threat to its interests or security. At a societal level, this dehumanization of a particular religious group may readily turn into violence or other forms of persecution.
The United States of America: There are 59 major religions in the United States of America. The top thirty -four religions are decidedly of Christian denominations. However, despite former President Roosevelette's declaration of the "Four Freedoms" which should not be abridged, one being of freedom of religion another freedom of speech, the federal government abridges the free exercise of religion in America by:
Regulating churches and other religious organizations through its tax laws.
Limiting religious liberty in the area of public and private education.
Forbidding non-denominational prayer in public schools and at educational ceremonies.
Excluding the Bible from school classrooms and from other school property.
Refusing to permit the religious displays on public property, such as Christmas and Chanukah.
The American Indian Nations have made distinct and significant contributions in many fields, including agriculture, medicine, music, language, and art, and Native Americans have distinguished themselves as inventors, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and scholars, local and national leaders, artists, and athletes.
Yet the people of the American Indian Nations, still remain isolated on parched desert reservations which are plagued with conditions that are below acceptable santiary conditions. "They are dying from lack of heat, food and even water. They are dying from despair."....Our own indigenous people are among the poorest in the world. " States emphatically actor and activist Jay Tavare.
You will recognize Jay in such films as "The Missing" directed by Ron Howard or "Cold Mountain" directed by Anthony Minghella. In addition to being a distinguished actor, Jay is also a contributing writer for the Huffington post. He writes in the following article, posted Posted: January 28, 2011
"What our children learn about our nation's early history and our relationship with the American Indians is so loosely based on reality, it's actually more of a fairytale. Conveniently, our history books fail to explain the cost paid in human suffering and lives so the rest of us would prosper.
The first Indian reservations were concentration camps. While conditions on the reservations are somewhat different today, they are not better. Reservation life remains unhealthy and unsafe. The average American Indian man on the reservation lives just 46 years."
"American Indian teens take their own lives at more than two times the rate of any other teen demographic in the USA, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For centuries, American Indian culture has been attacked and exploited by our new dominant culture. Traditions, language and spiritual beliefs of so many of the American Indian nations are almost completely extinguished. Is it any wonder that the youth find themselves in an identity crisis?" Indigenous people world wide sometimes, called the "First Nations" view their religion more than their culture or belief. Their religion is their identity - their core being. They are tied so closely to earth and to their god(s) as to have these ingrained and intertwined into their being.
There is a phenomenon in history called the "Stolen Generation" this is term to describe children stolen from their parents and communities forced to assimulate into the prevading culture and "become civilized." This happened in the Americas and also under the rule of the British.
Jay and many other people of American Indian heritage have put action behind their heart's cry for people in pain. The organization "Adopt a Native Elder (27) a philanthropic organization started by Linda Myers and Grace Smith Yellow Hammer on a Navajo reservation over 20 years ago helps meet the needs of the communities elderly and helps perserve a cultural identity for the children. Jay's own project, Adopt a Native Elder, Warming Hearts, raises much needed money for fire wood essential to the Navajo elders during the harsh winters.
Jesus said in Luke 10:27 We are to, "...love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." This scripture is also in Dueteronomy 6:5" One of, or only time that Jesus and the religious leaders of his day came into agreement of the Jewish Law was this: upon all the laws Loving God, thy neighbor and thyself were what all the other laws rested and were also fulfilled.
The book of James states, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27 NIV 1984) This thought is at the core of every major religion. Why? Because it is a matter of survival and of plain common sense.
We are God made. We are not China made, American made, nor are we Made in Canada. We are God's handiwork. The Creator made us in his spectacular image. He is our Father. Because He lives we live. Each person living and breathing is a like a tile in a a gorgeous mosaic. The picture ever beautiful is ever changing yet at the core remains the same message.
Mankind was never given authority to dominate over Mankind. It may be my own naivete', yet I believe as systematic as persecution is we can also systematically change the concept of reality from that of what is placated to us to live the actual reality we were born to live. What is this reality? A simple but challenging command really...
It would astonish and startle some to note that the Bible does recognize the existence of other gods. Jeremiah 10:11, "Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens." Do we really need to prove which god is the Creator of heaven and earth?
1. We are all descendants from the "First Man and First Woman" Does that not make us members of the Human Family?
2. We all bleed red when we are cut.
3. We all breathe the same air.
4. We all have souls clothed by a body. The soul needs the body to be here legally on Earth.
5. Every body needs a stable roof over their head, water to drink, food for nourishment.
6. Every soul needs love and appreciation.
7. Not one of the almost seven billion people on the planet were in existence during the time of the Universe and the World's creation. So it is foolish to insist we know the answers or all the answers to how we came to be. What we do know for certain is that we are all here. We are all here now.
Here and Now IMPLORES that we take care of ourselves and each other. Here and Now DICTATES us to use common sense - the wisdom that applies to us all. Here and Now DEMANDS we follow the commands of Creator/Father/God-Love. How you interperate God or demonstrate your worship (or non-worship) or your belief (or non-belief) is more so a reflection on your own self. It says ever so much more whether or not your views of religion and/or culture motivate you whether or not to help your neighbor in need. When we help our neighbor we help ourselves here and now.
In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus gives the story of what is known as "the Good Samaritian." This is a story of a man who rescues another man that he finds beaten and left for dead. The injured man had prior been passed by two other people, a priest and a Levite, before the Samaritian has even found him. By Old Testament law the priest and Levite were forbidded to touch a dead animal or person. The Samaritian who roots stemmed from combing his worship of pagan dieties incorporated with Jewish law, did not have this stipulation. Does this justify, the priest and the Levite? Again, when we help our neighbor's we help ourselves. This parable was intended to re-inforce the point that we are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul, strength and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus said in verse 28, "Do this and you will live."
My "Good Samaritians" came in the form of the Hari Krsnas who have based their beliefs on Vedic teachings and worship the god Krsna. I have a rare condition called Idiopathic Anaphylaxis. After a hospital stay in Gulfport, Ms, I needed a place to recouperate. The most ideal was the Hari Krsna Temple and farm in Carriere, Ms. Here, I learned what temple life might have been like in the Old Testament and experienced some of the ways of India without having to travel thousands of miles away. Although, to this day, I can not begin to understand why they worship their god(s) by carved images (I am talking feeding, bathing, dressing, having festivals) and the many incarnations of each god, and the idea of re-incarnation. They can not understand that, I who have been in coma or have been clinically dead so often, does not believe in re - incarnation.
However, I have grown to love the Hari Krsna community as much as any other group of friends I have. We stay intouch, we pray for one another, I visit with them and they with me. No, I do not believe as they do, however, that does not stop us from understanding we are to love one another. It is not a matter of deciding to "agree to disagree." At the core of every major ancient religion, Loving God, one's neighbor and one's self is the core teaching.
In order to change the world we must first understand the need to change ourselves. (Matthew 7: 3-5 NIV) The boldest proof of the possibility of God is a person who is living their life according to the words of Jesus.
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the
Father's who sent me. (John 14:22-24)
People are also not appreciated enough for the effort in their life journey. It takes an incredible amount of strength to exist on this world even in a calm uneventful day - let alone a day full of stress and pressures. So realize every person you lay eyes on is a hero just for breathing. Take an interest in what it took for them to be here today.
I have come to realize early in life that negative happenings do not care or discriminate against anyone. Hardships do not pay attention to a person's skin color. Natural disasters do not personally seek out people of different religions. War might happen with a particular race or religion fighting one another but we all pay the cost, we all grieve, we all become emotionally involved.
It is the same with working at your employment location. When you take on a job at a particular place of employment you understand that while you hold true to your own personal convictions, your are expected to put the project and company focus before your own. You are also expected to get along with your co workers. This means agreeing to disagree having your convictions understood not by your words but more so by your actions and how you treat others.
Well for survival sake we need to be just as objective and non judgemental or non discriminatory as disasters. We need to be focused on the tasks on hand as much as we are on our job sites.
What are the tasks on hand? Luke 4:18 gives a concise summary of a list in Isaiah 61: 1-3. Luke 4:18 states, ""The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
THESE PRECIOUS WORDS
(c) 1990 by Michelle Carmela Saldana
(An excerpt from "Take Me Away" - A book of poems, essays and artwork of a child slave to be released in 2012)
These precious words
That I hold here in my hands
My eyes do read
These precious words
That my eyes do read
I hold here in my heart
So my mind may believe
These precious words.
These precious words
That my mind believes
Wash over my soul.
Over my thoughts
Over my actions
Have complete control
So that others may see
These precious words living in me.
In the year 2008, it was estimated that 600,000 - 800,000 people were trafficked into the United States. It is estimated that there are approximately 23-27 million people caught up in human trafficking almost 75% are female children. Here are some clues that may identify a possible trafficking victim:
- The person is always accompanied by another person who appears controlling and won't speak on his or her own behalf
- The person's ID and travel documents have been taken from them
- The person has no control whatsoever over his or her own personal schedule or money
- The person is always transported to or from work or lives and works in the same place
- The person can't leave his or her job due to a debt owed to employer/owner
- The person has injuries, bruises, appears depressed, scared or overly submissive
If you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888. (36)
In the countries like Cambodia, Vietname, and India, child trafficking is seen as a way to ensure a better life for the children. Parents are approached by people they believe are well meaning and are convinced to giving their children over with the promise that they children will obtain a better life. In truth the children are sold to brothels or forced to work in the fields or become child solidiers. Just because a child is spared life in a brothel does not mean the children are not subjected to rapes and tortures and various abuses.
It is an intersting note that more than we realize Religious Persecution is one of the contributors of Human Trafficking. As churches are taken over or closed and villages pillaged family members are killed, kidnapped, separated from one another. People are forced to fend for themselves, if they are children they will almost certainly find the most willing people to take them in are members of organized crime and human trafficking circuits if they are not sent to schools that will "re educate" them. This scenario is played out in various forms in China, India and the Middle East when ever there is an uprising. Every once in a while the captive will become a house slave, some of which are sent to the United States sponsored by a 'benefactor" that upon entry to the country will take away their ID and Passport and any proof of citizenship. These are not people jumping the boarder illegally. These are people that were promised jobs only to learn they were told a lie, or cohersed into compliance, or children who are FOREVER changed, have no way of knowing how to get back to home, if they ever stay alive; a people without country, family or identity. These are people hidden in plain sight.
In many cultures and religions, sex abuse and sex trafficking as well as other forms of human trafficking are "protected" as part of the culture and religion. For instance under Sharia law a woman must be a virgin to marry. Children as young as two have been married or betrothed to men much older than sometimes the father of the child. The founder of the Islamic religion was infact married to a six year old girl and is said to have had the alleged first relations with her when she was nine years old. The Catholic church has had to pay out millions of dollars in restitution to victims and survivors of sexual abuse. On average the greatest percentage of sexual abuse among boys is reported to come from the Catholic church. The Vactican a country to itself, has its own authority to deal the allegations and proved cases of child abuse. Their answer often is to emphatically deny the charges or move people around, when the local authorities of other countries step in, they often help to stone wall the investigations than actually help prosecute the offenders.
In public shools sex abuses are on the rise, with either students committing the crimes or teachers having sex with students.
The impact religious persecution and human trafficking have on society is emphatically negative. Men and women whose identity is shaped by their culture and religion and sexual identity are shaken to the core and stripped of all security of anything they had ever previously identified with. Health problems from STDs, diseases from malnutrition and poor santitation, as well stress related diseases and conditions can harbor themselves in a person's body from childhood well into old age.
People seeking to live normal lives finding a lover, having children and their own bit of earth have to deal with the surreality that living a normal life often brings back the memories of the horrible experiences and the reality that the emotions are tender and shredded raw making it virtually impossible and an epic struggle to live a normal life.
As a result in one human trafficking survivors case, she normal childhood illnesses, STD’s, endometriosis, cancer and the treatments, along with the scarring from the abuse which started at a tender age – prompted doctors to say she would never have children. The doctors were wrong about this but who could for see the health problems she would have even decades afterwards?” As an adult her Adrenal Glands are so adversely depleted and her bone marrow is inflamed and infected, her white cell count is constantly dangerously high, these ingredients cause her to go into coma or die from various allergen triggers which are continously random. All of this which is from the stress that she endured as a child to her teen years, and later when she married into an abusive relationship until her then husband divorced her yet still manages to torment her and abuses the children who are in his care due to her poor health. And her children who have endured watching their parents fight, their mother abused, their mother homeless and hospitalized many times over, have they themselves endured homelessness, abuse and have attempted suicide.
This is only one woman's story. There are thousands more like it annually and the woman who lent her story is the author of this publication. She has for over twenty plus years helped to educate the public about child/domestic abuse, human trafficking and the influence of organized crime upon global society.
Thank you for your desire for awareness and education. However awareness and education are merely apathy when not accompanied with action.
Please use the following list as aides to help yourself or your community... and for more information, please go to www.onceuponaneden.weebly.com
Thank you,
Michelle Carmela Saldana
Founder of Once Upon An Eden
What Is Human Trafficking?
http://www.unescap.org/esid/GAD/Issues/Trafficking/index.asp
Video Explaining Human Trafficking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZTN0TbsRYA
2010 TIP (Trafficking In Persons) Report
http://geneva.usmission.gov/2010/06/14/trafficking-in-persons-report-2010/Be Informed of the YOUR Human Rights The Declaration of Human Rights as adopted Dec 10, 1948
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Fen%2Fdocuments%2Fudhr%2Findex.shtml&ei=mx1nTbnJCYWKlweJv-CBAg&usg=AFQjCNGJ0npihIK9otLax5ADtJzt6f3dog
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Introduction.aspx
The Declaration of Human Rights Video format
http://vimeo.com/1823335Acts and Laws Protecting Against Human Trafficking
US TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION ACT 2000
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/1049.pdf
PROSECUTORIAL REMEDIES and OTHER TOOLS to END the EXPLOITATION of CHILDREN TODAY ACT of 2003 (PROTECT ACT OF 2003)
http://www.state.gov/g/tips/laws/120170/htm
WILLIAM WILBERFORCE TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008
http://www.justic.gov/olp/pdf/wilberforce-act.pdf
HR 972 TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/laws/61106.htm
DOMESTIC MINOR SEX TRAFFICKING DETERRENCE AND VICTIMS SUPPORT ACT OF 2010
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fow.ly%2F2jgUL&h=d76b9
MAP RATING EACH STATE IN THE US ON THEIR EFFORTS TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.polarisproject.org%2Fcontent%2Fview%2F297&h=61c35
JESSICA'S LAW
http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Parole/Sex_offender_facts/index.html
MEGAN'S LAW
1.) http://www.meganslaw.org/
2.) http://www.megans-law.net/
3.) http:/www.pameganslaw.state.pa.us
4.) http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/
NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING RESOURCE CENTER'S 24-HOUR TOLL FREE HOTLINE NUMBER 1-888-3737-888 ( Ms. Saldana tested the NHTRC hotline number herself. Real people answer the phone, friendly curtious, expedient)
NATIONAL DOMESTIC HOTLINE NUMBER ACCESSED FROM ALL 50 STATES: 1-800-799-SAFE(7233)
NATIONAL DOMESTIC HOTLINE NUMBER ACCESSED FROM ALL 50 STATES TTY: 1-800-787-3224
(Translated in 170 languages with aides of interpreter)
RAIN (RAPE, ABUSE AND INCEST NATIONAL NETWORK) 1-800-656-HOPE(4673)
(To find shelters call above number or go online at following web site)
http://www.womenshealth.gov/violence/state
NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE NUMBER: 1800-25-ABUSE(22873)
CHILD HELP USA HOTLINE NUMBER: 1-800-4-A-CHILD(422-4453)
CHILD HELP USA HOTLINE NUMBER TDD: 1-800-2-A-CHILD(222-4453)
Entitites, Authorities and NGO's that are taking part in the erradication of Human Trafficking. *Strongly encourage that this link be used. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_traffickingSuggested measures to release your inner hero and help someone who is a survivor of slavery1. Be an educated consumer. If you can not refurbish, reuse, renew, repurpose items within your home, try purchasing at yard sales first or hold exchange parties with friends. If an item must be purchased, then please, know where your item came from.2. Teach your child to think of the value of an item in not only the dollar price, but also, in terms of time spent to gain the item. As the child becomes older, you might want to include in her purchasing power education whether or not an item used child labor or slave labor to manufacture the item.3. If you can not grow and store your own food then, then purchasing from local farmers is the next best option. Purchase pre-made food items from farmers who use organic materials. Try when possible to avoid Genentically Modified Organisms. Try using home remedies before making a trip to the clinic, doctor or emergency room. Study about the local indigenous communities and do what you can to help them achieve their community goals. For instance in the United States, the American Indian Nations are very much misunderstood and their knowledge undervalued.4. Establish emergency funds for your family and household needs. Establish emergency plans. Each time a scenario is drilled, follow it up by a fun family time. Allow your child to contribute towards the preparations with her opinions, ideas and physical effort. Encourage you spiritual centers to have emergency preparedness plans. Make donations toward the effort.5. Celebrate the elderly and the children in your life. Celebrate and court your life partner. When speaking to people recognize in all your logic that you are speaking to the heart of everyone; so become engaged in the coversation. Look and listen with the intent to understand the people you meet. The elderly have life wisdom. Children being the present gifts that they are hold the promise of the future. Open them up, see the beautiful world they are bringing into fruition as a gift. People are not appreciated enough for their achievement of living – of being. Do not underestimate the power of a smile or kind word. Seek mediums of art to allow everyone, including yourself, to express your inner creativity.6. Keep yourself healthy. Poor health often leads to strained/broken families, depleted finances, homelessness, crime and/or prostitution and sometiems drug/alcohol use.7. Keep yourself informed. Do not shy away from discussions about abuse or slavery. Keep a set of resource and hot line numbers just in case they maybe needed by you or someone you know. Religious centers and community centers should implement practical help strategies for single parents, latch-key kids and the elderly. When you can, as you can, volunteer.Permission for educational and resource use given to Ocean Gate Southern Baptist Church in Hawthorne by Michelle Carmela Saldana/ Founder and Director of Once Upon An EdenThank you for allowing me to be a part of your excellent endeavors. All of God's Blessings upon each and everyone at Ocean Gate Baptist Church from Michelle Carmela and everyone at Once Upon an Eden.
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