 Somaly Mam will be the featured speaker on Monday, March 8th, at a panel discussion on human trafficking, to be held at the Levin Institute in midtown Manhattan. Human trafficking was described in a recent study by the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) as the fastest growing organized crime in the world. It is estimated that four million women, young girls and boys are kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery every year, generating over $4 billion in illicit income for the brothel owners and the kidnappers.
The panel will consist of five speakers -- Somaly Mam, Jennifer Dreher, Guy Jacobson, Celhia de Lavarene, and Carol Smolenski (see below for details) -- who will each speak for about 10 minutes on a different aspect of the human trafficking (HT) crisis, such as the average age of the victims; the countries most heavily involved; what US laws protect victims from being prosecuted as prostitutes and what penalties are being imposed on pimps; and what the federal and state governments, NGOs, individual citizens and the travel industry, in particular, can do to combat human trafficking. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED!
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE! UNA Members free, Non-members $10 To become a member, join for a $25 Introductory rate and attend our programs for free Proceeds from this event will be donated to the Somaly Mam Foundation WHERE & WHEN The Levin Institute
116 E. 55th Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues)
MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2010 6:30 p.m. - Registration & Light Refreshments
7:00 p.m. - Program Presentation Book signing after the program
See details about all upcoming events on the EVENTS section of our website at www.unanyc.org Moderator: Sherrie Murphy, VP Board of Directors, UNA-NY Panelists: Somaly Mam will talk about her personal experience as an HT survivor. She was born in a small Cambodian village and sold into sexual slavery by her grandfather when she was just twelve years old. Imprisoned in a series of brothels for the next decade, she endured the brutality of human trafficking -- serial rape, torture, hunger, and squalor -- until she managed to escape with the help of a French humanitarian worker. She has written an inspiring memoir, THE ROAD OF LOST INNOCENCE, praised by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who called her "a heroine from the brothels" and "one of the bravest and boldest" among those fighting this unspeakable evil. Working through the Somaly Mam Foundation, she has dedicated her life to helping other young girls escape from forced prostitution and has so far been the key negotiator in freeing over 4,000 of these former sex slaves. Somaly Mam's book will be available for purchase after the panel discussion. Jennifer Dreher is the Senior Director of the Anti-Trafficking Program (ATP) at Safe Horizon, which is the leading victim assistance organization in the country. She oversees the ATP's social and legal services, training, outreach and advocacy, serving both men and women, representing over 60 countries and all forms of human trafficking. With more than 10 years experience in international human rights, she has managed programs in Sierra Leone, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic with the International Rescue Committee, UNIFEM and the Peace Corps. Ms. Dreher is a steering committee member of the New York Anti-Trafficking Network and active member of the Freedom Network (USA). She holds an MA in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University. Guy Jacobson, a filmmaker and global activist, was honored with the U.S. State Department's prestigious Global Hero Award in 2008 for his tireless efforts in fighting child sex trafficking. A former New York attorney and investment banker, he now serves as president of Priority Films. He produced "Holly," the highly acclaimed feature film, released in 2007, which dramatically raised awareness of the scope and severity of child sexploitation as a global epidemic. In 2002, he founded the Red Light Children Campaign, an NGO aimed at ending all forms of sex crimes against children, focusing on legislation, enforcement, and the rule of law. Jacobson has produced several television programs, written and published 15 books and numerous articles, and two documentaries on child sexploitation. The first, REDLIGHT, will be premier in NY theatres in June 2010. UNA-NY will screen "Holly" at the Tribeca Grand Hotel on April 7, 2010. Mr. Jacobson is an active board member of the Somaly Mam Foundation. Celhia de Lavarene is a journalist reporting from the United Nations for almost two decades for Jeune Afrique and Radio France Internationale. She has worked at UN missions in Cambodia, South Africa, Eastern Slavonia and East Timor. In 2001 the head of the UN mission in war-torn Bosnia appointed Celhia to create and run the UN's first-ever operation to combat human trafficking, called the Special Trafficking Operations Program (STOP). For over two years, Celhia led a contingent of police officers in raids on 240 brothels and rescued 265 victims. In 2004 and 2005 she led a similar operation in post-war Liberia. Her book describing her experiences, Un Visa Pour L'enfer (A Visa to Hell) has been published in France and Brazil and an English-language edition is planned. She founded the NGO, StopTrafficking of People (STOP) - a charity recognized by the US, French and UK governments -- the first global organization that uses experts to rescue and rehabilitate HT victims. Ms. de Lavarene has addressed numerous conferences on sex trafficking throughout Europe and she has been interviewed on this subject on CNN, the BBC and Sky News. Carol Smolenski is the executive director and one of the founders of ECPAT-USA, an acronym for End Child Prostitution and Trafficking. She has worked in the field of children's rights since 1991 and was previously the UN representative for the Christian Children's Fund and Defense for Children International. She has worked at ECPAT- USA since 1996. ECPAT International operates in 75 countries as a network of organizations and individuals working to protect every child's right to grow up free from sexual exploitation. At the UNA-NY panel discussion, Ms. Smolenski will focus on the rapid escalation of sex trafficking in the United States. Members of the press, please contact: Sherrie Murphy
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