"Jewelry 4 God International, Inc., a not-for-profit organization, announced today its' official launch in response to the overwhelming need to empower and rescue others around the world from human trafficking, the sex industry, drug addiction, gangs, and other life controlling problems.

'Worldwide, women exploit their bodies because of the need for money, in many cases, in order to support their parents or children. Those who are sold into the sex industry are all too often tied, beaten, raped, and burned until they comply,' Tim Zello, Founder and President of Jewelry 4 God said.

Jewelry 4 God teaches hand crafting one of a kind jewelry out of sterling silver and semi-precious stones and product marketing to [human trafficking victims]."

Read the full story here.

"When a woman was jailed after a recent fight, police brought in a translator to help communicate with her.

That's when authorities uncovered allegations of a more horrific crime. The young woman said she had been lured from her homeland for what she thought was a visit -- only to be forced into domestic servitude, spending long days cleaning house, cooking and caring for young children.

The woman was afraid to tell anyone because her visitor's visa expired and by then she was in the United States illegally.

Victims of human trafficking can be found throughout the country, even in Columbus where this woman had been staying. Police are investigating her allegations.

To help identify and aid victims, about three dozen Columbus-area organizations have formed the Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking coalition, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."

Read the full story here.

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a public service campaign to draw attention to human trafficking victims.

The campaign involves video ads as well as large billboards in select cities that say, 'Look beneath the surface, a victim of trafficking may look like many of the people you see every day.'

Martha Newton, a director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement for HHS, said, 'if something doesn't seem right about the situation, perhaps it's a young worker who isn't allowed to leave.'

The ads point victims and those who know of victims to a toll-free number for the National Human Trafficking Resource Center: (888) 373-7888.

Lisa Thompson, who heads the Salvation Army's efforts to combat trafficking in persons, told Family News in Focus that 'everybody can play a part in fighting trafficking.'

'This is really, for the first time, giving the general public that chance to play that role so that they can be sensitized a little bit about what trafficking is.'"

That story can be found here.

This week has brought news of the worst flooding in Sudan in decades, displacing tens of thousands as heavy rainfall has swelled the banks of the White and Blue Nile Rivers and caused at least 41 flash floods across the country. 

"What happened this year can only be matched by what happened 40 years ago," Riek Machar, the Vice President of South Sudan, told the BBC after touring the flood-affected areas.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies expect 2.4 million people to be affected by the flooding before the rainy season ends in September.

Standing water left behind by the floods provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes, often bringing with them outbreaks of malaria.  At least 25,000 and as many as 35,000 homes have been destroyed, as well as over 100 government buildings, including schools, and roads are shut down throughout the country.  Added to the ongoing violence in Sudan, it is not hard to see why the rainy season, in particular, is a crucial time for aid delivery.

Since the beginning of June we have raised nearly 2/3 of our $75,000 goal, which will help purchase and deliver vital supplies--tarpaulins to protect from the rain; mosquito nets to protect from malaria; food for the remainder of the rainy season and seed to plant for harvest when it ends.  To all of those who have contributed over the past two months, our many thanks. 

If you have not and would like to help us raise the remainder of our goal--another $25,000--there is still time.  You can do so by clicking here.

Read more from Reuters, and allAfrica.com.


In Freedom,
AASG

Sudanese Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein told a Saudi newspaper that Jewish organizations are responsible for the conflict in Darfur. Which, according to Hussein, doesn't actually exist. There is merely "friction between farmers and herders and shepherds."

The root of the problem? Water, "which is used to exploit the differences and fuel the conflict." This must be related to the stories from a few weeks ago claiming that global warming is to blame for genocide in Darfur.

Oh, wait. There is no genocide. Sorry, Mr. Hussein.

Click here for the full story. Click here to read about the efforts of Jewish young people and the Save Darfur coalition (of the American Anti-Slavery Group is a part) to raise awareness about and end genocide in Sudan.

Click here for Sudan Expert Eric Reeves's take on Darfur and global warming.

In 1780, William Wilberforce began his campaign in the British Parliament to abolish the trans-Atlantic slave trade.  Today, 200 years after the abolition of the slave trade, an estimated 12,000 people remain enslaved in northern Sudan, victims of the 23-year civil war.

Help us honor this bicentennial year by urging your representative in Congress to take meaningful action to put an end to slavery in Sudan.  Contact your legislators and ask them to support Representative Chris Smith as he re-introduces the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act.  If passed, this bill will create a commission that would investigate and end slavery in Sudan.

Sign the petition at http://ga0.org/campaign/wilberforce to bring us closer to our goal of 390,000 signatures.

Please repost and forward to your friends!

In freedom,
AASG

"Local authorities are launching a program to fight human trafficking in the Charlotte area.

Federal Bureau of Investigation and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department investigators say hundreds of women from other countries have been brought to the Queen City and forced into prostitution.

The women, and sometimes men and children, are lured to the United States with the promise of a better life and decent jobs.But authorities say the women are put to work as sex slaves, often in brothels in neighborhoods along North Tryon Street, The Plaza and South Boulevard.

They said criminals turn small homes into illegal houses of prostitution and hold the women against their will. In fact, two were shut down last week.

Now local law enforcement agencies and other community organizations are joining the Rescue And Restore Victims Of Human Trafficking education campaign underway in 20 cities and states nationwide. The campaign includes social service providers, child welfare groups, churches and health providers that are helping identify victims of human trafficking."

Read the full story here.

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families will announce a program Tuesday that hopes to educate agencies and individuals about human trafficking in North Carolina and across the country.

The federal department estimates that 14,500-17,500 people are trafficked into the United States every year.

Several high-profile cases have come up in North Carolina in recent years, including a sex ring in the Triangle and a legal suit filed by 22 Thai farm workers fromJohnston County earlier this year.

The federal program comes alongside an ongoing statewide coalition that has been working several years to train social services and law enforcement agencies about how to identify and help trafficking victims.

'It's so hidden right now, and people are afraid to come forward and, often, don't have the capacity to come forward,' said Kaci Bishop, an immigration attorney with the N.C. Justice Center who will be at Tuesday's news conference in Raleigh."

Read the full story here.

"Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir has declared 2007 as the Year of Peace in Darfur.

Speaking at a mass rally in Fashir, the regional capital of North Darfur State the Sudanese president urged the rebels in the conflict-torn region to to join the peace process.

President Al-Bashir called for an end to the war in Darfur and for a move towards peace and rehabilitation, stressing that Sudan with its economic and manpower resources was capable of becoming a major power.

The President said that the Sudanese Council of Ministers had arrived in Darfur at the weekend to see the situation on the ground and to find the best solution.

Next month, the two Special Envoys will convene another meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, after which invitations will be issued to the parties to commence political negotiations later in August."

Read the full story here.