Archive for the ‘A Future. Not A Past.’ Category

Benefit Concert February 23rd

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

 

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We invite you to come out and support

AFNAP, Street GRACE and Janie Chu!

Thursday, February 23rd

8:00 PM

The Drunken Unicorn

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A benefit concert for A Future. Not a Past. (AFNAP)
and Street GRACE to continue current efforts to
disable the demand for prostituted children. AFNAP’s mission is to protect and inspire hope in our girls, the true victims of this illicit practice, as well as to disable demand and prosecute the pimps and johns who make the prostitution of children a gruesome reality in Georgia.
www.afuturenotapast.org 404-613-4555 

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Concert Features:

Janie Chu

(“The Human Condition” CD Release) Paid admission includes a free download card of Janie Chu’s single “Dear John” performed at CSEC Lobby Day

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Includes performances by: The Romans The Good Graces

Tickets: $13 in advance, $15 at the door, 18+ to enter

Doors open at 8 pm

The Drunken Unicorn
736 Ponce de Leon Ave NE

Atlanta, Georgia 30306

Purchase advance tickets at Criminal, Decatur CD, Fantasy Land Records, the following CD Warehouse locations: Buford, Duluth, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville and Roswell.

What Can YOU Do to Stop Child Sex Trade?

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Join us for Lobby Day, this Wednesday at at the State Capitol. This event is hosted in part by the Juvenile Justice Fund’s  A Future. Not A Past.

Hear Atlanta’s most powerful voices take their stand against demand for child sex trade.

See you at the Capitol on Wednesday at 8:00am
There is still time to register and we hope you’ll join us.   We will gather at Central Presbyterian Church located directly across from the Capitol at 201 Washington Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303 at 8AM.
Please wear all black and you will get your purple scarf when you sign in at registration.

Special Presentation
This year, we are excited to have indie rock artist, Janie Chu, perform her single “Dear John” from her album, The Human Condition. Get more info and purchase your copy at www.janiechu.com today.

Don’t forget to register, it’s free and easy!
This is a fun and easy way to make a difference in the lives of exploited children. Invite a friend or make friends once you get there – our children are depending on it.

 

From Outrage to Outreach

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Our own Keisha Head and Jennifer Swain of JJF’s A Future. Not A Past. were featured on Channel 2 Action News to speak out against those purchasing sex from Georgia’s children.

See the Channel 2 article and interview below.

Group fights prostitution by putting focus on johns
Former teen prostitute speaks out

By Linda Stouffer

ATLANTA —

A woman who survived forced prostitution as a teenager tells Channel 2 Action News she thought she wouldn’t make it.

“I realized that — and this happened after many rapes and beatings from johns — I realized that if I continued I would eventually be killed,” Keisha Head told Channel 2′s Linda Stouffer.

Head said she ran away from local foster homes when she was 16 and trusted a man who soon used threats to force her to sell sex.

“These men who purchased me were normal, ordinary men, and I had no idea that they could turn into such violent monsters right before my eyes, and that was scary,” Head said.

Keisha Head, A Future. Not A Past.

Now Head works to help toughen laws though a local advocacy group called A Future, Not a Past.

Stouffer spoke with the group’s program director about their new focus for 2012: exposing the men who buy sex with underage girls.

Jennifer Swain wants to build community pressure against the buyers.

“What you’ve been able to do that has gone unnoticed will be noticed now,” Swain said.

A Future, Not a Past is rolling out a new message with billboards and a media campaign called “Take a Stand Against Demand.

 
The group credits the summer passage of Georgia HB 200 with increasing the penalties for sex trafficking involving teenagers.

Swain said the new tougher law is also helping change the focus from the teenagers, to the men who buy sexual services.

“We ask our community members to become outraged about this,” Swain said.

Head told Stouffer she helps counsel local girls on the edge.

“We have children as young as 13 being raped continually every night. This is wrong and we need to take a stand against it,” Head said.

‘Riverdale High students host sex trade forums’

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Riverdale High students host sex trade forums
Jeylin White
Clayton News Daily

"Broken People, Broken Dreams" forum on human trafficking at Riverdale High School (Jeylin White, Clayton News Daily)

“When you hear the word ‘prostitute,’ what is the first word that comes to your mind?” Jennifer Swain asked a room full of teenagers at Riverdale High School.

The question by the deputy program manager for the Juvenile Justice Fund led one boisterous teen to yell, “Ho!”

Other pupils were more reserved, and responded: “Someone who sells their body for sex.” Their replies led to an in-depth discussion about a subject that is getting a lot of attention right now, because of a rise in sexual exploitation of young girls and boys –– human trafficking in Georgia.

Swain, of the Juvenile Justice Fund, was at the school for a two-day forum called “Broken People, Broken Dreams,” which aims to inform the community about the issue of human trafficking in society, and in the local community.

“I think that the [students] were honest,” said Swain. “I think, maybe, some of the teachers were shocked and mortified, by the students’ responses.”

The members of DECA, an association of marketing students, at Riverdale High School are hosting the forum which ends today ( Thursday).

Students who spearheaded the project include: Jocelyn Stargell-Zachery, 18, Emmanuella Ibekwe, 17, and Johel Avila, 17. Beverly Holyfield, a DECA teacher, is the group’s advisor. The project was sponsored by Lighthouse Partners, Inc., Riverdale City Councilmember Kenny Ruffin, and several other businesses and officials.

To read the full article, click here.

JJF on Fox News Today

Saturday, January 7th, 2012

Jennifer Swain and Keisha Head

Today Jennifer Swain and Keisha Head appeared in an interview for Fox 5 News, gaining national coverage as they discussed child sex trafficking.

They are part of A Future.Not A Past, a campaign of the Juvenile Justice Fund, spearheading efforts to end child sex trade and strike a blow against the demand for prostituted children.

Click Here To Watch The Interview

Sold For Sex, in Our Backyards

By
Published January 07, 2012
FoxNews.com

Today, Keisha Head is a wife and mother of three. But more than decade ago, she was the victim of a notorious human trafficker.

At 16-years old, Head says she was being sold on the streets of Atlanta for sex.

“I did not know that a normal, average man who was a preacher, who was a lawyer, who was a senator – could turn into this monster,” Head said. “That is the scariest moment when you are amongst people who claim to be normal yet they purchase you and they turn into these monsters. They rape you. They beat you. And then act as if they’re normal. These are not your normal pedophiles.”

Experts say, across the globe, millions of people are trafficked each year. Hundreds of thousands of the victims are women and girls. But what surprises many — is the rate it is happening in affluent neighborhoods where minors are being turned into sex slaves.

“The buyers aren’t just pedophiles. The buyers are normal community men, normal leaders, people that belong to someone,” said Jennifer Swain, state coordinator for A Future. Not A Past.

A Future. Not A Past., is a campaign organized by the Juvenile Justice Fund in Georgia. Swain and her peers, such as Keisha Head, work to educate and prevent exploited children.

The organization lobbied Georgia legislators to pass HB 200 last year. A victory for victim advocates, the bill imposes stricter punishments on offenders and improves the treatment of trafficking victims.

“We have to stop the men. This is a very lucrative business,” Swain said.

According to the Georgia Governor’s Office, more than 400 girls are sexually exploited every month in the state. On average, the girls begin having sex for money between the age of 12 and 14.

“Atlanta is one of 14 cities in the United States that are the highest in terms of child prostitution and sexual exploitation,” said Brian D Lamkin, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office. “It’s a major transportation hub — not just domestically but internationally.”

Read the full article here

Rally Day–Feb. 1, 2012

Friday, January 6th, 2012

A Future. Not A Past is a campaign of the Juvenile Justice Fund to end the prostitution of children in Georgia by disabling demand. Follow us on Facebook & Twitter

Stop the Prostitution of Children in Georgia

A Weekly Advocacy Update from the 2012 session of the Georgia General Assembly.

Off to a Running Start

The Georgia General Assembly 2012 session starts Monday, Jan. 9th as legislators return to the state Capitol. The Budget is expected to dominate the discussion over the coming months.

Priorities for the New Year Yet again this year we will raise our voices on behalf of commercially sexually exploited children at the Capitol. Given the grim budget outlook our top strategic priority this year will be to protect funding for victim services.

Join us at the Georgia State Capitol

It’s time to register for the 2012 CSEC Lobby Day at the Georgia Capitol! Get ready to make a real difference in the lives of exploited children in our state. Thank your legislator with written notes, make your voice heard, and join together in an awareness-raising show of support for children victimized by CSEC. Lobby Day is an easy, fun, and empowering event. If you’ve never been to the Capitol, this is a perfect way to get started with grassroots advocacy.

When: February 1st, 2012, 8:00 am – 1:00 pm

Where: We will assemble at Central Presbyterian Church (201 Washington Street Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30303) for check-in and advocacy instructions, then walk across the street to the Capitol in groups. Thank you for being part of this historic event! Everyone who participates in Lobby Day will receive a name badge listing their State Senator and Representative. Due to time constraints, we will be unable to provide printed name badges for those who register after 3:00 p.m. on January 30, 2012. All registrations received after this time will need to check-in at the walkup table the morning of Lobby Day.

How to Register: Registration is free and easy. Simply go to www.streetgrace.org to sign up today. After you register you will receive additional information regarding participation.So please join us February 1st and invite a friend to attend with you! Our children are depending on us to be their voice.  

email: info@afuturenotapast.org
phone: 404 612 4628
web: http://www.afuturenotapast.org

 

 

Join Us in Our Work to End Child Sex Trafficking

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

We want to give a special thank you to all of you for the ways in which you supported us and our work in 2011–by attending events, raising funds, using your voice, donating, lobbying for legislation, supporting the unification of families, and fighting to end child sex trafficking. You are an essential part of our efforts to serve the children and families in Atlanta’s juvenile justice system.

We would like to ask you to join us in our Annual Giving Campaign. This year’s campaign focused on our work to end child sex trafficking. Below is an excerpt from our Annual Letter:

“Sometimes I wonder why this happened to me, living in the streets.  Why couldn’t I have a real family?  Forced to prostitute, to just get by, I look up to the sky and ask, ‘God, why?’  But there’s no answer from the one above, so I go from man to man, looking 4 love.  But it’s nothing to find, so I feel I’m not worthy of love in my mind.  So I don’t care if love makes the world go around, and I’m without it, don’t I look like a clown?  So I walk around town, with nothing but a frown.  I smoke some, I drink some, then go to strip, so I don’t feel, the men that will be near me, or the pimp that is going to beat me, why couldn’t I just have a real family?” (from a child survivor)

Our Annual Giving Campaign is your opportunity to make a substantial difference in the lives of children and families across the region.  We know that every person has value.  Every person has something to contribute.  Every person has dignity. We know that every person deserves a chance and we are dedicated to playing an important role in helping children and families overcome challenging circumstances in order to become productive and vibrant members of the community.

Besides our work to unify families, we are also dedicated to ending child sex trafficking and making sure that no child ever becomes a victim of this horrific business.  We are making strides each day, week after week, in realizing this vision. However, there is still a lot to do and challenges that need to be addressed. Our work continues and we’re fighting each day for Georgia’s children, and you can join us in this fight.

Now is a great time to donate before the new year is upon us. You can donate online or by sending a check or cash to the
Juvenile Justice Fund
395 Pryor Street, Suite 2117
Atlanta, GA 30312

Thank you for supporting the Juvenile Justice Fund.

FBI Heralds Kaffie McCullough–AFNAP

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

JJF’s Kaffie McCullough received yet another award on behalf of AFNAP for her nearly twelve years of work to help children being prostituted, and to put a stop to the demand for prostituted children.

While the campaign she directs, A Future. Not A Past. (AFNAP) works with the GBI here in Atlanta training law enforcement to recognize and respond to victims of child sex-trade, now the FBI recognizes her work on a national level as awareness of the issue explodes across the country.

Read the full article below:

Published On: Wed, Dec 7th, 2011
news.gnom.es national newswire service

2011 Atlanta Division’s Director’s Community Leadership Award

Kaffie McCullough training law enforcement in Georgia

ATLANTA—Today, Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Lamkin, FBI Atlanta, presented the Director’s Community Leadership Award for 2011 to Kaffie McCullough, campaign director of A Future. Not a Past. (AFNAP), which—through the nonprofit Juvenile Justice Fund (JJF)—assists various law enforcement agencies and courts in addressing the needs of juvenile victims being exploited within the commercial sex industry. On March 16, 2012, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller will host all of the FBI’s 56 selectees from around the country at a national ceremony to be held at FBI Headquarters with Ms. McCullough present as Atlanta FBI’s honoree.

A Future. Not A Past.

Since 2007, the JJF’s statewide campaign, AFNAP, has worked to stop the prostitution of children in Georgia through groundbreaking research that drives strategies of prevention, intervention and education.

The mission of AFNAP is to protect and inspire hope in our children—the true victims of commercial sexual exploitation—as well as to disable demand and prosecute to the fullest extent the pimps and johns who exploit them.

AFNAP's 5K to Stop Demand

The AFNAP campaign has continued to address the issue of commercial sexual exploitation of minors through a four-tiered strategy of research, prevention, intervention, and education.

Along with other state entities, the campaign has pushed for tougher state laws to be implemented, and due to their combined efforts, Georgia House Bill 200 became law on July 1, 2011. With that, traffickers sexually exploiting victims under 18 face penalties including the possibility of life in prison and fines up to $100,000.

AFNAP Billboards are spread over Metro Atlanta

In June 2011, The Outdoor Advertising Association of Georgia donated billboards throughout Metro Atlanta to AFNAP to present public service announcements focusing on penalties associated with child sexual exploitation and to encourage community involvement and education.

Since 2007, AFNAP has utilized all means of technology to reach the masses, maintaining social networking sites to provide education and volunteer opportunities. Additionally, AFNAP sponsors an annual 5K run to fight the sexual exploitation of children.

Martha Turner is the Communications Officer for the
Juvenile Justice Fund

What are Georgia Laws on Child Sex Trade?

Sunday, December 11th, 2011

Recently our Kaffie McCullough (A Future. Not A Past.) spoke on the panel for the Protected Innocence Initiative which graded each of our 50 States to evaluate human trafficking laws. While Georgia received a ‘C’, we were also 6th in the nation, which tells us that our nation has a long way to go.

Download your own free Georgia Report Card by Shared Hope International. It is well written and easy to understand.

What Can YOU Do To Stop Child Sex Trafficking?

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

Atty. Gen. Sam Olens

Attend our Town Hall Breakfast this coming Monday where you can meet Atty. General Sam Olens, Senator Renee Unterman, Asst. US Atty. Susan Coppedge and other anti-trafficking experts.

Learn how you can impact legislation and make a difference in your community.

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Senator Renee Unterman

A Future. Not A Past. (AFNAP) – the Juvenile Justice Fund’s campaign to stop the prostitution of children in Georgia – will host a free, community-wide Town Hall Breakfast this Monday, Dec. 12 beginning at 7:30 am at North Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Open to the public, this event will feature keynote speaker, Attorney General Sam Olens, who will give remarks on keeping Georgia’s children from becoming child sex trafficking victims.

Rose Scott WABE

Olens’ speech will be followed by a panel discussion – moderated by WABE’s Rose Scott – and featuring the following leaders currently fighting to keep children safe across the state of Georgia and the entire United States:

Sam Olens, Attorney General
Senator Renee Unterman, Georgia State Legislature
Susan Coppedge, Assistant US Attorney
Eliza Reock, Shared Hope International
Kirsten Widner, Emory’s Barton Child Law Clinic

Asst. US Atty. Susan Coppedge

“We are thrilled to have Attorney General Olens and so many other anti-child trafficking leaders as part of this upcoming event.

“All have been integral voices in the national campaign to stop the prostitution of children, and we applaud their willingness to speak with an even broader audience on the subject,” says Kaffie McCullough, AFNAP campaign director.

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In addition to the keynote speaker and panel discussion, AFNAP directors will present Georgia’s report card from the Shared Hope International Protected Innocence Initiative, a holistic strategy to promote zero tolerance for child sex trafficking. Under this initiative, Shared Hope International released 51 individual report cards nationwide based on the Protected Innocence Legislative Framework, an analysis of state laws. The report cards set a national standard of protection against domestic minor sex trafficking and strives to provide recommendations to improve a state’s grade.

About A Future. Not A Past.

Kaffie McCullough

Spearheaded by the Juvenile Justice Fund, A Future. Not A Past. is a statewide campaign to stop the prostitution of girls in Georgia by building a barrier between children and those who seek to harm them through commercial sexual exploitation. The campaign is tirelessly addressing the issue through a four-tiered strategy of research, prevention, intervention and education. It is the mission of AFNAP to protect and inspire hope in these girls, the true victims of this illicit practice … as well as to disable demand and prosecute the pimps and johns who make the prostitution of children a gruesome reality in Georgia. For more information about efforts to stop the prostitution of children in Georgia, visit www.afuturenotapast.org.