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

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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

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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

 

 

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

 

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Coalition Demands Shut Down of Adult Section of Backpage.com

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011

The Juvenile Justice Fund joined forces with the anti-trafficking community to permanently bring down the adult section of Backpage.com.

Kaffie McCullough

Sharon S. Joseph

Kaffie McCullough, Campaign Director of A Future. Not A Past. and Sharon Simpson Joseph, Executive Director of the Juvenile Justice Fund both signed the letter of demand to Village Voice:

WASHINGTON, Dec 02, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — A coalition of fifty-three leading anti-trafficking experts and organizations have sent a letter to Village Voice Media demanding the immediate and permanent removal of the Adult section of its subsidiary’s Web site Backpage.com where advertisements placed by others have resulted in the sex trafficking of women and girls. The coalition’s call today, on the United Nations’ International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, is seen as an action that would immediately address and deter future exploitive trafficking by individuals that utilize internet-based advertising as part of their activity. The coalition targeted the UN’s observance day for comment because of its view that this sex trafficking is considered by many to be the symbolic equivalent of slavery.

The letter, which is being sponsored by FAIR Girls, an advocacy organization which works to prevent the exploitation of girls worldwide with empowerment and education, comes on the heels of similar appeals by 36 prominent clergy and 51 Attorneys General.

“Last week, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, two people were indicted for beating a 13-year-old girl, forcing her into sex trafficking and advertising her with photographs on Backpage.com. In September, according to Memphis’ The Commercial Appeal, a federal grand jury indicted two people for selling for sex two teenage girls, ages 15 and 16, through ads on Backpage.com,” said Andrea Powell, Co-founder and Executive Director of FAIR Girls. “These four indicted individuals, like many others, are charged with using Backpage.com to exploit and enslave girls in our own backyards. The picture of how such advertisements are used could not be more clear. Village Voice needs to shut down the Adult section of Backpage.com and get out of the business of earning revenue from advertisements placed by others on its website that can put women and girls at risk of being trafficked and victimized.”

read entire article

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Georgia Graded ‘C’ in State Sex Trafficking Report Card

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

Today Shared Hope International released State Report Cards for each state in the nation to evaluate its legislative response to domestic minor sex trafficking. Georgia ranked near the top with a ‘C’. View the report here: ReportCards_GA-12.1.11 and find out how you can take action to influence your legislator. Also check out coverage by JJIE

Recognizing that men create demand for prostituted children and that better men have to end the demand… a group called Defenders USA invite other men to take a pledge to do their part.

“We’re going to find ourselves with our feet to the fire” said JJF’s Kaffie McCullough, speaking on the Shared Hope national panel today about the problem of demand.

Kaffie McCullough, A Future. Not A Past. discusses sex trafficking on Protected Innocence Panel

“If we do not start going after the buyers, we will be committing ourselves as a nation to always having victims we have to rescue. We have to start arresting the buyers. They are different from the traffickers.

“Our demand study showed in Georgia alone 7200 men a month, knowingly or unknowingly, buy sex from an adolescent girl. That number was just staggering, and it began to change the conversation when we realized that most of the calls in the study came from suburban, middle class and upper middle class Caucasian males.

“As a nation, if we are going to get serious about stopping this crime, we’re going to find ourselves with our feet to the fire, because if we’re going to arrest the buyers, we’re going to find people who are very important people in one way or another, and it will severely test us as to whether we really do want to stop this crime or not.

“I commend Shared Hope for emphasizing that buyers suffer the right amount of penalties. We noticed in our studies that the men who were calling in [to make a purchase] had absolutely no fear they were going to be brought to justice. Listening to some of the tapes would turn your stomach.

“We must not fail to realize that the fuel for this problem is not the runaway child, is not the throw-away child, is not the young person out there on the street. The fuel for this problem is within our midst all the time.

“The framework of the law is the first step, but I believe we have another very large step, a hurdle, because we have a cultural acceptance of the buying in this country. We do have to start at the top, as Drew mentioned, but we also have to address it from the bottom up. We have to start asking ‘How is it that we’re raising our boys that it’s ok to buy sex when they become a man?’

“There are many ways this is embedded in our culture that we probably aren’t even aware of. Part of the awareness and solutions will come with the laws; the rest of it will come with our resolve. From there, as we follow through with the laws, we will let buyers know we are serious about stopping this, and serious about supporting our children by providing all the other pieces of this initiative that we need.”

Martha Turner is the Communications Officer for
the Juvenile Justice Fund

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What Can YOU Do To Stop Child Sex Trafficking?

Monday, November 28th, 2011

This week The Challenge comes to your state. Will you be ready?
Attend the Free, Live Webcast Dec. 1st to find out how to affect lawmaking in your State.

The Juvenile Justice Fund is proud to participate in a first of its kind initiative this week. Kaffie McCullough, Campaign Director of A Future. Not A Past. (AFNAP) and Keisha Head, AFNAP Advocate, fly to Texas to take part in the Shared Hope Challenge.  Kaffie McCullough will be on the panel Dec. 1st when State Grades are released. 

Read below to find out how you can tune in to the free, live webcast, submit questions for the panel, and find out how to make an impact in your state legislation to combat child sex trafficking.

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During the past year, Shared Hope International has dedicated most of its resources to a daring new initiative that promises to change the entire landscape of the commercial sexual exploitation of American children- the Protected Innocence Initiative. Under this initiative, Shared Hope assessed every U.S. state to evaluate its legislative response to domestic minor sex trafficking and prepared recommendations on how to strengthen its defense of children through law and policy. On December 1, in San Antonio, Texas, Shared Hope will officially release the grades for all 50 states and the District of Columbia!
This exciting opportunity will equip you with the knowledge needed to push for important legislative changes in your state. Join us December 1 at 11 a.m.(CST) for a webcast executive briefing: Protected Innocence Challenge - Making the Grade.

The webcast will include a panel discussion made up of leading anti-trafficking experts elaborating on the target areas of law addressed by the Protected Innocence Initiative and challenging you to engage more deeply in the effort to make your state safe from sex traffickers.
Expert panelists include representatives from: the National District Attorneys Association, Children at Risk, and A Future. Not a Past, with opening remarks from the Department of State, Office to Combat and Monitor Trafficking in Persons, the Department of Justice, and representatives of Texas State legislature.
Please click here to register for the executive briefing. Prior to the event, we will provide you with a link to the webcast. If you have any problems registering for the event, please email us.
We look forward to sharing the results of our findings with you as we highlight best practices in state responses to domestic minor sex trafficking. Please contact Amy English if you have any questions regarding the executive briefing.
With many thanks,
Shared Hope International

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Kaffie McCullough Honored As Visionary

Monday, November 28th, 2011

 

Kaffie McCullough, A Future.Not A Past.

The Georgia Conference on Children and Families (GCCF) presented its distinguished 2011 Gayle Bayes Vision for Children Award to our own Kaffie McCullough, campaign director for A Future. Not A Past. (AFNAP) last Thursday, Nov. 17.

The GCCF annually bestows the Gayle Bayes Vision for Children Award to an individual who is an outstanding advocate and visionary for at-risk children in the state of Georgia.

In addition, Global Centurion awarded Kaffie the Norma Hotaling Anti-Trafficking Award for leadership, courage, hard work, and innovation in eradicating sex trafficking and addressing demand for child sex in Atlanta. The award is the first of its kind in the United States. (see AJC)

Norma was a light and a leader who emerged from the darkest of places – child sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and drug addiction to become an inspiration to all who work to stop sex trafficking.

Kaffie spoke with JJF’s Martha Turner about her 11 year journey of successfully fighting for stricter punishment against perpetrators, and training law enforcement and the general public to fight demand.

Kaffie, eleven years ago, could you see yourself getting an award like this?

“No, I really couldn’t. The issue then hadn’t been spotlighted to the degree that it has today. I would suppose, optimistically, that 80 to 90 percent of the children serving audience here today knows about child sex trafficking, and has heard of it before, which never would have happened 11 years ago. That was unheard of.

L-R Sharon Joseph, Jennifer Swain, Kaffie McCullough, Keisha Head, Cathy Talley

“It was just a very small handful of people who were having to carry this torch, and now there are a lot of people and organizations who have raised the issue up.

“Today we have a statewide system of care that have it on their radar screen, we have a  Department of Education running training, we have a governor’s wife very keyed in on this, we have an Attorney General being one of the sponsors of HB 200 (human trafficking legislation.)

“There are so many more markers of how the level of awareness has been raised.”

Did you feel alone when you first started this work?

“Alone is not the word I’d use, because there still were people around us. It was as if you’re alone in a totally dark room with your one tiny candle, you can’t see too much, and now we have a lot more candle power!

“It’s really being seen now. We still have quite a ways to go, not just in awareness, but in services and recognition.”

Kaffie McCullough accepts award

Do you feel encouraged?

“Oh yes, definitely.”

What’s been one of the biggest changes you’ve seen around this issue in almost a dozen years?

“Recognition in the public sector. The recognition of the issue in DFACS (Division of Family and Children Services), law enforcement and education.

“Before it was strictly a grassroots movement. Now it’s a policy initiative. If we’re going to end up making systemic change, which is what we really want, you need both of those.”

JJF’s ED Sharon Simpson Joseph observed, “Kaffie is a leader in our community,  inspiring countless others to get involved and empowering them to understand that every individual can make a difference.

JJF Executive Director Sharon S. Joseph

“She is a real-life heroine fighting for the lives of the most disadvantaged children in our community.

“Kaffie is a wonderful and caring person – a true visionary and advocate for some of our community’s most at-risk children. What she does every day makes an enormous difference in dismantling demand for child sex trafficking – giving girls hope for a better tomorrow.”

Martha Turner is the Communications Officer
for the Juvenile Justice Fund

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