Focusing On Demand Reduction Is A Must If We Are Ever Going To End Human Trafficking

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - May 27, 2014 - PRLog -- If advocates of the anti-human trafficking movement are serious about eradicating human trafficking, we will get serious about addressing demand. Conference coordinator for the 4thNational Human Trafficking Conference, Yvonne Williams asks the question of us all – Why do millions of American men have such a desire to buy illegal sex (many abusing their victims) from women, 50% being youth both male and female?  Williams often states in her presentations across the United States that when we answer the questions, we will find the solutions. The most obvious area of concentration of efforts should be in the area of demand reduction. Williams has had many very educated people ask her, if we legalize prostitution, won’t that make the number of crimes go down? Her response brings clarity to the matter. “Now, I don’t know about you, but this question alone tells us where our mindset is in this country — that reducing the number of crimes by legalizing something that destroys lives are more important than those who are caught in the web of violence. I have found that, once I take only 5 minutes to being some education, each of these people have seen the bigger picture. We simply must work to end the demand.”

National TIATF-Alliance Demand Reduction Coordinator, Lindsy Anton has written a Demand 101 Primer for Trafficking In America Task Force, host of the annual conferences. West Palm Beach,FL will be the location for the National Conference. Lindsy will present on the third day of the conference, Friday morning, July 18, 2014. Ms. Anton graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, TN with a dual degree in political science and psychology. She is currently working to attain her Masters in Counseling at Vanderbilt University. She spent four years traveling between Nashville and Houston, conducting research on sex trafficking and working with anti-slavery organizations. Her research focuses primarily on offenders, including traffickers and “johns”. She is currently conducting interviews with johns from all corners of the nation and exploring their motivations and gathering narratives. This research has expanded into a graduate dissertation project that will eventually be peer reviewed and published.

Lindsy has worked with both the Nashville and Houston Juvenile detention centers, where she worked with youth diagnosed with aggressive behavior disorders as she studied the links between environment, teen delinquency, gang involvement, and juvenile entry into the sex trade. Her current research interests include psychotherapy solutions for men who are self-diagnosed “sex addicts” and other contributors to the demand side of human trafficking (http://traffickinginamericataskforce.org/human-traffickin...). She is excited to see “demand” becoming a major focal point of organizations working to eradicate human slavery and hopes to contribute relevant and effective research and programming ideas to assist groups wishing to work on this element of the economic equation of human trafficking (http://traffickinginamericataskforce.org/tag/human-traffi...).

Another speaker on the Demand day will be Rus Funk, a long time advocate and activist working to expand human rights and prevent violence.  He has founded or co-founded dozens of organizations throughout the United States including DC Men Against Rape (now Men Can Stop Rape, Inc), People Alliance for Justice, Metro Clinic Defense Task Force, Men For Gender Justice, Men for Women’s Choice, Mobilizing to end Violence and more.  He is currently the executive director and co-founder of MensWork: eliminating violence against women, inc. (based in Louisville, KY) is the co-founder of the Ohio Men’s Action Network, serves on the boards of directors of the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the National Resource Center on Sexual and Domestic Violence, and the Association of Community Organization and Social Administration.  In addition, Rus also serves on the Steering Committee of the North American Men Engage Network, and the national Inter-personal Violence Committee.

As an author, Rus as written dozens of articles, chapters and books including, most recently Reaching Men: Strategies for Preventing Sexist Attitudes, Behaviors and Violence (Jist Publications, 2007). He consults regularly and currently is consulting with the states of Michigan and Ohio, and continues his support of efforts in Malta to develop a men’s engagement strategy.

About the Trafficking in America Task Force: Trafficking in America Task Force is a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization and has been working since 2004 to educate the American population about the reality of the sale of American women, men, and children into sexual slavery for the profit and pleasure of their perpetrators, and that the forced labor trafficking of both adults and children is real in this country. Our Vision is to help eliminate the human trafficking of women, men and minor children in America, and to provide a culture for our children free of sexual exploitation and slavery, where people know and own their own intrinsic value.