November 2013


 
FDFI is developing some pioneering work in New York City that will help prevent children from being trafficked and provide a means for early intervention in cases where children have already become victims of human trafficking. We believe that New York can be a model for cities across the country and around the world. 

 

Whatever we've been able to accomplish up to this point in NYC could only have been done with the support of our 2013 winner of the Frederick Douglass Human Rights Award, Norma Abbene. Her work with FDFI certainly only scratches the surface of what she has done in the area of human trafficking. 

 

Click here to read the press release. 
 
 
Q & A WITH ROBERT BENZ
 

 

Q. How did you first become so passionate about the issue of human trafficking?

 

A. I will never forget the day Gloria Steinem spoke to me seeking Mayor Bloomberg's support for an anti-trafficking bill in New York State. Not only did I not know the scope of the crisis, I was stunned that human trafficking was occurring in New York. Later, I would come to understand--in a visceral sense--some of what the victims of this horrific crime endure when I witnessed the gut wrenching exhibit Journey--a project created by Emma Thompson, a sex trafficking survivor named Elena and her psychologist, Dr. Michael Korzinski. I was proud to be a part of the Mayor's Office team to bring Journey to New York City in 2009. In explaining the exhibit to me prior to its installation, Dr. Korzinski shared how Elena once confronted her co-workers who were callously discussing the plight of Western European sex workers at the office. "If you could know for just five minutes what it is like, maybe you would not be so cruel," Elena said. Hearing those words helped me to understand that it's not only the victims who need "treatment," but our entire society needs to be educated on human trafficking. The more people who understand the devastating scope of this terrible crime that exploits innocent and vulnerable people, the closer we will come to the day when we end human trafficking.

 

Q. What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment on the issue during your time in the NYC Mayor's Office?

 

A. Realizing the power of creative arts and digital communication to bring awareness to people we launched a public/private partnership with advertising agency GreyNY, activist and actress Emma Thompson and activist Somaly Mam to create a multi-media anti-trafficking campaign and website:  Let's End Human Trafficking. This was the first time any local jurisdiction in the United States addressed the issue of human trafficking directly. This accomplishment was the one from which all our department's other accomplishments--and there have been many--emanated and it opened up a global perspective for me. I was able to use our work in New York City to form national and international partnerships. I have also been privileged to present our accomplishments to the Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings in The Hague. Our campaign has been used in many jurisdictions including Kent County in Washington State and Erie County, NY. 


Q. What are the most pressing forms of human trafficking in the world today?

 

AWhat I have learned is that modern day slavery is constantly evolving. Commercial sex trafficking continues to grab newspaper headlines and garner the most attention, but human trafficking includes such exploitation as children forced to make thousands of DVDs to people who have cognitive disabilities who are forced to clean and  prepare chickens on industrial farms. In some parts of the world, children can even be born into modern slavery because of the debts of their parents. We should focus our prevention, intervention and restoration efforts on where people are most vulnerable to becoming exploited. I believe that all forms of slavery are crimes against humanity. But I find the exploitation of our children--who are society's most vulnerable--the most disturbing.

Q. Can human trafficking be stopped and, if so, how?

 

A. We have already seen tremendous strides. The first step is to educate young people so that they are more aware of the scope and consequences of human trafficking. Schools should encourage our students to think critically about this issue, and then lend their ideas and their time to the fight. Service projects like 100 Days to Freedom, which the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI) piloted at IS229 in the Bronx, is a great example of how to translate students' passion and ideas into action. The FDFI curriculum in New York City public schools serves as an important catalyst, bringing educators, city agencies, service providers, mental health professionals and law enforcement officials together to improve how teachers and administrators educate our students on this crisis. Furthermore, what FDFI and the NYC Mayor's Office Survivors of Human Exploitation Working Group accomplished through this project is a microcosm of what is required to combat human trafficking--and one day eradicate it. It is only through partnership and collaboration that we will halt and, ultimately, end human trafficking.

 

Q.  What does Frederick Douglass mean to you?

 
A. Combating slavery is something that has vexed humanity throughout history. So to combat modern day slavery we need to draw on this history, and learn from the pioneers whose sacrifice paved the way for the freedom of countless generations. Frederick Douglass--both the man and the legacy--embodies the context of slavery and the abolition movement in the United States, and his life provides an irreplaceable link to the past and present, while also pointing the way to the future. This is why the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives curricula are so important and effective. 
 
We congratulate Norma and thank her for her extraordinary service!

 

In Freedom,

 

Robert J. Benz

Founder & Executive Vice President 

Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives 


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"It's easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

Frederick Douglass 

   

Help the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation affect change through human trafficking awareness while directly supporting our educational programs in schools. Together we will:

  1. Protect girls from becoming the victims of minor sex trafficking;
  2. Teach young men that their choices could increase demand for exploited girls and women;
  3. Empower young people to make a difference in the world around them.

Please consider donating so we can continue to offer our human trafficking prevention education to schools at no charge.  Your help is essential. 

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