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| 2008 Conference Presenters |
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FEATURED SPEAKERS
Mimi Chakarova
Photojournalist and Professor, University of
California, Berkeley |
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Mimi
Chakarova has been teaching photography at U.C.
Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism for 10
years. Chakarova is the recipient of the 2003
Dorothea Lange Fellowship for documentary
photography and the 2005 Magnum Photos Inge Morath
Award for her photo work on sex trafficking.She's
reported and produced stories on the sex trade for
Frontline/WORLD in Eastern Europe and the Middle
East, featured on CBS' /60 Minutes/ and /Agenda/,
Scandinavia's most influential current affairs
television program. Chakarova is currently the photo
series curator of *FlashPoint*, Frontline/WORLD's
multimedia series. |
Victor Malarek
Senior Reporter, Canadian Television (CTV) |
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Mr. Victor Malarek, senior reporter for CTV (Canadian Television),
was honored with a Gemini Award as Canada’s top broadcast
journalist in 1997. In 2001, he received his fourth
Michener Award for his hard-hitting investigation into the
Toronto Police Union. Mr. Malarek has reported from across
Canada and the United States, and from countries around the
world such as Afghanistan, Iran, Kurdistan, Ethiopia,
Somalia, Ukraine, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Thailand,
Hong Kong, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Columbia.
He is also the author of five nonfiction books, the most
recent of which, The Natashas, examines the inner
workings of sex-trafficking business. Mr.
Malarek will argue that sex trafficking cannot be eliminated
without focusing on the demand side, which has heretofore
received less attention from activists than the supply
side. |
Michael Cory Davis
Actor/Filmmaker/Activist |
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Michael
Cory Davis is an actor/filmmaker/activist. He has
been involved in the fight to end modern day slavery
since 2003 when he became the Goodwill Ambassador
for the organization Face to Face Bulgaria, which
works to combat trafficking in Bulgaria. Michael
wrote, directed, produced the award-winning film
Svetlana's Journey, a true story about a Bulgarian
girl forced into prostitution. He lived in and
toured the country meeting countless victims and
potential victims, using Svetlana's Journey as the
tool to educate them.
In
2005, the film aired on Bulgaria's national
television station and here in the U.S., it won the
Hollywood Film Festival for Best Short Subject.
Presently Michael is self-distributing his latest
film Cargo: innocence Lost, a documentary
about sex trafficking in the United States.
Cargo: Innocence Lost and Svetlana's Journey have been used by more than one hundred
organizations and institutions to educate,
enlighten, and motivate people to take action and
get involved in the fight against human
trafficking. Additionally, law enforcement and
government agencies are using the films as training
tools. Michael has appeared on World News with
Charles Gibson, CNN, NBC, ABC, and KTLA news
bringing light to the issue in the United States.
Michael has been embarking on his nationwide I Stop
Traffic tour which focuses on spreading awareness
about the crime of human trafficking throughout the
country. |
Robert Jensen,
PhD.
University of Texas, Austin |
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Robert
Jensen is an associate professor in the School of Journalism
at the University of Texas at Austin.
Jensen joined the UT faculty in 1992 after completing his
Ph.D. in media ethics and law in the School of Journalism
and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. Prior
to his academic career, he worked as a professional
journalist for a decade. At UT, Jensen teaches courses in
media law, ethics, and politics. He also is director of the
Senior Fellows Program, the honors program of the College of
Communication.
In his research, Jensen draws on a variety of critical
approaches to media and power. Much of his work has focused
on pornography and the radical feminist critique of
sexuality and men’s violence. In more recent work, he has
addressed questions of race through a critique of white
privilege and institutionalized racism.
In addition to teaching and research, Jensen writes for
popular media, both alternative and mainstream. His opinion
and analytic pieces on such subjects as foreign policy,
politics, and race have appeared in papers around the
country. He also is involved in a number of activist groups
working against U.S. military and economic domination of the
rest of the world.
Jensen is the author of Getting Off: Pornography and the
End of Masculinity (South End Press, 2007); The Heart
of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege (City Lights, 2005); Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle
to Claim Our Humanity (City Lights, 2004); and Writing Dissent: Taking Radical Ideas from the Margins to
the Mainstream (Peter Lang, 2002); co-author with Gail
Dines and Ann Russo of Pornography: The Production and
Consumption of Inequality (Routledge, 1998); and
co-editor with David S. Allen of Freeing the First
Amendment: Critical Perspectives on Freedom of Expression (New York University Press, 1995).
Jensen can be reached at rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu and his articles can be found
online at http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/index.html. |
Norma Hotaling
Director of Sage Project and Founder of the first "John"
School |
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Norma
Hotaling turned her own experience with
homelessness, addiction, and prostitution into a
mission of social entrepreneurialism by founding The
SAGE Project, an internationally renowned,
award-winning, grass-roots organization committed to
improving the lives of those victimized by and/or at
risk for sexual exploitation, substance addiction,
physical, sexual and emotional abuse, prostitution,
HIV, and sexually transmitted disease. SAGE
(Standing Against Global Exploitation) is comprised
of former prostitutes, women from the criminal
justice system, and homeless women. SAGE has
provided educational and employment opportunities,
job training, and counseling to thousands of women
who otherwise would have no hope of advancement.
Ms. Hotaling is also a co-founder of the First
Offender Prostitution Program (FOPP), or “John’s
School,” which helps rehabilitate first-time
solicitors of prostitution and supports men and
women who wish to overcome their addictions and
their dependence on the sex trade.
In
addition to a degree in Health Education from San
Francisco State University, Ms. Hotaling has over 25
years of professional experience in public-health
research, education and outreach, including in-depth
expertise in systems of prostitution, domestic and
international trafficking in women and girls,
HIV/AIDS research and prevention, and the long-term
physical and psychological effects of physical and
sexual violence on abused women. She is also an
expert in criminal justice treatment programs and
restorative justice programs, working with
governmental and nonprofit agencies to replicate
SAGE’s programs within their own organizations and
municipalities.
Ms. Hotaling’s journey is an
inspiration not just to those who are looking to
find their way out of a life of sexual exploitation,
but to all who want to make their own contributions
to a more just, compassionate, and humane world. |
| Melissa Farley |
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Dr. Melissa Farley has practiced clinical psychology
for 40 years. As the director of Prostitution
Research & Education in San Francisco, Dr. Farley
advocates for prostituted and trafficked women and
views their experiences through the lens of a
trafficking syndrome, which reflects the
overwhelming stress experienced by women as a result
of being trafficked for the purpose of prostitution
or other sexual exploitation. In her work, Dr.
Farley has consistently addressed the connections
between prostitution, racism, poverty, and both
domestic and international trafficking. She has
been categorized as an expert on the effects of
sexual violence against women and children,
posttraumatic stress disorder, dissociation, and
prostitution. Her recent publications include Prostitution and Trafficking in Nevada: Making the
Connections (2007) and, as editor and
contributor, Prostitution, Trafficking &
Traumatic Stress (2003). In addition her dozens
of national and international conference
presentations on the subject of prostitution, Dr.
Farley has worked as a consultant for the Medical
Examining Board of the State of California and for
the US State Department, and she is an associate
scholar with the Center for World Indigenous
Studies. She is also a photographer and multimedia
artist. |
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Dr. Melissa Farley has practiced clinical psychology
for 40 years. As the director of Prostitution
Research & Education in San Francisco, Dr. Farley
advocates for prostituted and trafficked women and
views their experiences through the lens of a
trafficking syndrome, which reflects the
overwhelming stress experienced by women as a result
of being trafficked for the purpose of prostitution
or other sexual exploitation. In her work, Dr.
Farley has consistently addressed the connections
between prostitution, racism, poverty, and both
domestic and international trafficking. She has
been categorized as an expert on the effects of
sexual violence against women and children,
posttraumatic stress disorder, dissociation, and
prostitution. Her recent publications include Prostitution and Trafficking in Nevada: Making the
Connections (2007) and, as editor and
contributor, Prostitution, Trafficking &
Traumatic Stress (2003). In addition her dozens
of national and international conference
presentations on the subject of prostitution, Dr.
Farley has worked as a consultant for the Medical
Examining Board of the State of California and for
the US State Department, and she is an associate
scholar with the Center for World Indigenous
Studies. She is also a photographer and multimedia
artist. |
| PRESENTERS |
Rachel Durchslag
Director
Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation |
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Rachel Durchslag has been
working in the social justice community for the past
eight years. Graduating Skidmore College in 2000
with a double major in women’s studies and social
work, Rachel moved to Chicago where she originally
worked for Personal Political Action Committee and
then moved to the Day Care Action Council of
Illinois where she was responsible for the
development and coordination of all of the agency’s
special projects. In 2003 Rachel returned to school
to earn her masters degree in Social Service
Administration from the University of Chicago.
During her graduate school experience Rachel was
fortunate to be able to intern at two amazing
organizations: the Inspiration Café and the Chicago
Coalition for the Homeless.
Throughout her time both at the Day Care Action
Council of Illinois and the University of Chicago
Rachel served as president of the Chicago Chapter of
the National Organization for Women’s Education Fund
and as an Associate of the Nathan Cummings
Foundation (where she is now a Trustee and head of
the Community Grants division). She has also:
served as city coordinator for the Resource
Generation, an organization that outreaches to young
donors who are interested in social justice issues;
worked with child victims of trafficking in
Thailand; volunteered with the Salvation Army’s soup
kitchen for five years; served as an abortion clinic
escort; edited a Chicago based feminist ‘zine and
most recently has volunteered three times in New
Orleans to help with disaster relief efforts. Rachel
is the founder and director of the Chicago Alliance
Against Sexual Exploitation, an organization that
works to eliminate the demand for individuals in the
sex trade through prevention, public awareness and
intervention. To further her work against sexual
exploitation, Rachel is involved in the Prostitution
Alternatives Round Table, the Partnership to Rescue
Our Minors from Sexual Exploitation, Chicago’s
Mayor’s Office on Domestic Violence’s Demand
Deterrence committee, and Prostitution Research and Education’s board. She is also on the board of the
Chicago Abortion Fund.
Rachel was recently awarded
the YWCA’s Promise Leadership award, the
Soroptimist’s Woman Making a Difference award, and the Young Nonprofit Professional
Network’s Young Nonprofit Professional of the
Year award. |
Nairruti Jani
PhD Scholar, University of Texas, Arlington
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Nairruti
Jani is a PhD candidate at the University of Texas,
Arlington, researching the global policy
implications of human trafficking. Originally from
a small town in Ahmedabad, India, Ms. Jani was first
exposed to the horrors of poverty and social
inequality when earning her M.A. in Social Welfare
Administration in Mumbai, the world’s
second-most-populous city. Inside the classroom,
students were exploring human rights issues, while
outside the classroom, women were selling their
bodies to pay for food, children as young as six
were working as many as 22 hours a day, and whole
families were committing suicide. Motivated by
witnessing such tragedy, Ms. Jani began working with
Oxfam to aid the victims of drought in the Thar
Desert, Rajasthan, and she founded Heal India to aid
victims of disaster and genocide.
While
working with these victims of genocide, Ms. Jani
turned her attention to the rights of women who are
raped as a tool of war and who have no legal
recourse to pursue their attackers. Ms. Jani was
awarded a British Chevening Scholarship to pursue a
degree in International Human Rights Law, which she
completed in 2004. She returned to India, where she
taught at local colleges while pursuing her research
on women’s rights, interviewing the trafficked women
who worked in Mumbai’s dance-bars and exploring the
consequences of a legal crackdown which shut down
the dance-bars and left approximately 200,000 women
without a means of support. Her work led her to the
United States in 2005, where she continues to
investigate the complex systems of trafficking
across international borders. |
Lisa Goldblatt Grace, LICSW, MPH
The My
Life My Choice Project
Audrey Morrissey
Assistant Director and Coordinator of Survivor Services
The My
Life My Choice Project |
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Lisa Goldblatt Grace has been
working with vulnerable young people for over
eighteen years including running a shelter for
homeless teen parents and developing a diversion
program for violent youth offenders. As the Program
Director of The My Life, My Choice Project, Ms.
Goldblatt Grace facilitates prostitution prevention
groups throughout the Boston area, as well as trains
providers (including law enforcement) on recognizing
the signs of exploitation and helping girls exit.
Ms. Goldblatt Grace further provides training and
consultation through the Administrative Office of
the Trial Court’s “Redesigning the Court’s Response
to Prostitution” project.
Audrey Morrissey is the Assistant Director and coordinator of Survivor Services of The My Life My Choice Project of the Home for Little Wanderers as well as a consultant to the Administrative Office of the Trial Court's “Redesigning the Court’s Response to
Prostitution” project. Drawing from her personal
experience in “the Life”, Ms. Morrissey seeks to
help vulnerable girls and women avoid prostitution
and/ or leave exploitation behind them. To this end, Ms. Morrissey facilitates prostitution prevention groups in grouphomes throughout the Boston area, as well as trains providers, court personnel, and community members on recognizing the signs of exploitation and helping girls and women exit. In addition, Ms. Morrissey works individually with DSS-involved youth who are referred to her because of a history of sexual exploitation through prostitution. Ms. Morrissey has presented nationally on the topic of prostitution prevention and is a well respected resource in the Boston area. |
Maria Muller
Program
Specialist for the Anti-Trafficking in Persons (ATIP)
Division at the U.S.
Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS). |
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Maria
Muller serves as a Program Specialist for the
Anti-Trafficking in Persons (ATIP) Division at the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Maria supports the implementation of the HHS
Domestic Notification Pilot Program, a public
awareness and victim assistance initiative focused
on informing U.S. citizen victims of human
trafficking of benefits and services for which they
may be eligible. These efforts aim to provide an
informal census of U.S. domestic trafficking
victims, and thus help U.S. government leaders to
understand the scope and significance of domestic
trafficking issues. Maria also leads the ATIP
In-Reach Campaign, an educational outreach to the
HHS community striving to ultimately increase U.S.
domestic and international human trafficking victim
identification and service provision. Maria’s
previous experience includes the American Red Cross,
where she worked on information reporting for the
Tsunami Recovery Program and served as a liaison
between National Headquarters and Red Cross field
offices in the tsunami-affected region. Maria has
lived extensively abroad, including Mexico, Italy,
and Switzerland, and holds a degree in history from
Yale University. |
Tomi Lee "T.L." Grover, PhD
Director,
Local Transformational Missions and Community & Restorative
Justice Specialist |
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Tomi Lee “T.L.” Grover holds a Doctor of Philosophy,
Social Work and Ministry-Based Evangelism and a
Master of Arts in Christian Education from
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well
as a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science in
Criminal Justice from the University of Florida.
She serves as Director of Local Transformational
Missions and Community and Restorative Justice
Specialist for the Baptist General Convention of
Texas, Dallas, TX representing over 5,000 Texas
Baptist Churches. Additonally, she is a Teaching
Fellow – B.H. Carroll Theological Institute,
Arlington, TX.
Member of the North American Association of
Christians in Social Work, the Academy of Criminal
Justice Sciences, and the Advanced Responder for the
National Organization of Victim Assistance. |
Adele Nieves
Contemporary Writer and Journalist
Focusing
on Politics and Women's Issues |
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Adele
Nieves is a writer, journalist, and speaker, focusing on politics, women’s issues and race. She is Essence of
Motown's "2007 Writer/Author of the
Year," for her continued hard work,
literary creativity, and her efforts to improve
Michigan's literary community. Adele is co-organizer
of Detroit Feminists, and a member and contributing
writer for Critical Moment Magazine. She also writes
a monthly column for Women of Color (Yo Soy Mujer!)
for ThinkGirl Monthly, a non-profit organization based in metro-Detroit
dedicated to informing and empowering women through
information and community programs.
Adele is a strong supporter of minority rights and
health initiatives. She is now compiling an
anthology, tentatively titled What We Think:
Gender Roles, Women's Issues and Feminism in the
21st Century, co-partnering in a production
company, Liquid Words Productions, LLC, and will be
attending Sarah Lawrence College for her MA in
Women's History in the Fall of 2008.
Adele can be reached at adele@liquidwordsproductions.com and samples of her work can be found at: http://www.liquidwordsproductions.com/adele.htm |
Laura Zarate
Founding
Executive Director
Arte Sana
(Art that Heals) |
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Laura Zárate is Founding Executive Director of Arte
Sana (art heals) one of four agencies recognized in
2003, by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention as a model program for under served
survivors of sexual violence, and by The United States-Mexico Border Health Commission for its
“outstanding leadership and commitment to the
Healthy Border 2010”
Laura is a Latina advocate, training specialist,
artist, and published author from Texas with over
twenty-four years of experience in violence
prevention, who has reached thousands of youth,
adults, victim service advocates, allied
professionals
and promotoras, through workshops in English and
Spanish, on sexual and intimate partner violence
issues. In 2004, Laura was one of five recipients
of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's
first national Award for Outstanding Effectiveness
in Raising Awareness and Promoting Prevention of
Sexual Violence. She was recognized for "her
dedication in
promoting bilingual resources and the impact of her
work in sexual abuse prevention."
www.arte-sana.com |
Adriana P. Torres
Nova
Southeastern University |
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Adriana
is a native Floridian of Colombian descent. She has
been a lifelong advocate of grassroots initiative
and for humanitarian causes at local and national
levels. Adriana firmly believes that through
research, education, and publicity, sex trafficking
can be greatly reduced. Dedicated to political
participation as a method of bringing about change,
Adriana has served in local and national campaigns
and she has worked for State Representative Ari
Abraham Porth and for County Commissioner Sue
Gunzburger. She has also served on U.S. Presidential
campaigns. In addition to her political involvement
in local communities, Adriana uses her unique
background to travel to Colombia to conduct on-site
research regarding the negotiations that have taken
place between the rebel groups and the Colombian
government. Adriana serves as treasurer of the
Student Association for the School of Humanities and
Social Sciences. She has also served as secretary of
Phi Alpha Delta pre-law fraternity, coordinator for
the International Day of Peace at Nova Southeastern
University, and has volunteered her time for
numerous community events and organizations. Adriana
is a graduate student in Conflict Analysis and
Resolution at Nova Southeastern University and holds
a Bachelors degree in Legal Studies. |
Ryan D. Harvey
MA
Candidate, Public Affairs
LBJ
School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, Austin |
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Ryan D. Harvey is currently a candidate for an MA in
Public Affairs at the LBJ School of Public Affairs
at the University of Texas, Austin, where he is
specializing in International Affairs. Prior to the
LBJ School, Ryan attended Pepperdine University in
Malibu, California, where he received his BA in
Political Science, with minors in History and
German. He spent his sophomore year studying abroad
in Heidelberg, Germany. While at Pepperdine, Ryan
was active in a number of organizations ranging from
honor societies to the rugby team, but was most
active in the Student Government Association. In his
position as Vice President of Administration, he was
able to initiate or support such projects as the Eve
Project to end domestic violence, a speaker series
including David Batstone of the Not For Sale
Campaign as well as to present to the President of
the University a report on what steps the University
could take to actively combat human trafficking. He
plans to spend this summer working with refugees
from Burma. |
Arun Kumar Acharya, Ph.D
Professor-Investigator at the Instituto de Investigaciones
Sociales
Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
Monterrey, Mexico |
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Arun Kumar
Acharya, Ph.D.
Dr. Arun Kumar Acharya is a Professor-Investigator
at the Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales,
Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey,
Mexico. With a background in population science and
geography, Dr. Acharya has recently focused on the
trafficking of women in Mexico and India. He has
presented at numerous conferences and authored or
co-authored over a dozen articles that explore the
root causes of the trafficking of women, most
recently “International Migration and Trafficking of
Mexican Women to the United States” and “Gender
Preference and India’s Missing Women.” Dr. Acharya
is the recipient of several international
fellowships and is fluent in four languages. |
George C. McLemore, Ph.D.
Documentary Photographer |
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George C.
McLemore, Ph.D.
Dr. George McLemore is a documentary photographer,
Fulbright Scholar, and retired Professor of
Communication Studies, Photography, and
Photojournalism at the University of Texas,
Pan-American. Since his retirement, he has continued
his exploration of, in James Agee’s words, “the
cruel radiance of what is” by documenting the
subcontinent that includes India, Bangladesh, and
Nepal. Dr. McLemore’s latest work is the recently
published book Jessore Road: Journey to Fight
Human Trafficking, India to Bangladesh. In this
book, which will be the focus of his presentation,
he chronicles the plight of sex workers along the
Jessore Road, an ancient trade route that leads from
Jessore, Bangladesh to Calcutta, India. |
| John Calvin Jones, PhD, JD |
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Dr. Jones
has been working as a professor since graduating
from law school in 2001. Combining his training in
political science, law, and social justice, his
courses and political activism have centered on
questions of justice and equity.
Dr. Jones
first became aware of the problems of human
trafficking and the brutality that links capitalism,
war, drugs, and natural resources in the 1980s, but
much of his more enlightened understanding is
recent, due in part to the work of people like
Victor Malarek and Mimi Chakarova.
Currently Dr. Jones is working on a treatise of the
problematics of dominant economic and
politico-ideological practices in the United
States. As well, he is the editor/owner of the
website Virtual Citizens. |
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