#13...

The Twin Cities is the 13th most heavily trafficked metropolitan area in the US...

When I have had the opportunity to talk about human trafficking to people here in Minnesota, they have been shocked.  So if you didnt know that human trafficking was such a big issue here in the twin cities, its ok, you are not alone.  BUT, now you know, which means....now you have no excuses! :) Its common to think that slavery/human trafficking only happens over seas or with women and girls that have been brought here from somewhere far away.  While that is true, there is more to that story.  Women and girls are being kidnapped and coerced into sex trade right here in Minnesota.  The reality of it all is heartbreaking.  This is affecting your community here in the city, suburbs and surrounding towns.  It is not just the poverty stricken neighborhoods...it is infesting our state from the poor to the rich, from the city to the suburbs.  I hope that knowing that reality, not only makes you sad, but fires you up to do something about it yourself.

Watch this story on Duluth, Minnesota.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/05/05/sex-trafficking-on-the-north-shore/

Yes, what i have written about, is about Minnesota.  But for all of you reading this that dont live here....it happens all over the US.  I encourage you to research your own state. Make yourself aware of the effects that it has in your own city.  Because its there, and it is very real.

Not For Sale is an organization that has taken action all over the country to stop human trafficking and bring awareness to the issue.  This is their facebook page for people here in Minnesota.  Check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/NotForSaleMinnesota

Chocolate, Coffee, Cotton....

I was just in New York this last week and was able to stay right by time square where everything is happenin. When I was there, it really made me think even more about how much we all consume.  Whether it be food, clothing, or coffee.  If you want something, its pretty accessible.  That being said, it is nearly impossible to make sure all the products you are buying are slave free...sad, but true.  BUT there are ways to be more conscious of  what you are buying and how it was produced.  There are brands out there that are dedicated to supplying quality products that are supporting the people that make them. 

The three biggest contributors to human trafficking as a working slave are the three C's...
Cotton
Coffee
Chocolate

I dont know about you but these are the three things that i consume the most. Again, I am not saying that everything that I have ever bought is slave free.  There is no way of really making sure because of the world we live in and that human trafficking is so hidden.  But I am dedicated in making myself aware of the things that I buy. 

What to look for...

Fair trade.  Again, it is not a guarantee that things that have this symbol are fully legit. But it is a higher possibility that they do not use slaves in the making of this product. This symbol appears in non specialty stores like target, on coffee and chocolate.

Now, a big thing that is coming out is "Slave-Free".  This isnt as common to find but when you are in a store or purchasing a coffee it is always a good thing to ask if their product is slave free.  It gets a little deeper into the production even more than fair trade.

Not For Sale has made an app for iphones and androids that you can use to scan products and learn about what you are buying.  It also gives a grade on if the product is legit.  download it!
http://www.free2work.org/

We cant be perfect, but we can sure try...

Why be Lovely?

be Lovely Mission Statement: To provide each client with high quality makeup while affirming the beauty of the human soul and helping support individuals and organizations working to fight social injustices.

For 3 years I have had the dream to create a makeup line of my own and give some of the profits to support an organization involved with the prevention of human trafficking.  For some reason, about a month ago I was finally ready to make this happen. A friend came to me and wanted to help so I jumped on the opportunity and here I am. 
As I have shared in previous posts, makeup was not my thing. I didnt really wear it much or care too much about finding the next best color or product.  But when I started to work with women in the sex industry I realized that makeup was a thing that all of them had in common. From porn stars, to strippers, to prostitutes, to moms, to your every day girl...most women will wear some type of makeup.  When I saw this opportunity I knew it was something that would bring me to relationships that I otherwise my not have.  So, while I lived in Vegas I decided to take a few weeks to go to LA and learn this trade. By the end of those few weeks I left as a certified makeup artist. Now what??
Then came the most rewarding time of my life. Myself, along with my friend who did hair, found ourselves using our gifts and now passion to connect with women in brothels, strip clubs and porn conventions. I met some amazing people. Being a makeup artist is an in-your-face kind of job.  The client and the artist cant really escape from each other :) Conversation came naturally. To be able to build a relationship in this way was incredible.  Whenever we would go to the brothel we did it just for fun.  They would always ask us why we were doing it. Our response was always "why not?"  We were able to share why we cared about them and told them how much they were worth. Leaving those situations taught us all things. They were always asking when we were coming back.  I will never forget the faces and hearts of those women. 
As I continued to do makeup, my passion for hurting people because of this destructive business would not leave me. I combined both my passion for makeup and hurting people and created be Lovely.  So...it begins.





Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Be-Lovely/342229445802346?sk=wall

Website: belovely.com

Its personal...

According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, sex trafficking is "the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act."

It all began here for me..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqyLRpGgxRs

Constance became apart of me and what I wanted to fight for. Constance started off as a video and soon became actual faces to me.  i was struck at the connection between sex trafficking and pornography. i had been affected by pornography earlier in life with people that were close to me.  it was pain that i new i wanted healed, and my way was to help others that had also been hurt.
so for a year of my life i met these faces. from brothels to porn conventions to strip clubs. Constance was all over. I am not saying that all of these women have been forced into the industry but a lot of them have.   the girls in videos are real people, with real families and real hearts.  seeing the brokenness in flesh makes that very real.

i know that this is controversial subject....pornography. but in my mind its simple. when someone looks at porn on the internet, they dont know where or who these people are. are they from the states? Thailand? the Philippines? are they 12? 17? 25?  How did they get there? where they forced? beaten? coerced? are these questions people ask when they are wanting to satisfy a so called "need"? sadly, they dont. i believe that if people knew the connection between the two, some people may change their mind the next time they "need to satisfy that need".  some may not care at all, but for those of you who do...i encourage you to think about that the next time you sit down at your computer.
porn is also a real addiction and i know that. ive seen it. that side of the story is also sad. there are ways to get help just like every other addiction. if you desire that help here is a resource for you...
xxxchurch.com  you're not alone in that.

all that to say, it is my passion in life to help people face these issues, and face them myself. these are ugly things with real people involved. i have a tattoo of a bar code on my wrist with the numbers spelling "constance" to continually remind me that there are people like Constance all over my city and the rest of the world. the people that i have been able to share this with has been amazing. i continue the fight and to know that if even one person is changed, i am reaching that goal. so to that, i hope that thoughts of concern and urgency have been planted.

Responsible...

27 million people enslaved in the world today.  There are more slaves today than at any point in human history....

i've been asked, "what can i do about this?". first of all...that makes me happy. if one more person is aware and chooses to take action...thats what its all about!
for me, its a constant roller coaster of emotions.  one day i'm super pissed that it happens and i feel hopeless. another day i'm so amped that i want to go in and get people out myself. but, every day i have to remind myself that there are people doing things and i have to stay focused and continue to do my part. whether anti human trafficking is a passion of yours or not....it is the human race, and we are responsible.


"Because slavery is a hidden crime, the greatest challenge is to raise consciousness, to expose it in all its forms. When Americans feel it in their gut, they will understand that ending this crime so monstrous is not a political issue; it is an American imperative, and a human responsibility.  This is why there are still modern-day abolitionists. And this is why the rest of us should join them."
-Richard Holbrooke (excerpt from the forward in A Crime So Monstrous)

Taking Action

1. Dont be ignorant. Research Human Trafficking...where it is, what it means, why it happens. (chances are you'll learn something).

2. After you learn about it, its time to do something about it.  Organizations such as Not For Sale, Polaris Project, and International Justice Mission are a few. (Breaking Free- Minnesota Local).  They need our help.  You can host events, give financially, buy products, and more.

3. Tell others about it.  A lot of people dont know what human trafficking is or that it happens HERE, where you live!

ok, so this is a start. i get that not everyone is going to be as passionate as i am about this.  everyone has their thing. but there are choices to be made with this information....and that is up to you.
Staying ignorant, shouldnt be one of them....
you may be saying "wow, she is laying the guilt heavy!" well, you'd be right. we (including myself) should feel a responsibility. we are talking about modern day slavery, something we thought we got rid of a long time ago. it is all ages, all races.  that is a problem.
there is hope, and i'm determined to fight for that.

websites:

polarisproject.org

notforsalecampaign.org

ijm.org

Sometimes we need facts....

at times we need stories. today i give facts.  

there are so many times that we take sad, horrifying or mind blowing facts and push them aside because it "doesnt affect us". i refuse to be one of those people in the matter of prostitution and human trafficking.  our worlds are small unless we allow ourselves to be taught and take action. 

living in Minnesota, its easy to be caught in a bubble. (i'm sure its not just in minnesota).  Minnesota nice.  yes, people here are nice but it also means "lets be nice and ignore the reality of the world we live in, cause..."i'm comfortable" or "i dont want to deal with it"".  bad things happen.  but we have a choice.  we can just be sad about it...or, we can do something about it.  every day you have choices.  choices to get up in the morning, choices to be angry or not be angry at someone that has hurt you, to love when it seems impossible, to make the most of our day because it has been given to us.  i've realized that the things in life that seem so big in my small world have now become small in my big world.  i'm not saying that we cant be angry or hurt when someone has wronged us, but what are we choosing to do with that anger.  feel sorry for ourselves and hold onto anger? forgive and move forward? its a choice.  its always a choice.

that being said, on a daily basis i strive to be the latter. its hard. i fail sometimes, but i am constantly reminded of a bigger picture.  its a waste of my life to hold onto anger.  i strive to put my energy to things that matter and are of love. 

Slavery is bigger now than it has EVER been.

Human Trafficking and Prostitution Internationally- Only the Beginning

-it is estimated that 700,000 to 4 million women and children are trafficked around the world for purposes of forced prostitution, labor and other forms of exploitation every year. 

-Trafficking is estimated to be a $7 billion dollar annual business.

-Nearly every country is involved in the web of trafficking activities, either as a country of origin, destination or transit. 

-Over 5,000 women and children have been trafficked from the Philippines, Russia and Eastern Europe and are forced into prostitution in bars servicing the U.S. Military in South Korea

-The average age of a girl’s entry into prostitution/sex trafficking is 12 to 14 years old.

-Human trafficking includes both sex trafficking and labor trafficking and is the second largest – and fastest growing – criminal industry in the world.

Human Trafficking and Prostitution in Minnesota

-According to one service provider, 8,000 to 12,000 people are estimated to be involved in prostitution/sex trafficking in Minnesota every day.

-In a North Minneapolis research project on prostitution/sex trafficking, 56% of people involved had their first experience in prostitution/sex trafficking as a juvenile (under age 18)

-Minnesota is known to some as "the factory" for the number of prostitutes it produces

-The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified Minneapolis as 1 of 13 cities with a high concentration of criminal enterprises promoting juvenile commercial sexual exploitation.