Summer has ended. We hope that each of you had a good rest.

For us it was both a time to rest and a time to meet new people:  people who believe in our fight; young people, sometimes very young and full of passion.  They firmly believe that sexual slavery is one of the major violations of human rights in our time.  They are shocked and disappointed that the issue has been so ignored by the very governments that actually ratified the treaty against human trafficking. We want to remind those governments that when they signed the treaty they assumed certain obligations. If they take no action, signing the treaty becomes an empty and futile gesture.

Until recently we had intended to open our first Rescue Center in Bosnia before the end of 2009. Unfortunately we have been forced to postpone the opening. The reason is simple: we do not have sufficient funds.   The financial crisis affected us like everyone else and major donations that we had been promised were postponed.  To open and operate the first STOP Rescue Center in Bosnia, we need to raise $500,000/350.000 Euros. This money will allow us to rent and furnish premises for a shelter and office and to hire staff.  At present almost 100% of the money we raise goes directly to STOP activities. Our executive staff currently work unpaid.

The Rescue Center will serve as the office for STOP experts and will have 2 or 3 rooms, each with 2 or 3 beds, to accommodate the worst cases who cannot go to government shelters. Our goal is not only to offer support services to victims from the moment of their rescue - such as medical help, psychological counseling and temporary refuge to keep the victims out of the local jails – but also to offer classes in English, computing and other skills to ease the transition to a normal life back home.

The idea is simple:  self-empowerment to fight re-victimization.

We are deeply sorry that we have had to change our plan. We do know how urgent it is: while we are waiting for the money to come, young kids, young girls and women are beaten, drugged, tortured to force them to become sexual slaves to the depraved men whom one could only reluctantly describe as human beings.

However, we ask all our supporters not to despair. We are still confident that our cause will advance.  We hope the delay will only be a matter of months. We will continue to fight and we feel fortified by the many young people who write to us and offer to help, whether with fundraising or by alerting the public about STOP and its work.  We are confident that STOP will eventually become to the issue of sex trafficking what Doctors Without Borders is to medical crises in disaster areas and poverty-stricken regions: the premier international organization fighting this most despicable form of human bondage.

We would like to thank each of our supporters because they continually restore our faith.

We come across so many high-ranking officials who are prompt to praise us, prompt to promise help, but who then abjectly fail to keep their word.  Politicians are so good at making empty promises.  If just one of them had the guts to come see the victims, maybe they would respond with more than just feel-good rhetoric.

In the meantime we would like to single out those who do follow-through.

One is Anna Balkan, the young Atlanta-based jewelry designer who created a necklace for STOP.

She has been busy organizing our first-ever US fundraising event.  We will let you know the date for the event as soon as the details are finalized.

While she waits for the necessary permits and insurance, Anna is also focusing on raising funds and awareness though on-line marketing and in the press.  Everything that Anna has collected so far to be offered for auction will soon be posted on STOP’s Facebook page.
Anna is looking for volunteers to assist her with the event. If you live in the area of Atlanta and are willing to help, please contact her: anna@ilidesigns.com

Anna’s necklace will soon be on sale in Paris – we will make an announcement when the stock arrives.  You can contact Elodie Broussard who is joining the staff of STOP at:  elodie.broussard@stopinternational.org

Another supporter we would like to single out is Amy Miller, a young American girl who came to New York to give us $500 she received as a birthday gift. To get more information on Amy’s generous gesture, please read our last blog.

Among the people Celhia met this summer was Homeyra Sellier, President of Innocence in Danger, an organization that fights to protect children from pedophiles. They met on July 30th in Geneva, Switzerland. Homeyra is exploring the idea of allying with existing NGOs, which is why she contacted STOP.  Our discussions are ongoing.

STOP is still looking for young students willing to give some of their time to help with updating our blog and website. We need you. Do not hesitate to contact us.

As a reminder: New York City is America’s biggest port of entry for human trafficking. 12.3 million Adults and children are enslaved at any given time all over the world -1.39 Million are trafficked into sexual exploitation. An estimated 800,000 people are illegally trafficked through international borders every year. In the US alone 17,500 people are trafficked into slavery as prostitutes, farm hands, factory workers and domestic servants annually.