Prison ordered for two who offered girl for sadomasochistic sex

Dear Friends:

This case provides a horrifying illustration of child sexual abuse. According to other news reports, this child's mother is the first person in the U.S. to be charged with federal trafficking in a case involving her own child. Thankfully, the girl's mother and other abuser are going to jail. I wish the same could be said of all the people who paid to rape the little girl.

Abolition!

Lisa

Prison ordered for two who offered girl for sadomasochistic sex
By TONY RIZZO
The Kansas City Star

They made her a dominatrix and schooled her in the ways of violent sex when she was only 12.

By the time she reached 14, they had billed her as “Mistress Alisha,” and they offered her online for two years to service the sadomasochistic fantasies of anyone willing to pay.

But on Thursday, it was the turn of the girl’s mother and the man she formerly lived with in Blue Springs to pay for the years of victimization they forced the girl to endure so they could make money.

Todd Barkau, the man who trained, groomed and offered her to others, and the girl’s mother, who is not being named to protect her daughter’s identity, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to the commercial sex trafficking of a minor.

Barkau, 37, will serve 25 years in prison as part of the plea agreement with prosecutors. The girl’s 45-year-old mother will spend 15 years in prison. Prosecutors said she was the first person in the country to be charged under the federal trafficking law in a case involving her own child.

Both also were ordered to forfeit the $80,000 they collected from the girl’s customers.

Their victim, now 22, attended the hearing to witness the pleas.

U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughery said she would not accept the plea agreements without the young woman’s consent. The victim told the judge that the proposed sentences were satisfactory.

“I would prefer not to have to go through it all again by going through a trial,” she said.

Her ordeal began in 2000 when Barkau, with the girl’s mother’s knowledge, taught the girl to engage in sexual bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism both with him and others while he watched, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Cordes said in outlining evidence the government would have presented at trial.

Barkau set up the Mistress Alisha Web site when the girl was 14. The girl’s mother suggested the name Alisha, which she had used while working as a stripper, according to Cordes.

Prosecutors agreed to the 15- and 25-year sentences after consulting with the victim, Cordes said. And in Barkau’s case, she said, his history of heart attacks and strokes was considered in not seeking a longer sentence.

“We hope this sentence of 25 years serves as a life sentence for him,” she said.

To reach Tony Rizzo, call 816-234-4435 or send e-mail to trizzo@kcstar.com.

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Stolen Lives

Dear Friends:

Here is news of a report some of you may find of interest. To download the report go to: http://www.agapeim.org/

Abolition!

Lisa

September 24, 2009 Dale Didion
202-544-5430
ddidion@didiongroup.com

"Stolen Lives" Study Addresses Recovery of Human Trafficking Victims in India
Study examines the impact of forgiveness and self-empowerment on healing and gives recommendations to halt crisis

Conshohocken, PA- A pioneering study entitled "Stolen Lives: Dignity, Forgiveness, Hope, and Future-Mindedness for Victims of Sex Trafficking in India," is bringing international attention to a growing problem worldwide—human trafficking. Funded by the John Templeton Foundation and authored by Dr. Victor Joseph of Agape International, the study focuses on trafficked victims between the ages of 14 and 22 who were sold into brothels. The research analyzes their psychological and emotional stages in a post-brothel setting and focuses on the impact of forgiveness and future-mindedness on their lives.


"Stolen Lives" provides new psychological research that will serve as an important tool for NGOs, universities, governments and law enforcement personnel to not only reduce the incidence of this global issue and prosecute those involved, but also to help restore the lives of the traumatized victims. Dr. Joseph’s study recorded the personal accounts of trafficking victims in India, which is a major hub of the more than 700,000 victims trafficked worldwide each year. Further, the report addresses a new angle on recovery, highlighting how forgiveness, faith and future-mindedness play a fundamental role in the healing process.
Dr. Joseph has worked for over seven years with the Office of Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State, Congress, and the White House as an advocate for religious freedom and human rights issues in India and other nations. Joseph says of the crisis, "Everyone at all levels--locally, nationally, and internationally—must redouble their efforts to get the word out to the poorest neighborhoods about the lies that lead to trafficking. The successful prosecution of those involved in these crimes against humanity must be a focus of the community at all levels."
Dr. Joseph plans to open the Victory Center, a place that will provide shelter, counseling, job training and placement for trafficked victims to help them start new lives. Further, the Center will work with the Indian government and law enforcement officers to promote greater awareness of this serious issue and provide legal training to aid in the prosecution efforts.
John M. Templeton, Jr., M.D., President and Chairman of the John Templeton Foundation said, "It is the hope of the John Templeton Foundation that on the basis of this research and careful analysis of Victor Joseph and his colleagues using India as a case study, that there will be a coherent, committed, and realistic engagement among all aspects of global society against this cruel manipulation and abuse of the most vulnerable among us. This engagement clearly must involve a genuine beneficial impact of coordinated suppression of this system of abuse, and concrete progress towards the recovery and restoration of for the victims of trafficking in persons."
For more information or to obtain a copy of the report, please visit www.agapeim.org To interview Dr. Joseph, please contact Dale Didion at 202-544-5430.
Agape International Ministries (AIM) is taking the lead to work with the Indian government and several NGOs who work in this field. We are committed to help eradicate this modern-day slavery, as well as to help in the recovery and reintegration of formerly trafficked victims back into society.

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Their Protection is in Our Hands

Their Protection is in Our Hands - The State of Global Child Trafficking for Sexual Purposes, ECPAT International and The Body Shop, 2009:

This report provides a global overview of the trafficking of children and young people for sexual purposes, the range of interventions needed to combat trafficking, the need for a holistic and integrated approach, and nations' goals and targets for reducing trafficking.

View the full report

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The Onion

Dear Friends:

Good news! Some of you may remember my email of August 27 (and if not see below) concerning The Onion's T-shirt with the offensive slogan, "My Friend Went to Thailand and All I Got Was This Lousy Kidnapped Prostitute." Well, the good news is that the T-shirt has been removed from The Onion's on-line store!!! See: http://store.theonion.com/my-friend-went-to-thailand-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-prostitute-new-p-1027.html

Let's take a moment and celebrate this victory over those who mock abuse and exploitation! It was your calls and emails that made the difference! This just goes to show that making our voices heard can bring about change.

Now, you might want to take a few minutes and call or write them with a thank you. Call 1-800-280-1791(email details are below).

Abolition!

Lisa
(P.S. You might periodically check their website to make sure the T-shirt does not reappear later.)

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Shattered Hearts: The commercial sexual exploitation of American Indian Women and Girls in Minnesota

Dear Friends:

I am happy to forward the attached report Shattered Hearts: The commercial sexual exploitation of American Indian Women and Girls in Minnesota completed by the Minnesota Indian Women's Resources Center (MIWC).

Also, for those of you in Minnesota there will be a presentation on the findings of the report at MIWRC office on Tuesday, Sept. 22nd from 2 – 4pm in their Community Room. They are located at 2300 15th Ave. South in Minneapolis. Please join them, and invite anyone you think may be interested in the discussion. All are welcome.

Abolition!

Lisa

Read more!

Congo: Saving Witches in Kolwezi

Dear Friends:
Here is an article to follow-up on the report about witchcraft accusations and exploitation of children and others sent earlier today. There is some good news: orthodox Christians are responding to the problem of abuse of children accused of witchcraft.

Additionally, here are two resources helpful for instruction about the value and dignity of children from a Christian Perspective.

1. Celebrating Children: Equipping People Working with Children and Young People Living in Difficult Circumstances Around the World
Editors: Glenn Miles and Josephine-Joy Wright
http://www.amazon.com/Celebrating-Children-Circumstances-Paternoster-Theological/dp/1842270605/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253037834&sr=1-1

2. Understanding God's Heart for Children: Toward a Biblical Framework
Editors: Douglas McConnell, Jennifer Orona, and Paul Stockley
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Gods-Heart-Children-Framework/dp/1934068470

Abolition!

Lisa

Saving Witches in Kolwezi

Accused of witchcraft by parents and churches, children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are being rescued by Christian activists.
Isaac Phiri posted 9/15/2009 09:21AM

Ignace Maloba, a Wesleyan pastor in rural Congo, has had an unexpected new ministry as of late: hunting child witches. Four years ago, local informants led him to the dusty back streets of Kolwezi, a copper-mining town 160 miles from Lubumbashi, a major city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire).


After traversing the area several times, Maloba finally found the "witches"—two girls and four boys incarcerated in a forlorn church compound. "I was extremely surprised," the pastor told Christianity Today.

At the request of local church leaders, CT visited this area of Congo to report on how churches are handling—and mishandling—abandoned children who face accusations of sorcery and witchcraft due to parental neglect, birth defects, and disability. Tragically, some pastors attempt exorcisms in which they place children's hands in near-boiling water to purge "spirits," resulting in severe burns.

One couple, Astrid Kayanga and her pastor-husband, Ngube Ngube, told CT about making routine pastoral visits one Sunday afternoon in Kasulu, a bustling community near Lubumbashi. They visited one home several times, each time hearing a child weeping in the backyard. Finally, Pastor Ngube asked to see the child. His request quickly turned into a rescue mission for 4-year-old Deborah, a suspected "sorcerer."

Coordinated Church Response

As pastors and ministry leaders in Kasulu compared notes, they came to realize the size of the problem: Parents were abandoning thousands of children, leaving them to survive on the streets of the DRC's major cities.

The problem can grow much worse. With 66.5 million people, the DRC has one of the world's fastest growing populations. About 47 percent is at or below age 15. A 2005 Save the Children report estimated that 2,000 children in the urban area of Kinshasa were accused of sorcery, and that at least another 10,000 children nationwide may have also been victims. HIV/AIDS puts many children at risk for abandonment. The country has 300,000 orphans whose parents have died of AIDS, and 50,000 children are HIV-positive. About 75 percent of children accused of sorcery or witchcraft are male, according to the International Catholic Child Bureau. The cycle of abandonment and accusation occurs in many central African countries.

An evening walk around Lubumbashi can be frightening not only because of the high rate of violent crime committed by adults, but also because of the gangs of starving children known to attack people to steal cash, clothes, and other personal possessions. An estimated 50 percent of Lubumbashi's street children have been accused of being under the influence of evil powers. Occult practices are still common in many rural African areas.

About three years ago, Christian leaders began pooling resources to educate pastors, parents, and community leaders on the best strategies for response. They drew on local leadership as well as the national and global resources of World Vision.

One Sunday afternoon during CT's visit, Frieda Mwebe decided to skip evening worship at her Lubumbashi Methodist church. Instead, the World Vision staff member jam-packed her Land Cruiser full of training materials for church leaders on how to respond differently when children in their communities are labeled witches. Mwebe slowed down her packing to welcome pastor Aaron Ilunga and Christian broadcaster Jean-Paul Kabange. The men volunteered to join her for a weeklong training workshop for 35 church leaders in Likasi, a ravaged but densely inhabited town 75 miles from Lubumbashi.

According to Mwebe, there are four categories of people intertwined in the child sorcery saga. First, there are the victims, the children. Second, there are the protectors—parents, guardians, and teachers who are supposed to shield children from false accusations. Third, there are the aggressors, who victimize children by accusing them of being witches. Fourth, there are the observers, who do nothing about the children's plight. Mwebe is as enraged by this fourth group as by the second and third.

The Christian response has been complicated by some international agencies, such as UNICEF, that have accused churches of being a major part of the problem. In several high-profile cases, pastors have been implicated in promoting accusations, proclaiming deliverances, charging fees for exorcisms, and failing to report child abuse to police.

Biblical Parenting

The first workshops supported by World Vision began three years ago. Since then, the nonprofit's agenda has expanded beyond witchcraft and sorcery to comprehensive instruction on biblical parenting.

Church leaders are informed about children's dignity in God's eyes as well as their civil rights. Mwebe is clear about the mission: "To train church leaders and pastors so that they can stand up for the rights of accused children."

The training started in major cities, but the most intense need is in remote areas. In Kamina, 400 miles from Lubumbashi, a woman reportedly sacrificed her six children to God. She was part of a religious movement that attempts to follow Abraham's example of being ready to sacrifice his son Isaac. The woman was jailed, but Mwebe fears more parents could follow in her footsteps unless church leaders receive in-depth teaching on how to interpret Scripture and how to treat children.

During the Likasi workshop, Pastor Ilunga plows through the Old and New Testaments to show the status of children in God's plan. Any thought that children are second-class is unscriptural, he says. Like adults, minors are children of God, and thus inherit the same rights. Church leaders must understand that children are an integral part of the church and should be ministered to in full. Churches must therefore protect children from abuse and false accusations.

Ilunga teaches from first-hand experience. His church in Lubumbashi has 100 adults and 150 young children. One Sunday morning, two girls stunned their Sunday school teacher when they walked up to her and said, "Please pray for us. We are sorcerers."

Ilunga decided to minister to these children. "Do you believe that Jesus is powerful enough to break the power of Satan?" That was all he asked the 12-year-olds. Once they said yes, he prayed for them and sent them home. The Sunday school teacher later visited the girls' homes, and their parents started attending church.

But not all such episodes are easy successes. Another child at Pastor Ilunga's church went home excited after receiving prayer. She told her grandmother. But the grandmother had initiated the girl into witchcraft. Eventually, Ilunga took the girl into his home, later reconciling her with another relative.

Many church leaders are unaware of how widespread witchcraft accusations are. In August 2006, Pastor Maloba was invited to a workshop in Kolwezi. He listened doubtfully as Mwebe of World Vision pleaded with church leaders to consider the protection of children an integral part of their ministry. "To protect children is an obligation, not an option," she argued.

Maloba remained unconvinced. "I decided to go into the field and see for myself if this was true," he told CT at the Likasi meeting, where he was now presenting. It did not take much effort: His own neighbors told him of cases of children being driven away from their homes or handed over to "prophets" to receive exorcism.

"This made me see that the problem existed near my home," Maloba said. The discovery drove him to action, and he began locating children held in church compounds in which they were being "delivered" from evil spirits.

"Which one is the witch here?" he would ask the harassed minors.

He would then negotiate their release to their families or to a facility for vulnerable children. He joined a network of 65 congregations in Kolwezi working together to help such children. He also began using his weekly broadcast on a local Christian radio station to discuss the problem. Due to Maloba's efforts, 33 children have been reintegrated into their families, and in total, newly trained leaders have intervened to resolve abandonment and false charges against more than 800 children in the region.

Pastors have also agreed to abide by a new code of conduct when a child is accused of sorcery. The first rule: Don't do anything Jesus wouldn't do, including any form of torture.

Complex Causes

Lack of awareness extends beyond the church. Many government officials are just as ignorant. In Likasi, local officials responsible for children and youth confidently told CT that there were no cases of child sorcery in their town.

One day later, CT came across credible reports that an abandoned child was about to be attacked by a local mob after being labeled as under the influence of evil spirits.

University of Lubumbashi psychologist Mukendi Nkongolo told CT that a variety of reasons lie behind the charges. Among the chronic poor, parents may use witchcraft as an excuse to abandon their children to reduce the family's financial burden.

The displacement of people by economic or political crises leads to densely crowded living in towns and cities. Cut off from their extended families, children find it hard to disprove accusations and thus suffer the most.

Professor Nkongolo says some religious leaders make things worse, citing as an example a church leader in Lubumbashi who diagnosed four children as "full of bad spirits." The treatment: "He took a burning piece of wood and put it on their bodies."

Such abuse is a serious crime. Lubumbashi judge Arthur Ndalama does not mince words about such cases. "The law requires us to work with evidence," he told CT. "We consider the children victims." Penalties that Ndalama can impose range from one month to one year in jail for child abuse. He sends more serious cases to higher courts, which can impose harsher sentences.

Asked about the case of the pastor claiming to exorcise children by burning them, Ndalama quickly responded, "He is in jail right now." But he does not rejoice in sending religious leaders to jail. "It is really hard because people put so much trust in pastors."

Church leaders committed to orthodox ministry are deeply troubled by these events. CT sat down with four pastors in the second-floor lounge of Channel of Life, an FM radio station that broadcasts to Lubumbashi's 1.3 million citizens.

One of the pastors, Alexander Nkongolo of Kolwezi-based Salvation of the Christian Union, is infuriated by bogus preachers who, claiming the power to deliver, end up burning, beating, and abusing children.

"I do not like this kind of thing. They are not doing deliverance," he emphasized. "If they were doing true deliverance, I would be happy."

Lubumbashi pastor Mwamba Mushikonke added that churches where these abuses occur are steeped in mysticism and chase after miracles. According to Mushikonke, adults are promised blessings, but when the blessings do not come, a child—usually an orphan in the community—is picked on and said to be the hindrance to a spiritual breakthrough.

"This is because the children are defenseless," Mushikonke said.

Kasanda Mandolo, another Lubumbashi pastor, agreed.

"The pastors claim to be engaged in spiritual warfare, but are simply after money," he said. When pastors' spiritual weapons appear to not work, they have to find a reason to explain the failure of their claims. "They promise someone that he will find a job after prayers, but if the person fails to find a job because of economic conditions in the country, they accuse a child of bringing bad luck."

Mandolo believes the government must do something to bring these wayward churches and preachers under control. "You will find 20 churches on every street," he observed. "Why let everyone do what they want?"

Mandolo wants to make it clear that he is not calling for the state to manage churches but to institute at least some oversight. "Let the government issue licenses to legitimate ministers," he suggested.

In the end, the four pastors agreed that the core problem is inadequate training and lack of discipline. "Where pastors are properly trained, there are no such practices," said Ilunga, also a teacher at a Lubumbashi Bible college. Most preachers who abuse children are poorly trained and resist the authority of legitimate church structures. "When they are excommunicated, they decide to start their own church," said Ilunga.

Mwebe glows as she listens to the pastors debate the child sorcery issue with so much conviction. So does Channel of Life station manager and broadcaster Kabange, who has been at the forefront of using radio to raise awareness among adults and children. After the group interview, Kabange chats with some of the pastors about featuring them on future broadcasts about child sorcery.

Left to Die

At the time of their intervention, Astrid and husband Ngube took one look at the frail, 4-year-old Deborah and were horrified. Forsaking traditional courtesies, Ngube demanded, "Can I take this child?"

"Yes, you can," came the soulless response.

They rushed home to bathe Deborah and give her food and medicine. The next morning, a doctor tested her for HIV. The test came back negative. For the most part, Deborah was suffering from malnourishment.

They later discovered that Deborah was an orphan. Relatives had taken her in but had soon concluded that she was evil. They had dumped her in the hot, garbage-strewn backyard without food, water, or any care. She was left to die. Today, Astrid eagerly shows off photos of Deborah, now 6, playing.

In Kolwezi, Pastor Maloba hones his ability to discover children falsely accused of witchcraft and sorcery. He believes that if more churches get involved, fewer and fewer children will be incarcerated in desolate church compounds.

"God, we know you are powerful"—this is his prayer nowadays. Deborah, along with the thousands of other child "sorcerers" rescued by church action, would agree.

Isaac Phiri is a journalist based in Lusaka, Zambia.

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Witchcraft Accusations and Human Trafficking

Dear Friends:

Below you will find a link to a remarkable 2009 report entitled: Witchcraft Accusations: A Protection Concern for UNHCR and the Wider Humanitarian Community? Paper Presented by Gary Foxcroft, Programme Director, Stepping Stones Nigeria to UNHCR. (Additionally there is a link to an excerpt from a documentary on this subject).

This report is especially noteworthy. First, it discusses the rise in the phenomenon in many parts of the world but particularly portions of Africa, in which witchcraft accusations are being made against vulnerable and marginalized persons -- especially children, impoverished women, the elderly and albinos. Second, it links such accusations of witchcraft with an increased vulnerability to human trafficking and trafficking of human body parts. Third, it explains that these witchcraft accusations are often made by so-called pastors of Pentecostal revivalist movements who label children as "witches" principally for economic gain and self-aggrandizement.

Here is a passage from the report which explains the types of horrifying violence and abuse that frequently result from witchcraft accusations:

Stepping Stones Nigeria’s research has shown that widespread violations of
children’s rights are taking place on a daily basis in Akwa Ibom State due to
the belief in witchcraft. Suspected child ‘witches’ have been found by Stepping
Stones Nigeria to have been abandoned by their parents/ guardians, taken to the
forest and slaughtered, bathed in acid, burned alive, poisoned to death with a
local poison berry, buried alive, drowned or imprisoned and tortured in churches
in order to extract a “confession”. Children who have some form of disability or
unique character trait such as erratic behaviour, bedwetting or epilepsy are
especially vulnerable to witchcraft accusations. The vast majority of children
accused of witchcraft are orphans of at least one parent and many have been
accused of witchcraft when the surviving parent remarries and the incoming
spouse does not wish to support the children of the previous partner.

This phenomenon is incredibly tragic. The violence and abuse perpetrated against those accused of witchcraft is horrifying in and of itself. It is all the more appalling that this abuse is happening in some cases at urging or the hands of supposed religious leaders who affiliate themselves with Christianity.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that witchcraft does not exist or that there are not actual witches and warlocks. Christianity acknowledges that there are demons, demon possession, and that sorcery exists. What I am saying, is that Christianity in no way endorses rituals of abuse and torture to be carried out on those alleged to be witches, and in no way tolerates the abuse of torture of persons -- most especially children.

Thus, this report is most certainly a must read for leaders of Christian denominations, ministries, and parachurch groups. Every effort must be made by the church to root out persons who carry out such heinous acts in the name of the Christian faith. Moreover, we should all do everything in our power to prevent the spread of this phenomenon and to assist those at risk or already harmed by these dreadful practices.

Action item: Please forward this email to your religious leader, and pray, pray, pray!

Abolition!

Lisa

Report: http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org/files/UN_doc.pdfVideo excerpt from Saving Africa's Witch Children: http://www.strimoo.com/video/15806468/Saving-Africa-s-Witch-Children-Veoh.html

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9 Women Rescued from Fake Reality Show Contest

Dear Friends:

Here is a noteworthy report. Note how in this case the recruitment tactic used by the exploiters (they sound very much like human traffickers) was an opportunity to participate in a reality television show.

Additionally, some of the information in the report seems conflicting. On the one hand, it is alleged the women were photographed naked and that these photos were sold on the internet, while another source reports that the women were not sexually abused, but forced to wear bikinis and to fight each other. Certainly having nude photographs of oneself sold and distributed via the Internet is a form of sexual exploitation. I would also argue that being forced to wear a bikini is a form of sexual exploitation -- remember we are talking about a Muslim culture were many in society highly esteem modesty.

Abolition!

Lisa

9 Women Rescued from Fake Reality Show Contest
By IBRAHIM USTA, Associated Press Writer Ibrahim Usta, Associated Press Writer

ISTANBUL, Turkey – Turkish military police said Thursday that they had stormed an Istanbul villa to rescue nine women held captive after being tricked into believing they were reality show contestants.

The women were rescued on Monday in the villa in Riva, a summer resort on the outskirts of Istanbul, a spokesman for the military police in the region who carried out the raid told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give details of the raid to the media. He said the women were held captive for around two months but refused to provide further details.

The women were made to believe they were being filmed for a Big Brother-type television show, the private Dogan news agency and other news reports said, without citing sources. Instead, their naked images were sold on the Internet, the reports said.

The women had responded to an ad searching for contestants for a reality show that would be aired on a major Turkish television station, Dogan said. The nine, including a teenager, were selected among several applicants following an interview, it said.

They were made to sign a contract that stipulated that they could have no contact with their families or the outside world and would have to pay a 50,000 Turkish Lira fine (US$33,000; euro23,000) if they left the show before two months, the agency reported.

Dogan and HaberTurk said the women soon realized they were being duped and asked to leave the villa.

The women were told they could not leave unless they paid the fine and those who insisted were threatened, Dogan said.

There were conflicting reports as to how the raid occurred. The Dogan agency said police stormed the villa after some family members complained to police that they were being prevented from contacting the women. The women cried for help when the military police arrived at the villa, it said.

HaberTurk newspaper said one of the women managed to contact a family member and asked for help. The paper did not give a source for the report.

There were also conflicting reports concerning the age of the teenager. Dogan said she was 16 while HaberTurk newspaper gave her age as 15.

HaberTurk said the girls were models from in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya and the Aegean port city of Izmir.

"We were not after the money but we thought our daughter could have the chance of becoming famous if she took part in the contest," the newspaper quoted one of the women's mother as saying. The paper identified her only by her first name, Remziye. "But they have duped us all."

She said the women were not abused or harassed sexually.

They were told however, to fight each other, to wear bikinis and dance by villa's pool, the paper quoted the mother as saying.

HaberTurk said police detained four people who lived with the women at the villa at all times. They were released from custody pending the outcome of a trial, the report said. Their identities were not released and it was not know what the charges were.

It is not unusual for Turkish courts to release suspects from custody if the charges brought don't carry long prison sentences, and the suspects are not likely to escape or tamper with evidence.

HaberTurk said police were still looking for the gang's leader who sold images of the women on the internet, according to the report.

Police refused to comment on the suspects or the charges brought.

The "Big Brother" TV show, which is called "Someone is Watching Us" in Turkish, confines a group of people to a house under the constant gaze of cameras. Contestants are evicted one by one from the house.

Read more!

Dear Friends:

Here is some exciting news from Canada! Why do I think it's exciting that a pro-prostitution lobby in Vancouver is making a public protest about The Salvation Army's anti-trafficking campaign and that they plan to protest our International Weekend of Prayer and Fasting for Victims of Sexual Trafficking being held later this month? Because I take this as a sure sign that by prayer & fasting we are unleashing the forces of God engaged in the unseen battle "against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12)."

We must be doing something right to be getting this type of response! So, with all the more sincerity and passion let's pray and fast, even now, for the victims of sexual trafficking and the commercial sex industry, as well as for The Salvation Army in Canada and their efforts. Please also lift up those who are protesting, in particular Ms. Davis.

Lastly, please keep in mind that sex trafficking doesn't exist in a vacuum. There is a normalized sex industry that generates the demand for females (and some males) for sexual use. Moreover, countless numbers of women in prostitution are victims of sexual trafficking -- just because they may not appear to be forced on the surface does not mean that they are not victims of extreme psychological coercion and physical brutality. Moreover, I think we can all agree that the sex industry is harmful to all persons who come within it's radius -- prostituting persons, pimps & madams, and sex buyers. They all need our prayers, and most especially our love as modeled by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Abolition!

Lisa

http://www2.canada.com/vancouvercourier/news/opinion/story.html?id=4c4e7302-3d0c-44c9-ab3d-649a81d1f5b5&p=2

Pro-prostitution lobby wages war on Salvation Army
Protesters will target prayer vigils
Mark Hasiuk
Vancouver Courier
Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Name the greatest threat to Vancouver prostitutes toiling on street corners and in storefront brothels:
A) pimps B) abusive, disease-carrying johns C) an apathetic public D) the Salvation Army

According to Vancouver's pro-prostitution lobby, the answer is D, the Salvation Army.

Tell them what they've won, Regis...

The Salvation Army launched its local anti-human trafficking campaign last September after working on global sex trade issues for years. The charitable organization joins a growing movement of feminist and church groups who fear a spike in trafficking as the 2010 Winter Olympics draw near.

Human trafficking is among the world's fastest growing criminal industries, rivalling the illegal arms industry and drug trade in scope and impact. According to the U.S. State Department, approximately 800,000 victims are trafficked annually across international borders. Victims include women and children from Asia, South America and Eastern Europe.

In Vancouver, where brothels bloom like dandelions in some neighbourhoods, the magnitude of the problem is unknown. Due to a lack of law enforcement, Vancouver's sex trade industry--fuelled by domestic and international trafficking--remains a mystery.

Like most other anti-trafficking campaigns, the Salvation Army campaign targets the demand side of prostitution--pimps and johns. Last month the Salvation Army hung posters, depicting young women being beaten and abused, above urinals in downtown bars.

"This is a bold step for the Salvation Army," says Brian Venables, a Salvation Army spokesperson and chief architect of the campaign. "We've stepped out of the shadows and said this isn't going to happen anymore, and we're going to do what we can to stop it."

The pro-prostitution lobby is not amused.

The Salvation Army received several threatening emails about the campaign, but Venables says the criticism is misguided. "Our campaign is not against or about prostitution, it's about people who are forced into sex slavery," he says. "The issue is about those who don't have a choice."

But according to Susan Davis, a vocal member of Vancouver's pro-prostitution lobby, anti-trafficking campaigns are dangerous. Such campaigns, she says, prompt law enforcement to raid massage parlours--which she describes as "safe work places"--and drive the industry underground.

However, according to the city's licensing department, no massage parlours have been shut down this year.

Davis, a 41-year-old career prostitute, also claims that "Vancouver police are raiding Asian massage parlours" in a "racist and anti-immigrant" assault on the industry.

While the VPD cited "ongoing investigations," no massage parlours have been raided this year.

In fact, more than 50 de facto brothels--officially known as health enhancement centres--operate in Vancouver. Countless other unlicensed establishments operate with tacit approval from city hall.

Davis also attacked UBC law professor Ben Perrin, Canada's foremost expert on human trafficking. (The Salvation Army crafts its campaign on information complied by Perrin and others. The Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada and the U.S. State Department have confirmed Perrin's findings.) Perrin, she says, uses "fear mongering" and "demonization" to promote his anti-trafficking agenda.

Perrin dismisses the attack, noting Davis unsuccessfully lobbied in 2007 for legalized brothels in Vancouver. "This a pro-brothel lobby group," he says, "whose business is threatened by individuals who try to help people exit the sex trade and who try to confront exploitive pimps and traffickers."

Davis plans to mobilize other pro-prostitution activists and protest the Salvation Army's upcoming day of prayer, scheduled at churches and Salvation Army sites for Sept. 27.

She also targets Salvation Army volunteers who will visit Downtown Eastside street corners to pray for the anguished and abused. Davis plans to produce pamphlets warning street prostitutes about the Salvation Army threat. The pamphlets, she says, will be distributed by the publicly funded Mobile Access Project--also known as the MAP van. MAP van spokesperson Kate Gibson says she was unaware of Davis's plans but didn't rule out distributing the pamphlets.

"There's potential for a violent clash between sex workers and Salvation Army people, who have no comprehension of the way that we live," says Davis. "They assume we need rescue when in fact what we need is rights."

Davis may not need rescue. The vocal members of Vancouver's pro-prostitution lobby claim to live charmed lives.

But considering the widespread misery and abuse associated with the sex trade, her opposition to the Salvation Army campaign is desperate and her intentions are small.

Nevertheless, when she waves her placard in protest outside a Salvation Army church, she'll be included in those prayers--whether she likes it or not. (Amen to that! - Lisa)

© Vancouver Courier 2009

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Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys

Dear Friends:

At the request of SAGE (Standing Against Global Exploitation) I am circulating their statement concerning the publication of the book Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys. They emphatically want people to know that the book's authors have no current association with SAGE. I have to say this news comes as quite a relief having read the book review earlier this week and being shocked at the alleged association. Tragically SAGE's name has been horribly misrepresented and its clients' confidentially violated.

Abolition!

Lisa
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Dear Colleagues & Allies of The SAGE Project,

Recently a book titled, Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys was published by Soft Skull Press. This book is being promoted as a "bestseller" in Borders, on the New York Times, Amazon, and on "sex worker" websites as a book supported by SAGE (Standing Against Global Exploitation, www.sagesf.org).

On August 23rd, the New York Times published a review of the book which states that the editors, David Henry Sterry and R. J. Martin Jr., are currently affiliated with the SAGE Project. We want to share with you a letter that we have sent to the New York Times to address the fact that these two individuals are no longer affiliated with the organization.

We are outraged by the way this publication has been marketed and the method through which its content was secured; the book does not honor client confidentiality, naming clients currently and formerly engaged in our programs. One individual happened to stumble upon the book in a writing group and was surprised to find stories she had written in the publication. She, like many of our SAGE clients continues to be connected with the organization and her resilience and strength do not appear in the book. No effort was made to contact her prior to publication.

We are writing to you, our allies and colleagues, to let you know that SAGE’s mission and work have not changed. We stand committed to our goal to bring an end to the trauma, pain, and degradation inflicted by commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

We will update you as we move forward in addressing this issue.

The SAGE Project, Inc.

Editor
The New York Times Book Review

Sir or Madame:
We are writing to clarify statements and inferences that appeared in Toni Bentley’s review of Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys (August 23, 2009).

The SAGE Project is an internationally recognized human rights organization that provides important and life-saving services for children and adults in the San Francisco area. The ultimate "project" of SAGE is to help bring about an end to commercial sexual exploitation of adults and children. Commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking are inherently harmful and have long-term negative impacts on their victims, from trauma, to physical/health implications, to socio-economic effects. SAGE does not support any system of commercial sexual exploitation. Seventy-five percent of our staff members are survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and all of our programs are survivor centered.

The book’s authors, R. J. Martin and David Sterry have no current connection with the SAGE Project. Mr. Martin was SAGE’s Development Director but left to pursue other interests at the end of 2006. Mr. Sterry was a SAGE board member from 2004 to 2006.

We have not given any permission to the authors of this book to connect SAGE with their publication. We are outraged by this misprint and want to emphasize the importance of making this correction in next Sunday’s Review.

Very truly yours,

Francine Braae
Allen Wilson
Co-Executive Directors

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54 Colombian women victims of human trafficking

Tuesday, 01 September 2009 17:55 Neda Vanovac

54 Colombian women have been detained in Trinidad and Tobago as part of a human trafficking network, Caracol Radio reported on Tuesday.

Ilba Miriam Hoyos Castañeda, assistant Attorney General for the Rights of Child, Adolescent and Family, said that human trafficking in Colombia, which is part of continent-wide networks, is a very sensitive issue.

She said that a report had been received regarding the incarceration of Colombian women in a Trinidad and Tobago prison. The women, she said, were victims of a trafficking network operating inside the country, using the corridor of La Dorada in Caldas, Buenaventura, and the Cauca Valley in Cali in Colombia's south. From there the women were transferred to Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago.

According to Hoyos Castañeda, the organizer of the trafficking network denounced the Trinidadian authorities for their failure to uncover his illicit doings.

The position of the imprisoned Colombian women is particularly difficult as many of them are pregnant and in poor health. The Attorney added that the issue is further complicated by the fact that human trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago is not a crime.

To make matters worse, there is no Colombian consulate in Trinidad and Tobago, so all paperwork must be processed through Venezuela. For this reason, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is trying to provide advice and support to the detained women in order to expedite their freedom.

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Afghan U.S. Embassy patrol in 'deviant' parties with booze, hookers

Dear Friends:

It's good this has come to light, but it certainly is a national shame for the U.S. It will be interesting to see if any criminal charges arise following the investigation. And of course, there is the question of the fate of the prostituted women these men were using. Those women very possibly could have been victims of sexual trafficking.

Abolition!

Lisa

Afghan U.S. Embassy patrol in 'deviant' parties with booze, hookers - report
BY Richard Sisk
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
Wednesday, September 2nd 2009, 4:00 AM

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Clinton ordered an investigation on Tuesday into the Animal House revels of private guards at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan - including booze, hookers and other "deviant behavior."

"These are very serious allegations, and we are treating them that way," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said of photo and e-mail evidence of the "climate of fear and coercion" at the living quarters of ArmorGroup guards.

The investigation by the State Department's inspector general follows a shocking report to Clinton by the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight detailing a "Lord of the Flies environment" at the Camp Sullivan compound a few miles from the embassy in Kabul. Prostitutes allegedly were brought in for birthday parties, drunken guards engaged in brawls and boozy lawn parties turned into naked affairs where guests urinated on one another, according to photos and videos obtained by the nonprofit group.

Clinton has "zero tolerance" for the behavior described and has directed a "review of the whole system" for farming out security to private contractors that may have threatened the safety of embassy personnel, Kelly said.

Earlier, hearings in June by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), head of the subcommittee on contractor oversight, questioned whether the contract with ArmorGroup, now owned by Wackenhut Services Inc., should be renewed.

In a separate letter to Clinton, McCaskill said the Project on Government Oversight report "calls into question the ability of the contractor to provide sufficient security for the embassy."
Wackenhut did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The report found sleep-deprived guards regularly logging 14-hour days, language barriers that impair critical communications and a failure by the State Department to hold the contractor accountable.

About 300 of the 450 ArmorGroup guards employed to protect 1,000 personnel at the embassy are Nepalese Gurkhas and the rest are a mix of Australian, South African and American expats, the oversight project report said.

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Africa Goes Hardcore

Dear Friends:

The following article is noteworthy for two reasons: 1) For its reporting on the globalization of pornography and its harmful effects, and 2) that despite the author's observations of rape and violence following pornography screenings in Ghana, the only solutions he posits are the distribution of condom-using pornography, and porn industry led "safe-sex campaigns"! So, what, the men can rape village women while wearing condoms? To borrow an analogy, this is like requesting men who batter their partners to please wear boxing gloves before they beat their wives/girlfriends.

The problem is the pornography itself; it as plain as day. You cannot socialize men to the sex in pornography, and expect it to have no real world consequences. Sex in pornography is devoid of relationships, affection, tenderness, expressions of love, and typically lacks foreplay and afterplay. It is rife with violence. A recent content analysis of 50 best-selling adult videos revealed that across all scenes, a total of 3,376 verbal and/or physically aggressive acts were observed. On average, scenes had 11.52 acts of either verbal or physical aggression, and ranged from none to 128. Forty-eight percent of the 304 scenes analyzed contained verbal aggression, while more than 88% showed physical aggression. Seventy-two percent of aggressive acts were perpetrated by men; 87% of aggressive acts were committed against women. The most common responses victims expressed when aggressed were either pleasure or neutrality. Fewer than 5% of the aggressive acts provoked a negative response from the victim, including flinching and requests to stop the action. This pornographic "reality" was further highlighted by the relative infrequency of more positive behaviors, such as verbal compliments, embracing, kissing, or laughter.

Clearly, then, pornography is a problem no latex barrier can remedy.

Abolition!

Lisa

Africa Goes Hardcore
Tim Samuels
August 30, 2009

I used to think porn was tremendously good fun. The adolescent thrill of sneaking a copy of Fiesta home inside the Manchester Evening News. Crowding around a PC at university as a smutty picture revealed itself pixel by pixel. Even the equine VHS shown during my first job at GQ gave everyone a good, if not queasy, lads-mag laugh.

Any anti-porn voices felt like killjoy whines echoing from the outskirts of Greenham Common. By the time I'd left the lads-mag cocoon, porn was almost part of the mainstream furniture. But the proliferation of free and utterly hardcore websites visited by kids in their global droves did spark an interest in investigating the industry.

The moment porn truly stopped being fun came in a remote Ghanaian village – mud huts, barefoot kids, no electricity. The BBC series I was making about the impact of porn had led me via LA to Ghana. One of the unforeseen consequences of globalisation is the shocking effect that western porn is having in parts of the developing world.

The village has no electricity, but that doesn't stop a generator from being wheeled in, turning a mud hut into an impromptu porn cinema – and turning some young men into rapists, with villagers relating chilling stories of assaults taking place straight after the film's end. In the nearest city, other young men are buying bootlegs copies of the almost always condom-free LA-made porn – copying directly what they see and contracting HIV. The head of the country's Aids commission says porn risks destroying all the achievements they've made. It's a timebomb, he says.

The concerns aren't theoretical – I met young fathers with HIV whose only sex education came from LA, women living in the villages subject to post-screening abuse, and even a shy teenage virgin who has written to a porn outfit in California asking to star in their films (his return address was care of the local church in Accra).

The porn producers aren't deliberately pushing their products into Africa. But the tide of black market DVDs on sale at street markets and hardcore clips viewable at internet cafes is almost unstoppable. Surely this multibillion-dollar industry needs to take some responsibility for the human costs?

Since the only sex education some people in places such as Ghana are getting is via porn films, there is a decent argument for the porn industry to produce more films where performers use condoms. In LA, where the majority of the world's porn is still shot, only one company routinely makes such films. The condom-only policy adopted following an industry HIV outbreak five years ago lasted just months.

If the ambition is to put more condom-using porn into circulation, which will then more likely end up in those street markets or cafes, some serious multinationals could throw their corporate weight behind this. Hotel chains – among the biggest broadcasters of adult material – have not used their immense clout to insist on greater condom use – much to the dismay of the porn-star STD-testing clinic in LA.

Mobile phone firms are also surreptitiously making jaw-dropping amounts of money from showing adult content on their handsets. Could their ideas of corporate responsibility take on a latex dimension? Might it actually be that ridiculous for the porn industry itself to adopt a spot of corporate responsibility? These are, after all, major businesses replete with HR departments and plush offices nestling next to mainstream film companies. Bankroll sex safe campaigns, harness the allure of their top stars, maybe even make bespoke films for the developing world which educate as well as titillate. Doing nothing, and leaving western porn to march untrammelled into Africa and other places, is a deeply unattractive prospect.

Tim Samuels's series, Hardcore Profits, starts tonight on BBC2

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Sex-Tourism Operation Nets Three

Dear Friends:

Some good news -- more exploiters have been caught and are facing prosecution.

Abolition!

Lisa

Sex-tourism operation nets three, Justice Department says
updated 12:08 a.m. EDT, Tue September 1, 2009

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Three men charged with sexually exploiting Cambodian children are being brought back to the United States to face prosecution, the Justice Department announced Monday.

The men are among the first charged under an international law enforcement initiative specifically targeting Americans traveling to Cambodia for the purpose of sexually abusing children.

The initiative, Operation Twisted Traveler, is an effort by the Justice Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to crack down on sex tourism.

"The men charged in this investigation apparently thought they could pursue their abhorrent desires by leaving the United States to prey on children in another country, but they were sadly mistaken," U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien said in a statement.

"We are now working closer than ever with officials in other nations and concerned private parties to take every effort we can to identify and prosecute sex tourists, as well as to provide every protection we can to the world's children."

Ronald Boyajian, 49, Erik Peeters, 41, and Jack Sporich, 75, are each charged with international travel and engaging in sexual contact with minors, a charge carrying a maximum prison sentence of 30 years, according to the Justice Department.

They are slated to make their first appearances in federal court on Tuesday, the Justice Department indicated in a news release.

The defendants are charged with international travel and engaging in sexual contact with minors, a charge carrying a maximum prison sentence of 30 years for each of their alleged victims, according to the department.

They are charged under the federal Protect Act, enacted six years ago to strengthen federal laws relating to predatory crimes against children outside U.S. borders, the department added.

The three defendants were apprehended, according to Immigration and Customs officials, as a result of information provided by the human rights organization International Justice Mission and the group Action Pour les Enfants, which combats child exploitation.

All three men have been previously convicted of sex offenses in the United States, the Justice Department noted in its statement.

"These types of cases are disturbing not only because young, defenseless children were victimized in unspeakable ways but also because the defendants went to such lengths to engage in their dark activities overseas," O'Brien said at a news conference.

He highlighted the case against Peeters, who was convicted on child molestation charges in 1990.

"Our case against Mr. Peeters outlines evidence of him allegedly molesting Cambodian boys, paying them small amounts of money -- $5 to $10 -- and possibly taking digital pictures of his young victims while they were naked," O'Brien noted.

He said Peeters molested at least three boys in Cambodia over the course of several months. One of the boys was 12 years old when the abuse is said to have started.

Boyajian is said to have "engaged in sexual activity with a 10-year-old Vietnamese girl in an area outside Phnom Penh frequented by child sex tourists known as 'Kilo 11,' " the Justice Department statement said.

Sporich, according to Action Pour les Enfants investigators cited in the government's criminal complaint, repeatedly hosted three Cambodian boys at a residence outside the city of Siem Reap. The complaint states that Sporich "was known to drive his motor bike through the neighborhoods while dropping Cambodian (money) on the street in order to meet kids."

The new charges "clearly demonstrate to the Cambodian people that the United States will not tolerate this type of abuse," said Carol Rodley, the American ambassador to Cambodia.

"These cases not only signal to the Cambodian victims our commitment to justice, but they will also act as a powerful deterrent for those individuals who are contemplating traveling to Cambodia to engage in illegal sexual activity with minors."

The International Labor Organization estimates that at least 12.3 million adults and children are victims of forced labor, bonded labor and sex slavery each year.

Cambodia is one of several countries recently added to a U.S. "watch list" because of what a State Department report calls a worsening human trafficking record in that country.

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Deal Closer on Banning Indoor Prostitution in R.I.

Dear Friends:

Here's an update on the quest to reform the prostitution laws in Rhode Island. The current draft (as described here) sounds very good.

Abolition!

Lisa

By Ray Henry
Published on 8/29/2009

Providence - Indoor prostitution would become a crime in Rhode Island under a draft bill intended to break an impasse between lawmakers eager to shut down brothels and those who oppose penalizing destitute women, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.

Rhode Island is the only state in the country that allows paid sex indoors, however it's legal in some Nevada counties. Brothels operating as thinly disguised saunas and massage parlors advertise "Beautiful Asian Girls," "Table Shower" and "Body Shampoo" in a weekly newspaper.

The flourishing sex trade is the consequence of a legislative mistake in 1980. Trying to crack down on street walkers plaguing a Providence neighborhood, lawmakers passed an anti-prostitution law that punished prostitutes who operate in public but was silent on paid sex in private.

After years of trying, House and Senate lawmakers passed conflicting bills this year trying to close that loophole but could not agree on the penalties and other specifics before taking a summer break. The recent draft reflects ongoing talks between negotiators for the General Assembly, police, prosecutors and Gov. Don Carcieri.

Under the draft, prostitution would become a petty misdemeanor regardless where it occurs. Those convicted would face a maximum six months in prison and up to a $250 fine. Customers convicted of a second offense could be punished by one year in prison and a $500 fine.

Approving those penalties would represent a concession from Senate lawmakers, who earlier approved a bill making first offenses a violation, a minor offense that prosecutors compared to a speeding ticket. Only those convicted of a third offense would have faced jail time.

The draft retained a House feature allowing the acquittal of accused prostitutes who claim they were forced into sex work by someone who threatened them, held them against their will or took their immigration paperwork, making it difficult to escape.

Sen. Paul Jabour, D-Providence, one of the original bill sponsors, had not seen the draft Friday afternoon. He said the negotiators still are working and that lawmakers always can amend legislation as they see fit.

Another sponsor, Rep. Joanne Giannini, D-Providence, also had not seen the document but said there was no deal. She said House staffers still are working on additional drafts.

Sen. Rhoda Perry, who has opposed jailing prostitutes suffering from poverty or drug addiction, said reaching a deal would be easier if the final bill included assurances that prostitutes could get education, job training, housing and other help.

"The intent of the General Assembly is not just to prosecute and lock up these women and leave them to their own poverty," Perry said.

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Back on the Soap Box

Simon Houpt
From Friday's Globe and Mail Last updated on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 02:56AM EDT

This month, as customers at the Body Shop traipse through the store's cheerful aisles sampling the Earth-friendly emollients, lipsticks and face washes, salespeople are approaching them to ask if they have heard about the company's campaign to halt global sex trafficking. [see: http://thebodyshop-ca.stores.yahoo.net/landing-stop-trafficking.html]

Since its founding in the mid-1970s, the Body Shop has always aligned itself with liberal causes, from saving whales to halting domestic violence. But this may be the most fraught issue it has ever tackled.

"I think we've always looked at challenging issues," said Shelley Simmons, the company's director of values, Americas. "I think this is probably the most challenging issue we've taken on because it is so shocking."

And the company is treading carefully. Though the campaign is getting prominent placement on its website, shoppers in its stores are not confronted with any details of sex trafficking unless they accept a pamphlet. In some of the more sensitive markets, such as Saudi Arabia, the company is not even using the word sex.

Still, the campaign represents a return to the roots of the Body Shop, which moved away from emphasizing its causes after it was acquired by L'Oréal in 2006. And it is coming at a time when the entire field of cause marketing, by which companies embrace ethical practices or align themselves with cause-oriented non-profits, is exploding.

Hardly a day goes by without a marketer announcing a new socially oriented initiative. In the spring, the soup company Campbell gave away more than 20 million tomato plant seeds to consumers and students through an American gardening organization. The maker of Hellman's mayonnaise is promising to donate up to $25,000 if Canadian customers do their part for the local food movement. Pampers is donating the cost of one tetanus vaccine for a pregnant American for each package it sells of specially marked diapers. Tide runs a mobile Laundromat for families affected by natural disasters.

Last week, Cadbury Canada kicked off an online contest by which customers could help a charity win $100,000. This week, the chocolate maker announced it was converting its flagship Dairy Milk bar to fair trade cocoa, pledging to pay its farmers in Ghana an above-market price for their beans.

Philanthropy in the service of brand buffing, of course, goes back hundreds of years, if not thousands. (Certainly, the Medici banking family wasn't hurt by their support of otherwise-starving Renaissance-era artists.) But a confluence of factors has led to businesses getting religion in the last few years. And it's good timing, because the exploding interest in philanthropy comes as many non-profits have seen the source of their primary support – private foundations that were perhaps too heavily invested in the markets – seriously stumble over the past year.

Perhaps the greatest pressure on businesses to embrace ethics has come from the Internet, which has given a wide platform to eagle-eyed Ralph Nader wannabes lying in wait for companies to make a misstep.

"There is tremendous transparency in business," says Carol Cone, the chairman and founder of Cone Inc., a Boston-based strategic communications firm specializing in social engagement. "Businesses need to develop trust with customers, and transparency has allowed us as citizens to really look inside companies."

Ms. Cone notes that, at the same time, those most likely to spend time online – the so-called millennial demographic of under-25-year-olds, who number around 75 million in the United States alone, "are the most socially conscious generation since World War II."

But as businesses have flooded into philanthropy, consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical of their commitment. A recent study by Cone Inc. found that the number of people who had told a friend or family member about a product after hearing of a company's commitment to social issues fell from 43 per cent in 2004 to 30 per cent in 2007.

"It's because of the ‘ribbonization' of America," Ms. Cone said. "What we saw with weakening word of mouth is slapping a ribbon on something doesn't break through any more. Programs need to have depth. Consumers are looking for a significant commitment over time."

Like a flitting lover who wants to take things to the next level, companies have to be sure of their intentions before they jump in, lest they be accused of green washing (a mild but unconvincing embrace of environmental values) or pink washing (a dalliance with women's issues such as breast cancer).

"What consumers look for is ethos," says Chris Arnold, the founder of Creative Orchestra, an ethically driven London-based advertising agency, and the author of the forthcoming Ethical Marketing and the New Consumer . "This is why branding in a way is dead, because branding is an old-fashioned mentality towards reputation. It's a bit like a layer of makeup and a nice dress: It may look good, but if very quickly you discover the woman wearing it is a bitch, you don't want to see her again," he says.

"We judge people by their personal values. The people you inherently like are the ones who share your values. It's the same with companies," Mr. Arnold adds. "Brands need to remember that, at the end of the day, if people don't like you, you're dead."

Mr. Arnold notes that companies with a caring ethos often have trouble tooting their own horns. "Truly caring companies don't want to brag," he says. "There's a modesty to genuine, caring companies. It's like really nice people; they don't tell you they're nice." That's one of the keys to the Body Shop's success in the area: It has found a way to brag without it seeming like bragging.

But there is hope for everyone, even companies that have strayed from their missions. After getting beaten up for its ties to sweatshop labour practices during the 1990s, Nike has clawed its way back into public affections. Now, through its eponymous foundation, Nike is the major sponsor of an initiative, blessed by the United Nations, known as the Girl Effect, which helps seed grassroots change in the developing world.

"Companies [such as Nike] that have a reawakening are brilliant," Mr. Arnold says. "It's a bit like being caught with your trousers down: You don't ever let it happen again."

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