- 03.06.10
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- 07:18am
Organization Description
Our coalition work brings together the top professionals in the movement to combat slavery and human trafficking to better advocate for the rights of victims.
Abolish Slavery founder, Aaron Cohen, is a human rights activist who has established a modern-day movement to assist displaced peoples, forgive debts, and free slaves around the world. Media stories have lauded his work finding the victims of human trafficking and retrieving thousands of children from slavery and have called him a “Slave Hunter.” Cohen was awarded a Commendation from the County of Los Angeles for his efforts combating human trafficking both at home and abroad, implementing human rights campaigns with music legends, politicians, royals, and religious leaders. On many of his international missions to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Sudan, Ecuador, Columbia, Cambodia, Thailand, and in the Junta ruled Myanmar Burma– Cohen worked undercover and assessed the phenomenon of slavery from the inside. He was recently named by the World War II Memorial Foundation, the Immortal Chaplains, as the recipient of the 2008 Prize for Humanity, and he was honored with a US Congressional Certificate of Merit for his public service.
(More)Abolish Slavery Updates
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With human trafficking and forced servitude still rampant in the 21st century, we're here to give you a glimpse at the history of this tragic issue.
- 06.18.09
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- 08:44pm
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Aaron Cohen's Slave Hunter is on bookstore shelves today. Buy it, read it and then get involved! Human trafficking is one of our most ignored tragedies.
- 06.23.09
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- 02:16pm
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Human trafficking. How about we call this for what it is? Slavery.
Modern day slavery. Here are ten things you need to know about it.- 06.10.09
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- 11:23am
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R&B star Akon has launched a song to commemorate the victims of the slave trade, past and present.
- 03.27.09
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- 04:49pm
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Statistics show that a million to four million kids are trafficked into slavery every year, and that there could be as much as 30 million slaves in the world.
- 01.06.09
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- 12:33pm
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Abolish Slavery Blog
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Written by Sandra Kirkpatrick
The last night I was in Bangkok we went back to a brothel that poses as a hotel for Middle Eastern people. In the basement of the hotel on bright pink platform step...
- Posted on 02.19.09
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- 1 Comment
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- Posted on 01.06.09
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- 0 Comments
Abolish Slavery Leader Supporters
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Because for whatever reason, the number of girls I've saved, or the number of boys I've taken out...
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Photo Gallery
Supported Events
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This year in Park City during the Sundance Film Festival our program won’t be great…it will be Epic! Our line-up of events is off the charts, with a list of very talented Hollywood Industry personalities, corporations, and foundations.
- Jan. 15th, 2009
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- 08:00pm
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As the internet has become more and more a part of the everyday in the U.S. and the global north, questions have arisen.
- Feb. 20th, 2009
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- 02:33pm
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- 02.10.10
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- 11:03am
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- 01.29.10
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- 06:39pm
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Related Activity
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Jamie Wilson donated to Abolish Slavery
- 03.10.10
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- 03:04pm
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Colette Jones donated to Abolish Slavery
- 03.09.10
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- 06:17pm
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Abolish Slavery received an anonymous donation
- 03.09.10
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- 05:56pm
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Steven Tanner donated to Abolish Slavery
- 03.09.10
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- 12:07am
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Abolish Slavery received an anonymous donation
- 03.06.10
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- 06:33pm
Aaron, I commend your selfless work. I tried to make a donation but the Causecast form won't accept my donation without me filling out a "State" and I live in Europe (which does not have States). Your organization is missing out on donations!
This is my story
Belize “worst offender in human trafficking”
I have spent three years in Belize and owned a number of businesses in the country. I had to leave because of my attempts to save women from the slavery and brutality they experience. Now some people want me silenced for what I know and a private $20,000 US bounty has been placed on my head.
Trafficking in Humans
Most do not understand the disgusting idea of dealing with a human life as a piece of property. Belize is viewed by their neighboring countries work force as the jewel to reach and find a wealth of income to send home to their impoverished families.
Most are young women, trying to make a change and help their families. Some have passports or travel documents with ease they can enter Belize arriving either at Belize city or one of the tourist islands seeking work.
Those without papers travel a different path, an employer will go to say Honduras find girls and bring them back through a border crossing. For $400 Belize per girls paid to Immigration the girls are processed into Belize. From that point on the employer owns them and try and run they are either beaten of turned over to Immigration.
Most finding work in what is known as a ficheras bar. Ficheras are Latinas who work in Latin cantinas/bars as escorts who accompany men in the bar for drinks. They drink for monetary commission. The word originated from "Ficha" (ticket). The male client purchases her a beer or cocktail drink at an inflated price. For example a 12 oz. beer for her would be $10. The bar owner keeps $2 and the fichera keeps $8 as commission.
The term "Fichera" stuck and is always used to describe these women; even amongst them. The fichera life is tough. Almost all ficheras use cocaine or crystal meth to counteract the depressant effects of alcohol. This allows them to stay alert and drink more beers/cocktails.
My first exposure to this practice happened when I arrived home one night to find a girl on the deck of my house. She lived across the lagoon from me and I often saw her fishing with whom I thought was her boyfriend. She had been beaten. I will call her Maria. I called a local woman I knew and asked her to come over and offer me some aid. Upon her arrival she said oh her.
The story of Maria, Mexican, 24, owned by this man I saw her with and was sold off as a prostitute by him for profit and drugs. His main point of business operation a bar owned by the mayor of the town I lived in. He had taken her from Mexico paid immigration and had kept her for 6 months as his slave and form of income.
With the help of this local woman we cleaned her up, she stayed the night and was gone in the morning before I woke.
That morning at my business I asked the locals okay do you know this girl yes. With some further questioning I found that many of the bars I sold Liquor engaged in this business practice.
This bothered me, I felt stupid, all this time right under my nose this existed. I contacted my attorney in Belize City and asked, what can be done about this. Nothing, a trafficking in Humans task forced exists contact them, I did, I did and I did. Finally I get a call back, oh we work with Immigration and Social Services this is not a matter to concern yourself with.
Getting off the call I thought, she did not even ask about the women I helped. Like name anything, nothing.
Belize is a country that all you have to do is pay and you can get anything. I had a taxi driver in Belize City that could get anything done. I called Tommy I will name him. Brother tell me I want three girls to work in a bar I plan to open. Easy he said how many do you need, how old, etc. I was like it is that easy. Yes, he stated we could take a ride to the Belize border with Guatemala. We walk across pick some girls and pay my friend at Immigration and we set.
A few weeks pass and I find Maria at my door. She had been locked out of her room by her boy friend and had not showered in days. After her shower she thanked me and wanted to leave. I asked her do you need help? She explained her boyfriend would kill her and me and left.
Over the next few weeks I found 32 Ficheras bars existed on this small Island community I called home. I started handling the liquor deliveries to these bars. I met the girls as the owners seldom worked at the locations I quickly discovered the ugly facts of what was going on.
Some of the girls are locked up in a room more like a box at night after they had finished all the services required of them. In some case 5 women pad locked in a room 6 by 6. Locked from the outside. Travel documents held until a debt for travel and claimed paperwork with Immigration paid off.
My life changed one night when a girl named Jenny appeared at my door. She was a worker at one of the bars. It was 2:00 in the morning. We need some help she asked? We. As I looked out in my yard seeing three other girls. One of our girls got beat up by my boss, she hiding and she needs help.
Like an organized troop we are off on my golf cart into the night. From a call Jenny was told a girl had been beaten by the owner and left, reason, she would not have sex with him, the bar owner. A number of cell phone calls are made and received during the short trip to the center of town and we have a location of this gal.
I could not believe what happened next, with the calm of a person who had obviously done this many times. Jenny approached this small curled up ball of a women in the corner of a bank parking lot. With the kindness of what only a mother can express the first words Jenny spoke, it's okay baby we will help you, she fought her. I mean she was out of control. Jenny held her and just swept her up, we are off into the night.
My first thought what about a doctor, no the doctors won’t treat her she is a whore. Home I witnessed a mash unit, they had everything and new how to use it well. The injury’s while not life threatening, a serious head wound, massive face wounds, hell I’m not a doctor it looked bad.
Jenny asked can we stay the night and we will find her a place in the morning. I will call this girl Amelia. She stayed three days and I made arrangement to sneak her off the island. Which I did, to Belize City and then home to southern Belize to her family she was just 18.
Jenny came to me often over the months we became true and trusted friends. I got her out of the life she hated. She moved to my home and we started saving girls, at one time we had as many as 15 living in our house. This became a revolving door of women coming for help and help they got. I was amazed the process Jenny had developed, she was well organized, some sent on the way from which they came. Others taken in for a week and then either proper work found for them or transportation arrangements made to get them off the island and home to the country from which they came.
My home became a compound locals gringo’s branded my home a whorehouse and me the pimp of the island. One night on my way home I was attached and beaten, all I remember is making a turn, seeing a man and waking up several hours later in my bed. Nothing was taken it was a message. The police well who cares.
From that night forward prior to leaving Belize my life consisted of a very tall ugly man with guns sitting in my laundry room every night. I asked him and I will call him 30S. Tell me, how far would you go with this, with a smile he stated, without a look back if they outside the fence I kill em and drag them inside the fence. Okay, you have to ask the obvious questions so you like me. I hate gringo’s they all lie. Okay, why do you protect me? You saves the gal’s.
What are these women like, wonderful, educated, an attorney once, so why. You have to understand the culture from which they came. Most might earn $75 US a month. They can earn that in one night in a bar. All with one purpose, send money home every week to the family. Families that never know out of pride what they are doing to make this money. They are lied when told of the type of work they are coming for. However once in place they have no way out.
Did I contact organizations for help yes, the basic answer Belize has it’s own trafficking task force contact them. Or we do not cover Belize contact this organization.
Have we made a difference yes we saved over 87 women in the last year. Sadly each month a new group replace those we have taken. Maria was one of the 87 I purchased her from her boyfriend for a trip to Belize City she never came back and is safe at home in Mexico with her family.
How bad did it get for me, I was thrown in Prison for three weeks, false charges, had my bank accounts frozen, trafficking in humans and money laundering. I went to the media quickly to find they had a hand in the rumors about me. Belize is corrupt it all comes down to who and how much you pay. I had touched a system which I knew all the facts. Who is paid and how much, who knows and who looks the other way. Something in Belize is not the best way to live a long life.
I now work from a distance. Jenny remains and works in a different way from a different house. I am hunted and the bounty continues to grow. Pictures well you understand best the girls are not know if you understand.
An article from a recent issue of the LA Weekly--Enslaved in Suburbia: Inside the World of Trafficked Indentured Servants and the Visa Violators Who Care for Our Old (http://tinyurl.com/bzos2v). Thank you, Abolish Slavery for your efforts to put a stop to tragedies like these.
A truly commendable organization. :-)