Urgent Action Needed!

"Pornography and especially images depicting children being sexually abused and exploited are available on DVD’s under the tables of most street-side vendors in the Philippines and other Asian countries. The absence of a strong specific law that makes it illegal to make, copy, distribute or possess such materials damages the lives of thousands of children. Such images are evidence of horrific crime against children and that’s why in all civilized countries where the rule of law prevails, child pornography is anathema and violators get lengthy prison sentences. But not yet in the Philippines...What 12-year-old Jopin did to a six year old, who can’t be named, is extremely shocking. He learned what sex acts to do from a pornographic video that was left in the video machine by a visiting relative. Jopin secretly viewed the pornographic video and soon after he tried out the perverse acts on a six year old. It had tragic consequences for the child victim and Jopin." (to read the full article go here) (this link has been having some issues for different browsers...sited from The Manila Times).

The Philippines has a chance to pass a law defining the crime of child pornography and imposing penalties on perpetrators. This law must be labeled urgent by the President of the Philippines in order to pass. Please take some time today to copy the letter below and email it to the appropriate people (emails listed below). Now is the time to protect these children.

Thank you,

Desirea

Dear Madame President,

At no time in the history of the Philippines has there been a greater
opportunity for the President to act decisively to protect Filipino children
at grave risk than the present historical moment. Thousands of Filipino
children are damaged for life when abused in the making of child
pornography.

The abuse continues when the images of the sexually abused children are
spread around the world through the Internet and are available on the
streets of the Philippines for all to purchase with impunity. They are shown
to other children as training videos to seduce them into becoming
Commercially Sexually Exploited Children and they too are abused and damaged
for life.

By immediately certifying as "urgent " the anti-child pornography bill
pending before the House of Representatives, House Bill No.684 entitled "An
Act Defining the Crime of Child Pornography, Imposing Penalties Thereof, and
for Other Purposes"
you will save thousands of children for years to come.

The Philippines needs this law urgently to protect children and to fulfill
the nations international obligations under the Convention on the Rights of
the Child and other international protocols undertaken by the State on
behalf of the Filipino People.

The passing of House Bill No.684 at your behest will be a proud historical
legacy and provide protection for children for future generations..

We the concerned citizens, representatives of agencies and organizations
working for the protection of the dignity of the Filipino people and the
rights of the child strongly appeal for you to act and announce the bill as
an urgent priority.

Please copy this and send to the following e-mail addresses

pinglacsomngov@yahoo.com,
senzubiri@yahoo.com.ph,
senjinggoyestrada@senate.gov.ph,
opsnews2004@gmail.com,
nasserp@dar.gov.ph,
eicabral@dswd.gov.ph,
efa@dost.gov.ph,
ftduque@co.doh.gov.ph,
osec@deped.gov.ph,
osec@denr.gov.ph,
jadurano@tourism.gov.ph,
osec@dole.gov.ph,
pbfavila@boi.gov.ph,
rvpuno@dilg.gov.ph,
mis@hudcc.gov.ph,
edgardo_angara@hotmail.com,
sbsa_iii@noynoyaquino.ph,
pongbiazon@yahoo.com,
alancayetano@yahoo.com,
pia@senatorpiacayetano.com,
senmds@yahoo.com,
senator_enrile@senate.gov.ph,
sen.escudero@gmail.com,
jinggoy@senjinggoyestrada.com,
senjinggoyestrada@senate.gov.ph,
rjgordon@senate.gov.ph,
ospml@yahoo.com,
sen.litolapid@senate.gov.ph,
loren_b_legarda@yahoo.com.ph,
mam@senate.gov.ph,
kikopangilinan@gmail.com,
aqp@senate.gov.ph,
rcroffice@yahoo.com.ph,
senbongrevilla@senate.gov.ph,
mar@marroxas.com,
senatortrillanes@gmail.com,
mb_villar@yahoo.com,
senzubiri@yahoo.com.ph,
media_sen_lacson@yahoo.com,
ednasy@yahoo.com,
rlneri@neda.gov.ph,
osnd@philonline.com,
sec.yap@da.gov.ph,
arthurcyap@yahoo.com,
akonmf@rocketmail.com,
nast@dost.gov.ph,
mlperez@dost.gov.ph,
ftdp@dost.gov.ph,
csrwg@yahoo.com,
mpo@dost.gov.ph,
cmy@dost.gov.ph,
mpbravo@dost.gov.ph,
spu@dost.gov.ph,
ellen@dost.gov.ph,
bejust@dost.gov.ph,
jsreyesjr@dost.gov.ph,
eaf@dost.gov.ph,
ebdane.jun@dpwh.gov.ph,
bonoan.manuel@dpwh.gov.ph,
rasuman.bashir@dpwh.gov.ph,
asis.raul@dpwh.gov.ph,
cabral.ma_catalina@dpwh.gov.ph,
pacanan.jaime@dpwh.gov.ph,
comm-osec@deped.gov.ph,
hea@denr.gov.ph,
oppalabyab@tourism.gov.ph,
sdsarabia@tourism.gov.ph,
paalburo@tourism.gov.ph,
ejarquejr@tourism.gov.ph,
mtmartinez@tourism.gov.ph,
fsdy@tourism.gov.ph,
Ralph@RalphRecto.com,
ftarzaga@shfcph.com,
vp@ovp.gov.ph,

Interview

Rob Morris (our president) is interviewed on a regular

basis.We don't post every interview but I thought I

would post this one. Andrew (our events coordinator)

has a daughter Illy who started her own web show

called Illy Z TV. Illy is an 11 year old who is energetic,

silly and full of life.While forming her web show, Illy

wanted to engage her audience in issues of emergency

facing children today. Her first choice, Love146.

Please send us your projects which address abolition.

I would love to post them.

(email me at: d.rodgers@love146.org)

with joy,

Desirea

The potential of political advocacy

It's so easy to be cynical about the strength of our political voice and vote. However, it has been proven time and time again when people choose against apathy, things can change!

I invite you to join the letter-writing campaign initiated by our friends at International Justice Mission--this one urges Congress to pass the Child Protection Compact Act of 2009.

The CPCA would provide funds to select countries with a high prevalence of child trafficking, when those countries enter into a 3-year compact with the US. Each compact will contain a detailed plan for the country, including specific objectives, benchmarks to be obtained, allocation of funds, and accountability protocol. The selected countries must meet criteria for financial need, have demonstrated a political will to work against trafficking in children, and propose an identifiable, sustainable impact. The funds ($50,000,000 total available) are to be used for the protection of vulnerable children and rescuing of children from trafficking, and will be disbursed in accordance with the methods and goals agreed upon in the compact. National governments, local governments and non-governmental agencies will be able to apply for grants to implement programs and initiatives that further the countries’ objectives.

Click here to send a letter by JULY 10.

146 steps to the crown.

It’s amazing how a number can stay with you. I don’t think of her as a number. The number (146) was the number her slaveholders gave her. She has a name we just don’t know it, so the number stays. If I did know her name, I would shout it out. I would find a hill at the top of the world and shout her name until the sound of it filled the clouds, until the clouds formed a storm, until the storm released its justice on traffickers and healed the captives with its rain. Until we saw liberty from tyranny.

On Independence Day, I was listening to NPR (a healthy addiction) but I wasn’t really paying attention and then I heard the number, number 146. I was in the kitchen. I turned toward the radio and held my breath a bit as if I had just heard the name of a friend being spoken. The reporter continued with his story. 354 steps total but there are 146 steps to reach the crown of the great statue. These steps are the hardest set. They were closed after Sept. 11, 01. A narrow double helix staircase with no option of turning back. An Egyptologist likened the claustrophobic experience to being inside an underground chamber of a pyramid. It is tiring, constricting, intensely uncomfortable. But, after these 146 steps you reach the crown. The crown with seven spikes representing the seven continents and oceans on our planet. A crown reopened on Independence Day at the top of a statue representing liberty.

Abolition is fraught with tiring work. It can be intensely uncomfortable and there is no turning back but if we climb these steps, we will see liberty on our planet.

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” - MLK

with joy,

Desirea

Back to Cambodia

Dr. Glenn Miles (the Love146 director of Asia Prevention) and his family will be moving back to Cambodia July 18^th. We thought it would be fun to introduce you to Glenn and his family. So, every day on Twitter we will be tweeting a Miles Family fun fact. Didn’t know we had a Twitter account? Of course we do, go here to view it!

Below is a bit more about Glenn. What it doesn’t say is that Glenn and his wife Siobhan are two of the most intelligent, humble people I have ever met. The fire of abolition burns through their work and their lives. It is an honour to have them as part of our team.

The Love146 Asia Prevention Program is overseen by Dr. Glenn Miles.

Dr. Miles, has a PhD in Childhood Studies focusing on violence involving children and 20 years experience of working on child rights issues in developing countries. A British trained child health nurse who has over 20 years experience focused on child health and welfare in Asia. He is married to Siobhan Miles, a clinical nurse specialist in HIV/AIDs and they have 3 children, Zoe, Hannah and Sarah. His most recent overseas assignment was with Tearfund UK (www.tearfund.org) as their Children at Risk advisor in Cambodia. He was on the IJM Aftercare development committee, and with Viva Equip (www.viva.org) he has helped to develop the ‘Celebrating Children’ course (www.celebratingchildrentraining.info) with accompanying text-book (co-edited with J.J. Wright, Paternoster 2003) to equip child care workers in developing countries. He has also developed a series of Children at Risk Guidelines for Tearfund. Glenn helped to roll out the CC course in Cambodia and 9 countries in Asia and 4 in Africa. He recently completed a PhD (University of Wales) on the ‘Experiences and understandings of Cambodian children to violence and abuse’ which became part of the UN Study on Violence Against Children and has been used to advocate with children in Cambodia and at Regional and International conferences. Glenn has also published several applied research papers on children at risk in Cambodia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. He has also taught at all levels up to Postgraduate level and has himself a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.

Preventing children from being sold as slaves is at the very foundation of Love146. Imagine a world where no safehomes existed because they aren’t needed.

with joy,

Desirea

Glenn, Siobhan, Zoe, Hannah and Sarah Miles.

He's out of there.

Last week was difficult, I heard one too many horror stories. I don't always know where that line is (the line between being able to live in hope and not being able to sleep or function well) but I crossed it last week. Slavery is so very ugly.

I left the office one day and asked myself, why do I do this? The answer came. It was small but clear; because I know what Love looks like.

Love is when a little girl who used to sit in the corner outside a safehome and pour dirt over her body runs up to you arms akimbo laughing and chattering in Thai.

Love is when a child has no memory of being raped because a prevention program did its job.

Love is watching a girl sing and play guitar when not that long ago she threw herself out of a fourth story brothel because escape was going to happen one way or another.

Love looks like the abolition movement that we are all a part of. I see it in your emails, and in your action.

Love is the power that will end slavery.

Stephen Baldwin decided to leave the reality show I'm a celebrity get me out of here due to health concerns (if you would like to read more about it, go here).

Love146 is grateful for the awareness that came from Stephen's effort on the show. There are so many more people that know the story of 146, her story, because of what Stephen did.

Love looks like a little girl standing behind glass with a number pinned to her chest, sold as a slave and still being able to say "you don't own me" through her eyes.

The Love story continues. That's reality.

Road Trip.

Love146 was invited by the Fray to participate in the EcoVillage on their tour this summer. As an office full of hipsters, we were thrilled receive such a high profile invite; and as the new office intern, I was shocked and highly graced to be chosen to attend the first concert just outside of Washington D.C.

I set out with Anastasia at 6AM to make the journey. In addition to raising awareness about Love146 at the venue, this trip was also a pilgrimage for Anastasia and I to find a Chick-Fil-A, a fast food restaurant which we bonded over our devotion to. There are no Chick-Fil-As in the tri-state area. None. It really hurts.

At 9:30 we stopped to refuel at a service station. Distracted by Starbucks coffee and lots of big trucks, we actually neglected our very thirsty car and hit the highway again, pleased and relieved with our lattes. Not twenty minutes later, I hear Anastasia say, "Somethings wrong with this car! It's not working!" Sitting on the side of the Jersey Turnpike waiting for AAA for two hours, we watched the minutes tick, realizing with self-loathing and fury that we we're going to miss our lunch at Chick-Fil-A, still a hundred miles away.

At one point, I wailed, "Where is Chick Fil A!!??? We called them an hour ago!!!!"
"Do you mean Triple A?" "...Oh. I guess so."

When we finally arrived, after a dash for chicken sandwiches, our next task was to find a hotel. We saw a cluster of blue directional signs. Figuring the blue "H" sign must mean Hotel, we followed it and ended up at a Hospital. It was quite an adventure, I haven't laughed so much in months.
It did end up being an awesome experience. When we arrived at the concert, our brains were waiting for us, we did quite well and had some amazing conversations about abolition.

But when it comes to a road trip with Anastasia and I, all I can say is:
"Everyone knows we're in over our heads, over our heads."

Much love Abolitionists,
The Intern
(aka Marilyn)

Voting is open!

Voting continues until 8pm tonight for I'm a celebrity get me out of here.

If you're so inclined, you can vote by phone (1.877.553.3710) or online (here). Up to ten times!

The longer Stephen Baldwin stays on the more awareness and funds are raised.

Thanks for joining us in this!

Desirea

Feeling the Love

Our good friends at Brains on Fire sent us some Love this week. Watching the staff go after the packets of individual coffee (Brains on Fire has excellent taste in coffee) was like watching one of those nature shows where the pack swarms a poor defenseless deer.

Their generosity got me thinking about what a Love146 package could look like. A deep fried spider from Cambodia,

A fertilized duck embryo from the Philippines, and

a Thai iced tea to wash it all down.

Thanks to everyone over at Brain's on Fire, you are loved and appreciated. Your package is on its way...

Desirea

I'm a celebrity (you know the rest...)!

This week on “I’m a celebrity get me out of here” Stephen Baldwin talked about why his charity choice is Love146. He asked the question “how far would you go if this was your child?”

For me, this question was answered by the fact that I’m actually watching a reality show about celebrities camping in the jungle.

All joking aside, the longer Stephen stays the more awareness and funds will come. Within the first hour that Stephen mentioned us on NBC we received 5,000 hits on our website. We have also seen donations come in over the past two days from people saying they heard about us through Stephen.

This reality show is definitely not something I would normally tune in to but we are grateful to Stephen and each of you spreading the word for joining the collective shout.

I think of the girl that returned to our safehome this week. She has no idea that her life is being affected by people in the US watching a TV show. I think of all the children who will never know sex slavery because our prevention programs are being funded by people hearing about Love146 through Stephen Baldwin. You know, there are weird things that happen in the world everyday and there are some deeply beautiful things as well, and then there’s a reality TV show that’s bringing them both together.

Thanks friends,

Desirea