November 14, 2016
EPP Staff, Ashton Kutcher, rescued 6000 Sex Trafficking Victims. Almost All Of Them Had Something In Common.
<<How great is that? I wonder how many of the perpetrators were jailed for life?
Actor, activist and businessman Ashton Kutcher visited “The Today Show” this week to speak with hosts Kathie Lee and Hoda about the new season of his Netflix original series, “The Ranch.”
<>This type of coverage is fantastic! df
But what he was most interested in talking about was his organization’s work to end human sex trafficking and child pornography.
<<He is a hero for stoping this acrivity! df
In the interview, Kutcher tells the hosts about Thorn, the organization he began with his ex-wife, actress Demi Moore, in 2008. Through his work with Thorn, Kutcher has learned that almost all sex trafficking victims have one thing in common—they’re targeted online:
<<They’re targeted online We did not have this before computers, became so wide spread. BUT…
“WE’RE BUILDING DIGITAL TOOLS TO FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING. BASICALLY, THE PURCHASE AND COMMERCE FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS HAPPENING ONLINE, JUST LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE NOW, AND SO WE’RE BUILDING DIGITAL TOOLS TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST IT.”
<<Good for you for FIGHTING BACK! I know you can do it! Trump will help us along with WE THE PEOPLE!
Thorn’s self-described mission is “to drive tech innovation in the fight against trafficking.” On the organization’s website, it explains just how it goes about its work.
<<It is good to know that someone is doing the hard work to stop this horrific practice! df
“WE PARTNER ACROSS THE TECH INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT AND LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT PREDATORY BEHAVIOR, RESCUE VICTIMS, AND PROTECT VULNERABLE CHILDREN. THE SITE ALSO LISTS 20 MEMBERS OF WHAT IT CALLS THE THORN TECHNOLOGY TASK FORCE, COMPRISED OF TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES THAT LEND THEIR KNOWLEDGE, TIME AND RESOURCES TO THE WORK THAT WE DO. FACEBOOK, GOOGLE, MICROSOFT, YAHOO, AND ADOBE ARE LISTED AMONG THE NAMES WHO ARE HELPING THORN’S CAUSE.”
<<COMBAT PREDATORS>>These many companies will do much to help stop these criminals! df
We have lots of technology to off-set those who commit crimes! So far, Thorn has been a quiet success, with some impressive, real-world numbers to back up its mission statement, as Kutcher explains
<>Why “quiet?” We should be shouting it frome the house tops! df
“WE’VE BUILT A TOOL TO HELP LAW ENFORCEMENT PRIORITIZE THEIR CASELOAD AND RECOVER VICTIMS;AND WE’VE FOUND AND IDENTIFIED AND RECOVERED OVER 6,000 TRAFFICKING VICTIMS THIS YEAR. AND WE’VE FOUND, IDENTIFIED, AND RECOVERED 2,000 TRAFFICKERS. But Kutcher says he and his organization aren’t stopping there — they’re also working towards a truly ambitious humanitarian goal.
<<OVER 6,000 TRAFFICKING VICTIMS!>> This is truly an “ambitious humanitarian goal! df
“OUR NEXT BATTLE, MY NEXT COMMITMENT…I’M GOING TO MAKE A PLEDGE THAT I’M GOING TO ELIMINATE CHILD PORNOGRAPHY FROM THE INTERNET.” Thorn’s approach — using internet technology to find victims and their captors — is apt, because the major threat to victims isn’t white vans parked on corners with kidnappers awaiting passersby: it’s online. Disturbing data which the organization compiled shows that everyday sites like Craigslist are frequently used as a means of doing business in the illegal sex industry. Even more terrifying is that in 2015, 75% of child sex trafficking survivor Thorn surveyed were sold online some point.
<<75% of child sex trafficking survivors were sold online>>And we thought slavery is illegal! Now it is for sex; then it was for workers!
Asia, a survivor who spoke to Thorn during last year’s survey, told the organization: “PEOPLE ARE POSTED AND SOLD ONLINE MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY. AS FAR AS THE AD THAT WAS POSTED UP [FOR ME], THERE WAS A GIRL WHO EERILY LOOKED LIKE ME…JUST [LIKE] YOU CAN GO FIND A CAR, THERE WAS A PICTURE, AND A DESCRIPTION, AND A PRICE.”
<<PEOPLE ARE POSTED AND SOLD ONLINE>>The internet has become a place where good people can enjoy freedom; it is also – unfortunately – a place where bad people can commit their grisly purposes! df
Anti-human trafficking group Polaris reports that The International Labor Organization estimates 4.5 million people are currently working against their will for sex traffickers. And the underground sex economy in 2014 was worth $290 million in Atlanta, Georgia, alone, according to an Urban Institute study.
<<working against their will>>This is atrocious! Can you imagine such high numbers? df