• This Month on WestView News
  • Featured
  • Monthly Columns
  • Editorials
  • Articles
  • Briefly Noted
  • WestViews
  • Photos
  • Front Page
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • EXTRA
WESTVIEW NEWS
Menu
  • This Month on WestView News
  • Featured
  • Monthly Columns
  • Editorials
  • Articles
  • Briefly Noted
  • WestViews
  • Photos
 › Articles › News › People › UNA Honorees Working to Stop Human Trafficking

UNA Honorees Working to Stop Human Trafficking

Web Admin 10/04/2019     Articles, News, People

UNA-NY Humanitarian of the Year honoree Ashley Judd embraces a woman at a workshop for survivors of gender-based violence led by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) mobile psychologists. Photo © UNFPA Ukraine/Maks Levin.

By Karen Rempel

The work of the United Nations (UN) is near and dear to us at WestView News. Maggie Capsis started the Guides program at the UN Secretariat Building and was Head of the Guides there. Anyone who knows publisher George Capsis has heard the wonderful story of how they met at the UN.

One of the UN’s goals is to eradicate human trafficking. Human trafficking is the action of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation. There are an estimated 25 million victims of human trafficking in the world today. It’s surprising that many victims of international trafficking are transported on airplanes.

Human trafficking is a very real problem in the U.S. and right here in New York City. Nicholas Kristof reported study results in The New York Times in 2016 on the prevalence of human trafficking of homeless youth in the United States. He wrote that the researchers found that of those interviewed, nearly one-fifth of homeless youth in the United States and Canada are victims of human trafficking, including those trafficked for sex, labor, or both.

Kristof told the story of “Naomi” who came to NYC to visit a friend at the age of 16, and was trafficked when she arrived. For four years she was sold for sex in New York and New Jersey by a pimp who locked her in the closet when he left his Brooklyn apartment. “The fear of having nowhere to go, of being homeless was very real,” Naomi said. “He would say my family wasn’t looking for me, that they didn’t care where I was and no one would help me if I left.”

The United Nations Association of New York (UNA-NY) educates Americans about the work of the UN and builds public support for more effective U.S. engagement in the UN. This year, the UNA-NY’s Humanitarian of the Year award honors a corporation and two individuals who have made immense contributions to the UN’s goal of stopping human trafficking. The ceremony is taking place at Essex House on October 3rd.

Ann Nicol, Executive Director of UNA-NY, said, “Human trafficking is such a heinous crime, attention needs to be brought to the public. We feel that it’s a terrible thing happening around the world in many countries, and that’s the theme we want to bring attention to with this year’s Humanitarian of the Year awards.”

Delta Airlines is being honored for its leadership in the fight against human trafficking and modern slavery. Nicol explained, “They are really going out of their way to do a lot about it.” Delta Airlines has trained over 56,000 of their staff to recognize signs that a child passenger is being trafficked, such as not knowing where they are going or who will be picking them up. They have published education and action materials on Facebook and at http://dl.aero/6185TBkNJ.

Ashley Judd, activist, actor, writer, filmmaker, humanitarian, and Time magazine’s Person of the Year 2017, is being honored for her commitment to ending human trafficking. She is Goodwill Ambassador in the UN’s Population Fund, which is the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency. Judd is fiercely committed to social justice and believes that the sexual and reproductive health of girls and women—including choosing if, when, and how many children to have—is at the heart of poverty eradication and sustainable development. She has traveled around the world visiting slums, brothels, schools, hospices, drop-in centers, and clinics. Judd said, “I am excited to do what I can to help girls and women everywhere contribute their potential—which is indeed awesome—to the progress of all humankind.”

Nicholas Kristof, journalist and writer, is being honored for his journalism and dedication to promoting awareness of human trafficking. He has been writing and speaking about this subject for decades. A New York Times op-ed columnist and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, Kristof brings attention to human rights abuses and social injustices around the world. He has reported on child slavery and sex trafficking in Cambodia, Nepal, and many other countries.


To join the UN in the fight to stop human trafficking by making a donation to UNA-NYC, visit www.unanyc.org/join_us/give_your_support.html. To sign a petition to help end forced labor, go to www.p29.org.

 Previous Post

Conquering AIDS in the LGBT Presidential Town Hall: Top 10 Questions Regarding Curing AIDS

Next Post 

Let’s Get Real About Aging

Related Articles

A Dynamic Theatrical Family Affair: From Florida to the Village and the Jersey Shore
Ilona 101: A Course in Philosophy of Life
Misfolded Proteins and Disease
Firefighters
Celebrating the Bicentennial of the Greek War of Independence
The Role of a Community Newspaper in Curing AIDS
A Tale of Two Economies
Super Hero IX: California Yankee in Kings County Court Street
Do You Feel Isolated? Have You Gained Weight?
Keeping Love
Pronto Translations: Loving Languages is Good Business
Village Cigars at Sheridan Square May Be Listed for Sale
New Owner Steve Cohen Breathes New Life into the Mets
City Council Candidate Brought Synchronous Learning to Her District…For Free
Voters for Animal Rights Endorses Erik Bottcher for City Council
David v. Goliath: Schwartz Sues to Stop Election Petitioning
Dr. Fauci Moves to Cure AIDS
Embrace the Absurd
My Trip to Bellevue
Joan’s Shanghai
Faith & Politics: Church of the Village Launches Series Featuring Progressive Faith Leaders
Lisa and Harry—Such Interesting People Live on Christopher Street
Love Conquers Time
Cupid and Psyche: The Ancient Blueprint for our Modern Valentine’s Day
Born To Do It
Notes From Away: Tempest to Calm
The 2021st Amendment: Opening a Restaurant Amidst the Second Repeal of Prohibition
A Chicken Delivered
An Insight into David Kessler
A Voice for the People
Erik Bottcher Offers New Vision for Sanitation in Council District 3
Karen Rempel at UN Gala Honoring Joe Biden in 2017
Catch and Release—Chapter One—Meeting Keith
Hummel
Warhol and Wallowitch —a Gay Affair
Using Speech Recognition to Control Your Desktop and Programs
How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Compliments
Our Way Out of This: I Think Not
From Ancient Sparta to Modern Denmark: The Rationalization of Eugenics

1 Comment

  1. Karen Rempel
    ― 11/03/2019 - 1:53 pm  Reply

    Correction: After this article went to press, the UNA-NYC changed one of the award recipients. Ashley Judd was unable to attend the award ceremony. Instead, the current U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, Mira Sorvino, was honored with an award in recognition of her commitment to end human trafficking.

    Human trafficking is still a very timely subject. Read this article in the UK Guardian if you haven’t heard about the most recent tragedy: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/nov/02/vietnam-government-strongly-condemns-human-trafficking

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

March 2021

Subscribe Now

March 2021

Donate Now

Read the Archives

Sign up for WestView News EXTRA

Copyright © WestView News