FAAST Anti-Trafficking Curriculum Debuts

By Brenda Keino, Scripps Howard Foundation Wire

Washington - International humanitarian organizations say between 600,000 and 800,000 women and children are being illegally transported across borders for commercial sex, forced labor and other forms of exploitation.

Laura Lederer, Senior Advisor on Trafficking in Persons to the Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs, addresses the audience at the National Press Club.”

Dr. Laura Lederer presents the FAAST anti-trafficking curriculum

This modern day slavery in the form of trafficking of people is fast becoming a profitable criminal activity, experts say. Virtually every country in the world is involved, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination of victims.

"Demand," a study released Thursday by Shared Hope International, contends that Jamaica, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States share a culture of tolerance that allows major markets for local and international sex tourism and trafficking to flourish.

The study focuses on the business of sex trafficking and sex tourism by investigating the markets that comprise the sex industry, said Shared Hope founder and president Linda Smith. In order to stop this victimization, demand for the product, many of whom are children, has to be ended.

Key findings point out that, in the sex tourism market, demand exceeds supply, traffickers will manipulate, coerce and force victims to meet that demand, and the easiest prey are juveniles.

In addition to the 600,000 to 800,000 people trafficked across international borders each year, the U.S. State Department reports an additional two to four million people are trafficked within their own borders.

It is in this context that the organization Faith Alliance Against Slavery (FAAST), has come up with "Hands That Heal," a program to teach caregivers how to respond to the needs of the victims of human trafficking.

FAAST is a group of faith-based, community-oriented, non-profit organizations that is committed to the eradication of slavery and trafficking worldwide. Among the members groups are the Salvation Army and Project Rescue International. With members in over 200 countries, FAAST works with local churches and community organizations to implement anti trafficking programs.

The FAAST training program took 20 months to complete and comes in two types; the academic and community-based curriculums.

The academic curriculum is for undergraduate and graduate students who are preparing to work as social workers, counselors and pastors. The second type is the community-based curriculum for local groups and community organizers.

Speaking during a Wednesday launch of the curriculum, State Department Ambassador-At-Large Mark P. Lagon said that the faith-based organizations play a key role in timely intervention and finding victims who are afraid to identify themselves because of the fear of being branded illegal aliens.

He said there would be a conference in spring to bring together these organizations to share information on how best to deal with the problem.

Dr. Beth Grant, director of Project Rescue International and who led the development of "Hands That Heal," noted that sexual slavery devastates the whole person and it is not enough to physically rescue the person. There is also a need to attend to the mind, spirit and emotions of the affected person. The curriculum is designed to help meet that need.