Help us get homeless kids off the streets.

Your action on Change showed sex trafficking victims that they are not alone. In fact, they have an important new ally.

Some experts estimate that every year, 100,000 children — many of whom are homeless — are forced into prostitution in the United States. They have lived through unspeakable pain, and have nowhere and no one else.

But they do have Covenant House… and now they have you.

At Covenant House, we provide vital shelter and lifesaving support to every kid who shows up on our doorstep. Working in 27 cities across 6 countries, we reach tens of thousands of kids in need every year by getting them off the streets and into the safety of our shelters.

How we reach homeless kids

Raising
community
awareness

Searching for
kids in the most
dangerous parts
of town

Creating change
at the local, state
& federal levels

Visiting schools
to promote
prevention

36,154 kids were saved last year.

Just like you, we believe that every kid deserves a safe place to live and the support and resources to build a future of love, hope and success — no matter who they are, where they’re from or what they’ve been through.

In the coming months, our kids are going to need your support. Whether it’s helping to get legislation passed or making sure we’re prepared for extreme weather and other emergency situations, you can protect vulnerable kids by ensuring they have a safe place to sleep… and people who believe in them and will always fight for them.

Please make sure you’re following us on social media to get all of our updates.

Together, we’ll give these kids the futures they deserve.

Thank you,

Kevin Ryan
President

Covenant House | 461 8th Ave. New York, NY 10001 | (800) 388-3888 | covenanthouse.org
We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization

Response from DA Fred Bright

April Childs
Watkinsville, GA
Jan 26, 2015 — Here is the response from DA Fred Bright concerning this case.

“We fully recognize that the 14-year-old child involved is a victim. Our office does not arrest individuals and was not consulted about the case initially. From the time we first received this file, we expected no active prosecution against her and our only goal has been to obtain counseling, treatment, care, and protection, which she is now receiving. On December 1, 2014, we, along with the child and her lawyer requested, and the Juvenile Court Judge agreed and signed an order to hold her case in abeyance. That order means that her case is automatically dismissed upon successful completion of treatment, counseling, and care. These services will hopefully rehabilitate her so that she can get the help she needs.

We have reviewed the matter and met with the law enforcement officers from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Eatonton Police Department who conducted the investigation. The State is prosecuting the adult defendants for statutory rape and related charges when appropriate. The cases against the adult offenders are expected to be presented to the next Grand Jury in Putnam County scheduled for March, 2015 for indictment. We hope these prosecutions will protect her and other youth of our communities in the future.

Yesterday, I spoke to the Attorney General and his specialist in Human Trafficking, who will be helping us with this prosecution. They applauded our efforts and told me, “you’re doing all you can.” We look forward to working with them to bring justice to this case.”

While this is great news for this specific case, it has made me aware of the greater issues of the possibility of this happening in other parts of Georgia due to gaps in victim protections in the law, as well as media presentation of human trafficking cases. I will continue to educate and advocate in those areas so that Georgia can continue to improve its treatment of victims of child sexual exploitation. Thank you all so much for your support in this issue, and good luck to those of you facing similar issues in your own states.

NO MORE

Friend,

It’s only been a couple days since we shared the exciting news that a new NO MORE PSA is running during the Super Bowl this Su‌nday, and there’s already been a huge positive response.

“How can I help?”

This is probably the question YOU’RE going to get while you’re watching the game on Sunday, so we thought we’d send along a few quick tips to help you speak up about these issues and provide you with ways you can help loved ones affected by domestic violence or sexual assault.

Tip #1. Start a conversation by telling your friends that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced domestic violence, and 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men have experienced sexual assault at some point in their lifetime. This is a great way to get the point across that these issues are serious and that many people we love have been affected by domestic and sexual violence.

(If your friends want to read more about these statistics, you can point them here: Avon’s 2013 NO MORE Study.)

Tip #2. Speak up when you hear offensive comments that degrade women, men, or victims of abuse. Hey, it’s a Super Bowl party — there’s a good chance that someone is going to make some inappropriate remarks. The best thing you can do is speak up and tell them that you’re not comfortable with that kind of talk. Simply doing that can help your friends understand that it’s not cool for them or anyone to degrade a person.

Tip #3. If someone you know discloses that they are experiencing abuse now or have in the past, remember this could be the first time they’re telling someone. Reassure them that you believe them and that the abuse was not their fault. The most important thing you can do in this moment is listen and support them.

Most of all, make sure to be patient, non-judgmental, and respectful of their decisions. Ask them if they’d like to talk to a professional counselor, and offer to sit with them while they call a national or local hotline.

Tip #4. Make sure that your friends know whom to call to get help.

For immediate help, call 911
National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
National Sexual Assault Hotline:
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
Teen Dating Violence Hotline:
1-866-3‌31-9‌474 or text “loveis” to 22522

The Super Bowl is a time for us all to get together and have a good time. And, when our ad is on the air, your friends and family are going to have questions about it. Make sure you’re ready to speak up so everyone you care about knows how important these issues are to you and your community.

We can’t thank you enough for saying #NOMORE to domestic violence and sexual assault by helping spread the word on Sun‌day.

Talk to you soon,

The NO MORE Team

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ON TWITTER

Change.org Petition

Please read the original petition. I wanted to cry and vomit reading how Darren was brutally murdered. How can two prison guards ignore Darren Rainey beg for his life? Original Petition http://wp.me/p45hs8-pw . The prison and two prison guards have not faced charges for the death of Darren Rainey.

Please support our new petition

Steven Wetstein
Miami, FL
Dec 5, 2014 

Friends,

Thanks greatly for all your support to date. We are still working hard for a federal investigation of the Darren Rainey case.
Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Mike Crews resigned last month, under the pressure of the numerous cases of brutality toward prisoners that have come to light, starting with that of Darren Rainey.
Unfortunately, Crews’ number two, Timothy Cannon, who has spent 25 years in the DOC, has been appointed as interim DOC Secretary. Please support Stop Prison Abuse Now’s new petition, at https://www.change.org/p/richard-scott-appoint-independent-department-of-corrections-secretary?just_created=true, urging Governor Rick Scott to appoint a different permanent DOC Secretary, one who is independent of the system they must reform.

Richard Scott: Appoint Independent Department of Corrections Secretary
After a string of brutal inmate deaths–like that of Darren Rainey , who was locked into a scalding shower until he died–Florida…

HTTPS://WWW.CHANGE.ORG

change.org

Don’t Charge Victim Of Child Abuse 

Petitioner April Childs  Watkinsville, GA

Earlier this month, Georgia Police busted a prostitution ring involving 11 men and a 14-year-old girl. Not only do they plan to prosecute the child predators, but they have charged the 14-year-old victim with prostitution as well. Sixteen is the age of sexual consent in Georgia. District Attorney Fred Bright is charging a statutory rape victim with a crime she’s not legally old enough to commit. Help me tell him child prostitution victims need help, not prison.

My name is April Childs. I am a parent and Georgian, and I work as a forensic interviewer of children. My job entails interviewing victims of child abuse and sexual assault. I can take their testimony and transmit it to prosecutors so the victims don’t have to endure the stress and humiliation of taking the stand and seeing their accuser. I have worked with more than 500 children and helped them tell their story to officials so their abusers could be duly prosecuted. That’s why I was so shocked when I heard about Chief Kent Lawrence and District Attorney’s Bright’s plan to charge this young girl with prostitution, further victimizing her and punishing her for an act she couldn’t have legally consented to.

What the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuitplans to do with this young girl goes against any legal, therapeutic or even common sense protocol. The law–both federal and state–recognizes that children do not have the emotional capability to consent to sexual activity. As a vulnerable population, children should be protected from predatory adults, as well as helped to heal from traumas inflicted upon them. Charging a victim of statutory rape does exactly the opposite. It places blame on the victim which is counterproductive to the healing process.

Join me and tell DA Fred Bright to respect state law and human decency and refuse to prosecute the victim.

https://www.change.org/p/fred-bright-don-t-punish-a-victim-of-child-abuse

I’m a huge Sting fan. Hope you enjoy the selection this week. Happy Thursday. 

XO Warrior

 

CHANGE.ORG PETITION UPDATE

Fix Mental Healthcare

Theresa Kinley
Norcross, GA
Jan 6, 2015 — I would like to thank everyone who signed or commented on my petition to Cigna. Unfortunately, Cigna is quite accustomed to people complaining about the level of care they provide–or don’t provide–to their premium paying customers; they simply blocked the petition and signatures. The insurance companies’ behavior has finally received some attention from the media, specifically a 60 Minutes piece about Anthem denying care to the seriously mentally ill. I would like to build on that momentum by launching a website dedicated to the stories of those who, in addition to battling serious mental illness, must also battle their insurance companies to get treatment. To the insurers trying to cut costs these people don’t matter; we know they do matter. I would like to encourage anyone with a story to tell about the their experience in dealing with an insurance company while seeking treatment for a mental illness to visit http://fixmentalhealthcare.wordpress.com  to submit your story.
Thank you again and God bless you all.

Fix Mental Health Care
Fix Mental Health Care
Mission Statement: With this website we are seeking to raise awareness of the harm the health insurers do to those…

HTTPS://FIXMENTALHEALTHCARE.WORDPRESS.COM

Soma Intimates and the National Network to End Domestic Violence are partnering during the Soma Bra Donation event. From January 8th thru February 4th Soma stores are collecting bras with the goal of collecting one million bras. Bras are the most needed yet least donated item of clothing for women. All bras collected will benefit your local domestic violence shelter.

To get more information visit soma.com/givebras

XO Warrior