I am now following a good blog about Human Trafficking, please take a look.
Hello friends, last week at the Global Forum on Human Trafficking I went to one of the breakout sessions titled "Monitoring Supply Chains". This panel discussion provided various interventions that we can take to demand that all products we buy are without slave labor. For those of you who have written asking for more links to fair trade/slave-free goods you're going to love this link list.
Don't underestimate the power of your purchasing, letter writing and intentionality in the way you live. Write your favorite companies. Ask them where there materials are made. Get involved in the process. I know it can be overwhelming at times. Start small. Choose a product or one area of your purchasing to get educated and make a change. Hopefully, these sites will lead you to more information, inspiration and ideas on making that change!
International Labor Rights Forum:
http://www.laborrights.org/
Trade Observatory:
http://www.tradeobservatory.org/
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility:
http://www.iccr.org/
Environmental Justice Foundation:
http://www.ejfoundation.org/page327.html
Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International:
http://www.fairtrade.net/
Sustainable Cotton Project:
http://www.sustainablecotton.org/
Made by Survivors:
http://www.madebysurvivors.com/
Responsible Shopper:
http://www.greenamericatoday.org/programs/responsibleshopper/
The Good Guide:
http://www.goodguide.com/
Story of Stuff:
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
So maybe think about this when you do your holiday shopping this year. I know my family is getting each other stocking stuffers. But instead of big purchase we are going to go on some family experiences together, such as a local wine tasting. It's better for our family, budget, environment and workers.
Mom is working, getting over a cold.
Rhea is working, she is fine. Looking for a car to buy.
I'm in school still, trying to pass my Japanese class, all the rest are going really well.
Yay!
I will post more often even though no one reads this, once I post a lot I'll send out the link maybe. Or wait until we are doing more interesting things. dunno
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Good Blog
I am now following a good blog about Human Trafficking, please take a look.
Mom is working, getting over a cold.
Rhea is working, she is fine. Looking for a car to buy.
I'm in school still, trying to pass my Japanese class, all the rest are going really well.
Yay!
I will post more often even though no one reads this, once I post a lot I'll send out the link maybe. Or wait until we are doing more interesting things. dunno
Mom is working, getting over a cold.
Rhea is working, she is fine. Looking for a car to buy.
I'm in school still, trying to pass my Japanese class, all the rest are going really well.
Yay!
I will post more often even though no one reads this, once I post a lot I'll send out the link maybe. Or wait until we are doing more interesting things. dunno
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Yay!
Tanner and I met two years ago today!
At a Cinco de Mayo Party my friend Sophia was throwing. (I could not find a good photo of her to add to the blog, sorry! Sophia!).
Happy Anniversary to us!
At a Cinco de Mayo Party my friend Sophia was throwing. (I could not find a good photo of her to add to the blog, sorry! Sophia!).
Happy Anniversary to us!
Tanner and our friend Brett, also kind of a host of the party. 
Me in the beer sombrero, which looked a lot better earlier in the party
The first photo of Tanner and I together, ever! Sophia took this for us, by that time she knew I was going to give him my number and he was going to call me. 
Talking, I don't remember about what. Second photo of us together, ever. 
Monday, April 20, 2009
Aunt Kate is famous!!
My aunt Kate Healy was featured in the Spokesman Review, the largest paper in Eastern Washington. She does great work for our state. She took a reporter to look at the swans that are dying from heavy metal poisoning. It's a powerful example of how environmental degradation affects our wildlife.
There is even a photo of her!
Check it out
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/apr/18/toxic-marshes-deadly-to-swans/
There is even a photo of her!
Check it out
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/apr/18/toxic-marshes-deadly-to-swans/
Onesies!
Months ago when Julia was still pregnant Tanner and I made onesies for the baby. We just used puffy paint.
Julia and John just posted photos of Owen in all his outfits we made. They are cute, but Owen is sooooo cute.
here is the link
www.thelittlestmartin.blogspot.com
go check it out
Julia and John just posted photos of Owen in all his outfits we made. They are cute, but Owen is sooooo cute.
here is the link
www.thelittlestmartin.blogspot.com
go check it out
Monday, April 6, 2009
Blog is Back!
?
Back.
It has been a while. I got lazy right after the cruise, because posting would have taken forever, with all those photos. So since then I haven't posted.
But tonight was fun. It is mom's birthday right now. Scott bought some Grey Goose for mom for her birthday, in addition to dinner which all of us bought, just so it doesn't sound like we booze it up all the time, 'cuz we don't.
So now I'm almost drunk and decided to post.
We are all good. I will post more about birthdays, Scott, Rhea and Mom had thiers, and I will have mine tomorrow.
Life is good.
I'm trying to get undepressed and get work. So stay tuned!
Life Challenges ahead!
Shout out to Sophia, my fav blogger, hope you are well in Britain. Love Calli
Back.
It has been a while. I got lazy right after the cruise, because posting would have taken forever, with all those photos. So since then I haven't posted.
But tonight was fun. It is mom's birthday right now. Scott bought some Grey Goose for mom for her birthday, in addition to dinner which all of us bought, just so it doesn't sound like we booze it up all the time, 'cuz we don't.
So now I'm almost drunk and decided to post.
We are all good. I will post more about birthdays, Scott, Rhea and Mom had thiers, and I will have mine tomorrow.
Life is good.
I'm trying to get undepressed and get work. So stay tuned!
Life Challenges ahead!
Shout out to Sophia, my fav blogger, hope you are well in Britain. Love Calli
Friday, February 6, 2009
human trafficking
So a few months ago I joined all the groups that supported anti-trafficking work, but I did voice reservations I had with some of them. A girl today sent me a message. In responding to her I did a great job of briefly summing up what I thought about anti-trafficking efforts and what they should be. Since it's very important to me I thought I would also post them here.
Hi Callista, I was intrigued by your post on the CCAT facebook group website, I know my response is six months too late I just had not noticed it until today. I did not want the group in anyway to perpetuate the myth that human trafficking is only sex trafficking. I am well aware that trafficking includes all types of "modern day slavery" forced labor, child soldiers, domestic servitude, etc...I am actually going to work on forced labor issues on the Mexican border this March with some other law students.
Thanks for posting to clarify. I had added a bunch of sites that were about different types of trafficking...While the US State Department recognizes the difference b/t sex work and trafficking it makes a clear distinction that children under the age of 18 can never take place in "sex work," & that these young women are indeed "sexually exploited" and trafficked for all intensive purposes. prostitution is real problem in US cities & the average age of an American prostitute is 12. I have trouble considering these young girls "working" they are in 99% of cases being exploited/trafficked by much older men, beaten regularly, abused by law enforcement & making absolutly no $.
So where as I concur with you that there are many types of trafficking and that unfortunately HT is happening all over the United States as well as in other countries. I hesistate to agree that sex trafficking is not a big deal. I believe that it is much more pervasive than people want to believe.
I am very familiar with the State Dept's definition of human trafficking. Unfortunately it is well accepted in many organizations and activists work that the definition was stretched in ways due to political pressure. The forces to end trafficking in the United States are dominated by older, predominately white Women's Organizations, and Christian organizations. I am member of some of these women's groups, and I admire much of thier work. But the discussion on trafficking in the U.S focuses on sex trafficking, at the exlusion of other forms of trafficking.
The recent effort to ensure the continued lawfulllness of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act contained suggested language by Republican lawmakers that would have made taking anyone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution human trafficking. These would have meant that what little money the US government spends on ending trafficking would have gone to stopping pimping of Americans by Americans. I found this completely dissapointing. Most women who are trafficking into the US, even those that testify agaisnt their traffickers, are not given services, they are instead deported. The US has a very poor record in ending organized trafficking rings. I think it's obvious that what little money we spend is not going to protect victims and end trafficking, but to pursue a political and moral crusade against prostitution.
The effort to end human trafficking and the effort to end prostitution should not be the same thing.
Half of all trafficking in the US occurs in shadow industries and unregulated sectors of labor. In the agricultural fields, in maid service at hotels, in people's home, in restaraunts who are run by and for non English speakers. If the US really wants to stop trafficking, we need to devote reasources to these sectors. Education, monitoring, making resources availble to victims, and sustained efforts to break up the rings of people who bring victims here.
This is not happening and won't happen until we can change the focus of trafficking to the ROOT causes. Poverty in the country of origin, unregulated labor in the United States, organized international crime rings, the fear and lack of services for immigrant communities here in our country, etc.
I agree that anyone under the age of 18 is not voluntarily working in prostitution, anywhere in the world. I also agree that many women working in prostitution do not feel free to leave it, and that it's often an abusive, horrible situation. I don't really need to be reminded of that fact. (I would very heavily disagree with the statistic that the average age of a prostituted women in the US is 12, I would like to know where you got that information. I have been at events with law enforcement agents on trafficking and have never heard anything like that before.) You feel like many American don't understand how pervasive trafficking and forced sex work is in the United States. I agree with you. But I do understand how pervasive it is. I have been working on trafficking issues for some time now.
What I would recommend is that you educate yourself about what human trafficking is really all about. I think some people find they only ever want to care about sex trafficking, that is the approach of groups like IJM for example. I personally want to force the United States to end human trafficking, and that means more then just rescuing abused women. It means rescuing them, as well as all the other victims of trafficking, and creating a society in which it is much more difficult to trafficking anyone into the United States for forced labor. It means dealing with our economy and trade policies, which have left other nations in poverty around the world. It also means seperating myself from many people's efforts to end prostitution. That is the work of law enforcement, not the work of politically motivated anti-trafficking activists.
Also, I am atheist. I just add this because I know many Christians in anti-trafficking work who are motivated to end forced sex work. I appreciate thier dedication and efforts. But at the same time I distrust them. I am very socially progressive, and it's hard to appreciate people who want to end forced sex work, but also prostitution, as well as forbid gay marriage, reproductive rights and a host of other social freedoms that I value. I think this viewpoint of mine does come into my writing and reasoning, so it's important to mention. There are some Christians in anti-trafficking who will never agree to a more balanced progressive attitude toward ending trafficking, we just won't see eye to eye.
Thank you for your calm note and openess to dialogue
Callista
Hi Callista, I was intrigued by your post on the CCAT facebook group website, I know my response is six months too late I just had not noticed it until today. I did not want the group in anyway to perpetuate the myth that human trafficking is only sex trafficking. I am well aware that trafficking includes all types of "modern day slavery" forced labor, child soldiers, domestic servitude, etc...I am actually going to work on forced labor issues on the Mexican border this March with some other law students.
Thanks for posting to clarify. I had added a bunch of sites that were about different types of trafficking...While the US State Department recognizes the difference b/t sex work and trafficking it makes a clear distinction that children under the age of 18 can never take place in "sex work," & that these young women are indeed "sexually exploited" and trafficked for all intensive purposes. prostitution is real problem in US cities & the average age of an American prostitute is 12. I have trouble considering these young girls "working" they are in 99% of cases being exploited/trafficked by much older men, beaten regularly, abused by law enforcement & making absolutly no $.
So where as I concur with you that there are many types of trafficking and that unfortunately HT is happening all over the United States as well as in other countries. I hesistate to agree that sex trafficking is not a big deal. I believe that it is much more pervasive than people want to believe.
I am very familiar with the State Dept's definition of human trafficking. Unfortunately it is well accepted in many organizations and activists work that the definition was stretched in ways due to political pressure. The forces to end trafficking in the United States are dominated by older, predominately white Women's Organizations, and Christian organizations. I am member of some of these women's groups, and I admire much of thier work. But the discussion on trafficking in the U.S focuses on sex trafficking, at the exlusion of other forms of trafficking.
The recent effort to ensure the continued lawfulllness of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act contained suggested language by Republican lawmakers that would have made taking anyone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution human trafficking. These would have meant that what little money the US government spends on ending trafficking would have gone to stopping pimping of Americans by Americans. I found this completely dissapointing. Most women who are trafficking into the US, even those that testify agaisnt their traffickers, are not given services, they are instead deported. The US has a very poor record in ending organized trafficking rings. I think it's obvious that what little money we spend is not going to protect victims and end trafficking, but to pursue a political and moral crusade against prostitution.
The effort to end human trafficking and the effort to end prostitution should not be the same thing.
Half of all trafficking in the US occurs in shadow industries and unregulated sectors of labor. In the agricultural fields, in maid service at hotels, in people's home, in restaraunts who are run by and for non English speakers. If the US really wants to stop trafficking, we need to devote reasources to these sectors. Education, monitoring, making resources availble to victims, and sustained efforts to break up the rings of people who bring victims here.
This is not happening and won't happen until we can change the focus of trafficking to the ROOT causes. Poverty in the country of origin, unregulated labor in the United States, organized international crime rings, the fear and lack of services for immigrant communities here in our country, etc.
I agree that anyone under the age of 18 is not voluntarily working in prostitution, anywhere in the world. I also agree that many women working in prostitution do not feel free to leave it, and that it's often an abusive, horrible situation. I don't really need to be reminded of that fact. (I would very heavily disagree with the statistic that the average age of a prostituted women in the US is 12, I would like to know where you got that information. I have been at events with law enforcement agents on trafficking and have never heard anything like that before.) You feel like many American don't understand how pervasive trafficking and forced sex work is in the United States. I agree with you. But I do understand how pervasive it is. I have been working on trafficking issues for some time now.
What I would recommend is that you educate yourself about what human trafficking is really all about. I think some people find they only ever want to care about sex trafficking, that is the approach of groups like IJM for example. I personally want to force the United States to end human trafficking, and that means more then just rescuing abused women. It means rescuing them, as well as all the other victims of trafficking, and creating a society in which it is much more difficult to trafficking anyone into the United States for forced labor. It means dealing with our economy and trade policies, which have left other nations in poverty around the world. It also means seperating myself from many people's efforts to end prostitution. That is the work of law enforcement, not the work of politically motivated anti-trafficking activists.
Also, I am atheist. I just add this because I know many Christians in anti-trafficking work who are motivated to end forced sex work. I appreciate thier dedication and efforts. But at the same time I distrust them. I am very socially progressive, and it's hard to appreciate people who want to end forced sex work, but also prostitution, as well as forbid gay marriage, reproductive rights and a host of other social freedoms that I value. I think this viewpoint of mine does come into my writing and reasoning, so it's important to mention. There are some Christians in anti-trafficking who will never agree to a more balanced progressive attitude toward ending trafficking, we just won't see eye to eye.
Thank you for your calm note and openess to dialogue
Callista
Monday, January 26, 2009
Owen Akira Martin!
I have photos from a great family dinner we had at the Nakagawara's two weeks ago.
And photos of our second meeting with baby Owen Akira Martin, Tanner's nephew! He is healthy and so is his mom, he is a beautiful baby. I am so glad to know him already.
dinner. we also drank a lot of wine that night!
My favorite boyfriend with his nephew
And photos of our second meeting with baby Owen Akira Martin, Tanner's nephew! He is healthy and so is his mom, he is a beautiful baby. I am so glad to know him already.
dinner. we also drank a lot of wine that night!
thinking hard
He is a beautiful boy
Tired parents
I have a cold, but I got to hold Owen
My favorite boyfriend with his nephew
Overdue
I've been hibernating, basically, and so not blogging. I also went on a week long cruise with my family on my dad's side. I have some great photos that will go up in the next few days. It was a great cruise, and we had a wonderful time, we stopped along the west coast of Mexico. I can't wait to spend more time in Mexico.
I also am nearly an Auntie! Tanner's sister Julia had her baby. His name is Owen Akira Martin (Tanner's name is Tanner Akira Nakagawara, so that is really special). Owen is beautiful. They are doing a great job with him. It's great having him here. Tanner is also excited, it's funny hearing what he has to say about babies and nephews.
I am job hunting. So that's a good thing. Rhea is studying, school is good for her. Scott is working. Tanner is studying. Mom is working.
peace
I also am nearly an Auntie! Tanner's sister Julia had her baby. His name is Owen Akira Martin (Tanner's name is Tanner Akira Nakagawara, so that is really special). Owen is beautiful. They are doing a great job with him. It's great having him here. Tanner is also excited, it's funny hearing what he has to say about babies and nephews.
I am job hunting. So that's a good thing. Rhea is studying, school is good for her. Scott is working. Tanner is studying. Mom is working.
peace
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