Closing the Economic Gender Gap

As the founder of an anti-sex trafficking organization, in country after country that I have visited, I have observed a strong correlation between high levels of sex trafficking and unequal economic opportunities for women. This tells me that closing the income gap between men and women will go a long way to help reduce sex trafficking. In the November 26 issue of The Economist, in an article titled, “Closing the Gap,” author Barbara Beck shows the worldwide economic disparities between the genders. Beck cites Kevin Daly of Goldman Sachs who estimates that closing the gap between male and female employment rates would have major implications for the global economy – mainly boosting the United States GDP by as much as 9%, Eurozone’s GDP by 13%, and the Japanese GDP by 16%.

This is no surprise given the fact that women are spenders. The global cosmetic market alone was forecasted by Europemonitor International to exceed $300 billion in 2010. Clearly, the elimination of the economic gender gap would benefit everyone. Women spend money on the 3 P’s - products, people, and other priorities. Studies show that women are more likely to invest their paycheck on improving health, education, and infrastructure. Based on these variables, shouldn’t putting more dollars in the pockets of women not only increase the GDP but also improve the social economic state of the economy? This would be an ideal scenario, but narrowing the gap in economic disparity between men and women still seems beyond reach.

According the World Economic Forum, in countries like Turkey, South Africa, Malta, Thailand, and even the United States, opportunities are scarce for women. The United States ranks high in the proportion of women who participate in the economy but lags in the proportion of women at higher levels. This is commonly known as the “glass ceiling.” In contrast, economic opportunities are plentiful for women in Nordic countries such as Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Notably, sex-trafficking in the Nordic countries is among the lowest in the world. In the Nordic countries, policies, both economical and political, work hand in hand to prevent women and children from being commoditized. This is not the case for Thailand, South Africa, or even the United States—countries where sex-trafficking thrives.

This past year, for the first time ever, the United States Department of State included the U.S. in its annual Trafficking in Person’s Report. This is a good reminder that we in the U.S are not immune to the issue of sex trafficking. In fact, virtually every global study of human trafficking cites the United States as a prime destination for trafficked sex slaves. The U.S. will soon have to face the fact that sex-trafficking is not something that just happens overseas. According to Harvard researcher Siddharth Kara, sex-trafficking was a $38 billion industry in 2010, globally.

Although research about the correlation between economic opportunities for women and sex-trafficking is scant, it is easy to conclude that giving women more economic opportunities as well as spending power will increase consumption in legitimate sectors and spur economic growth. Economic parity for women seems to be a win-win for everyone; however, with limited investment into their education and training globally, we have a long way to go. According to the United Nations, two thirds of women are illiterate among the 774 million illiterate adults in the world. Perhaps recognizing the fact that gender income disparity perpetuates sex-trafficking is a start to addressing this issue through a more targeted approach.

- Diana Mao

NYC Restaurant Supports Nomi Network

On December 6 Nomi Network’s executive team in partnership with the NYC based German restaurant, Wechsler’s Currywurst and Bratwurst (120 1st Avenue, New York NY), hosted a gathering to introduce customers and new friends and acquaintances to the organization’s mission of leveraging the marketplace to eradicate human trafficking. The restaurant displayed products along their counter tops as well as brochures and a container for a business card raffle. There was a diverse mix of individuals in attendance, including employees of financial, marketing and legal firms, journalists, and health industry professionals. The cozy space created a festive atmosphere and attendees stayed late into the evening sampling the restaurants’ specialty beers and authentic German street food.

Nomi Network team members chatted with guests as adept hostesses, Misty Shores and Sho-Joung Kim-Wechsler helped serve guests and skillfully usher people to seats while simultaneously sharing about the global issue of human trafficking and Nomi Network’s mission. Restaurant owner, Andre Wechsler, a native of Germany, left his job in finance in 2008 to open Wechsler’s Currywurst and Bratwurst. His ancestry included a lineage of Bavarian butchers and he was inspired to follow in their footsteps, making authentic German food and culture available to New Yorkers. His restaurant has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Village Voice, NYMagazine, Timeout, and many others. Andre first heard about Nomi Network’s mission to fight human trafficking through his wife, Sho-Joung Kim-Wechsler.

Despite the rainy weather on the evening of the event, the gathering was warm and vibrant, and the connections vital to the growth of the organization. New York City is the epicenter of ideas that create wealth and social change. The Wechsler’s created an environment where this exchange took place effortlessly.

- Alissa Moore & Diana Mao

Nomi Network's Fashion Corner: Ethical Fashion Defined

As holiday shopping draws to a close, many have spent countless hours entering stores and boutiques to purchase gifts for family and friends. As consumers, we can choose to purchase products that promote ‘ethical fashion’. Through our shopping decisions and habits we can begin to make better choices to help promote sustainability and ethics in one of the largest industries in the world.

‘Ethical’ fashion is becoming a new focus in various sectors of the fashion industry. Ethical fashion serves as an umbrella term in fashion including a number of issues. Ethical fashion includes: organic, fair-trade, vintage/second-hand, recycling, re-design or ‘up-cycling’, and technology. Ethical fashion is more than just a trend, it is a value shift stemming from informed consumers and value-driven fashion designers and companies.

Choosing to buy ‘ethical’ fashion is not about making a right or wrong decision in one’s purchases but rather committing to making an informed decision that coincides with one’s own ethical priorities. Fair trade practices provide fair wages and conditions for workers, farmers, and employees. Fair trade leads to sustainable growth and positive development in local communities around the world.

Purchasing vintage/second-hand apparel or recycled or up-cycled garments reduces the environmental impact of production and simultaneously reduces waste. According to some statistics, 90 million items of clothing end up in landfills each year. We can reduce this number by reducing our purchases of ‘disposable’ fashion and focus on thinking before we buy.

As informed consumers, we can think about where and how the product came into being, by whom and under what conditions the product was made, and how long we will personally use the product. Answering these questions will help us to understand the consequences of a single consumer’s choice.

Also, as informed consumers we have the power to vote. We vote with each ‘ethical’ fashion purchase, we vote to infuse a greater social and environmental responsibility into the fashion industry with each fair trade, eco-friendly purchase.

Below are some resources to learn more about ‘ethical’ fashion:

http://ecofriendlyfashion.blogspot.com/p/fashion-industry-facts.html

http://fairtradeusa.org/

http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/

http://globalactionthroughfashion.org/for-consumers/what-is-ethical-fashion/

- Sachiko Pettit

Church Partners Give the Gift of Freedom

Over the Advent season, two churches invited Nomi Network to share their global mission of eradicating human trafficking.

Co-founder and Vice President Alissa Moore spoke at both Forefront Church and Everyday Church, joined by key volunteers Kala and Matt Mueller, Kelli McDaniel and Holly Ernst who helped sell Nomi Network bags to those in attendance.

The churches gave financially to the non-profit’s work by matching half the cost of each bag or item sold during the services. The generosity shown by both communities was truly inspiring and many of the items in their inventory sold out day-of. For the team, it was incredible to see hearts and minds impassioned by Nomi Network’s vision to empower victims of sexual slavery. Many attendees visited Nomi Network’s Holiday Booth at Union Square, and are still offering to volunteer their time and talent to contribute in specific areas.

In both churches, the warm reception of the attendees and the poignant message about the meaning of justice underlined the importance of giving back to the community and to those in need. It was clear that accepting people as they are is a gift that flows naturally from Forefront and Everyday Church members.

Nomi Network wants to thank Forefront and Everyday Church once again for their generosity and enthusiasm for our work. We are honored by these partnerships and are excited to see the growth that is bound to happen as these church bodies become a force of love and hope in both local and global communities.

- Don Torrance & Lisa Kim

Sustainable Carpentry for the Holidays

Throughout the month of December Nomi Network’s booth at the Union Square Holiday Market was up and running and all a bustle with visitors. The colorful booth was outfitted with Nomi Network products made by survivors and women at risk of human trafficking, including hand bags, totes, and wallets, perfect for the gift giving season. Open everyday until Christmas Eve, the booth was persistently staffed by executive team members and volunteers alike who all testified that being a part of the market was a gift in and of itself. Everywhere you looked there were craftsmen and women displaying their work proudly for shoppers to see, purchase, and enjoy. They were not only selling their wares, but sharing their skills and creativity with the world. Since being a sales person is an art form unto itself, everyone working at the different booths had to be both nice as well as dedicated to their products. Nomi Network’s volunteers were just that. Whether it was rainy or sunny, mild or frigid, the Nomi Network team shared their story with visitors daily while raising awareness about human and sex trafficking.

When Nomi Network fist secured a booth at the Holiday Market, there was much work to be done before the market opened. A structure on which to display the products needed to be built and would hopefully reinforce the organization’s mission. Enter our highly capable carpenter: Brad Acopulos. When he first heard about the job, Brad was hesitant, but after speaking with Nomi Network’s lead product developer and the visionary for the holiday booth, Supei Liu, he was instantly onboard with the project. “Supei was so very nice and there was [such] a good human connection with her, that I felt comfortable taking on the job,” Brad said.

Due to Brad’s execution the shelving and display units in the booth made excellent use of the small space. Using bamboo he constructed two thin units that fit along either side of the narrow space, with shelves for storage underneath and bars creating a criss-cross framework above. The framework created rectangles on which hooks could be hung so that products could be displayed, as well as openings in which photos of the women Nomi Network works with could be seen. The main shelves on the units where made with trough-like counter tops that were filled with rice in order to help shoppers make the connection that the material being used to construct the products was recycled rice bag material. The reason Brad began working as a carpenter and constructing custom made furniture was more or less inspired from observing people. “I give the analogy that people are like furniture, once made really well, but over the years abused, neglected, worn out, and just not functional anymore, and thus [it] gets tossed out in the street. With furniture that was once well made, I say you can repurpose it, restore it, and combine the pieces in creative and functional ways as such, to produce a perfectly desirable and functional piece of furniture.”

Thanks to skilled individuals like Brad, Nomi Network was able to present their products to a growing New York audience this holiday season and count their experience as a Holiday Market vendor a true success!

- Caroline Hughes

Stories of Hope Fundraiser a Success

On October 12^th 2011 Nomi Network hosted our 2^nd annual Cocktail and Awards Ceremony in New York City. With 170 people in attendance, we gathered to honor Dawn Conway of LexisNexis with Nomi Network’s Corporate Social Responsibility Award, as well as to announce Nomi Network’s expansion of programs into India.

In an effort to share about the event with our supporters who are not based in New York, we asked one of our wonderful volunteers, Caroline Hughes, to reflect on her experience at the cocktail and to share about the evening from her perspective. Below is her lovely recap. Special thanks goes to our Host Committee, our sponsors, our board of directors, our volunteers and our in-kind donors for making the evening possible! We hope you’ll join our mailing list and keep an eye out for future events and opportunities to engage!

It’s a Wednesday night just at dusk. I walked into the Scandinavian House located on Park Avenue only to be greeted by some of the loveliest and biggest smiling Nomi volunteers ever. As a volunteer for Nomi myself, I truly felt that sense of family that is entwined throughout the group of workers that make what the organization does possible.

After greeting people at the door for the first hour, I made my way upstairs to see my friends I invited and to check out the venue. It was flawless! Everything from the music of Bethany and a Guitar band to the red and yellow flowers on the table to the wonderful dresses the women were wearing – it was just simply picturesque!

After a little bit of munching on mouth-watering goat cheese and red pepper skewers, scrumptious Scandinavian meatballs, and delicious desserts paired with ginger flavored mixed drinks, Diana Mao, co-founder of Nomi Network, made her way to the front to begin the evening. She gracefully opened by explaining the true meaning of the night’s gathering - which is actually a sobering epidemic - sex trafficking. Nomi is a real girl who has been rescued from trafficking which is something the many young girls like her are still trapped in today. In fact, the UNICEF reports that of the sex workers from the Mekong part of Southeast Asia 30-35% are young girls ages 12-17 years old.“Nomi Network works to empower and protect surviving and at–risk women of sex trafficking specifically in Cambodia by leveraging the fashion industry to create sustainable job and educational opportunities that otherwise don't exist” (Nomi Network website).

JoJo Smith a representative from Goldman Sachs then introducedMinna Elias, member of Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney cabinet. Congresswoman Maloney leads a strong fight in the political realm against sex trafficking and is the co-chair of the Congressional Human Trafficking Caucus.

Elias presented Nomi Network’s Corporate Social Responsibility Award to Dawn Conway of LexisNexis. Dawn manages the LexisNexis Cares program that encourages corporate volunteerism. The company has been a powerful leader in making more awareness about this crime through databases for social service workers and online training corpses. Also, Conway and LexisNexis have done a large amount of work in driving laws and educating people about the issue. After her presentation, there was a beautiful slideshow of pictures from the country of Cambodia while the band played.

The night ended with the winners of the silent auction and raffles announced along with the cutting of the tasty cake shaped like a Nomi Network bag. As I surveyed the crowd while people were departing, all I saw were smiles.

Leaving the event though, I still wanted to give more to the organization and ones similar to it. Buying products made by Buy Her Bag, Not Her Body and other lines that support women economically is one simple and fashionable way. Being involved in the political fight by letting your local congress people know about your cares and concerns, is another way to help. Also, demanding that policies be in place with corporations to not allow trafficking of any kind to be allowed during production. Volunteering and giving of your time and money (go to www.nominetwork.org) are some of the simplest but most impactful way to help. One way to practically share the love is to host a home party! If you’re interested, contacted supei@nominetwork.org.

Honestly, why spend your money on something as meaningless as a label. Stretch your purchase and make a statement that says you will not stand for injustice.

- Caroline Hughes

Spotlight on: Congresswoman Maloney’s Office

In a press release dated October 5, 2011 Congresswoman Caroline Maloney’s office announced that an amendment introduced by Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT), based on legislation authored by Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), was approved by a voice vote as part of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), H.R. 2830. The press release explained that, “the Maloney language would encourage companies with over $100 million in gross global receipts to post on their websites what policies they have in place to ensure their supply chains are free of slavery and human trafficking. It will increase transparency, allow consumers to make informed decisions, and motivate businesses to ensure humane practices throughout the supply chain.” We had the wonderful opportunity to interview Congresswoman Maloney’s Chief of Staff, Minna Elias, to dig a bit deeper into what we can continue to do to support more positive change.

First, congratulations on the revision of the “Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.” How can everyday citizens further support this Act?

Congresswoman Maloney’s measure is one of many amendments to the law; her amendment will make it easier to know whether large corporations are benefitting from forced labor – and to know which ones have adopted policies specifically rejecting such goods. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act will make sure that the United States continues to protect trafficking victims and to take steps to combat trafficking both here and abroad. If you want to support the bill, call or write to your Representative and your Senators and ask them to co-sponsor the bill.

Congresswoman Maloney is one of the few politicians who has taken action to combat trafficking. Why do you think others have not joined the fight against trafficking?

Trafficking is actually an issue that has significant support on both sides of the aisle. The Congresswoman has taken a very strong interest in this issue since 1999 when she learned about Big Apple Oriental Tours, a company engaged in sex tourism. They would bring men abroad to meet prostitutes, advertising that they could meet as many women as they wanted. At the time there was no law directly banning the practice. The original Trafficking Victims Protection Act explicitly banned sex tourism and made it much easier to ban the practice. As the Congresswoman became more knowledgeable about trafficking in persons, she became increasingly interested in finding innovative ways to address the issue. Her End Demand for Sex Trafficking Act, which she sponsored along with Representative Deborah Pryce (R-OH) was included in a previous Trafficking Victims Protection Act reauthorization bill. The Congresswoman has found that the more members of Congress are educated about the problem of labor and sex trafficking, the stronger their resolve to take steps to combat it. It is always helpful for members to hear that their constituents are concerned about an issue and want them to get involved.

Nomi Network's model is sustainable because it leverages the purchasing power of consumers. It also provides education for women to overcome their current situation. Do you think the power of a strong business model can be a driving force in combatting trafficking?

One of Nomi Network’s strengths is its determination to provide women with a means of escape and to provide vulnerable families with a way to earn a living without selling their children into slavery. I applaud Nomi Network for giving trafficking victims a way to rebuild their lives and earn a decent living.

- Caroline Hughes