 Cyrus International is committed to help organizations focused on stopping the practice of human trafficking. Our desire is not only to rescue those victims from enslavement, but to also provide physical and emotional rehabilitation. In addition, we support groups dedicated to bringing social restoration to these individuals so they have an opportunity to begin to build a healthy, normal life.
Worldwide, human trafficking has become one of the leading sources of profits for organized crime, generating an estimated $9.5 billion per year. Over 2 million people are trafficked every year, 70% being women and young children. Girls as young as 12 are stolen from their countries, smuggled into other nations and forced into a life of prostitution and or child labor. The average sex trafficked victim is obliged to have sex up to 20 times per day.
This issue can be ignored no longer, and we must rise up and become the agents of change and social justice.
 Internationally, Cyrus is presently partnering with The A21 Campaign, an organization focused on making a difference in Greece and Italy. There are huge prostitution rings in these nations, with over 200,000 women and children in Greece alone trapped as sex slaves, and 1,838 sales every day. That’s one sale every 47 seconds. Largely comprised of trafficked young women and children from former Soviet Bloc nations, these victims suffer from malnutrition, beatings, forced abortions, exposure to many STD’s, and nonexistent health care.
Cyrus International is committed to provide funding for this humanitarian organization to build onsite shelter, rehabilitation centers, legal advocacy offices, and special operations teams designed to rescue these girls. Upon rescue, their immediate physical needs will be met, and then they will begin the process of emotional rehabilitation. Because these victims were stolen at such young ages, most have no vocational skills. These centers will provide the essential education needed to help re-integrate the girls back into society.
At home in the United States, Cyrus launched the TraffickingHOPE Campaign. TraffickingHOPE.org is an outreach and awareness campaign of Cyrus International and the Rescue and Restore Human Trafficking Coalition of Southeast Louisiana. The campaign is designed to bring hope to victims of human trafficking by:
- Identifying, rescuing, and restoring victims of sex and labor trafficking from cities along the I-10 corridor from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, LA.
- Educating the public and providing awareness on the issue of Human Trafficking in America regarding both American and international victims.
These goals are being accomplished with the help of funding received from the Department of Health and Human Services as well as funding received through corporate and private donations.
Currently the coalition includes representatives from:
- Local and State Police
- Sheriff’s Department
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- Attorney General’s Office
- Churches
- Social Services
- Health Professionals
- Non-profit Organizations
- Business Owners
- Homeless Youth Programs
- Rape Crisis Center
- College Students
TraffickingHOPE outreaches will target the streets, corner stores, truck stops and strip clubs in order to reach victims enslaved in these industries. These outreaches support the identification of human trafficking victims among vulnerable populations which include homeless and at-risk youth, women and girls exploited through commercial sex, and migrant farm workers. The ultimate purpose of these outreaches is to develop trusting relationships with those who are trafficked or at risk of trafficking, so that we can most effectively aid and rescue them.
TraffickingHOPE awareness efforts will include the use of billboards, radio spots, and print media to inform the public and call to arms those who are willing to fight against the sale of human beings. By partnering with college campuses across the nation we are enlisting a generation of men and women who are willing to stand up against human trafficking.
We understand that the effort to fight human trafficking in our own cities cannot come from one individual, one group, or one agency. This is a collective and strategic plan utilizing the strengths of everyone. For more detailed information about TraffickingHOPE go to: www.traffickinghope.org or email us any questions at: info@cyrusinternational.org. |
