She is a mother of three boys and newly-published writer of romantic suspense fiction from St. Louis, Missouri. She is also a passionate advocate for the ending of human trafficking, the practice of illegally trading human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or slavery.

She donates a portion of the royalties from the sale of her books, which involve the issue, to Project Liberty and other organizations that help rescue victims and raise awareness.

Recently, I chatted with her about how she came to be involved with it, and how she uses her writing abilities to make a difference in the world.

Question: How did you initially learn about the issue of human trafficking?

Answer: I first learned about modern-day slavery when I was conducting Internet research for my novel Throwaway, and I soon realized I’d stumbled across the tip of the iceberg. It snowballed from there. There was a vast and pervasive evil thriving right under our noses, and most people weren’t even aware of it.

Last year, about the time I was toying with the idea to use the books to raise awareness, I attended a human trafficking symposium. Many of the speakers were from organizations and coalitions that rescue victims and work to change legislation. I learned a lot, and it definitely solidified my decision. As I’ve become more involved in the fight, I’ve learned so much more. When you speak to those directly impacted—investigators, victims, families of victims—it puts a face to the numbers, and that changes everything.

Question: Why do you think this issue, above all others, so captured your attention that you would devote a portion of your royalties and your time to Project Liberty?

Answer: I could take pages to answer this one question. The shortest way I know to reply is this: I believe with all that I am that we were each created for a purpose. We all matter, and nobody is a throwaway. It bothers me to the core of my soul to know that 27 million people in this world are being treated so deplorably, and we don’t even notice. Since I started my work as an abolitionist, I’ve heard a lot of stories, but they never stop making me cry.

I look at my children and think there are streets in Tijuana lined with little ones, every bit as precious as mine, who have been drugged so adults can do unspeakable things to them. As a human being, I have a responsibility to not walk away from something like that, but rather to stand up and say, “This isn’t okay.” It’s such a massive issue; slavery has taken on so many forms. Although largely part of the sex industry, it’s also in the products we buy and the services we take for granted. Sometimes it feels insurmountable. But things will never change if we don’t do something, and these people are worth fighting for. I can’t kick down the doors to rescue victims, but I can be a voice. I can tell others what I know and help people find ways to plug in. And I can raise money for those who can kick down the proverbial doors.

Knowing what’s at stake, how could I not?

What will you do this year to help raise awareness for those who are in need?

Think of a world where it no longer existed, though, where those 12 million people were free to live, grow, and work for themselves. Think about how good it might feel to contribute to that kind of future. The DNA Foundation, started by celebrities Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher to raise awareness about child sex slavery, change the cultural stereotypes that facilitate this horrific problem, and rehabilitate innocent victims, strives for that future. Most recently, those efforts have been centered on an interactive online campaign called “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls.” This campaign invites everyone to view and make “Real Men” videos with stars such as Jason Mraz and Jamie Foxx, and share it with their friends. A press release from a DNA Foundation representative states: “Consumers will play a critical role in spreading the word about the campaign by creating their own personalized video and sharing it with friends.”

Supporters are invited to go to the DNA Foundation Facebook page and click on the “Real Men” application tab. The application will allow guests to insert their own photo into the celebrity video in order to create their very own “Real Men” video. After the video is created, they can share it with their friends by posting on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The goal is for as many people as possible to watch the videos, create a personalized video, and spread the word about child sex slavery. All videos can be viewed at www.demiandashton.org/realmen.

The fact that there is still a need for such a campaign is appalling. But yet, even some of us at Mom It Forward have seen it first-hand (see this post). Jyl herself can attest to some of its horrific effects. When you really think about it, after your skin stops crawling and your eyebrows return to their normal level, you might be a little overwhelmed by the need for help. Keep in mind, however, that we bring you this information because it fits with our mission of changing the world one mom at a time, one small action at a time. All of these efforts will add up over time.

Photo courtesy of DemiandAshton.org.

10 Tips for Repairing

Here are 10 bite-size ideas to help you put those thoughts in action. Repair…

1. …your marriage by reading The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman (1992). Identify which language your husband speaks and express your love to him in his language.
2. …your relationship with your children by taking one out for a mommy/son or daughter night, one child a week.
3. …the health of your family by holding a 10 minute exercise “bonanza” once a week, increasing the time and frequency as needed.
4. …the negative things you see in your community by volunteering on a homeowners’ association board or city community council.
5. ..the effects of insufficient education funding by donating to your child’s school through your school district’s foundation.
6. …the stigma attached to mental illness by donating $5 to No Kidding, Me Too, a nonprofit founded by actor and author Joe Pantoliano to educate about the prevalence of mental illness and remove the stigma attached to it.
7. …the effects of poverty by donating your daughter’s never-to-be-used-again prom dress to the Glass Slipper Project, Fairy Godmothers Inc., the Cinderella Project, or Becca’s Closet.
8. …the effects of diet-related diseases among our nation’s youth by learning more about the initiatives of the Chez Panisse Foundation, which provides hands-on experiences in school kitchens, gardens, and lunchrooms.
9. …the effects of human trafficking, slavery, and child labor in India by buying a bag or bracelet from MadeBySurvivors.com
10. …the effects of war by tweeting about Seeds of Peace, an organization whose mission is to help young people from regions of conflict develop the leadership skills necessary to advance reconciliation and coexistence.

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• What other ideas do you have for repairing things this week?
• How has repairing something made a meaningful difference this week?
• How have others helped to help you or fix things in your life this week and what difference has that made in your life?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Season?

Make a meaningful difference this season by taking the Season of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Check out this week’s prizes from Liquid Plumr by clicking here.
• Join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

Think about your job. Imagine if you worked 15 to 16 hours a day. Every day. Now imagine if you didn’t have a choice. You were taken from your family. You were provided meager living conditions and little food. And, for all those hours, you got $5, maybe $10, a month. A month! With that money, you may be able to buy a few cookies or a ball to play with. And that’s it.

Today is my fifth day in India. I’m here with Aveda, who has graciously sponsored my trip as part of a larger corporate program to visit villages where they have helped purify the water systems. One such village is an Ashram run by the BBA organization and is dedicated to the rehabilitation of children rescued from child labor.

For those of you who have seen the recent flick starring Julia Roberts, Eat Pray Love, you are familiar with the term Ashram. But, if you’re anything like me, you walked away thinking of them related with people trying to find themselves—a spa-like experience sans the expensive massages. And while an Ahshram, per Wikipedia is a sanctuary where people go to dedicate themselves to meditation, music, or religious study, the Ashram we visited is like a sanctuary from the hellacious places these kids had found themselves for a few months and oftentimes, years.

I’m not going to lie to you, this entire topic is one I can’t easily write about. It feels a little simpler to just share the facts. The truth? My visit was heart wrenching. 100 boys, recently (as in within 2 weeks) rescued. Trying to learn to trust adults again. Having grown-up conversations with their friends about things like sexual abuse and how much their purchase price was.

I looked into the eyes of these kids—boys the same ages as mine—boys that had been completely robbed of their childhood and I had to turn away to keep from crying in front of them.

Steps to Preventing Child Labor

When wondering what in the world I could do to make a difference, these simple steps made the overwhelm subside and caused me to feel hope:

• Get behind a strong leader. One leader with passion and conviction can positively influence change one baby step at a time. The BBA started with one leader. Today is employs nearly 200 people and has 80,000 volunteers in India and Nepal. We don’t always have to be the leader to impact change. Sometimes standing behind a strong leader is more powerful and proves the old addage of 1+1=3.
  X
• Partner with the right organizations and brands. Ask yourself: “What are my values? What is my mission? What causes do I support?” Then, align yourself with the organizations and brands that support those things. If a brand is committed to not purchasing products from suppliers who use child labor, then you are making a difference every time you make a choice to purchase that product over another one. It seems simple. It may not feel like it impacts huge change. But, we are talking about a human life. Every child saved from slavery is HUGE!
  X
• Give an extra 30 seconds. When I asked Bhuwan Ribhu, National Secretary of and activist for the BBA, what he would tell the busy mom to do to make a difference in the area of human trafficking, his simple answer was: “Tell her to take 30 more seconds and ask the question: ‘Was this product made using child labor?’ If so, do not buy it.” Brands like Aveda, Patagonia, Timberland, and others are very open about their policies where that is concerned. All it takes is a question and a few seconds of research to know.

So, while it may seem simple, 30 seconds can stop slavery one child at a time. Look at this picture. These boys are getting in a car to be reunited with their families. In the 30 years BBA has been in operation, they have rescued more than 79,000 children.

All it takes 30 seconds to commit to following a strong leader. It takes 30 seconds to choose to support brands who align with your mission and values. And it takes 30 seconds to ask a simple question: “Was this product made using child labor?” And it takes 1 second to NOT buy it if it was.

What can you do in 30 seconds this week to positively change the world?

When a woman is assaulted or beaten or coerced into sex or otherwise abused, she feels less empowered. She is often put in a position where she can’t be a strength to her family, her community, the world, and let alone a strength to herself.

Tonight on Twitter, and together with Avon, we will focus our #gno chat on ending violence against women. This means no more domestic violence. No more dating abuse. No more sexual assault. No more human trafficking.

While we won’t be able to solve all of the world’s problems tonight, we can raise our voices 140 characters at a time to raise awareness, share experiences, offer tips and ways to get involved and make a difference.

Domestic Violence Statistics

Did you know…

• Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten.
• Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family.
• Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than care accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.
• Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.
• Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a breakup.
• Everyday in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.
• Ninety-two percent of women surveyed listed reducing domestic violence and sexual assault as their top concern.
• Domestic violence victims lose nearly 8 million days of paid work per year in the US alone—the equivalent of 32,000 full-time jobs.
• Based on reports from 10 countries, between 55 percent and 95 percent of women who had been physically abused by their parnterns had never contacted non-governmental organizations, shelters, or the police for help.
• The cots of intimate partner violence in the US alone exceed $5.8 billion per year: $4.1 billion are for direct medical and health care services, while productivity losses acount for nearly $1.8 billion.
• Men who as children witnessed their parents’ domestic violence were twice as likely to abuse their own wives than sons of nonviolent parents.

All information is taken directly from the Avon Foundation Domestic Violence Resource Guide, which comes free with the purchase of any of Avon’s Empowerment products. One hundred percent of the proceeds of these products go toward ending violence against women worldwide.

Join in and help spread the word. Click here to watch the Twitter stream or to participate!

Photo courtesy of Diana Scimone who runs the Born 2 Fly organization, helping end human trafficking.

Join Avon at the #gno Twitter party this Tuesday, March 16 from 9-11 ET (8 CT, 7 MT, and 6 PT) for an awareness raising conversation about how to take action and help end domestic violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking. There is so much we all can be doing. Share and learn tips for ways in which you can empower women around the world and make a difference.

• What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
• When: Tuesday, March 16, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
• Where: Click here to party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #avoniwd.)
• Topic: Ending Violence Against Women World Wide
• Who: @avonprnewsflash @dianascimone @maggiedammit @pigtailpals @reneejross @theundomestic @utbrown
• Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway. Deadline: 3/17
• RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF).
Photo courtesy of Flickr.


Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.

In 2008, Avon Products, Inc. and the Avon Foundation introduced the company’s first-ever global fundraising product, the Women’s Empowerment Bracelet, designed to save and improve women’s lives worldwide. Now, just two years later, Avon sells an entire line of Empowerment products including a necklace, and the NEW T-shirt, and ring.

This week’s 10 lucky winners will each receive the entire line of Empowerment products, including a t-shirt, necklace, bracelet, and ring. Along with these stylish empowering products, you will also receive a booklet informing you on ways in which you can help further the cause to help end violence against women.

Entry Requirements

Please do the following three things to enter for a chance to win and leave a separate comment for each:

1. Follow @avonprnewsflash on Twitter.
   XXX
2. Click here, check out the Avon Empowerment line, and leave a comment on this post, sharing which product you’d enjoy.
   XXXX
3. Post these messages on Twitter and leave comments here with a link to your tweets:

GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win @avonprnewsflash Prize Pack (10 winners) http://bit.ly/cLwTzZ #avoniwd #gno PLS RT
XXXX

Join #gno on Twitter 2NITE 9-11 ET w/@avonprnewsflash 2 lrn tips 2 hlp end violence agnst women http://bit.ly/9S7rzL #avoniwd RT

Extra Entries

The following four entries are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry each. Leave a separate comment on this post for each completed entry.

1. Share a tip for how to prevent or raise awareness to end domestic violence, sexual abuse, and/or human trafficking.
2. Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
3. Become a Friend of Mom It Forward’s Google Friend Connect (see box in right sidebar).
4. Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the top of the right sidebar).

Terms and Conditions

No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at midnight ET Wednesday, March 17, 2010. No more than one entry per person via each of the methods listed in the Giveaway details. The odds of winning a Giveaway depend on the number of entries. Winners will be selected randomly by Mom It Forward. All decisions of Mom It Forward are final. Employees of Mom It Forward and the Giveaway sponsor are not eligible to participate. All entries received after the Giveaway closing date and time will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If the winner does not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants who are residents of the US 18 years and older. Void where prohibited. Taxes on Giveaways are solely the responsibility of the winner. Winner agrees to permit Mom It Forward and the Giveaway Sponsor to use her or his name, voice, photo, or likeness for reasonable promotional and marketing purposes for up to 90 days after the end of the Giveaway. Mom It Forward and Sponsor are not liable for late or misdirected entries, entry errors, or transmission problems. Mom It Forward reserves the right to terminate the Giveaway in the event of technical problems, or to correct typographical or technical errors, or to amend these rules. All participants should review the Mom It Forward disclosure and privacy policies. By entering, participants agree to release and hold harmless Mom It Forward, Sponsor, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability or any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with a Giveaway. Mom It Forward will provide the name of the winner for any Giveaway, upon request, for 90 days after that Giveaway’s entry period ends. Unless otherwise provided by the Sponsor, no substitution, transfer, or assignment of prizes is permitted. Non-winning entries from one Giveaway are not carried forward to future Giveaways.

She recently returned from 18 months in Ukraine. While there, she learned about IWD when some locals asked her and my father-in-law what we did in the United States to celebrate.

My mother-in-law had never heard of IWD so she explained that we celebrated Mother’s Day here. Their Ukrainian friends’ response: “But what about the women who aren’t mothers?”

Touche!

While the US hasn’t declared IWD an official national holiday, it has dedicated the entire month of March to Womens’ History Month and the United Nations and many organizations, including prominent companies, put on conferences during this time to further promote and address women’s issues and rights focusing this year’s theme on “Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All.” (Click here to read conference summaries and progress/challenges.)

So, why is this important? What does this have to do with me as I sit behind my computer in my little corner of the world and you as you sit behind yours?

I watched this video and marveled at how relentlessly Iranian women are fighting for a chance to enjoy the gender equality freedoms I take for granted. I read this article that stated, “A growing number of countries have legislation that supports sexual and reproductive health and promotes gender equality. Nevertheless, maternal mortality remains unacceptably high, too few women have access to family planning, and violence against women remains a cause for global shame.”

I sit here behind my computer with the opportunity to work and provide for my family and I am haunted by a scene of 12-year-old girls dancing in the night market in Bangkok right out in the open with hardly any clothes on for all to see, for some to take advantage of. Taken from their homes. No mothers to care for them. I couldn’t take it in. I didn’t know what to do. Global shame doesn’t begin to describe the anger and helplessness that I felt in that moment and still feel 8 years later as I write this post. I turned my head. I kept walking. What could I do? The scene has never left my mind. But maybe there is more I can do. Maybe there’s more we all can do to further equality and rights and justice for women everywhere.

I am excited to be partnering with Avon to promote their commitment to help end violence for women world wide in support of IWD.

As I have researched and watched the #iwd hashtag on Twitter, here’s ways to learn more or get involved:

• Check out this site, which has a searchable database of events listed by country and state/city. Is there one in your area? Next year, Utah is going to be on that list!
• Choose an issue that speaks to you, like this one on maternal health perhaps, and look for ways to support the organizations that are dedicated to progressing these causes.
• Check out organizations like Vital Voices and attend one of their celebrations this week.
• Read this article and learn five things you can do to help support IWD.
• Watch the videos below and others like it to be more informed on global issues and how you can help.
• If nothing else, tweet your support for IWD (#iwd) and connect with women globally who share your support. Maybe together we can all make a difference!
  X

X

Avon’s tagline is: the company for women. While they may dedicate a lot of R&D to making great products, I’ve witnessed firsthand Avon’s passion for helping women succeed in their personal and professional lives as well. This passion starts at the tippy top of the company and oozes out of every Representative you meet. So, learning last week that Avon just announced plans to set up partnerships, secure grants, and donate money to end violence against women is not surprising to me.

Did you know that one in three women worldwide experience violence in their lifetime? And did you know that in the U.S. alone, a woman is assaulted every nine seconds? Around the world, services for victims are often vastly underfunded or unavailable, and in many countries, laws to protect women do not exist or are not enforced.

To help eradicate violence against women and help ensure justice for all women worldwide , Avon:

• Secured a $1.5 million grant to launch the Avon Global Center for Women and Justice at Cornell Law School. This new center will focus on working with judges, legal professionals, governmental and non-governmental organizations to improve access to justice in an effort to eliminate violence against women and girls.
• Expanded its relationship with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) with a new commitment of $250,000 for the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, which will be added to the grant of $1 million awarded in 2008 for the Trust Fund.
• Is donating 100% of the proceeds from these products—the Empowerment necklace, bracelet, and ring and t-shirt. I bought a t-shirt today. It was a small thing, but a simple way in which I could contribute to the cause.

Avon believes that when women are empowered they can make their dreams a beautiful reality.

March 8 is International Women’s Day. What can you do to help empower women and further their rights and justice worldwide?

To learn more and to help, connect with these organizations online: @UNIFEM and Facebook.com/UNIFEM.

Note: I am participating in a social media campaign with Avon to help end violence for women. While the topics I address and the details I provide in my posts during the campaign are at my sole discretion, I am receiving compensation for the time I put in to writing them.

Diana Scimone, a veteran journalist who has chronicled the $9.5 billion-a-year human trafficking industry for years, founded the non-profit Born to Fly International to help end child slavery. Scimone’s 09-09-09 Twitterthon goal is for 9,000 people to give $9 each – the $81,000 needed to start printing a new child-trafficking awareness book and curriculum by Scimone and illustrator Leah Wiedemer. “Each year more than a million children are lured into slavery around the world,” Scimone said. “Imagine what a dent we can make in the trafficking pipeline if we educate kids and their parents about the tactics traffickers use before they show up at their doorstep.”

While there are many reasons why a child may be trafficked (sadly, some are knowingly sold into slavery by their parents), Born to Fly works specifically to educate the millions of children and parents who are lured into slavery by false promises of “employment” and a better life for a child. The centerpiece of the Born to Fly project is a picture book – wordless so it doesn’t have to be translated into hundreds of languages – that teaches children to make wise choices. A companion curriculum will reinforce the important concepts in the book.

The curriculum and book illustrations are nearly complete. The final layout is scheduled for October. If enough funds are raised, printing will start in December. Born to Fly will then ship to a waiting list of schools, missions and aid organizations in North America and as far away as Ghana, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India and Bulgaria. “Our goal is to give the books away without charge, of course. So we are counting on our crowdfunding to help get this done.”

Enter the 09-09-09 Twitterthon.

Crowdfunding 101

Twitter has become a major source of crowdfunding – raising funds by appealing to large numbers of ordinary people for small donations. The 09-09-09 project, which has its own special twitter account – @09_09_09 – was featured prominently in a recent article on Mashable.com entitled A Guide to Crowdfunding Success. The Mashable Twitter account has nearly 1.2 million followers, and Mashable.com is one of the most respected social media authorities on the web. Scimone says the attention should help Born to Fly reach its 09-09-09 goal: “Lots of awareness, lots of strong new relationships, and lots of money.”

Scimone, who regularly tweets as @dianascimone where she has 1,500 followers, says Twitter could not have arrived at a better time. “What I love about Twitter is the community,” explains Scimone. “Twitter connects me with people I don’t know, but should.” Many companies have even donated prizes to give away during the Twitterthon. Everyone who donates $9 will be eligible for a prize drawing. (The prizes include original artwork, handcrafted sterling silver jewelry and plenty more. Scimone is announcing a prize each day leading up to 09-09-09 on her blog – www.dianascimone.com.)

Children as young as pre-schoolers are lured into modern-day slavery all over the world, including in the United States, where they’re raped for profit—night after night. Scimone wants her followers to get angry about this and to do something about it. “Traffickers think kids are commodities,” said Scimone. “On 9/9/09, I challenge my twitter followers to tell kids they’re priceless.”

The Born to Fly Project 09-09-09 Twitterthon Challenge:

• Donate: Go to www.born2fly.org and use the orange Chip-in button to donate $9.
• Twitter: Tweet about it. Follow @09_09_09. Add a Twibbon after you’ve donated.
• Email: Tell 9 people about 09-09-09 and send them to www.born2fly.org where they can donate via the Chip-in button.
• Blog: Post about 09-09-09. Include the logo and a link to www.born2fly.org.
• Facebook: Talk about 09-09-09; include a link to www.born2fly.org.
• Updates: Check Diana Scimone’s blog for the latest: www.dianascimone.com

For more about the Born to Fly Project, visit www.born2fly.org.

Diana Scimone’s Back Story

Born to Fly International founder and director Diana Scimone is a journalist who has traveled to more than 40 countries including Sudan, Zimbabwe, Thailand, China and India.
“As a journalist I’ve seen a lot. I’ve been to a refugee camp in Sudan, an orphanage overflowing with “throw-away” kids in China, and a home for AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe. Nothing, however, prepared me for what I saw in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India: cages that held little girls—some as young as 5 years old—smuggled in from Nepal.
“That’s when I first learned about the global child sex trade and began to write about it. On that trip I interviewed a young teenager whose boyfriend had drugged her and sold her to a madam. The stories did not get prettier. In Pattaya, Thailand, I remember a banner hanging over an intersection in the red-light district proclaiming this was “boys town.” In most areas where child sex slavery flourishes, girls are for sale, but this particular area specialized in young boys.
“I’ve stood at border crossings into Cambodia and Myanmar, knowing that children were trafficked across the border along with cattle, chickens, and rice. The real shock was to learn that child trafficking is not just across the globe but also across the street. The problem has grown so bad in my own city of Orlando, Florida, that we now have a human trafficking coalition as well as a prayer group that focuses specifically on the problem.”