In this issue:
- Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday and the Network Needs your Support
- Iowa Man sentenced to life in prison for sex-trafficking
- Completion of Iowa Hotel/Motel Employee Training Video
- Which fashion brands are the most ethical
We Need Your Support to end Slavery on November 30th GivingTuesday!
Dear dedicated anti-slavery activists,
Tomorrow, November 30th is Giving Tuesday and we need your help. This is our once-a-year solicitation of our 1340 blog subscribers and other anti-trafficking advocates to contribute to the statewide work of the Iowa NAHT.
This year on this global day of giving to non-profit charitable organizations, the Network is hoping to raise $2,500. Money raised will be used to help highlight awareness of human trafficking during Iowa’s celebration of January 2022 as Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Ways you can help us on #GivingTuesday:
- Make your own donation online at https://iowanaht.org/donate-now/.
- Or, if you prefer, you can mail a check to Iowa NAHT 5508 West Lincoln Way Ames, IA 50014
- Share our #GivingTuesday campaign with your family and friends. Invite them to join our anti-trafficking mission.
Iowa Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sex Trafficking Described as “Unspeakable Depravity by the Prosecutor”
(The following article is taken from the Des Moines Register and dated November, 15th 2021.)
They were physically and verbally abused, forced to have sex with strangers and strung out with drugs or threats to their families. Three have since died.
For more than a dozen women, meeting Marlin Thomas was the beginning of a hellish ordeal. At his sentencing hearing Monday in federal court in Des Moines, Judge John Jarvey heard from several of the women and their family members about the abuse he put them through and how it affected their lives.
“You intentionally groomed and took the innocence of so many,” one woman, identified in court as B.T., wrote in a statement read by an investigator. “We will never get that back.”
Thomas, 46, of Des Moines was sentenced Monday to life in prison after admitting to trafficking and drug charges involving six women and a 14-year-old girl. Des Moines Police Sgt. Brady Carney, the lead investigator in the case, testified he had identified at least 10 more women who had declined to take part in the investigation, which covered nearly a decade of criminal activity from 2009 to 2018. The true number, Carney said, could be even higher.
To finish reading this article, click here.
Network Completes Anti-Trafficking Hotel/Motel Employee Training Video
Following 18 months of enormous efforts and collaboration, the NAHT has completed a 30-minute Hotel/Motel Employee Training Video. A team of volunteers shown and named below are to be commended for completing this important training video. The team was led by Dr. Joe Moravec and Shirlee Reding. The video has been submitted to the Iowa Department of Public Safety. The team hopes that the training video will be a powerful tool in training Iowa’s hospitality employees. The video with subtitles/captions and one in Spanish will be forthcoming.
(From left to right): Amanda Davis (Mercy College Student Assistant), Teresa Davidson (Script Writer and Video Speaker), Terry Pounds (Video Producer), Percella Maupins (Video Speaker), Dr. Joe Moravec (Executive Producer), Shirlee Reding (Executive Producer), Dr. Susan Mitchell (Producer), Pat Waymire (Iowa DPS Director of Division of Intelligence & Fusion Center and Human Trafficking), Matthew Van Gundy (Iowa DPS IT Director) and Debra McClung (Strategic Communications Bureau Chief)
We will be sending out the link to the new hotel/motel video next month to our blog subscribers.
Which Fashion Brands are the most Ethical
There are more than 50 million people employed in the fashion industry worldwide. While it can be a source of opportunity, for too many, indignities and abuse, low-wages and modern slavery are rife. COVID has resulted in a huge increase in labor trafficking.
The continued interest of anti-trafficking advocates like you can give hope to those enslaved workers and hope for more sustainable production methods.
Click this link to see the hundreds of clothing brands and their grades A-F.