Month: July 2019

Man, THE DESPERATION IS REAL!

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Children are being rented, bought, recycled, and kidnapped so that single adults, mostly men from #CentralAmerica, can gain quick release into the #UnitedStates after crossing the border illegally. The cost of renting a child varies. "We've had indications … that it could cost anywhere from a few hundred — or even in some cases, less than $100 — up to $1,000 or more," said Kevin McAleenan, acting Secretary of the Department of #HomelandSecurity (DHS), during a congressional hearing on July 18. McAleenan said in one case, a 51-year-old illegal alien had purchased a 6-month-old baby for $80 in #Guatemala so that he could easily get into the United States. The man, a #Honduran national, confessed to border agents when he was faced with a DNA test. "We've seen all manner of smuggling organizations communicating to potential customers and to those crossing the border how to bring a child with them to be allowed to stay in the United States," McAleenan said. "They've been active in advertising, literally on Facebook and on the radio in Central America." Homeland Security Investigations, a division of ICE, sent 400 agents to El Paso and #RioGrandeValley, #Texas, in mid-April to interview families that Border Patrol suspected were fake. In the last eight weeks, HSI special agents have identified 5,500 fraudulent families — about 15 percent of all cases referred. McAleenan said agents have uncovered 921 fake documents and 615 individuals have been prosecuted for trafficking or smuggling a child. "That tells me that we might be scratching the surface of this problem and the number of children being put at risk might be even higher," he said. "Everybody knows that if they bring a child, they'll be allowed to stay in the United States — they call it a 'passport for migration.' I heard that directly from a gentleman from Huehuetenango, the western-most province of Guatemala. #truth #freedomfaction #MassMigration #StopHumanTrafficking #angelcitytv

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Browsing through Instagram…

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The fight to protect land, homes, livelihoods, and wildlife from destructive, pollution-causing industries turned deadly for more than 160 #environmentaldefenders in 2018, international #humanrights group Global Witness revealed Monday night in a new report. Organizers campaigning against the destruction of the environment face governments, contract killers, and private security firms trying to stop them—sometimes working together. In total, 164 people were murdered last year while fighting such forces as the mining, logging, and agribusiness industries from taking over swathes of ancestral lands, communities, and natural habitats. The number recorded by Global Witness in its report, “Enemies of the State,” means an average about three eco-defenders were killed per week—but the group notes that because so many of these deaths go unreported, its study represents a “sizable underestimate.” “These are ordinary people trying to protect their homes and livelihoods, and standing up for the health of our planet,” Global Witness reported. “Often their land is violently grabbed to produce goods used and consumed across the world every day, from food, to mobile phones, to jewelery.” The #Philippines was the deadliest country for eco-defenders in 2018, with 30 people killed for protecting land and the environment. Nine victims were killed on the country’s island of Negros when gunmen shot the sugarcane farmers as they occupied a plot of land which was covered by #PresidentRodrigoDuterte’s land reform program but had not been distributed to the poor farmers. The National Federation of Sugar Workers said at the time that the government has not created an effective land distribution program and instead “red baits those who assert their rights to the land,” linking the farmers to communist guerillas. The criminalization of eco-defenders is a common tactic used by state forces and corporations to discredit organizers, defend aggressive actions against environmental campaigns, and deter others from joining the fight against extractive and damaging industries, Global Witness reported. #truth #freedomfaction

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In Germany’s extermination program for black Africans, a template for the Holocaust | The Times of Israel

Decades before the Nazis turned to the Jews, German colonialists in Southwest Africa – now Namibia – dehumanized, built death camps for, and slaughtered tens of thousands of tribespeople in a systematic genocide. Here, Edwin Black reveals the full horrors of an eerie and odious precursor of the Shoah, and its legacy in the US

Source: In Germany’s extermination program for black Africans, a template for the Holocaust | The Times of Israel

Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman to Get Statues in MD State House | BlackPressUSA | BlackPressUSA

THE AFRO — Some of the most nationally recognized Marylanders happen to be Black, were slaves and made a huge impact on American history.

Source: Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman to Get Statues in MD State House | BlackPressUSA | BlackPressUSA

A New School in India Is Training Trafficking Victims to Become Lawyers & Advocates

Worldwide, more than 21 million people are the victims of human trafficking, according to UNICEF, the vast majority of them women and girls. The School of Justice is a pioneering program that aims to help such women get back on their feet and ultimately into the workforce as lawyers.

The program launched in India this year with 19 students, and the organization that runs the initiative, the Free A Girl movement, plans to open more schools in Brazil and elsewhere around the world, according to Free A Girl founder Evelien Hölsken, who responded to Global Citizen’s questions in an email. The Free a Girl movement aims to raise awareness about child sex trafficking, as well as rescue and rehabilitate former victims.

Source: A New School in India Is Training Trafficking Victims to Become Lawyers & Advocates