First case of trafficking convicted in the UK

Posted: Thursday, July 7, 2011 by Lifequest A21 group in Labels:
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Man jailed for trafficking Nigerian girls out of UK

Anthony Harrison, 32, Anthony Harrison, 32, attempted to traffic the girls to Spain and Greece

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The first man to be convicted of trafficking females out of the UK, in a case involving two Nigerian girls, has been jailed.
Anthony Harrison, 32, was sentenced to 20 years for four trafficking offences as well as two of false imprisonment.
At Woolwich Crown Court, Harrison, of Stratford, east London, was cleared of two counts of rape.
The charges related to teenage victims who alleged they were subjected to witchcraft and violence.
Judge Philip Shorrock said the sentence was being imposed "to deter others who are tempted by this terrible trade" and "to reflect public disgust".
Juju magic
Harrison imprisoned both girls - aged 14 and 16 - at his home in Albert Square, Stratford, in 2009, before attempting to traffic them to Spain and Greece as prostitutes.
The two had been controlled by Juju magic rituals, the court was told.
One of the girls was gagged and bound in a bathroomOne of the girls was gagged and bound in Harrison's bathroom
The case is thought to be the first of its kind in Europe to involve a prosecution linked to such a practice.
Both girls came from small villages in Edo, Nigeria, and were sold into prostitution with the help of the local Juju priest.
Juju is a significant part of West African culture.
Police said Harrison was a key player in a sophisticated network of West African people traffickers operating in the UK.
After Harrison was convicted, the prosecution told the court: "This has been something of a unique case and ground-breaking. It's the first time there has been a prosecution for trafficking out of the UK.
"It's the first time the Crown has been able to persuade victims of these type of offences to give evidence."
Det Con Andy Desmond, of Metropolitan Police, said: "These young women suffered the most terrifying and degrading ordeal - leaving them emotionally, psychologically and physically traumatised.
"Most cruelly of all, they were brainwashed into believing that if they disobeyed their captors by seeking help, they would die.
"They were also told that if they went to the police for help they would be handed straight back to their captors."
A Home Office spokesman said: "We will seek to deport this individual at the earliest opportunity.
"Our priority will always be to protect the public, and we will seek to remove any foreign national convicted of a serious crime.
"Last year we removed 5,235 foreign criminals from the UK."

Shocking news!

Posted: Wednesday, June 8, 2011 by Lifequest A21 group in Labels: ,
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Meeting Time!!!!!!!

Posted: Friday, June 3, 2011 by Lifequest A21 group in Labels:
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Alright I have picked 3 different days and times in hopes of getting a little bigger of a turnout at our next meeting.

The days are:

June 12th at 1:30 pm after the 12:30 service
June 14th at 8:30 pm in Belton
June 16th at 6:00 pm in the Northland campus

Please let me know if you can attend any of the dates listed above!!!

Email me at lifequestA21@hotmail.com

Pancake Breakfast!!!

Posted: Wednesday, May 4, 2011 by Lifequest A21 group in Labels:
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Don't forget our Pancake Breakfast is Saturday!!! We are attempting to raise money to help with our goal of $5,000.00 in the next year. Spread the word!

Breakfast: 8a to 9:30a
When: Saturday May 7th
Where: Applebee's 135th and Stateline Road

If you are going to volunteer please show up at 7:30a

Cost: $5.00 per ticket at the door

Update from Global Human Trafficking Roundup

Posted: by Lifequest A21 group in Labels:
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NORTH AMERICA

New York: New York doctor is held in prison in Cambodia for molesting a 14 year old boy. He went to Cambodia for volunteer work at a children's hospital. He was arrested in February for purchasing sex from a minor. If convicted, the doctor could face up to 15 years in jail.

Tennessee: Two Nashville men are charged with child prostitution and child porn. The two were arrested after the law enforcement saw the online advertisement for commercial sex of a minor on Backpage.com. The investigators said that one of the men was a photographer, and another was involved in exploitation.

Rhode Island: The UAE colonel case reflects growing problem of human trafficking in New England. One ICE officer says that ICE launched 651 investigation last year, more than twice the number in 2006.

Washington: Governor signed a bill to step up its effort to fight against human trafficking. The new bill expands the definition of human trafficking to include, forced labor, involuntary servitude, commercial sexual abuse of minor, and criminal sex acts. Law enforcement says that current human trafficking statute makes it harder for them to prosecute traffickers. They hope that the new statute will give clearer definition of the crime and make it easier to prosecute traffickers.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST!!!

Posted: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 by Lifequest A21 group in Labels:
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During our meeting we discussed our first fund-raiser. We are going to do a Pancake Breakfast on May 7th at Applebees 13201 State Line Road we are going to make up tickets to sell before the event. They are going to sell for $5.00. Three of those dollars will go to our group the other 2 will go to Applebees. People can show up at the door for the same amount. 
 
We need volunteers to help seat people, take orders, serve drinks, and bus tables. We will need additional help to wash dishes when we are done. We are hoping to be able to start selling tickets this Sunday (April 24th) so if anyone would like to sit at the table before and after services to sell them I would appreciate it. I can make it for the 11a and the 12:30p services but I will not be able to be here for the 9a service.  All money we make from this will go towards our goal of $5,000 within this year. 

If you have any questions regarding this fund-raiser let me know! You can email me at: Lifequesta21@hotmail.com or at sarabrown101@hotmail.com

A21 Update for April

Posted: Thursday, April 14, 2011 by Lifequest A21 group in Labels:
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April 2011 Update

We are so very excited to share with you the wonderful news of Vera’s* new life. Only one year ago, she could not walk after being critically injured in a gang fight. She was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time because her traffickers forced her to walk through the most dangerous streets at night as a prostitute.
We were able to take Vera* into our care and help her regain strength while providing her with much needed surgery that would enable her to walk again.

Today, Vera* is not only walking, she is also working at a local gym and actively involved in volunteering at her church. It is so inspiring to see her life turned around and to watch her begin to fulfill some of the dreams she had buried deep in her heart. She is a constant reminder to us all that the fight to stop human trafficking is won one life at a time, and that everyONE matters!

This month we are all doing something NEW to help fight the injustice of human trafficking! Why? Well, BECAUSE…collectively we can make more of a difference than we can do alone.

So on April 21st, people around the world will join together and dedicate 21 days to do one of the 21 things to fight for freedom. Click here to find out how YOU can join!