A Big Day for the Crew at MHWOC

Today, January 14, 2014, is a day to record! A few very monumental things happened today.

Our grant writer, Julie Rowland, has submitted the first grant request!!! Woohoo Julie. Julie will blog later to fill in details.

Our founder, Wendy White, was sent a request to submit information on a presentation that we will present at the 2014 DYC Conference. This will be the first of many very important presenatations/trainings MHWOC will have on the topic of Sex Trafficking.  Kristin Henning is our Director of Training and will be the main speaker for our presentation.

Our Vice President, Shawnah McDermott, received information that at the Grand Opening, not only will we have amazing food from Countrytime BBQ, but Pepsi has supplied all the drinks, Frito Lay supplied the chips and today we found out Jamba Juice is supplying smoothies at the function.

And lastly, our First Impressions Team, Jordan White, Eric Stucky and Hannah McDermott were working on getting the corporate office up and ready for the Grand Opening. The P.A.C.T. sign arrived and we will be taking pledges for 2014.

Exciting times!!!

Grand Opening - Saturday, January 18, 2014 between 12-4 pm

Mile High Women’s Outreach Center

Cordially Invites You to Our

Grand Opening

Saturday, January 18, 2014

12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Our Corporate Office

3602 S. Jason Street, upper level

Englewood, CO 80013

Food & drink served through-out the event.

Stop in to meet us and pick up information of the services we offer.

Please confirm your attendance by January 15 to info@mhwoc.org or
call 720.880.8891

Our Mission... to help heal, educate and empower the victims and survivors of sex trafficking and sexual assault; helping to bring some inner peace into the darkness that surrounds these issues.
We Believe... every woman and child has the right to live a life free from imprisonment, sexual abuse and a life free from sex trafficking.

JANUARY IS NATIONAL SEX TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH

Human Trafficking: Coming Soon to a City Near You

By: Sgt. Daniel Steele, Denver Police Dept. Vice Section

This article originally appeared in the Huffington Post.

What does the war against the trafficking of women, men and children look like on the front lines? Imagine, gangs, money, sex and violence; it has the makings of a great Hollywood thriller — edge of your seat suspense. A hard-boiled, square-jawed detective enters the seedy underbelly of society and rescues a beautiful young woman from the clutches of a maniacal terror; played by Anthony Hopkins nonetheless. If this were reality, wouldn’t it be so much simpler? A 90-minute ride through the horrors of modern day slavery, where the bad guy is always caught and the hero saves the day and gets the girl to boot.

Unfortunately, the front lines in the war on trafficking are not glamorous. The everyday battle being waged by the men and women in blue is always uphill, and the victories are few and far between. The true story is plagued by stops and starts; roadblocks at every turn. The vast majority of detectives investigating sex trafficking spend hours behind their desks, compiling thousands of pages of case file documentation. There are no high speed chases, no shootouts and there are definitely no suspenseful, last minute rescues. In fact, I would be hard pressed to say we as cops are ‘rescuing’ anyone at all. To rescue, is to free from confinement, violence, danger or evil. It’s true; cops rescue trafficking survivors in the immediate short-term sense, especially as it relates to confinement. But can a police officer truly deliver someone from violence, from danger and evil?

Trafficking survivors experience the penultimate horror, being bought and sold like meat. As a police officer, I can’t even begin to comprehend the emotional and psychological trauma invoked from sexual slavery. In fact, I have yet to speak with a survivor who, even years later, truly felt they had been rescued from the evil they experienced at the hands of their exploiter. So, no, cops are not rescuing people from trafficking. Rather, we are aiding people in becoming survivors, assisting them at the initial stages of what will be a lifetime of recovery.

So, wait, if I’m not saving the day, then what good am I? That’s the question that plagues every investigator working this heinous offense. The age old deliberation that eventually haunts every cop, “Am I even making a difference?” To that I say, “Of course you are.” After all, as cops, we are supposed to seek justice, we are supposed to stand and fight where others would not dare. While I may never swing in on a bull whip to save the day, I still count every person recovered from trafficking as a victory and every trafficker put in jail a triumph. Understanding that police are at the very forefront of a growing epidemic, understanding as cops we may be the first person to recognize trafficking and, thereby, understanding as cops we need to respond appropriately, is how we can truly make a difference. The better cops understand human trafficking, trauma bonds, coercion, manipulation and deception, the better we can respond to the needs of the exploited. After all, we don’t want to exacerbate the situation, becoming exploiters ourselves.

It is important to realize that the police cannot solve human trafficking alone. As a community, we must recognize that trafficking is the end result of much deeper societal woes — poverty, homelessness, gender inequality and more. If we want to abolish the sale of humans, we must look deeper and work to fix the root causes that lead to trafficking in the first place. The fight against human trafficking will not be won by cops or caped crusaders. Human trafficking will only be destroyed when we come together as a society and agree it is a problem, agree it needs to be stopped and agree to work together to stop it. Not really very glamorous is it? Honestly, it doesn’t even sound like “movie-of-the-week” material. Well folks, this is reality. The reality is we need everyone to wake up, step up and get involved in the fight. I’ll do my part and still go out and catch the bad guys.

New Sex Trafficking Bill

 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Rob Portman (OH) sat down in an exclusive interview with Washington Bureau Chief Jacqueline Policastro. On the agenda: his new sex trafficking legislation. To read more go to www.13abc.com/story/24267302/exclusive-portman-unveils-new-sex-trafficking-bill

Check out this video interview... 
Exclusive: Portman talks new sex trafficking legislation

2-days Ago on the NEWS... Must READ!!!

DENVER NEWS 2 DAYS AGO!!! Must read...

Click here to read!

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                   December 23, 2013 9:00 am MST

Denver Metro Area Resource for Victims of Sex Trafficking or Sexual Abuse- MILE HIGH WOMEN’S OUTREACH CENTER

Mile High Women’s Outreach Center, founded by Wendy White, has their corporate office open since October 1, 2013. The center is opening the clinical office on January 6, 2013. The sole purpose of this center is to provide women and young girls, who are victims of sex trafficking and/or sexual abuse a place to find resources for healing and providing a way out. Mile High Women's Outreach seeks  to heal, educate and empower women and children victims and survivors of sex trafficking & sexual assault; helping bring some inner peace into the darkness that surrounds these issues. Mile High Women's Outreach Center runs on the belief and philosophy that every woman and child has the right to live a life free from imprisonment, verbal, and sexual abuse and a life free from sex trafficking. 

Sex trafficking is here in Colorado, right in the Denver Metro Area. It is time to stop turning our heads and ignoring this problem. MHWOC is making the stance “NO MORE”. MHWOC is a local non-profit; with full intentions of making a difference to girls and women that are victims of sex trafficking and sexual abuse. In the Denver Post, on December 19, 2013, Tom McGhee writes

“The FBI's Rocky Mountain Innocence Lost Task Force rescued 59 teen prostitutes from flesh peddlers in the state this year, up from 49 in 2012.

In July, Operation Cross Country, a nationwide sweep that targeted victims of underage prostitution and their pimps, recovered 105 juveniles and bagged 150 pimps in 76 cities.

Denver ranked fourth in the number of teens rescued, with nine juveniles, fewer than only San Francisco, Milwaukee and Detroit.

These are chilling statistics that indicate modern-day slavers continue to ply their trade in Colorado.”

Read more: Labor and sex traffickers practice modern slavery in Colorado - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_24754478/labor-and-sex-traffickers-practice-modern-slavery-colorado#ixzz2o5TulAxv

Sex trafficking occurs when people are forced or coerced into the commercial sex trade against their will.  Child sex trafficking includes any child involved in commercial sex.  Sex traffickers frequently target vulnerable people with histories of abuse and then use violence, threats, lies, false promises, debt bondage, or other forms of control and manipulation to keep victims involved in the sex industry.  Sex trafficking exists within the broader commercial sex trade, often at much larger rates than most people realize or understand.  Sex trafficking has been found in a wide variety of venues of the overall sex industry, including residential brothels, hostess clubs, online escort services, fake massage businesses, strip clubs, and street prostitution. (THE COLORADO PROJECT TO COMPREHENSIVELY COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING PROJECT TEAM, 2013)

Although many individuals recognize that the trafficking of minors and Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE) is occurring in several countries, many are unaware that it takes place every day in America, specifically in Colorado. According to FBI data, every day, American girls as young as 12 are sexually exploited, and according to a 2001 study examining Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in the US, Canada and Mexico, it was estimated that 33% of all unaccompanied minors over the age of 10 fall victim to some kind of sexual exploitation. Of these children, 20% are found to be trafficked through well-established prostitution networks and frequently forced to repay their trafficking debts through child pornography and prostitution.

A nationwide FBI sting in early 2009 freed 52 underage girls from sex trafficking in 29 cities across the country, including Denver. The FBI identified a well-known circuit used for movement of children and communication between traffickers referred to as the Western Circuit, including cities of Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Santa Fe.

Sadly, for those rescued and brought out of the trafficking syndicate, a 2007 study from the Department of Health and Human Services found that there were only 39 beds in all US shelters that had the staff capabilities and professional specialization to address young girls who have experienced CSE.

ABOUT MILE HIGH WOMEN’S OUTREACH CENTER:

MHWOC was founded by Wendy White and is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The organization is a non-profit, owned by the public, and held accountable by the Board of Director members.

MHWOC provides services for healing and educating! The organization will make a difference and partner with agencies to change this horrible for profit sex industry with women and young girls! On January 6, 2014, the center opens its clinical doors and has full clinical services.  MHWOC carries the vision based on the principal of helping women and children, focusing specifically on helping the victims of sex trafficking and sexual abuse. In addition, MHWOC has programs and trainings to educate law enforcement agencies, medical professionals, state and county caseworkers on topics specific to sex trafficking, and raise community awareness of the crime, which is prevalent in the Denver Metro area. Self-defense classes offered to the community and clients of the center and free of charge, instructors are MMA fighters Team Wildman, and self-defense products offered.

MHWOC will always provide services for healing! The organization is setting some hefty goals for the next few years.  In June 2014 MHWOC will open a thrift store which 100% of the proceeds will go to the center; August 2014, the organization will open the first group home in the Denver Metro Area, for girls between the ages of 12-18, that are victims of sex trafficking or sexual abuse and provide services specific to bring some healing and inner peace into the darkness that surrounds these issues. The organization will be providing transitional services at the beginning of 2015, helping victims and women learn skills in resume building, job training and community.

CONTACT INFORMATION

To obtain more information about this topic or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Mile High Women’s Outreach Center

Wendy White

720.880.8891

wendy@mhwoc.org

You may also visit our company website at www.mhwoc.org or follow https://twitter.com/mhwoc on Twitter

Website and Facebook Page

Check out our website and please support Mile High Women's Outreach Center.  You can also go to our Facebook page and LIKE us!