On Oct. 7, Susan Kirk, of Justice Ventures International (JVI), spoke at the McLean Woman’s Club’s monthly meeting on its programs to end human trafficking in India, China and elsewhere, including the U.S. The areas JVI focuses on are forced prostitution, labor trafficking, extortion and other types of enslavement of vulnerable peoples.
The organization’s work consists of four major efforts: in-country legal casework, human rights training of lawyers and judges, rights-based advocacy and education and business training. JVI often works in partnerships with nongovernmental organizations and police.
Kirk said that the public can further the goals of JVI in three ways: by volunteering, by contributing financially and by purchasing “Shop-for-Freedom” products, goods produced through dedicated programs in the affected countries.
More information on JVI is available its website, http://www.justiceventures.org. Information on Shop-for-Freedom can be found at www.Shop-for-Freedom.com.
— Laura Sheridan