Shocking New Estimate of 50 Million Trafficking Victims

We Need Your Support to End Slavery on November 29th Giving Tuesday

Dear dedicated anti-slavery activists, tomorrow, November 29th is Giving Tuesday and we need your help. This is our once-a-year solicitation of our 1500 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 $2500. Money raised will be used to help highlight awareness of human trafficking during Iowa's celebration of January 2023 as Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Ways you can help us on Giving Tuesday:

• Make your own annual donation online at https://iowanaht.org/donate-now/
• Or you can mail a check to Iowa NAHT, 5508 Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50014
• If you prefer to donate through our Facebook page go to https://www.facebook.com/IowaNAHT
• Share this Giving Tuesday campaign with your friends and family. Invite them to join our anti-trafficking mission with a donation to the NAHT.

Pieper Lewis May Face 20 Years in Prison at Court Hearing on January 18th, 2023

Pieper Lewis, the Iowa sex-trafficked teen who killed one of her rapists walked away from a Des Moines women's correctional facility last month and was subsequently found and arrested. Details of Piper's escape are in these news articles below.

Pieper now sits in the Polk County Jail and awaits a hearing for probation revocation on January 18th, 2023. Pieper's deferred judgment may be revoked on January 18th and she could be sent to prison for 20 years.

The NAHT continues to work with state agencies and legislators to hammer out a Safe Harbor Bill for the 2023 legislation session. If passed, this would put Iowa in a position to join 30 other states who have passed Safe Harbor and expungement laws. A work group met on November 28th (for the third time) to draft said legislation. We will continue to keep you informed about these meetings to improve laws for victims of human trafficking.

Shocking New Global Estimates of 50 Million Victims of Human Trafficking/Modern Slavery

The NAHT has learned about new Global Estimates of Modern Slavery as researched by Walk Free, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – 50 million people are living in modern slavery. That is nearly 10 million more than five years ago. The new Global Estimate of Modern Slavery is a dark reminder that the crisis of human trafficking/ modern slavery is worsening. Many factors contribute to worsening the situation including armed conflicts, climate change, expanding poverty, wars and expanding violence, the COVID-19 global pandemic, unplanned migration, and more. 828 million people around the world are currently hungry and we are on the brink of a global food crisis.

The NAHT calls on Iowa Legislators, law enforcement, the Judicial System, Iowa Courts, Service Clubs, the faith community, funders, anti-trafficking advocates, and nonprofit leaders, to strengthen measures and expand collaboration in order to combat modern slavery.

To make progress toward ending modern slavery, and to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) through the acceleration of SDG 8.7 by the universal deadline of 2030, the global community must urgently dismantle the systems that have allowed slavery to evolve and endure throughout generations.

At the NAHT, we are diligently working to expand awareness and educate Iowans. We believe that prevention/education community-based solutions are the most practical and effective response that can eliminate human trafficking/modern slavery. Today, we invite you to join our mission. Whether through donations (Giving Tuesday), volunteering, or spreading awareness (Ex: posting rescue stickers), you can help us end modern slavery in Iowa.

Increase in Reports of Human Trafficking in Iowa

The NAHT receives lots of requests for statistics on human trafficking in Iowa. Here is the 2021 data that the NAHT has in its PowerPoint slides. Tap here for two recent news articles on the increase in reports in Iowa:

Siouxland Coalition Five Billboards

The Siouxland Coalition Against Human Trafficking (SCAHT) is a well lead and highly productive Iowa Regional Coalition. They have recently partnered with the Woodbury County Attorney's Office to put up five anti-trafficking billboards.

The first two went up on US 20 outside of Lawton and the third one went up on Gordon Drive East just before the exit to South Lewis Boulevard. See the two billboards below.

The billboards that first went up in October were developed by survivors of human trafficking who were residing at Lila Mae's House in Sioux City. Other billboards that will go up soon were developed by students of Morningside University's anti-trafficking student group. This will be in place in November on I-29 approaching Sioux City.

Ad on Hotel/Motel Bookings in Hotels Certified to be Anti-Trafficking

The Tri-State Coalition Against Trafficking placed the ad below in a recent edition of the Dubuque Telegraph Herald. They thought anti-trafficking advocates would be interested, and those other regional coalitions might want to do something similar. This encourages folks to be proactive in their travel plans, and also gave an opportunity to thank area lodgings (local hotels are listed on the computer screen, a screenshot is from the certification listing). The Tri-State Coalition also placed an ad in its bi-weekly entertainment guide, 365.com, which is running it at cost. Thanks to Sister Mira Mosle for submitting this great way to recognize 600 plus Iowa hotels/motels that have received training on how to recognize and report human trafficking.