A Girl’s World Is Different
Human Trafficking: Tools to Stop the Trade

Friday, February 24, 2012  |  8am – 4pm
Desert Willow Conference Center, Phoenix

 
 
 
Click here to register


A Girl’s World is Different (AGWID) is the premier one-day conference addressing the most important issues affecting the lives of Arizona’s girls. This year, the focus is on human trafficking and how the misrepresentation of girls in the media contributes to this crime. Participants will hear the latest on prevention and early intervention of human trafficking, leave with relevant resources and learn how misrepresentation of girls in the media contributes to this issue.

Our Key Note speaker will be Julian Sher, an award-winning investigative journalist in print, TV, radio and on the Web. To read more about him, click here.

We will also be showing a screening of the film Miss Representation, which explores how the media’s misrepresentations of women have led to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence. To learn more about the film, click here.

Check out the exciting workshops we will be offering at the event as well as bios on our workshop hosts below!

  • From Dreams to Nightmares: Do you want this job? –Kathleen Mitchell
Kathleen Mitchell is the founder of Catholic Charities AZ DIGNITY programs for women wanting out of prostitution.  She has over 20 years of shelter administrative experience working with women and children involved in domestic violence and prostitution. In 1989, while incarcerated on prostitution charges, she developed and facilitated the first support group in the Maricopa County Jail System for women wanting out of the life of prostitution.  She has helped over 2,000 women and girls escape the horrific lifestyle. She has dedicated her life to educating the community about the harms and consequences of prostitution in our society.

  • The Prosecutor’s Perspective- Erin Otis
Erin Otis is an Assistant Bureau Chief in the Sex Crimes Bureau of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and has been with the office for 8 1/2 years.  She is responsible for the prosecution of child prostitution, child molestation, and sexual assault cases. In 2009, Erin received Attorney of the Year for the Southeast Division of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.  In 2010, Erin was named Maricopa County Attorney’s Office “Prosecutor of the Year, and was also named as a 2010 “Woman of Distinction in the World of Courage” by the Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council. In 2011, Erin received the 2nd Annual “Paladin Award” in recognition of her work on behalf of juvenile victims of commercial sexual exploitation.  Erin has instructed both locally and nationally in the areas of child prostitution investigations and prosecutions.  Erin has a B.S. in Justice Studies, an M.S.W., and a J.D., all from Arizona State University. 
 
  • Time with Julian: Media’s Role in Human Trafficking- Julian Sher
 Julian Sher is an award-winning investigative journalist in print, TV, radio and on the Web. He is a writer for The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper, a veteran TV documentary writer and director, a newsroom trainer and the author of six widely-acclaimed books. His latest investigative work is now available: Somebody's Daughter: The Hidden Story of America's Prostituted Children and The Battle to Save Them. His previous book, Caught in the Web: Inside the Police Hunt to Rescue Children from Online Predators has been hailed by reviewers as "riveting" "eye-opening and "gripping." His writings on child abuse have appeared on the front page of the New York Times, the cover of Maclean's magazine and the OpEd page of USA Today.

  • Internet Safety: How to Protect your Kids from Cyber-Predators- Sgt. Chris Bray
 Sergeant Chris Bray is a 27 year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department with19 of those years as a sergeant, and the last 12 years as an investigative supervisor in the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Bureaus. He is a subject matter expert on Human Trafficking for Arizona POST and California POST.  He is a contributing author on the topic of Human Trafficking. He has a BS Degree in Police Administration from Northern Arizona University.

  • The Slippery Slope: How to recognize signs and symptoms of exploitation- Dr. John McCaine
 Dr. McCaine is currently the Clinical Director of Bayless Behavioral Health Solution’s South Phoenix Clinic and a member of the specialized forensic team providing expert courtroom testimony. Dr. McCaine is also an independent consultant providing workshops and training of staff and psycho-educational curriculum development in areas of prevention and intervention with children and adolescents presenting high risk for acts of interpersonal aggression, violence and prostitution. He provides consultation and training in the development of intervention strategies addressing the needs of professionals in understanding the developmental course of violent conduct and effective treatment strategies for both perpetrators and victims of interpersonal violence.

  • Advocacy Tools to Stop the trade- Dr. Sarah Buel
 Sarah Buel, who NBC has called one of the five most inspiring women in America, is the faculty director of the new Diane Halle Center for Family Justice, which houses the NextCare Urgent Care Family Violence Legal Clinic. Sarah, a survivor of domestic violence herself, has worked for more than 30 years with battered women and children. She graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she founded the Harvard Battered Women’s Advocacy Project, the Harvard Women in Prison Project, and the Harvard Children and Family Rights Project. She was a prosecutor for six years in Boston and Quincy, Mass., and for 14 years was a clinical professor at the University of Texas School of Law, where she founded and co-directed their Domestic Violence Clinic, co-founded the University of Texas Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and served as special counsel for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.


***This event is appropriate for attendees over 18 years of age.****

 
 
 
 
Click here to register

For further details call Leslie Friedman at 602.452.7003.
For sponsorship opportunities call Kristie Leshinskie at 602.452.7088.