Caroline Heldman's Posts

The Real Story on Human Trafficking

What exactly is human trafficking and how can we help stop it? One of the best people in the U.S. to answer such questions is Department of Justice-certified human-trafficking consultant Dottie Laster, who has trained more than 5,000 police officers on recognizing and combating trafficking. She hosts a weekly internet radio show, “Trafficked,” on Here Women [...]

Fighting Hate with Hate: Anti-Asian Rant Inspires Misogyny

On March 13, 2011, a UCLA student posted an ignorant rant titled “Asians in the Library” that quickly became a viral video. Comments about the video used nasty gender slurs, replicating the same type of hatred expoused in the video but towards women.

No Jail Time for Lawrence Taylor

Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor will not spend a single day in jail for paying to have sex with a 16-year-old runaway on May 6, 2010, who was allegedly forced into prostitution. She was escorted by her trafficker to Taylor’s hotel room in suburban Ramapo, New York, with a black eye and other facial injuries, where he paid $300 to have sex with her.

Was the Shooting of Giffords a Hate Crime?

Although Jared Lee Loughner’s attempted assassination of Gabrielle Giffords raised many questions about how the polarized political environment may have motivated this mentally disturbed young man, one aspect of the Tucson massacre that has received little attention is misogyny. Loughner left behind several notes, including one that read “die bitch”–a gender slur that implies Giffords [...]

Club 907 Dancers Freed!

All of the eighty plus women who were arrested during the November LAPD raid of Club 907 have been released. Club 907 is a “hostess club” where patrons pay for women’s companionship (e.g., “dancing,” delivering drinks). Police raided the club on suspicion of prostitution on November 5th, but ended up arresting 79 (of 81) “dancers” on documentation charges.

No Comment: Tilly’s Teaches Women How to Listen

Listen up, ladies. Tilly’s, the popular surf and skate clothing chain, is “teaching women how to listen,” according to an LRG-brand t-shirt it’s selling. The front features a woman, nude from the shoulders up, with tape over her mouth, captioned “enjoy the silence,” and below in parentheses, “drawing of girl with tape on mouth.” Offered [...]

In Hostess Club Raid, Did Police Arrest the Victims?

Beyond the legality of the raid, the LAPD and ICE may have detained victims of indentured serviture and sexual trafficking. According to Angelica Salas, Executive Director of CHIRLA, “The LAPD and ICE knew or at least suspected that women working at the club were being exploited and yet no contingency plan was established to ensure all potential victims received appropriate guidance and recourse. Instead, all of the women were turned over to ICE and now face deportation while the Club remains open for business.”

Cheerleader’s Father Speaks Out

The father of the Silsbee High School cheerleader who was kicked off the squad for refusing to cheer for the man who assaulted her speaks out about the family’s struggle for justice.

Disney Ride Still Makes Light of Sex Slavery

“Human-trafficking is the fastest growing criminal activity in the world today.” According to the United Nations, as many as 4 million people are sold into slavery each year, with over 80% involving commercial sexual exploitation. So why is Disney still asking us to laugh at an overt depiction of sexual slavery in its popular Pirates of the Caribbean ride?

Cheerleader Required to Cheer for Man Who Assaulted Her

In Texas, high school football star Rakheem Bolton and two others were indicted for sexual assault of a child at a post-game party in 2008…During a basketball game, she cheered for the entire team but refused to cheer “Rakheem” during his free-throws, so school officials kicked her off the squad.

« Previous Page — Next Page »