Melinda Tankard Reist – Rejecting Sexploitation

Melinda Tankard Reist founded Collective Shout ten years ago, a grassroots campaigns movement for a world free of sexploitation in all its forms. She’s an author, speaker, media commentator, blogger and advocate for women and girls.

Melinda is best known for her work addressing sexualization, objectification, harms of pornography, sexual exploitation, trafficking, and violence against women.

Constant abuse and sometimes even death threats have become common occurrences for Melinda Tankard Reist. Those reactions only serve to highlight the seriousness of the topics that she raises in our society.

I was honoured to have her join me on my podcast, Bleeding Daylight. You can hear our discussion by looking for Bleeding Daylight wherever you find podcasts, or listen using the media player below.

The issues raised are very important and so I urge you to share this episode with others.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Melinda Tankard Reist – Rejecting Sexploitation? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Telling the story of Girls off the Streets

I’m still taking every opportunity to tell people about the trip I took a trip in December last year to Bangladesh and India to see the excellent work being done through SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets. Just to prove I was there you can check out the very short video above. 🙂

I’m amazed at the work that is being done to bring hope and healing to young women who have been rescued from human trafficking. Young women who have been sexually exploited and sold into prostitution are now growing in confidence as they learn to trust again and develop life skills that will give them a strong foundation for life ahead. Girls off the Streets is giving them a future and importantly, letting them know that they are truly loved.

If you haven’t already, let me encourage you to check out Girls off the Streets and find out how you can be part of this project which is bringing hope to those who had lost hope.

If you live in the Perth area I want to let you know that I’ll be talking about the trip and sharing some insights at a SIMaid event at Riverton Baptist Church, 38 Modillion Avenue, Shelley, from 7:00 p.m. on Saturday evening the 16th of March.I’ll be talking about my experiences and giving you practical ways to fight human trafficking.

If you can’t make it but you’re part of a church or other group around Perth, and you’d like to hear more, I’m looking for more places to speak up for young girls who can’t. Get in touch with me via my Contact Page so that we can arrange a time and date.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Telling the story of Girls off the Streets? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Let me tell you a story

India

If you’ve dropped in here over the past couple of months I’m sure you know that I took a trip in December last year to Bangladesh and India to see the excellent work being done through SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets.

I’m amazed at the work that is being done to bring hope and healing to young women who have been rescued from human trafficking. Young women who have been sexually exploited and sold into prostitution are now growing in confidence as they learn to trust again and develop life skills that will give them a strong foundation for life ahead. Girls off the Streets is giving them a future and importantly, letting them know that they are truly loved.

If you haven’t already, let me encourage you to check out Girls off the Streets and find out how you can be part of this project which is bringing hope to those who had lost hope.

If you live in the Perth area I want to let you know that I’ll be talking about the trip and sharing some insights tomorrow night (Sunday the 17th) from 6:30 at Thornlie Church of Christ. I’ll be sharing the stage with Kieran Johnson of SIMaid who was also a part of the trip. We’ll both be talking about our experiences and giving you practical ways to fight human trafficking.

The church is at 319 Spencer Road, Thornlie. It’d be great if you could make it and I’d love to catch up with you after the service.

If you can’t make it but you’re part of a church or other group around Perth, and you’d like to hear more, I’m looking for more places to speak up for young girls who can’t. Get in touch with me via my Contact Page so that we can arrange a time and date.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Let me tell you a story? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

An Indian Adventure

20121213-160649.jpg

Touchdown. I’m finally back in Delhi.

It’s been almost eight years since I was last in Delhi. It’s a city that I’ve grown to love. This is my third visit and I’m really looking forward to seeing some familiar faces as well as meeting many new friends.

I’m wondering if it will feel strange not cycling while I’m in India this time around. My last two visits were all about riding. Those visits were part of an initiative to begin Bike for Bibles in Delhi. Cycling in India is an adventure, maybe even an extreme sport. One thing that will be easier is not having to drag a bike box around the airport.

Girls off the Streets

While I’m in India this time around I’ll get to see some of the work SIMaid is doing through their Girls off the Streets project. SIMaid is working to bring hope and healing to women who have been released from forced prostitution. It’s vital work and I’m looking forward to seeing how they’re helping to restore lives.

After seeing what’s being done in Bangladesh, I’m confident that I’ll be hearing about changed lives and restored hope. I’ll also hear about the heartache that has marked so many lives. How can trust be restored when a woman has been betrayed and abandoned?

I’ll try to keep updating you with what I’m doing and experiencing but n the mean time please take a few moments to explore the Girls off the Streets website.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading An Indian Adventure? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Hope in Bangladesh

20121213-093254.jpg

I thought I would find desperation but I found hope. I thought I was about to experience heartbreak but instead there was expectation of a better future. Don’t get me wrong, it was still an enormously emotional day but yesterday was a lot different than I imagined it would be.

Where is the hope?

What do you do when everyone you thought you could trust turns their back on you? Where do you turn when you have no home and no hope?

For many homeless young women in Bangladesh the only place to go is the streets. They’re young, some very young, they’re vulnerable and many end up being sexually exploited or even sold into prostitution. Many of the most desperate are those who are pregnant or who have young children.

This is where SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets project steps in.

The past doesn’t have to dictate the future.

Yesterday I visited a centre with many happy, beautiful young ladies who have found care, trust and a purpose. They’ve been rescued from the kind of abuse that’s marked their lives to this point. They’ve found someone who will care for their health needs, help with their babies, give them educational training as well as skills that will prepare them for a far more optimistic future.

I also visited the area where many used to live. An open street side area full of desperate people, many begging for the essentials of life. The difference between those in SIMaid’s project and those still on the streets was stark. It wasn’t hard to imagine that so many more young, vulnerable women could know safety and care if only there were more resources available for the work SIMaid is doing.

Lives are being changed.

The photo above shows just one of the young women who have had their lives transformed. Her life on the streets has become a life of learning skills that will lead to a hope filled future. Through Girls off the Street she can earn money to create a real home for her and her children.

When you support SIMaid, you’re supporting hope and I know that if you could have only spent five minutes with the ladies we met yesterday, if you’d heard their stories, if you’d seen the joy in their faces, you’d become a passionate supporter of Girls off the Streets.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Hope in Bangladesh? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.