They called me a ‘hero of Baltimore’ but so many others are the real heroes

I had the honor of speaking this past Friday at the Nurses for Global health 6^th Annual Conference. It was a Woman’s Worth; Gender & Health Inequities Across a Lifespan.

The conference while educational and very enlightening tackled a range of tough issues including literacy, the feminization of poverty, intimate partner violence, nutrition, rape, suicide, domestic violence and human trafficking.

The program listed me as a “Hero of Baltimore.” That’s a lot to live up to.

I did share my story as a survivor of domestic violence, rape, attempted murder and homelessness.  I further called homelessness a trauma. Although, having been through and survived these things, I am a very lucky empowered woman. It’s more troubling to me that so many people globally suffer in silence and have nowhere to turn for help. We are very fortunate in the United States to have laws to protect our rights. Many third world countries do not.

I can’t even begin to imagine not being able to do anything without a man’s permission or accompaniment, not having access to basic healthcare let alone birth control.  The things women are enduring globally need to be addressed and talked about. Solutions need to be found.   A lot of progress has been made on many levels.   Marital rape and rape as a war crime have become illegal in many countries. Educational programs on contraception, HIV, AIDS and violence are flourishing. I learned a lot during this conference from these brave bold pioneering women.

One issue that was raised is happening right here in good old Charm City is human trafficking.

“What is human trafficking? Human Trafficking is defined  as “the recruitment, transport, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person by such means as threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud or deception for the purpose of exploitation.”

The definition on trafficking consists of three core elements:

1. The action of trafficking means the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons.
2. The means of trafficking includes threat of or use of force, deception, coercion, abuse of power or position of vulnerability.
3. The purpose of trafficking is exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.”

I met Denene Yates at this conference.  Denene is a true superwoman. She founded Safe House of Hope, a program for former and current victims of sex trafficking. It was incredibly hard not to shed a tear as she described story after story of very young people sold in the trafficking industry. Some of the victims she mentioned are as young as five years old.  I plan to visit and find time to volunteer to help victims of trafficking.

I encourage you to visit this website.   The link will send you to Yates’ organization and give you information of how to get involved in the fight locally.

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) is a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year.  Call them at: 1-888-3737-888   to report a tip or connect with anti-trafficking services in your area.

Bonnie Lane

Bonnie Lane is an avid activist and advocate here in Baltimore. She is very vocal about social injustices. Fighting against injustice isn’t just a slogan to her but a way of life. Lane is a soldier in the struggles for social justice, real change and human rights. Having been homeless is what inspired her to become an advocate/activist. A passion for writing consumed her at an early age.