Check back here for the latest news from Artists for Human Rights (AFHR).
Anne Archer Joins Fight Against Human Trafficking Interview
Recently Anne Archer, Founder of Artists for Human Rights, sat down with Brooke Axtell to address one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time, human trafficking. On October 6, her most recent film, Trafficked, opened in select theaters after a premiere at The United Nations.
Anne Archer Keynote Speaker at Orlando Human Trafficking Summit
Anne Archer, Founder, Keynote Speaker at Orlando Human Trafficking Summit
Anne Archer, Founder of Artists for Human Rights, was the Keynote Speaker at the invitation of the Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for the Human Trafficking Summit in Orlando, Fl. attended by over 700 law enforcement, government leaders, survivors, educators, prosecutors, healthcare professionals, and community leaders working to eradicate all forms of trafficking.
Human Trafficking is the most lucrative illegal business in the world ranking above drugs and arms sales combined. Its illegal profits are also more than Nike, Google and Starbucks combined. Florida ranks 3rd in Human Trafficking in the US.
Miss Archer pointed out the typical portrayal of the sex industry in Hollywood is pure fantasy, portraying it as empowering for young women …. a situation they can control and profit from. But ask the women who have lived through the sex trade, and they’ll tell you it’s no fairy tale.
They’ll tell you about violent pimps, traffickers and sex-buyers who abused them physically and mentally, exploiting their bodies for profit or personal gratification.
They’ll talk about teenagers and children being bought and sold online, like a used bike or old iPhone.
They’ll tell you that the Hollywood notion that the sex trade is exciting, profitable and fully consensual is a lie.
Because too often the women in prostitution are not there because they want to be; they’re there because they’re vulnerable or desperate.
The fact of the matter is, we need a new approach to the problem … more research on trafficking, nationally and locally. How many victims are there? In what industries? How are they trafficked here? Who is buying and selling them? We need laws that protect sex trafficking victims as victims, not perpetrators.
Trafficked the Movie in Theatres Oct 6, 2017
Trafficked from three different worlds, three young women - Sara, a spirited American orphan; Amba, a sheltered college-bound Indian teenager; and Mali, a poor Nigerian villager - band together to survive the horrors of forced prostitution in a Texas brothel, run by the tyrannical Simon. On the verge of losing all hope, and despite terrible odds, Sara unites the girls in a daring escape attempt. It's not only a race against time, but a race against destiny and with a little luck; they just might be able to bring Simon down along the way. Trafficked is a riveting story of organized crime, global human trafficking networks, and above all, the indomitable will to be free.
Look for Trafficked in a theatre near you starting Oct. 6, 2017.
AFHR Attends the Oslo Freedom Forum
AFHR attended the Oslo Freedom Forum in New York, Sept. 19, 2017.
Human rights defenders and Artists in Protest send a message to all to stand up and be counted as a strong voice for human rights around the world.”
Artist in Protest ...
Wuilly Arteaga is a 23-year-old Venezuelan violinist and pro-democracy activist who has become an unexpected symbol of the country’s democratic opposition. Arteaga initially taught himself violin by watching YouTube videos. He later secured a spot in Venezuela’s renowned “El Sistema” music education program. Since anti-government demonstrations erupted last April, Arteaga, dressed in the colors of his country and armed only with his musical instrument, has played the violin at the front lines of the protests amidst riot police, armed vehicles, and tear gas. Two months ago, Arteaga was arrested while playing the violin during a protest in Caracas and taken to a military prison. While in custody, he was subject to torture at the hands of the Bolivarian National Guard and forced to watch soldiers rape a female protester.
AFHR Travels to India to Free A Village
AFHR Travels to India to Free A Village
Artists for Human Rights is proud to announce that we have partnered with Voices4Freedom in opening a school in enslaved villages to help the disenfranchised people of India rise above the slavery they have been held in for generations.
In April, AFHR Founder Anne Archer and President Donna Isham traveled with Voices4Freedom outside of India’s holiest city, Varanasi, to see the village that AFHR is in the process of bringing to freedom. The 3 year program begins by opening a school for the enslaved village children. As the children learn to read and write, they and their parents are educated about their human rights. Simple. Miraculous. As these enslaved children and parents learn their rights while the children learn to read and write, the parents begin to understand and come together for maybe the first time as a self-determined community based on self-respect and shared human values. With knowledge comes power. They stand up for their legal rights, and the enslavers, like school-yard bullies, begin to back away looking over their shoulders for who else has found them out. Generations of slavery meets freedom forever.
AFHR Founder Anne Archer Receives WIN Humanitarian Award
WOMEN'S IMAGE NETWORK HONORS AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS ANNE ARCHER WITH
HUMANITARIAN AWARD
The 2017 WIN Humanitarian Award was presented to Academy Award Nominee and Golden Globe winning actress Anne Archer. Women's Image Network (WIN) produces The Women's Image Awards to honor both female and male artists who create dimensional media images to advance the value of women and girls. Since 1993, Women's Image Network (WIN) has celebrated those who create media that promotes gender parity to advance the value of women and girls. The awards ceremony took place on February 17, 2017 at The Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.
Ms. Archer is the Founder of Artists for Human Rights, a non-profit organization dedicated to shining light on human rights abuses and solutions. It works with like-minded artists, activists, and philanthropists from all walks of life and allied organizations to eradicate human rights abuses. AFHR continues to educate the Hollywood community on important issues bringing more artists on board through its quarterly Hope and Human Rights Speaker Series that feature today's leading human rights activists.
Artists for Human Rights International - Post Office Box 22830, Carmel, CA 93922
