Rethink Resources

This week I’ve posted two articles about a trial in California about Hanna Montessori, a 15 year old young person who was murdered in 2004 while surviving on the run from foster care.

The link between youth on run and foster care will come up again and again here, as well as it’s connection to youth involvement in the sex trade. It’s good to find more articles like another item this week about youth in foster care organizing for change in Georgia. They’re advocating for basic healthcare and rights.

Youth were speaking out in Albany, New York to support a bill that would support more assistance for youth in the sex trade and make it impossible for youth to be arrested for prostitution as minors. Clearly if it’s against the law for adults to have sex with minors, it makes no sense to arrest the youth if money is involved. Read more here

Lastly the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the restriction placed on HIV/AIDS prevention funds to other countries if they don’t sign an agreement officially opposing prostitution. This makes me so irritated. Many effective HIV prevention programs across the world have developed solid connections with adults involved in the sex trade and agreeing to such a measure would harm those partnerships.

All money comes with strings and anyone involved in the sex trade can tell you that. But sometimes it makes more sense to turn it down than to compromise and be an accomplice in your own undoing.

And on that note, I’d like to thank Gov. Doyle of my newly adopted state Wisconsin for turning down a sizeable amount of federal abstinence education dollars that would have limited discussion of birth control and sexually transmitted infections.

this week’s news links:

Dead girl’s mother testifies at suspect’s trial (California) Wednesday, March 7, 2007 Cheryl D. Ramirez last saw her teenage daughter (Hanna Montessori) in a Georgia courtroom, promising a judge she would never run away from a group home again.

Bill would help girls escape sexual exploitation (New York) Monday, March 5, 2007 Now 16, Lucilia testified Monday in front of a state panel in favor of a bill to help girls escape similar lives of exploitation and abuse. “I think the pimps need to be locked up instead,” said Lucilia, who gave only her first name and age during testimony in front of a state panel. “I feel the law is doing something wrong.”

Youths in system unite to resolve problems (Georgia) Tuesday March 6, 2007 …(P)art of a 10-member youth advisory council traveling to Atlanta in a few weeks to talk with state legislators, in particular Rep. Judy Manning, R-Marietta, the chair of the Children and Youth Committee. They will be discussing more rights for foster children.

Trial starts in teen’s death (California) Friday, March 2, 2007 Jonathan Phong Khanh Tran, 22, of Garden Grove faces life in prison if convicted of murder of prostitute (Hanna Montessori) and rape of others

Federal Appeals Court Rules in Favor of U.S. Policy Requiring Groups That Receive HIV/AIDS Funding To Condemn Commercial Sex Work Wednesday, February 28, 2007 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Tuesday ruled that a U.S. policy requiring recipients of federal HIV/AIDS service grants to pledge to oppose commercial sex work does not violate the groups’ First Amendment right to free speech.