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Helping the Victims of Sex Trafficking

December 1, 2010 by

[HTML1] Traditionally, the holiday season allows us to focus on others who are less fortunate than we are. With that in mind, today’s show spotlights a growing criminal enterprise whose victims, often the youngest in our society, desperately need our help, support, and understanding.

In the past few years, sex trafficking has emerged as the fastest growing criminal activity in the world, second only to the drug trade. But what can you do to stop this horrific crime?

On today’s episode, Bincy Wilson, a doctoral student at the School of Social Work at the University at Buffalo, shares her experience working and researching ways to help the victims as well as prevent sexual exploitation in the United States.

Bincy joins Keeping Up with Gen Y to explain the reasons why sex trafficking has begun to infiltrate our middle class neighborhoods, and how we, as a society, can prevent the further ruining of young lives. She also discusses the importance of Gen Y volunteering at nonprofits that assist the victims, to help them cope with the trauma as well as empower them to break free of their past to live a better future.

More about Bincy Wilson
Bincy Wilson is a doctoral student at the School of Social Work at the University at Buffalo. Her research focuses on identifying effective rehabilitation services for victims of commercial sexual exploitation, defined as prostitution and sex trafficking. For the past two summers, the 27-year-old has volunteered and interned for the San Francisco-based nonprofit SAGE, Standing Against Global Exploitation.

A native of Bangalore, India, Bincy moved to Mangalore to pursue her Master of Social Work. There, she was recruited by the nonprofit organization called Arz (which translates into Life without Injustice) based in Goa, India, that specializes in combating human trafficking. It was there that she developed a passion for helping the victims work through their trauma and make their lives whole again.

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About Tamara Bell

Tamara Bell is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Y Gen Out Loud, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that provides a platform for Generation Yto discuss national politics and public policy issues.

Tamara began her journalism career as a staff reporter for the Dallas Times Herald. A few years later, she moved to York, Pa., as a political reporter for the York Dispatch, covering local, state, and national government as well as writing investigative stories for the mid-sized daily newspaper.

A Texas girl at heart, Tamara returned to Dallas a year later to work as press relations director for the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. John Bryant. The next year, she moved to Austin and the Texas Legislature, where she stayed for 15 years. While at the Legislature, Tamara worked for Democratic House members as Chief-of-Staff and Press Secretary, and as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Senate State Affairs Committee chaired by a Republicansenator.

In 1996, Tamara became co-owner of a political newsletter covering state issues and elections. As Editor-in-Chief, Tamara helped shape the weekly publication into a must-read for state officials, legislative aides, and lobbyists. More recently, Tamara wrote a regular column analyzing coverage by the Texas Capitol Press Corps for an online political publication. She also works as a lecturer in the Advertising Department at The University of Texasat Austin.

Tamara has also been a judge for the 2010 Bright Ideas Award given by the Texas Daily Newspaper Association, served as a panelist at the Society of Professional Journalists 2010 Region 8 Conference where the theme was How to Save Journalism, and has been a guest lecture for the Advertising Department’s Internship course, speaking about the jobs outlook for graduating seniors.

Tamara earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin, and her B.A. in Journalism from Texas A&M University. She resides in Austin with her son, Jackson.

Tamara Bell is also the Host of Keeping Up with Gen Y on WomensRadio. Keeping Up with Gen Y offers discussions, interviews, and commentary about important issues of the day from the perspective of Generation Y (18-to 30-years-old). Aimed at all generations interested in learning about and inspiring young people, this show features professionals, experts, researchers, and members of Gen Y who share insights and experiences about the topics on the minds of today’s young adults.