Title:

Director of Government Relations

Organization:

National Center on Sexual Exploitation

Presentation Title:

Dangerous Nonsense: Countering the Sex Trade's Decriminalization Fantasy

Presentation Description:

Bio:

Eleanor Kennelly Gaetan, Ph.D. is the Director of Government Relations at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation and works closely with the NCOSE Law Center where she leads strategic efforts at the federal, state, and local government levels encouraging them to develop policies for a world free from sexual exploitation. A very accomplished writer, Eleanor also provides key analysis of research helping to connect the dots between all forms of sexual exploitation.

For the ten years prior to joining NCOSE, Eleanor Kennelly Gaetan, Ph.D. served as senior legislative advisor for the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women International (CATW), founded in 1988. She was instrumental in passing major U.S. legislation including the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA) in 2015; the SESTA-FOSTA law criminalizing Internet service providers that engage in human trafficking; and the Trafficking Victims Protection Re-authorization Act of 2018. Working in alliance with many organizations, including NCOSE, she aimed to help build the movement against sexual exploitation through these efforts.

From 2003-2009, as a White House appointee, Eleanor served as senior coordinator for public outreach at the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP). She managed legislative, media, and NGO relations for the TIP office. Eleanor first met the human trafficking issue through the eyes of its victims, in Bucharest, Romania, as USAID’s local democracy advisor (2000-2003). She attended Yale University and has a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. More importantly, she and her husband Victor have five children.

Title:

Senior Advisor on Research and Data Analysis

Organization:

National Center on Sexual Exploitation

Presentation Title:

The Production of Harm: Evidence Used in the Decriminalization Movement to Block the Prevention of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking

Presentation Description:

Commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking are undeniably harmful, and are sustained entirely by the revenue provided by consumers. Prevention of these crimes cannot be achieved without addressing their root cause, and thousands of local law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S. have recognized this fact and have employed tactics targeting consumer-level demand. Yet demand remains the most neglected segment of these illicit markets, particularly at the federal level. This presentation illustrates disconnects in evidence, policy, and practice across  the Nation, and examines the role of the decriminalization movement in blocking evidence-based practices that would prevent victimization and reduce harm. We focus specifically on one of the most influential assertions made by decriminalization advocates: removing all legal restrictions on prostitution would produce massive reductions in HIV infection rates. A thorough examination of the research producing that finding found it to be significantly flawed, and the assertion about prevention to be unsupported by evidence. We conclude by discussing the role of these findings in suppressing efforts to prevent sexual exploitation and trafficking.

Bio:

Dr. Michael Shively is dedicated to supporting those working to prevent and respond to exploitation and abuse. Throughout his 30-year career in applied research, he has provided practitioners, legislators, agency managers, and advocates with information and tools used to advance their efforts to address human trafficking, sexual violence, and other forms of victimization.

Between 2003 and his joining NCOSE in 2020, Dr. Shively received a continuous series of federal awards to lead research on the perpetration of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, victimization, and system responses to both survivors and offenders. He has been at the forefront of efforts to prevent sex trafficking and exploitation by attacking their root cause: consumer demand for commercial sex. He directed a rigorous evaluation of a model program designed to deter sex buyers, and founded Demand Forum, a website documenting prevention tactics used in over 2,100 communities throughout the U.S.

Dr. Shively’s prior research also includes developing a method for producing valid estimates of human trafficking prevalence, and for identifying opportunities for earlier identification and support for survivors. In other studies, he examined the traits and motivations of convicted human traffickers and the origins and structure of their criminal enterprises, and conducted a national survey about police experiences responding to local human trafficking.

His work to apply research to policy and evidence-based practice includes presenting at training programs and expert workgroups convened by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Department of State; U.S. Department of Health and Social Services; U.S. Department of Justice; National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Center for Disease Control and Prevention; International Association of Chiefs of Police; National Association of Attorneys General; and the Massachusetts Bar Association. He also served on the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Task Force and the Regional Human Trafficking Workgroup at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Title:

Founder & CEO

Organization:

childsafe.ai

Presentation Title:

The Golden Age Is Over: Online UCSE in the United States 2 Years After Backpage

Presentation Description:

Bio:

Rob Spectre is a Brooklyn-based technologist building childsafe.ai, the artificial intelligence platform protecting kids from predators online. A 13-year veteran of software startups such as Boxee and Twilio. Before founding childsafe.ai, Rob spent a year as a technical consultant for counter human trafficking units across the United States. Learning from the wisdom and experience of those law enforcement partners, Rob creates machine learning software that starves the macroeconomy fueling modern slavery of its wealth, anonymity and distribution.

A programmer by trade and a historian by training, Rob also serves youth organizations HackNY and DoSomething.org as an advisor, plays in a punk rock band and is the loudest Red Sox fan in New York.

Title:

Sex-trade survivor, writer, blogger and activist

Organization:

Space International

Presentation Title:

Details Coming...

Presentation Description:

Details coming…

Bio:

Details coming…

Title:

Vice President of Advocacy and Outreach

Organization:

National Center on Sexual Exploitation

Presentation Title:

Consenting to Abuse: The Psychological and Social Similarities Between Domestic Violence and Prostitution AND Shared: The Rise of Non-Consensually Shared Pornography and its Consequences

Presentation Description:

BREAKOUT SESSION: Shared: The Rise of Non-Consensually Shared Pornography and its Consequences

Bio:

Title:

CEO

Organization:

City Women

Presentation Title:

PANEL: Abolition! Engaging Elected Officials in the Fight to End Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, AND BREAKOUT: Details Coming

Presentation Description:

Details Coming

Bio:

Letitia Shelton lives in Toowoomba Australia.  She is the founder & CEO of a non for profit called City Women, which works with hundreds of girls & women in her community.  Two years ago she started a campaign in her city, along with the Mayor called A City Free from Porn.  This is a grassroots campaign to raise awareness in her city on the harms of porn.  Letitia & her team are working at a local government level, with school principals, businesses and other community organizations to turn the tide on porn & it’s negative affects in her city.

Title:

Details coming

Organization:

Details Coming

Presentation Title:

Details Coming

Presentation Description:

Bio:

Details Coming

Title:

Professor of Psychology

Organization:

University of Washington

Presentation Title:

Black girlhood interrupted: Understanding’s pornography’s impact on sexual violence in the lives of Black girls and women & DOCUMENTARY: Let me tell ya’ll ‘bout Black chicks: Images of Black women in pornography

Presentation Description:

Black girlhood interrupted: Understanding’s pornography’s impact on sexual violence in the lives of Black girls and women

Interactive exercises and case studies, which incorporate an understanding of pornography, will be used to teach attendees concrete and practice strategies to provide culturally responsive services to Black sexual assault survivors in the criminal justice and mental health settings. Specifically, attendees will identify prevalence rates and risk factors for sexual victimization in the lives of Black girls and women and will learn prevention and intervention strategies that are evidence-based and culturally responsive.

DOCUMENTARY: Let me tell ya’ll ‘bout Black chicks: Images of Black women in pornography

The purpose of this searing documentary is to: (1) Offer a content analysis of 6,000 mainstream adult film covers and packaging that featured African American performers; (2) Explore the historical origins of the images that are found in contemporary pornography (e.g., rape of enslaved women); (3) Identify how racial stereotypes in pornography promote sexual violence against Black girls and women; and (4) Provide suggestions for ways to promote healthy sexuality and combat hypersexualized images.

Bio:

Title:

Executive Director

Organization:

Refuge House

Presentation Title:

Details Coming

Presentation Description:

Details Coming

Bio:

Meg Baldwin is the Executive Director of Refuge House, the domestic and sexual violence center serving the eight county Big Bend area. She has served in this role since 2005.  In 2016, the Refuge House Board of Directors named the newly-opened Refuge House rape crisis/forensic facility The Meg Baldwin SAFE Center, in recognition of her contribution to the creation of this important service to rape victims. Prior to joining Refuge House, Meg was an Associate Professor of Law at the Florida State University College of Law, specializing in women’s rights, violence against women, and prostitution.

Meg is also a nationally recognized expert on the legal, social, and advocacy issues facing prostituted women and children. She was instrumental in creating one of the first advocacy and support agencies for women seeking to escape and heal from prostitution.  Meg drafted the first state legislation to provide civil remedies for women coerced in prostitution against perpetrators, which has become the model for legislation adopted in other states.

Meg was the 2008 recipient of the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence Warrior for Women Award, the 2010 recipient of the National Organization of Men Against Sexism Lifetime Achievement Award, and a 2016 recipient of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women Leadership Award.

Meg serves on the Board of Directors of the Big Bend Continuum of Care, and is a past board member of the United Partners for Human Services, the United Way of the Big Bend, the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence, and the National Advisory Board of the FCADV Trafficking Project. Meg served as an advisor to the Florida Supreme Court Gender Bias Study Commission. She is a 1984 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School.

Title:

Lawyer & Sexual Abuse Activist

Organization:

Presentation Title:

What Is a Girl Worth? My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics

Presentation Description:

Rachael Denhollander was only 15 when Larry Nassar sexually abused her. Sixteen years later, she was the first woman to press criminal charges and publicly reveal that she had been one of the many victims of the USA Gymnastics team doctor. The decision to speak out ultimately led her to lose friends, her church community, and her privacy. Yet in so doing, she sparked a tidal wave of accusations against Nassar, revealing the appalling extent of his abuse. Now she educates and advocates, illuminating not only issues of abuse, but also the very cultural dynamics that allow abusers to remain in power. Weaving in details of her personal story, she shows how to come alongside survivors, stand against abuse, and find healing. Trained as an attorney and with considerable background in legislative and policy reform, Rachael is able to speak not only on the experience of being a survivor of abuse, but also to positively advocate for change. Armed with courage and conviction, she inspires audiences as she continues to advocate, call for accountability, and stand for those who have yet to find their voice.

Bio:

ABOUT RACHAEL DENHOLLANDER

Rachael Denhollander is an attorney, advocate, and educator who became known internationally as the first woman to file a police report and speak publicly against USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, one of the most prolific sexual abusers in recorded history. As a result of her activism, over 250 women came forward as survivors of Nassar’s abuse, leading to his life imprisonment. Additionally, her courageous tenacity and ongoing advocacy helped trigger a complete upheaval at both USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University, where former executives and high-ranking ocials face numerous criminal charges for their complicity in covering up Nassar’s abuse and lying about what they knew.

For her work as an advocate and educator on sexual assault, Rachael was named one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and one of Glamour Magazine’s “Women of the Year” in 2018. Additionally, she received the “Inspiration of the Year” award from Sports Illustrated, was a joint recipient of ESPN’s “Arthur Ashe Courage Award,” and was named a “Michiganian of the Year” by The Detroit News. She is the recipient of numerous other awards and recommendations, including the “CHILD Protector Award” from CHILD USA, the “Integrity and Impact Award” from Dow Jones Sports Intelligence, and HeartAmbassador’s “Lifetime Achievement Award for Contributing to Social Justice.” Rachael documented her journey with the release of What is a Girl Worth? My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics on September 10, 2019. Rachael has been recognized and honored in both the Kentucky and Michigan legislatures for her advocacy, and has been active in spearheading legislative reform at the state level. She has lectured and participated in live Q&A’s on the campus of numerous universities across the nation, including Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, NYU, UC Berkeley, USC, and others. She continues to educate on issues of abuse through supporting and speaking at organizations that advocate for victims of sexual and domestic abuse, teaching at abuse prevention conferences, and helping companies and other institutions create safe environments for addressing abuse and harassment. A committed Christian, Rachael has also been at the forefront of condemning the problem of abuse that often plagues churches and religious organizations while working to address the underlying dynamics. Additionally, she was a panelist with a United Nations Peace Messenger Organization at the UN’s 62nd Commission on the Status of Women. A member of the California Bar Association, Rachael has educated attorneys on the dynamics of sexual abuse at the American Bar Association’s Sports Law Forum, and was the commencement speaker at the graduation ceremony of Brandeis School of Law in Louisville, KY. Prior to beginning her work as an advocate and educator, she worked in public policy, performed research and writing for human rights organizations, and spoke in a variety of capacities, including testifying before state judiciary committees. She has also taught in legislative action days, and authored and taught a summer camp course on appellate advocacy and judicial philosophy to talented high school students. She has appeared on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX News, BBC, NPR and regularly appears in national and international print media, including The Washington Post, Der Spiegel, The Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press, and is a New York Times and Vox op-ed contributor. Rachael holds a Juris Doctorate from Oak Brook College of Law and possesses an honorary doctorate from the American University of Paris. She, along with her husband Jacob, lives in Louisville, Kentucky with their four young children.

Title:

Founder

Organization:

Unite Yoga

Presentation Title:

Unite Self Care and Body Work

Presentation Description:

Bio:

Tina Harris is a Master Level Yoga Therapist who specializes in Trauma Yoga and Recovery. Tina is the author of the book Peace Beyond the Tears.
She speaks publically at womens events across the country, bringing a message of hope and healing. Tina is the mother of six daughters and has been married to her husband, Tim for 30 years. Tina‘s passion is to equipt others with the ability to recognize stress stored within their bodies and learn to release this trauma and stress though the use of movement, breathing and guided meditaion. She speaks to the fact that you are not alone and that your past does not define you nor disqulify you.

Title:

Founder

Organization:

Reach10

Presentation Title:

Self Care

Presentation Description:

Details Coming

Bio: