MEDIA CONTACT

Zonta Club of Savannah

Jo Anne García-Meléndez

232-1817 or cell: 441-9499

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

Combating Human Trafficking in Savannah, Georgia

 

An interactive seminar, “Combating Human Trafficking in Savannah, Georgia,” will be held Tuesday, April 1, 2008 from 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Armstrong Center, 13040 Abercorn Street. The program is free for participants from the media, law enforcement, social and healthcare services, education, and religious and civic organizations concerned about modern-day slavery in the United States. The program is presented by the ZONTA Club of Savannah in collaboration with the HOLA Program at Armstrong Atlantic State University.

Nola Theiss, Executive Director of Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships, Inc. (www.humantraffickingawareness.org), is the featured speaker. She will also lead discussions on how to recognize this hidden, but increasingly common, crime and provide information on what can be done about it. Ms. Theiss, former mayor of Sanibel, Florida, has spoken about human trafficking to 5,000 people in three countries over the past two years. “Human trafficking can best be combated through public awareness and action,” said Ms. Theiss. “Victims come first, but first you have to find the victims. Public awareness and outreach find victims.”

“All the elements characteristic to Human Trafficking are present in the city of Savannah:  it’s a tourist city and port, situated along a known trafficking corridor (I-95), surrounded by golf courses, agricultural areas, and a large construction industry attracting a large male migrant population with probable brothels for migrant workers, and has a drug network presence; these same networks often deal in humans, too.” said Jo Anne García-Meléndez, ZONTA member and an organizer of the event. “We hope that this important program will educate and spur our community to combat this growing crime against women and children.”

 

To register for the free event, call 912-232-1817 or visit www.zontasavannah.com .   Seating is limited.

The ZONTA Club of Savannah is part of ZONTA International (www.zonta.org ) ––a global organization of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women and girls worldwide through service and advocacy.  There are over 1200 clubs in 67 countries and geographic areas.

Hispanic Outreach & Leadership at Armstrong program (HOLA) provides support services and culturally sensitive programs to Hispanic/Latino students at the university. They facilitate educational, leadership, social, academic and community activities that engage students in learning, thus improving their quality of life (www.hola.armstrong.edu).

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January 2008:

 

4^th Annual Fudge SCRABBLE® Tournament – Help Zonta Club of Savannah Prevent Violence Against Women and Combat Modern-Day Slavery!

 

The Zonta Club of Savannah is once again offering a fun way to raise funds to benefit charity.  $19,000 raised by the past three tournaments benefited the Mammography Fund used by The Mary Telfair Women’s Hospital to provide mammograms and diagnostic testing for underinsured women. 

 

While Zonta will continue to support women’s health, this year we want to shift our focus to also benefit agencies/programs that prevent violence against women and combat human trafficking, the modern-day slavery.  For women aged 15 to 44 years, violence is a major cause of death and disability. Based on World Bank data, a 1994 study about ten selected risk factors facing women in this age group rated rape and domestic violence as higher risks than cancer, motor vehicle accidents, war and malaria.  70-80% of human trafficking victims are women and girls , the majority of whom are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation.  The USA is a top destination for trafficked victims.

 

The Fudge Scrabble® tournament will be held on Saturday, January 26, 2008 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Candler Hospital’s Marsh Auditorium (5353 Reynolds St.)  Plenty of free parking available.  To pre-register, call: 819-7100.  Pre-registration is open through Jan. 25, 2008.  Player fees will be accepted in the form of cash or check.  Adult walk-in registration fee is $20.  Pre-registered player fees are $15 and fees for students with identification are $10.  To increase their chances of winning, players may purchase rule “fudges” for $1 each and “cheat sheets” for $5 each.