The subjects of prostitution and human sex trafficking seem to be growing in casual conversations among Oakland residents as the numbers of minors engaged in prostitution also seem to be growing, most notably in downtown and East Oakland. The ages of the workers are particularly noticable, in addition to the earlier and earlier hours that they can be seen “working.”

Now, no longer viewed as something that happens just “to them” and “over there,” the community is becoming more aware of the issue of sexual exploitation. Folks have now begun to question what can be done about it as we struggle to confront the human rights violations happening right under our noses, head on. Gender oppression of women and girls all over the world has been described as “the defining issue of our time.”

On Sunday, November 4 from 2-4PM, at Geoffrey's Inner Circle, Black Cinema At Large, known for its screenings of quality Black film across the Bay Area, will host a Community Cinema Free Screening Of Independent Lens/PBS feature "Half The Sky” to raise awareness about the issue of sex trafficking, engage in community dialog, and offer solutions to sex oppression. There will be a community engagement forum of experts in the subject matter for discussion and solutions.

“Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” is not only a television series, but an international movement that uses video, websites, games, blogs, and other tools to raise awareness around women's issues and to create concrete steps to address these problems and to empower women. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide is a four-hour television series originally made for PBS and international broadcast, shot in 10 countries around the world from Cambodia to Kenya, Sierra Leone to India and Vietnam to Pakistan. Inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book of the same name, the documentary highlights women and girls who are fighting bravely to change their situations of “living under some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable.”

Segments: Sex Trafficking and Forced Prostitution--2 segments, separate runtimes 40-45 minutes

Panel Participants include:
Pat Mims--Family Justice Center and representative of BAWAR (Bay Area Women Against Rape)
http://www.bawar.org/

Holly Joshi--Oakland Police Department: Currently the supervisor of the Oakland Police Department’s Vice and Child Exploitation Unit; a specialized unit devoted specifically to combating human trafficking and the commercial exploitation of women and children.

Nola Brantley--Executive Director for MISSSY (Motivating, Inspiring, Supporting and Serving Sexually Exploited Youth) http://www.misssey.org/

Nancy O’Malley-Alameda County District Attorney

Moderator
Eric K. Arnold, Oakland Local
www.oaklandlocal.com

For more information on the collective movement and film against global oppression of visit: http://www.halftheskymovement.org/

IF YOU GO

2-4 PM Geoffrey Peet's Inner Circle

410 14th St, Oakland, California 94612