Media

Stanton Barrett Races in Support of Girl Survivors of Human Trafficking

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 7, 2013

Contacts:

Sarah Lu: (202) 609-7794, sarah@fairgirls.org, www.fairgirls.org

On Friday, April 27 2013, Stanton Barrett will make his return to NASCAR action with Rick Ware Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Richmond in the Toyota Care 250.


Barrett’s return will mark the 22nd anniversary of competition where he has competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, Indy Racing League and ARCA Series.

Barrett will be piloting the #15 JewelGirls.org and 4caring.org Ford Mustang in his return with RWR.

 

“Having Stanton in our car always brings excitement to our organization,” stated owner Rick Ware. “We have partnered together for over a decade and he is truly one of the best wheelmen that we have had the honor to compete with.” Rick continues, “Rick Ware and RWR are very excited to be working with Stanton Barrett.  We have had multiple top 15 qualifying and finishing efforts in the past. He is great to work with and we are proud to support his charitable efforts promoting and donating space for www.FAIRGirls.org 

Stanton will be paired with veteran crew chief George Church, and we look forward to a great weekend".  Stanton Barrett will "wear his heart on his car" by literally placing the logo of FAIR Girls (www.fairgirls.org), an international nonprofit helping in the recovery of girl survivors of sex trafficking and labor exploitation, on his NASCAR race car. 

Stanton serves as an Executive Board Member for FairGirls and host committee member for FAIR Girls 7th Annual Pearls of Purpose Gala on May 8, 2013. Since 2012, Stanton's own charity, 4Caring.org, has supported operations for FAIR Girls to create and implement a weekly therapeutic art and economic empowerment program for 30-40 teen girls living in some of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in Washington D.C. This JewelGirls program is sells their jewelry online at www.JewelGirls.org where participants directly earn 50% of the proceeds. 

According to the FBI, Washington, D.C. is one of the top cities where girls as young as 10 are sold into sex trafficking. Through Stanton's support, FAIR Girls is educating and keeping many teen girls safe from this horrible form of modern day slavery while also helping them the confidence and skills they need to rebuild their future. 

"FAIR Girls is honored that Stanton has chosen by donating with RWR to showcase our logo on his car during this NASCAR race. This large visual showcase of his support excites me and all of the girls we empower at FAIR Girls," says Andrea Powell, co-founding Executive Director of FAIR Girls.  

Stanton hopes to mobilize, quite literally, more support for FAIR Girls to ensure that hundreds more girls can be found and assisted across the nation. "Human trafficking is one of the most important human rights issues. In September, President Obama made a clear statement that the United States will aggressively seek to serve victims and prosecute their traffickers. I want to see more done, and I am putting my personal and professional weight behind FAIR Girls because I know their programs truly help some of our nation's youngest victims," says Stanton.

If interested in joining fundraising efforts for FAIR Girls with NASCAR drivers such as Brian Vickers and Stanton Barrett, please visit here.

About Stanton Barrett:

Stanton Barrett, born in Bishop, California, in 1972, has led a unique life both as a race car driver, and a Hollywood stuntman and director. Stanton has competed in 25 NASCAR's Sprint Cup races, over 200 NASCAR Nationwide race and 2009 IRL Indy Car series.Stanton's professional status reaches into the realms of extreme skiing, motocross and snowmobile racing. He has worked in over 200 motion pictures and television series. He has performed a variety of dangerous stunts, stunt doubling and stunt coordinating for many of Hollywood's finest actors in films such as: Looper, The Town, Spiderman 1 & 2, Jurassic Park 2 & 3 127 Hours, Blade, Batman, Nutty Professor, Contraband and Cradle to the Grave, Dukes of Hazard, just to name a few. Stanton is a member of an extraordinary family comprised of Olympic athletes, professional stunt men, seasoned stock car drivers, and successful entrepreneurs.

About FAIR Girls:
FAIR Girls (formerly FAIR Fund) prevents the exploitation of girls worldwide with empowerment and education. Through prevention education, compassionate care, and survivor inclusive advocacy, FAIR Girls creates opportunities for girls to become confident, happy, healthy, young women. Founded in 2003, FAIR Girls currently operates programs in Bosnia, Serbia, Russia, Uganda, and the United States. The FAIR Girls home office in Washington, D.C. offers compassionate care to prevent the exploitation of all girls, with a special emphasis on girls who have experienced trafficking, sexual abuse, homelessness, and life inside the foster care system.

Members of the media: Please e-mail all inquiries to media@fairgirls.org

FAIR Girls (formerly FAIR Fund) works with the media to advance outreach and awareness to address the issues of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor trafficking.  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 8, 2012

CONTACTS:

Sarah Lu, FAIR Girls (202) 609-7994, sarah@fairgirls.org

Stanton Barrett Stanton@stantonbarrett.com

Stanton Barrett Races in Support of Girl Survivors of Human Trafficking



On Saturday, October 12th 2012, Stanton Barrett will make his return to NASCAR action with Rick Ware Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Charlotte next weekend for the Dollar General 300. 

Barrett’s return will mark the 21th anniversary of competition where he has competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, Indy Racing League and ARCA Series.

Barrett will be piloting the #15 FairGirls.org/4caring.org in his return with RWR. 

“Having Stanton in our car always brings excitement to our organization,” stated owner Rick Ware. “We have partnered together for over a decade and he is truly one of the best wheelmen that we have had the honor to compete with.” Rick continues, “Rick Ware and RWR are very excited to be working with Stanton Barrett.  We have had multiple top 15 qualifying and finishing efforts in the past. He is great to work with and we are proud to support his sponsor www.fairgirls.org. Stanton will be paired with veteran crew chief George Church, and we look forward to a great weekend"

Stanton Barrett will "wear his heart on his car" by literally placing the logo of FAIR Girls (www.fairgirls.org), an international nonprofit helping in the recovery of girl survivors of sex trafficking and labor exploitation, on his NASCAR racecar. Stanton serves as an advisory board member and host committee member for FAIR Girls annual Pearls of Purpose gala in May. In 2012,Stanton's own charity, 4Caring.org, supported FAIR Girls' work to create an therapeutic art and economic empowerment program for 25 teen girls living in inner city Washington D.C..

According to the FBI, Washington, D.C. is one of the top cities where girls as young as 10 are sold into sex trafficking. Through Stanton's support, FAIR Girls is educating and keeping 25 teen girls safe from this horrible form of modern day slavery while also helping them the confidence and skills they need to rebuild their future. 

"FAIR Girls is honored that Stanton has chosen by donating with RWR to showcase our logo on his car during this NASCAR race. This large visual showcase of his support excites me and all of the girls we empower at FAIR Girls," says Andrea Powell, co-founding Executive Director of FAIR Girls.  

Stanton hopes to mobilize, quite literally, more support for FAIR Girls to ensure that hundreds more girls can be found and assisted across the nation.  "Human trafficking is one of the most important human rights issues. In September, President Obama made a clear statement that the United States will aggressively seek to serve victims and prosecute their traffickers. I want to see more done, and I am putting my personal and professional weight behind FAIR Girls because I know their programs truly help some of our nation's youngest victims," says Stanton.

More about Stanton Barrett:

Stanton Barrett, born in Bishop, California, in 1972, has led a unique life both as a race car driver, and a Hollywood stuntman and director. Stanton has competed in 25 NASCAR's Sprint Cup races, over 200 NASCAR Nationwide race and 2009 IRL Indy Car series.Stanton's professional status reaches into the realms of extreme skiing, motocross and snowmobile racing. He has worked in over 200 motion pictures and television series. He has performed a variety of dangerous stunts, stunt doubling and stunt coordinating for many of Hollywood's finest actors in films such as: Looper, The Town, Spiderman 1 & 2, Jurassic Park 2 & 3 127 Hours, Blade, Batman, Nutty Professor, Contraband and Cradle to the Grave, Dukes of Hazard, just to name a few. Stanton is a member of an extraordinary family comprised of Olympic athletes, professional stunt men, seasoned stock car drivers, and successful entrepreneurs.

More about FAIR Girls:

FAIR Girls (formerly FAIR Fund) prevents the exploitation of girls worldwide with empowerment and education. Through prevention education, compassionate care, and survivor inclusive advocacy, FAIR Girls creates opportunities for girls to become confident, happy, healthy, young women. Founded in 2003, FAIR Girls currently operates programs in Bosnia, Serbia, Russia, Uganda, and the United States. The FAIR Girls home office in Washington, D.C. offers compassionate care to prevent the exploitation of all girls, with a special emphasis on girls who have experienced trafficking, sexual abuse, homelessness, and life inside the foster care system.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

July 9, 2012

NEW TV AND ONLINE AD TARGETS BACKPAGE.COM OVER CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING CONTROVERSY

Powerful Ad Tells True Story of 13-Year Old Advertised for Sex On Website;

Urges Public to Join Campaign to Shut Down Backpage.com’s Adult Section 

WASHINGTON, DC – A new television and online ad is launching today that portrays a 13-year old survivor of child sex trafficking who was advertised by her pimp on Backpage.com. The ad is the latest in a string of efforts to convince Village Voice Media, owner of the general classifieds website Backpage.com, to shut down the adult section of the site where children and teens have been advertised by others for sex.

Approved by FAIR Girls, a social service organization dedicated to preventing the exploitation of girls worldwide with empowerment and education, the 30-second ad is unveiling online today and will debut on television Sunday on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. It also will air several times next week on cable. 

VIEW THE AD HERE: http://www.fairgirls.org/page/sign-petition

The ad recounts the true story of a 13-year old girl who was repeatedly advertised for sex by her pimp on Backpage.com. Her experience of exploitation began when she was only 9 years old. At 12, her trafficker started marketing her on Backpage.com. To protect her identity, a young actress and activist, Victoria Pannell, plays the part of the survivor.

 "Almost every single sex trafficked girl we have assisted in the U.S. this year was sold by her pimp using the adult section of Backpage.com. In the past year, the number of girls we have assisted has more than doubled. For us, this is not just a campaign. This is about protecting real girls from being victimized,” said Andrea Powell, Co-founder and Executive Director of FAIR Girls.

 Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes added, "Backpage.com is the new street corner where traffickers pimp their often underage victims, and many of the 40-plus indictments secured by my Sex Trafficking Unit in the past two years involve advertisements on Backpage.com.”

 The ad urges the public to join the campaign demanding Village Voice Media shut down the adult section of Backpage.com by signing a petition sponsored by Pannell on SignOn.org.

Sign the petition here: http://www.signon.org/sign/village-voice-media-please/

The campaign also rallies the public to contact 26 major advertisers in Village Voice Media’s 13 flagship publications and ask them to join the human rights movement by immediately discontinuing their advertisements in Village Voice Media newspapers until the company closes the adult section of Backpage.com.

FAIR Girls’ call to advertisers follows similar appeals made by Groundswell, the social action initiative of Auburn Seminary and convener of a coalition of 700 clergy speaking out about Backpage.com, four U.S. Senators, Change.org, and other activists. Their collective efforts have resulted in several national brands, including AT&T, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, and IHOP, ceasing their advertisements with Village Voice Media.

Learn more about the advertiser effort here: http://www.signon.org/sign/village-voice-media-please/

According to an analysis by the trade organization AIM Group, Backpage.com is the leading U.S. website for prostitution advertising, generating an estimated $2.6 million monthly, or $27.4 million annually, from the sale of online escort ads.

"Backpage has made the trafficking of girls its business model. We must call for the end of any business venture that profits from the exploitation of vulnerable children," said Malika Saada Saar, Executive Director of the Human Rights Project for Girls, a human rights organization dedicated to protecting the rights of vulnerable young women and girls in the U.S.

Since August 2011, 51 of the nation’s attorneys general, 700 multi-faith religious leaders, 53 leading anti-trafficking experts and organizations, 19 U.S. Senators, state and city lawmakers around the country, over a dozen prominent musicians, nearly a quarter of a million citizens, and others have called on Village Voice Media to exit the adult ad business.

“As a teenager, I was advertised by my pimp on Backpage.com. This year, one of the men who bought me put a knife to my throat and almost killed me. The police rescued me, and with the help of FAIR Girls, I’m rebuilding my life. I am 20 years old now, but I continue to see girls, often much younger than me, who are sold by pimps using Backpage.com. This has to stop," said a sex trafficking survivor who wished to be identified as Nina.

“Backpage.com is the common denominator in the overwhelming number of our sex trafficking cases. It enables pimps to advertise children for sex. Shutting it down will go a long way towards protecting these girls and supporting our law enforcement efforts,” said Laura Neubauer, Chief of the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Sex Trafficking Unit.

Village Voice Media owns the general classifieds website Backpage.com and a number of newspapers around the country. Its 13 flagship publications are: The Village Voice in New York City (NY), SFWeekly in San Francisco (CA), LAWeekly in Los Angeles (CA), OC Weekly in Orange County (CA), Denver Westword in Denver (CO), St. Louis Riverfront Times in St. Louis (MO), Phoenix New Times in Phoenix Arizona, Dallas Observer in Dallas (TX), Houston Press in Houston (TX), Miami New Times in Miami (FL), Palm Beach New Times in Broward County (FL), Seattle Weekly in Seattle (WA) and Minneapolis City Pages in Minneapolis (MN).

AD TRANSCRIPT:

“I thought he was my boyfriend,

I thought he loved me for real.

But he made me work everyday.

He threatened me, he made me take drugs,

he raped me a bunch of times,

and then he sold me to four, sometimes five, men a day for $100 an hour.

One time there was ten men in one day.

I thought they would kill me, I thought I would never get away.

My pimp advertised me online at Backpage.com.

That’s how these guys buy me.

I’m 13.”

FAIR Girls (formerly FAIR Fund) prevents the exploitation of girls worldwide with empowerment and education. Through prevention education, compassionate care, and survivor inclusive advocacy, FAIR Girls creates opportunities for girls to become confident, happy, healthy, young women. Founded in 2003, FAIR Girls currently operates programs in Bosnia, Serbia, Russia, Uganda, and the United States. The FAIR Girls home office in Washington, D.C. offers compassionate care to prevent the exploitation of all girls, with a special emphasis on girls who have experienced trafficking, sexual abuse, homelessness, and life inside the foster care system.

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