| Love146 | |
|---|---|
| Established | 2004 |
| President | Rob Morris |
| Budget | US$1.87 Million (annually, FY2009/10) |
| Location | HQ: New Haven, CT Field projects: the U.S, Moldova, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka |
| Website | [1] |
Love146 is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit international human rights organization [1] that works toward the abolition of child sex trafficking and exploitation through advocacy, prevention, and aftercare.[2]
Love146’s Prevention program is broken up into three global regions, the U.S., Asia, and Europe, working to reduce the risk for children in high traffic areas, strengthen prevention networks, empower youth, and empower advocates.[3]
The Aftercare programs subscribe to the biopsychosocial model of treatment and care, assessing the biological, psychological, and social aspects of survivors.[4]
Contents |
Love146 was founded in 2002 [5] by Rob Morris, Lamont Hiebert, Desirea Rodgers, and Caroline Hahm. Prior to the establishing of Love146, co-founder and president, Rob Morris, worked with Mercy Ships lnternational. Morris has lectured and taught in over thirty countries on issues of justice, compassion, and human rights.[1]
Love146 became an official Public Charity in March 2004 under the name of Justice for Children International.[6] In 2007, they changed their name to Love146.[7]
Their Headquarters for advocacy and awareness initiatives is located in New Haven, CT.[8]
The organization is named after a young girl two of the co-founders encountered while undercover in a brothel in Southeast Asia. The girls were given numbers of identification pinned to their dresses. Observing a group of prostituted children, one girl in particular stood out. Morris explained that she stared at them with a piercing gaze, saying, “There was still fight left in her eyes.” Her number was 146.[9]
Love146 was named an “Agent of Change” by GQ Magazine, and earned a Myspace Impact Award for Social Justice. They have also been spotlighted in Relevant Magazine.[10] They are supported by bands such as The Wrecking and Paramore. President of Baume & Mercier North America, Rudy Chavez, and Love146 board member, sent Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Carolyn Cole to Southeast Asia to take photos in support of Love146. In 2008, Baume & Mercier hosted an exhibition of her photos in New York City titled “Into the Light”.[11]
Love146 invests in an infrastructure that sustains a growing organization, and more specifically, in well-developed programs to protect and restore children.
In 2008, 75% of the budget went to programs, 10% to fundraising, and 15% to management and general.[12] [13]
The annual financial reports, audited financials, and 990 forms from previous years can be found on their website.
U.S. advocacy director, Kathy Maskell, has been fighting for a legislation (Safe Harbor for Exploited Children) that would protect children from being prosecuted for the crime of prostitution.[14]
Its passing has encountered some controversy, where those who oppose the bill say that the charge of prostitution is crucial to getting these children to testify against the pimps.[15]