Dear Fellow CU Athletics Alumni,
I am contacting this select group to ask your help in combatting a desperate situation that gets very little attention: modern slavery in Iraq and Syria. Human trafficking in this region increased exponentially after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. The Syrian conflict greatly exacerbated the problem, but the arrival of ISIS and their medieval slavery practices created a horror show-esque scenario.
There are minimal government services in the conflict areas and the slavers are unopposed. ISIS even runs a slave market in Mosul. CNBC interviewed me about this topic in August.
Hafaza International (Hafaza is a 501(c) non-profit organization, see here: Hafaza International) has begun to execute a plan to counter this tragedy. This fall, I traveled to Turkey and met with representatives from the Free Syrian Army and their former president, Ahmad Jarba. In January, I will travel to Kurdistan, Syria, and Iraq to coordinate counter-slavery operations with the Peshmerga General Command, the Southern Front, and Jaish al-Karma (all of these organizations are moderate and have some level of US government support). If these meetings are successful, we will build the only organization in the region capable of identifying, locating, rescuing, and restoring the victims of slavery. Hafaza will coordinate fundraising and public awareness campaigns, construct shelters, and provide expertise to train, locate, and restore the victims. Our partners will provide rescue forces, a support network, and protection for our shelters.
We need sponsors to help us fund the January trip. Any assistance you provide will be greatly appreciated.
You can make a difference - who dares wins!
Thank you,
Bob Kent
President, Hafaza International
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