International Women’s Day is a globally recognized day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women as well as mark a call to action for accelerating women's equality. As a company founded by two women on a mission to fight sex trafficking, a criminal industry that disproportionately affects women, our team is working every day to accelerate women’s equality. So, on this day, we want to not only recognize the women who are leading the movement for freedom but amplify the call to action to help women being trafficked find their own freedom.
Leadership at Marinus Analytics
The Marinus team is reminded daily of the power of women to be innovators and changemakers in the workplace and beyond. Our Cofounders Emily Kennedy and Cara Jones have skillfully led our team’s groundbreaking achievements since our founding in 2014.
As a young person, Kennedy never imagined her path leading to entrepreneurship. Growing up in California’s Bay Area, startups were not foreign ideas, but the stereotypical image of leading a new organization was not relatable. As a young woman, how can you picture yourself as a founder when the media has been formerly saturated with male archetypes? “When I look back, I realize I didn’t really choose to be an entrepreneur, entrepreneurship chose me,” Kennedy said. In her work now, Kennedy strives to inspire other women to embark on their own entrepreneurship journey. She wants women to understand they do not need to fit into these false archetypes. They can be confident no matter their sex, race, age, education, socioeconomic background and more. Kennedy has exemplified professional trajectories do not just have one path; you can find your own way.
Jones’s first encounter with human trafficking was through her volunteer work with Gwen’s Girls – a nonprofit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which serves to empower girls and young women to have productive lives through holistic, gender-specific programs, education, and experiences. Jones was inspired by what she saw there to connect with Kennedy who at the time was a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Robotics Institute Auton Lab. As they worked to spin out of CMU into Marinus Analytics, her social entrepreneurship journey intersected with becoming a new mother. This experience motivated building a caregiver-friendly and flexible operational culture at the company.
Our team has seen firsthand how much of a powerhouse these women have been in their mission and passion to innovate in public safety and to build a sustainable organization for serving the greater public sector frontline professionals.
Women and Sex Trafficking
Human trafficking, a form of modern slavery, touches the lives of many, but women and girls are disproportionately impacted in every corner of the world. Exploitation in commercial sex is legally defined as the harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age (22 USC § 7102). Force can include many forms, most obviously sexual and physical violence, and can also include illegal withholding of victim's identity documents. Fraud is implied when another person controls the financial revenue of a victim, or denial of the victim’s public assistance from the government like food stamps or unemployment benefits. Coercion includes psychological harm, manipulation, and grooming.
The Social Impact of Trafficking
The impact of all women’s issues, particularly those like sex trafficking where trauma is at the forefront, goes beyond just the individual victims and their loved ones. In families, communities, and nations all over the world, victims are often the linchpin of family support. Human trafficking undermines the safety and security of every nation and community it touches. Trafficking not only has a tragic impact on the individuals are exploited, their families, and their communities, but even larger aspects of society such as government policies and economies. As trafficking is a major component of organized crime and therefore has an enormous financial power, human trafficking has a complex and interlocking negative impact across human, social, political and economic arenas.
Women’s Issues Affect More Than Women
Although women are disproportionately affected by this issue, it is vital to recognize females are not the only victims. No matter one’s sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or other identifying characteristic, they can be a victim. It is also important to recognize there are even women who are exploiting others for their own gain in this criminal industry. Take domestic violence for example. Women are disproportionately affected but men can also be victims. It is possible for women to be the abusers. By recognizing women’s issues, we also uplift the narratives of others who are also victims of these crimes.
Fighting for Freedom and Equality
Human trafficking is a challenging and systemic problem to overcome. The causes and effects are interwoven and cut across areas fundamental to our society. Human trafficking is a human rights concern. Eliminating gender discrimination and exploitation will enhance civil equity. It’s vital we all play a role, whether raising awareness, building partnerships, researching, providing victim services, or bringing the traffickers to justice.
To join the cause, we encourage you to sign up for our FREE Guide to Joining the Fight Against Human Trafficking where we delve into the importance of big data for human trafficking investigations; provide educational resources including books, documentaries, and podcasts; sources to turn to for reliable information; and give you examples of how you can raise awareness and take action no matter your time constraints, comfort level, or skillset. To learn more about human trafficking, check out our educational blog series!
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