January 11th will be National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
There are over 27 million slaves STILL!!! around the world today. Many of them are in trafficked into the United States every year (estimated at over 14,000 per year). In light of this reality and our observance of this trafficking awareness day, we at One Voice to End Slavery created . Here’s what we can do about it:
#1 Learn more.
Find useful documents to download at www.freetheslaves.net, www.onevoicetoendslavery.com
and http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008/
#2 Memorize ONE Phone Number – 888-3737-888.
This is the national trafficking hotline number. If you suspect slavery or exploitation, call this number. To find out more about what to look for, visit www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking.
#3 Give.
Send $11 to a local anti-slavery/trafficking agency, coalition, organization, or shelter. Everything helps. Visit www.slavery.alltop.com.
#4 Advocate for change.
Call or write your elected officials. Tell them that you care about the issue of human trafficking and want stronger laws to protect victims and prosecute criminals. Keep reminding them. Get news from www.polarisproject.org on how to engage in political action and advocacy.
#5 Vote.
Let your voice be heard by voting to create a campaign to build more trafficking shelters at www.change.org/ideas/view/national_campaign_to_build_more_trafficking_shelters
#6 Consume wisely.
Hold businesses accountable and ask corporations to join the fight against slavery. Visit www.chainstorereaction.com and email companies to ensure that their products are slave-free. Soon you will be able to demand a SLAVE-FREE brand.
#7 ‘Face’-slavery.
Post articles, videos, tag-lines and/or replace your facebook picture with the One Voice to End Slavery logo all day.
#8 Movie Night.
Host a film and invite your friends over and/or head to your local theatre. Movies like Trade, Call+Response, Cargo, Fields of Mudan, Slumdog Millionaire, etc.
#9 Do what you love.
Use your talents to fight slavery. Do an art project and display it in a public place. Use a sports event to raise awareness and funds for the issue. Talk about the issue at a concert, or make it a benefit for survivors. Film a movie on the state of modern-day slavery. Write about the issue and post it on your blog.
#10 The Freeze Project.
Learn more on how you, your group, friends, faith community, school, business, can put a freeze of trafficking. Go to www.thefreezeproject.com.
#11 Body Activism.
Purchase a One Voice to End Slavery hoodie or t-shirt and let what you wear speak loudly. Upload a picture of your hoodie or t-shirt on our web site. For more information, visit www.just4one.org or www.onevoicetoendslavery.com.
This is a resource created by One Voice to End Slavery.
Click on the following link for a pdf insert of the list of items above:
11 Ideas for the 11th (National Human Trafficking Awareness Day)
Great post and a great list of ideas. We can all do something to stop the traffic–thanks for the inspiration and motivation!
Diana Scimone
President
Born to Fly International, Inc.,
Stopping child trafficking…setting kids free to soar
http://www.born2fly.org
http://www.dianascimone.com (blog)
11 Ideas for the 11th (National Human Trafficking Awareness Day)
Great thoughts and great post. Together we can make a difference.
11 Ideas for the 11th (National Human Trafficking Awareness Day)
Thanks Diana and Greg for your notes!
Appreciate you both!
Abolition!
11 Ideas for the 11th (National Human Trafficking Awareness Day)
Hey Charles,
This is such an important issue, and It’s awesome that you’re taking it on! I got the link to your site from Tony Wood at Crossroads – I actually sent him an email about trafficking a month or so ago. Here’s part of it:
The Trafficking of Human Persons report issued by the United States
State Department in June, 2008
(http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008), determined that two
million children worldwide are forced into the transnational sex trade each year-
some of these are trafficked within their own country for sexual
tourism. This includes U.S. travelers who seek out international
destinations for engaging in sexual activities with prostitutes these
offenders come from all socio-economic backgrounds and may in some cases
hold positions of trust. Cases of child sex tourism involving U.S.
citizens have included a pediatrician, a retired Army sergeant, a
dentist, and a university professor (p.27). It also includes those
brought to countries like the U.S. to be sex slaves and prostitutes.
Research from 2006 showed estimates of around 800,000 people trafficked
across borders, with 80% of them being women, and 50% being children.
Domestic kidnapping victims and runaways in the U.S. also end up in
sexual slavery or forced prostitution. The National Incidence Studies
of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Throwaway Children, report by the
Department of Justice in 2002
(http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubResults.asp) estimated over
two million children disappear in the U.S. every year – I don’t have any
estimates on how many of these children end up in the forced sex
industry, though.
As an industry, this is big business. The THP report discusses revenues
including U.S. stats (this includes forced labor, debt bondage and
involuntary servitude, child soldiery and sex trafficking): Recent
estimates of this illegal global trade are as high as $32 billion, if
both the sale of individuals and the value of their exploited labor or
services are taken into account. The money generated by sex trafficking
alone is conservatively estimated at $7 billion per year, although
Interpol has given a higher estimate of $19 billion annually. In 2005,
the International Labor Organization (ILO) issued a report that
estimates profits from sex trafficking at $217.8 billion a year or
$23,000 per victim (p. 36).
This year, the United Nations published a document called Toolkit to
Combat Trafficking in Persons
(www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/HT_Toolkit08_English.pdf)
that discusses identification of victims and includes a lot of (562
pages worth) useful information. In addition, a documentary came out a
few months ago about human trafficking and sex slavery titled Call and
Response – I missed it when it was in theaters (still trying to find
out when it will be released on DVD), but it looks like it is a powerful
film and the movie site has a lot of information worth checking out:
http://www.callandresponse.com/
Blue skies,
Ryan
11 Ideas for the 11th (National Human Trafficking Awareness Day)
This is all good stuff. I am currently here in Cebu Philippines where I’m serving as an Aftercare Fellow for International Justice Mission – http://www.ijm.org
I would love to talk to anyone from any church in southern cal (which is home for me – OC specifically) directly about getting involved in our work here. I am working on a reintegration project trying to get women and girls into job training and employment. Feel free to shoot me an email – rbermejo@ijm.org or russmegumi@gmail.com
Seek Justice,
Russ Bermejo