How Can I Help STOP Human Trafficking?
Updated: Oct 1, 2018
Unless someone isn't paying attention they know that we have a problem here in America. In fact, we have a lot of problems. There's one problem that's everywhere. It's not political. It is not about race or religion or gender. It's about greed. Avarice. It's about a sickness we don't like to talk about. It's about a sick lust for sex and money. It's about supply and demand.
What's beyond imagining is that this is a rapidly growing epidemic!
Human Trafficking. Modern Day Slavery. For sex or labor. It grew insidiously. It's treacherous. It's exploding. There are more slaves now than at any time in history.
I highly recommend a new report by Polaris Project called: On-Ramps, Intersections, and Exit Routes: A Roadmap for Systems and Industries to Prevent and Disrupt Human Trafficking. It details Human Trafficking. What it looks like, where and how it happens and to whom. Here's the link to this detailed report.
Do you want to help end human trafficking?
There are hundreds of options of how to become involved. Once you decide to fight with us you'll have a big question. HOW?
If you are one the people, whom I have found, that cannot bear to learn more or be actively involved because it is such a tough horrible subject I recommend that you donate money to an organization like Polaris Project, Shared Hope International (prevention, awareness, restoration) or Operation Underground Railroad (rescuers). You can look into organizations in your area too. Donating to the local fight is a viable option.
Also, shockingly there are only around 600 homes across the U.S that are helping in the healing and restoration of victims. If there average amount of beds is 6 then that is only 3,600 rescued victims getting much needed after care. Considering Polaris Project's National Human Trafficking Hotline has received reports of 22,191 sex trafficking cases inside the United States since 2007 and this is just the tip of the iceberg, we need a lot more safe healing houses. Maybe you have land, abilities as a carpenter, or other resources. These are great way to be actively apart of the fight without needing to dig deeply in learning about the scourge of modern day slavery. These organizations can take monthly donations too.
Choosing between Labor and Sex Trafficking.
"Human traffickers generate hundreds of billions of dollars in profits by trapping millions of people in horrific situations around the world, including here in the U.S. Traffickers use violence, threats, deception, debt bondage, and other manipulative tactics to force people to engage in commercial sex or to provide labor or services against their will. While more research is needed on the scope of human trafficking, below are a few key statistics:
The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally.
81% of them are trapped in forced labor.
25% of them are children.
75% are women and girls.
The International Labor Organization estimates that forced labor and human trafficking is a $150 billion industry worldwide.
The U.S. Department of Labor has identified 139 goods from 75 countries made by forced and child labor.
In 2016, an estimated 1 out of 6 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were likely child sex trafficking victims.
Of those, 86% were in the care of social services or foster care when they ran.
There is no official estimate of the total number of human trafficking victims in the U.S. Polaris estimates that the total number of victims nationally reaches into the hundreds of thousands when estimates of both adults and minors and sex trafficking and labor trafficking are aggregated."
Taken directly from Polaris Projects The Facts page.
Here are some simple beginning steps:
Decide if you want to be in the fight. Seriously. Make a decision.
Decide rather or not to donate money or time or resources.
Chosen between Labor or Sex Trafficking. If you choose to be actively involved I highly recommend a focus. When we're (as individuals) too spread out we loose strength of focus.
Decide if you want to be involved with Awareness, Prevention or Restoration. (More on this in another blog.)
This will get you started. You can always leave a comment or question. I can be found on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Thank you for your interest. Please like and share. Feel free to comment or leave questions. We are in this together.