A burst of activity among state legislatures to target human trafficking has ushered in dozens of laws to step up criminal penalties against traffickers and offer new help to victims. Read more here.
If you’re in Ohio, check out End Slavery Cincinnati for help on contacting your local senators in Ohio.
When I hear the statistics on human trafficking, it’s hard to wrap my head around what the numbers mean. 27 million are enslaved. That sounds big and it catches my attention but I can’t grasp a number like that. Another common citation is that the international human trafficking industry generates $32 billion a year. Since I’ve never had $32 billion in my wallet it’s hard to understand what that means!
Here’s something that makes that number come alive: in 2007 trafficking generated more revenue that Google, Nike and Starbucks combined. Want another example? In 2009 traffickers generated more revenue than Walmart, Chevron, General Motors, General Electric, and Bank of America. Wow. Somehow that makes the numbers come to life for me.
Check out this article for more on why trafficking is more profitable than some other businesses. And find out how you can help.
On July 23rd the Department of Homeland Security launched the Blue Campaign - a DHS-wide initiative to combat human trafficking through enhanced public awareness, victim assistance programs, and law enforcement training and initiatives.
“The battle against human trafficking is a shared responsibility involving the Department’s federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners, non-profit and non-governmental organizations, governments around the world and communities across the nation,” said Secretary Napolitano. “With the Blue Campaign, we seek to shine a light on a crime that thrives in the shadows, bring traffickers to justice, and assist victims in communities across the nation.”
Thursday night we attended the rally for Five Weeks for Freedom at the Freedom Center. The event featured cyclists who are cycling part of the route of the Underground Railroad in order to raise awareness of human trafficking and support International Justice Mission. There were lots of other great organizations there, as well. Channel 9 News in Cincinnati was there and did a great story featuring Stop Traffick Fashion and others. The story does a great job telling the story of modern day slavery. You can read the text below or click on the link to see the video.
Posted: 11:19 PM, 7/22/10
CINCINNATI - Loveland Resident Emily Hill took a trip to Thailand. After meeting young women living in poverty who were at risk of being slaves, she decided to start stoptraffickfashion.com.
Hill’s company only purchases and sells fashionable items made by survivors of human trafficking.
“It gives them a sense of dignity and confidence in themselves again. And most importantly it helps them generate a sustainable income for themselves going forward,” Hill said.
Hill chose to set up her booth at Thursday’s “5 Weeks of Freedom” event hosted by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
The point of the event was to remind the public that slavery is not a thing of the past.
“There are more slaves today than over 400 years of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. 27 to 40 million estimated slaves in the world. So in 2010 it’s hard to think that that’s true,” said Amy Roth who is with the International Justice Mission, a Washington based anti-slavery organization.
Everyone that attended got to enjoy music, performances, and most of all, an education.
“When you hear lives of sexual exploitation or families sold into lives of 18 hour days, you can’t help but stop for a moment and say that is unacceptable today in 2010,” Roth said.
To learn more about modern-day slavery, click on the related links.
To make way for a brand new line of magazine jewelry we’re having a clearance sale on our existing products. If you’ve liked our magazine beads but haven’t purchased any yet, now is definitely the time to place your order! While you’re at it, why not check out the rest of our sale items?
We have some brand new necklaces on the site that are different from anything else we have! The new products are from Freedom Stones and are made by survivors in Ghana and Thailand. They are made from natural stones and recycled glass. We hope to be adding more from this collection soon. Let us know your thoughts!
We love finding out about organizations using fashion to fight human trafficking! The Blind Project of NYC is launching a new fashion line called Biographe, an open source fashion brand. Their vision is right in line with Stop Traffick Fashion and we hope to carry their line one day in the future. Find our more below about how you can contribute your designs to their new line. What a fun way to get involved!
The Blind Project Launches A Crowdsourcing Design Challenge Called ‘Be A Biographer’ To Help Victims And Survivors Of The Commercial Sex Trade
Do you imagine a world where profit comes from moral purpose? Where every purchase is a vote? Where creativity challenges the world’s perception of what is possible?
The social enterprise - a sustainable business that combines non-profit social purposes with for-profit market strategies - is no longer a niche idea. The Blind Project is proudly leading the charge with the launch of Be A Biographer, a crowdsourcing design challenge for a new sustainable style brand called Biographe.
So here’s the challenge. We’re inviting designers, artists and creative-minded people to help tell the stories of victims and survivors of the commercial sex trade through their designs. “We want to connect your talents with her needs. For freedom, love, hope, dignity and protection. Our role is simple. To tell her story. To be her biographer,” said Anthony Dodero, co-founder of The Blind Project.
Right now millions of women and children are being enslaved and exploited in the multi-billion dollar commercial sex trade. “Sexual slavery can seem so dark and foreign, but our hope for Be A Biographer is to present a more human, more expressive face to this problem,” said Jessica Sturman, The Blind Project’s lead fashion designer.
Biographe is unique in its method of connecting victims and consumers together to bring attention to, and provide solutions for, sexual slavery. Fashion products are inspired by victim’s stories, designed with the public at large through our crowdsourcing design process, and then made by women who have been rescued from the commercial sex trade. Proceeds from sales are then reinvested back into the women’s lives creating a virtuous sustainable cycle.
“Biographe matters not solely because of what we are creating, but how we are creating it,” said Kyle Westaway, The Blind Project’s business development lead. “What makes Biographe truly unique, is the creation of a more personal 1-to-1 connection between two distinct populations - victims and consumers - and moving them both toward a better tomorrow.”
Participants have until September 15th to submit a design on www.beabiographer.com. Then from September 16th to October 7th, public voting begins to determine the 15 semi-finalists (5 for each of the 3 stories) based on the highest number of votes. On October 21st three Grand Finalists will be selected by our panel of notable judges. The winning designs will be incorporated into fashion items, printed for gallery exhibitions and shown in advertising campaigns.
We are honored to have Alex Bogusky - Co-Chairman of Crispin Porter + Bogusky and Chief Creative Insurgent of MDC Partners, Somaly Mam - Anti-Human Trafficking Advocate and Founder of AFESIP, and AnnaLynne McCord - The Blind Project Ambassador, join the judging panel with The Blind Project fashion team.
“The power of problem-solving creativity, the survivor’s voice for victims, and the influence of youth activism is what makes collaboration with Alex, Somaly and AnnaLynne so amazing,” said Kevin Kim, The Blind Project’s marketing lead. “Every person has that something special - a talent, a gift - to make this cause stronger, more influential, and more personal. Join us.”
The Blind Project - Final from Putra Roeung on Vimeo.
We’ve already posted about IJM’s 5 Weeks of Freedom events in Cincinnati, but we’re excited to announce that Stop Traffick Fashion will be at the Freedom Center event. Come by and see us, plus find out more about other organizations working to fight trafficking!
Nicholas Kristof, NYT columnist and author of Half the Sky, has a new op-ed piece published today on sex trafficking in America. As our readers know, trafficking happens everywhere but the exact ways and reasons in which it happens differ in each country. I definitely recommend reading this article for a good overview of the major circumstances around sex trafficking in the US.
Despite who you wanted to win the World Cup, there is some good news coming out of it! Many feared that the World Cup would lead to an increase in trafficking and prostitution. Although there is no definitive data, CNN is reporting that business in the sex trade was down during the World Cup as fans were more drawn to museums! And if you’re interested in getting a jersey for your team you might want to check out the supply chain grade your favorite brand got from Free2Work. The Free2Work Campaign rates companies on their labor policies, giving each one a grade from A to F, indicating how well it’s preventing slavery and exploitation from tainting its product.
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