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.

Modern-day slavery is real
WCPO Channel 9 News

Posted: 11:19 PM, 7/22/10

• By: Adam Marshall

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’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!

We have a couple of cool events coming up in July!

Saturday, July 3rd 5:30pm
Freedom Without Walls
Freedom Center, Cincinnati

Come celebrate the opening of the new Berlin Wall exhibit at the Freedom Center and visit the Stop Traffick Fashion table!  (Tickets are required and an RSVP is necessary by June 30th)

Sunday, July 11th 12-5pm
Second Sundays in Over The Rhine
Main Street, Cincinnati

This months theme is Global Groove: a celebration of dance, art, and music from around the world!  Perfect for Stop Traffick Fashion.  Last month was a great event so we hope to see you there.  Also, if anyone has a tent we can borrow we’d appreciate it!

I’m sure I’m going to be processing everything I’ve learned on my trip to visit Hagar in Cambodia for awhile. What should I do with all of this new knowledge and experience? Maybe you are wondering the same thing. Maybe you’ve read what I’ve written and are interested in doing more. I hope that is the case! If so, here are some ideas for ways to learn more and get involved. If you’re interested in talking more please contact me at hello(at)stoptraffickfashion(dot)com.

• Learn more about the Khmer Rouge and the implications that has for the Cambodian people. It’s unfortunate that Americans don’t have a better understanding of such a recent genocide and it’s affect on the people. You can watch the 1984 movie, The Killing Fields or read one of the many books on the topic such as, First They Killed My Father by Luong Ung.
• Educate yourself about the situation of human trafficking in Cambodia by visiting the Chab Dai website.
• Pray for Cambodia, it’s people, Hagar staff and the staff of other NGOs working here.
• Blog, Facebook or Tweet about Hagar
• Become a fan of Hagar on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or sign up for their newsletter.
• Host a Dining for Hagar event to tell your friends about Hagar and help raise money.
• Set up an online fundraising page to help raise funds for a new playground at the Hagar Catch Up School in Phnom Penh.
• Become a monthly donor to Hagar. Your monthly gift is extremely important in paying the salaries of Hagar counselors, teachers and other staff that enable the great work Hagar does. Without funding they cannot continue to restore broken lives.

Today Stop Traffick Fashion turns one year old!

Thank you so much for your support. We love seeing how people around the country - and around the world - are getting involved in the fight against trafficking. With your help we’ve been able to equip and empower survivors of trafficking to start free, healthy lives - and we’re excited to keep it up for years to come!  Now is also an excellent time to thank all of the wonderful volunteers who have worked with us throughout the year.  We certainly couldn’t do what we do without them.

This year has shown us time and time again how powerful word of mouth is. So tell your friends about human trafficking and Stop Traffick Fashion. It’s a simple and incredibly effective way to become a part of the stories of freedom that are unfolding around the world every day.

If you haven’t already heard, we’re having a sale to thank you for your support and encouragement this year!  Enter the discount code STFBDAY at checkout and get 20% off an order of $100 or more through the end of June.

Thank you for helping us make changed lives possible! There’s no better time to join the story and take small steps toward big change.

When you purchase from Stop Traffick Fashion you have the opportunity to provide feedback via Google Checkout.  We wanted to take a few minutes and brag about just a few of the great reviews we’ve received in our first year of business!  If you have any feedback we’d love to hear it.  You can leave a comment here or on our Facebook page.  We will do everything we can to continue to provide a great shopping experience for our customers.

Rating
Comments	Stop Traffick Fashion is first class. The merchandise is beautiful. I experienced a delivery problem and STF handled it promptly via emails and phone. Their customer service would make Neiman Marcus jealous! I plan to order from STF again and will tell my friends about the store. Great fashion for a good cause.

Rating
Comments	Beautiful, high quality handbags, fairly priced and delivered promptly. I will definitely order from this seller again.

Rating
Comments	I will buy from Stop Traffick Fashion again. I bought these gifts for my wife’s birthday. She loved them! They were shipped immediately and in plenty of time for her birthday. Great gifts for a great cause!

Rating
Comments	Their customer service is amazing. I made a mistake when ordering and emailed the company to notify them. Their response was prompt and personal. Very easy to work with.

Rating
Comments	The ordering process was very simple, the delivery was quick, and the earrings were just beautiful!!

Rating
Comments	Your website was easy to use, and the delivery of the product I purchased was very timely.

On June 13th and July 11th from 12-5pm we will be at Second Sundays in Over The Rhine.  Second Sundays is a hip, eclectic event put on by the OTR Chamber of Commerce featuring lots of shopping, food and entertainment.  You can shop from some of our most popular items, including our new line from Nomi Network.  In fact, I think the new Nomi bags would be the perfect accessory for experiencing all the happenings in OTR.  Come out to enjoy a [hopefully] beautiful day, support other local Cincinnati vendors and have lots of fun downtown.  Plus, this Sunday the 13th is a “Dog Days” theme, so bring your dog!

We are excited to announce that our new items are here! We have a great new collection of bags from Nomi Network. Nomi Network is a leading non-profit dedicated to bridging the private, public and non-profit sectors through enterprise and education to end human trafficking - and we are big fans of their mission. Women rescued from trafficking in Cambodia have transformed rice and feed bags into chic, urban accessories and fun patchwork totes. They are great for city or beach travel!

In addition to these new bags we have some beautiful new necklaces from Wonderfully Made Jewelry and some new felt bags from Made by Survivors.

But it just keeps getting better! In honor of our first birthday on June 15th we’re having a customer appreciation sale. Starting today through the end of June, enter the discount code STFBDAY at checkout to receive 20% off your order of $100 or more.

Happy birthday - and happy shopping!

Photo credit: Justin Shockley, Nomi Network