January 11th is Human Trafficking Awareness Day and on Monday President Obama proclaimed the month of January to be National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.  We get questions all the time about what ordinary people can do to help in the fight against slavery so this seems like the perfect time to compile a few simple suggestions!

1. Educate yourself.  If you’re reading this blog then chances are you already know human trafficking exists but there is a lot more to know.  Check out our resources page for books and websites where you can find out more information about the problem and what is being done about it.
2. Tell your friends.  Although more people are becoming aware of the problem and it is getting more media coverage, there are still people who don’t know.
3. Tweet about human trafficking.  You can follow us @stoptrffckfash and re-tweet ours posts about trafficking.  You can also check out who we follow to get some more great information.
4. Write a post about trafficking or post links on Facebook.  Let’s face it, the world revolves around Facebook now so use the stage you have and start talking.  (You can become a fan of Stop Traffick Fashion to see the news we post about our site and about the cause.)
5. Take your friends on a trip to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and check out their exhibit on modern day slavery.
6. Tell your friends about Stop Traffick Fashion.  We may be a little biased, but seriously, one of the reasons we started Stop Traffick Fashion was to make it easier to talk to people about this issue!
7. Buy only fair trade chocolate.  Nearly 1/3 of all cocoa is harvested on the Ivory Coast in Africa…by slaves.  Buying fair trade chocolate is the only way to assure your chocolate is not made by slaves.  You can find it in some local grocers or online at Equal Exchange.
8. Be a conscious consumer.  Slavery infiltrates almost everything we buy.  We can’t fix it overnight but we can become more informed about it and make better choices.  Check out Free 2 Work and Chain Store Reaction for more resources.  Buying fair trade whenever you can also assures that your purchases are slave free!
9. Design a T-shirt for our T-shirt design contest.
10. Donate.  There are a lot of great organizations doing the hard work to rescue slaves and provide rehabilitation.  I used to feel like giving money wasn’t really doing anything - but it is! The amount of work the organizations can do is directly related to how much funding they have.  Here are a few to consider:

• Hagar International
• International Justice Mission
• Polaris Project
• Not for Sale
• GEMS
• Rapha House
• World Vision

Finally, use your skills.  Everyone has a different skill to use in the fight.  Writing, art, public speaking, organization, music, teaching, counseling, volunteering…find what you love and use that to make a difference.  Remember, it doesn’t have to be rocket science but if we all pitch in together we can take small steps toward big change!