Safe Harbor for Victims of Human Trafficking

Melissa     Empower Women, Everyday Abolitionist     0

The Polaris Project works hard to fight human trafficking. One way they do that is by helping people get in touch with government leaders in order to ask for better laws to prevent human trafficking and protect victims. One effective type of law is called a Safe Harbor Law: Safe Harbor laws … define these sexually exploited children as victims of abuse, help them find protection and support, and grant them immunity from prosecution for prostitution while they are under 18 years of age. Safe Harbor laws also can increase funding for specialized services like long-term housing, mental health care,Read more

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Even More Help for Human Trafficking Victims from Polaris Project

Melissa     Books & Resources, Everyday Abolitionist     0

We’ve shared many times about the work of Polaris Project and their Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-3737-888!), but now there’s even more power at Polaris Project: 1. You can now text the hotline: text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733). This is a particularly powerful tool when advocates are able to get this information to victims of human trafficking, such as through the SOAP Project. 2. The hotline is global! Here’s more from the announcement: Polaris Project announced the launch of the Global Human Trafficking Hotline Network today, a new alliance of anti-trafficking hotlines that will build a broader safety netRead more

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Human Trafficking and Your Summer Travel

Melissa     Everyday Abolitionist, Trafficking News & Information     0

             It’s the time of year to book flight and hotels for summer travel—hooray! But as you plan, take into account what Kimberly Ritter, an event planner turned anti-human trafficking advocate, learned: trafficking is rampant in the U.S. travel industry, especially hotels. “It happens everywhere,” Ritter says, and “that includes five-star hotels.” It all started with Ritter’s largest client, the Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph. In her work as a senior account manager at Nix Conference & Meeting Management in St. Louis, Ritter books meeting venues for this group of Roman Catholic nuns. The sisters devote themselves toRead more

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Everyday Abolitionist and Ethical Fashionista: Emily Gross

Melissa     Ethical Fashion, Everyday Abolitionist     0

Everyday Abolitionist is a recurring feature on the blog where we’ll hear about someone using their skills, talents, and opportunities to fight trafficking. This time we’re sharing at story from Hagar about Emily Gross who sews kids’ clothes to help fight human trafficking—the height of ethical fashion! Read about more Everyday Abolitionists. Most afternoons, Emily Gross, of Kennesaw, Georgia, combats human trafficking with her sewing machine. Two years ago, she started taking online orders for children’s clothing. While her own children nap from 2:00 to 4:00pm, Emily sews. Each month, she donates 100% of the profits from her cottage industry,Read more

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Speak Up

Melissa     Empower Women, Everyday Abolitionist     0

Yesterday just after 5, I boarded a train toward downtown Boston. There were maybe a dozen people in the car. I sat down. A minute or so later, a young woman in her early 20s ran into the car, her face red from crying. A man about her age followed her. She screamed at him to get a way from her, and he said, “No, I’m going home with you!” She tried to sit separate from him, but he wouldn’t leave her side. Everyone in the car was watching or pretending not to watch. Seconds before the train left, heRead more

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No Easy Answers

Melissa     Ethical Fashion, Everyday Abolitionist     0

A free trade NGO called World Growth recently issued a report that’s critical of the fair trade movement. “The Fair Trade model claims it provides tangible benefits to small-scale farmers and workers, consumers and the environment. Yet, it requires costly compliance with Fair Trade’s labour and environmental standards” said Alan Oxley, Chairman of World Growth. “The result is exclusion of the poorest producers and workers most in need of higher returns.” “Much is at stake.” said Alan Oxley. “The Fair Trade model also sets fixed minimum prices which prop up unproductive industries in developing economies.” The World Growth reports showsRead more

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Everyday Abolitionist: Susan Norris

Melissa     Books & Resources, Everyday Abolitionist     1

Everyday Abolitionist is a recurring feature on the blog where we’ll hear firsthand from someone using their skills, talents, and opportunities to fight trafficking. This time around we have Susan Norris who is a mom, public speaker, and author of Rescuing Hope, a young adult novel about sex trafficking in the United States. Here’s Susan‘s full bio: A powerful voice for hope, international speaker Susan Norris helps teens and women find freedom from strongholds in the areas of purity and spiritual identity. In her debut novel, Rescuing Hope, she frames the realities of sex trafficking in America. This woman of boldness, knownRead more

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More Than Just Awareness

Melissa     Books & Resources, Empower Women, Everyday Abolitionist     0

One of my pet peeves is the phrase “raise awareness” (it’s an odd pet peeve, I know). It bugs me because too often it’s use as a general, feel-good term for activism that’s a bit nebulous and purposeless. I know it’s not always that way. Great people are doing great work to raise awareness of big issues—including human trafficking. But when someone says something about “raising awareness” I get frustrated if they don’t say how or toward what end—or worse, if they don’t even explain of what. That’s why I love this article: Kavitha Sreeharsha and Kelly Heinrich of the Global Freedom CenterRead more

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Petition for Safe Harbor Laws

Melissa     Everyday Abolitionist, Trafficking News & Information     0

Here’s an quick, simple way to take part in National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month: Sign this petition for safe harbor laws by Carolina De Los Rios, Director of Client Services at Polaris Project. Here’s more about safe harbor laws: Safe Harbor laws … define these sexually exploited children as victims of abuse, help them find protection and support, and grant them immunity from prosecution for prostitution while they are under 18 years of age. Safe Harbor laws also can increase funding for specialized services like long-term housing, mental health care, educational support, and job training to help theseRead more

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Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Melissa     Ethical Fashion, Everyday Abolitionist     0

Some of the best ethical fashion habits go along well with being on a tight budget—like buying thrift, repurposing old clothes, and having fewer outfits. But having money doesn’t mean you have to put off thrifty, ethical habits. Livia Firth, who’s a United Nations Leader of Change and has an ethical fashion collection (and is the wife of Hollywood star Colin Firth), still makes a habit of darning her kids’ socks and dressing them in hand-me-downs. She reminds us that we have a choice in the way we live and we don’t have to fulfill others’ expectations of what’s importantRead more

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