Fashion Fights Against Human Trafficking

You'll have to forgive me, this post was originally going to go live a few weeks ago. But recently, I've been working through some really heavy stuff. There was little room for creativity as I trudged through the new territory that 2019 bought. When the day comes and I've healed, I'm sure I will share but in the mean time, forgive my absence! Thanks for understanding that when life calls to take a break, you gotta answer it.

Most of you know last month I walked in a charity fashion show that was raising money for an anti-human trafficking. With the Superbowl nearing it made me think... Superbowl Sunday is a time we often picture house parties with rowdy friends and binging on chips and dip. Oh and commercials! Am I missing something? Maybe you've heard of the alarmingly high rate of human trafficking that is indulged in when groups travel to the Superbowl ‘s host city. Maybe the staggering number of 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally terrifies you as it does for me. What is most alarming is that according to the FBI's Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force, the authorities only rescue 75 to 100 child sex trafficking victims each year. As Bradley Miles, CEO of an anti-human trafficking non-profit, Polaris says, “trafficking is a major issue 365 days a year," Miles said. "There are no new traffickers (at the Super Bowl). The same 20,000 pimps are moving around to where the action is."

Last year I began to take a deep dive into anti-human trafficking organizations and pursuing any information, using the pain of injustice to fuel my search. I visited non-profits, attended panels, and met a few courageous people that inspired this piece: Save Our City From Sex Trafficking. Through my research and others' stories that I linked in the article I came to find that the internet was the largest source of trafficking and Chicago is one of the largest host cities for the crime. It is such a daunting crime being done and one that is rapidly growing with the help of the internet. The more policies we enact to shut down internet trafficking and information we gird ourselves with, the harder we can fight the injustice.

Too often we look at ourselves and think, “I’m just one person. What can I do?” But the reality is the more we talk about it and intentionally pursue education around the issue and how we can help; each person becomes a stronger ally for the cause.

There are so many resources I could send you, but I don't want to overwhelm you. I'll give you a diving board and I hope the numbers and the notion that those people could be someone you love pushes you to get more informed. I've listed some great articles, documentaries, and non profits to research because we all can make a difference the more informed we are. One of the first non profits I became aware of is the Operation Underground Railroad from a documentary I happened to screen a few years ago. Founded by a former government special-agent, OUR takes a serious stance against human-trafficking and organizes large sting operations to rescue victims and take out big-number human traffickers. You can find the story at their website. If you're like me and learn best from stories, this is a great article to dip into documentaries. I am Jane Doe and The Abolitionist would be the two I'd start with, they are powerful and moving. Honestly, I'm just grateful there are resources that give these victims a voice so those who don't know can join the fight against human trafficking.