January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month!
I just discovered that this wonderful month which kickstarts the new year and houses my birthday has been dubbed the national month for human trafficking awareness. It seems somehow very right to me.
I’ve been longing to find more ways to help end human slavery other than my 365 day art charity project. Needless to say, I am very excited to discover (thanks to a friend) the following website, its resources, and this 31 day guide and challenge:
Trade of Innocents has put together a great (and super easy!) 31 day challenge – 31 easy little tasks that can help aid the fight again Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery. Anyone can do them! You can too!
Here’s the list:
1. Put the Polaris Project hotline number into your phone: 1-888-3737-888
2. Buy some Fair Trade chocolate from Divine Chocolate’s online store http://www.divinechocolate.com/us
3. Like the Trade of Innocents Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter
4. Sign the Halogen TV Petition
5. Sponsor a child with World Vision
6. Tell a friend about human trafficking and the justice-generation.org call to action
7. Find out about your local Love146taskforce http://146taskforce.org/find
8. Shop at the for ethically produced goods with one of our partner organizations at www.justice-generation.org
9. Take a picture of yourself holding a sign that says “I Am a Hero” and send it to info@tradeofinnocentsmovie.com or post it on our Facebook Page.
10. Host a Fair Trade Fair on campus
11. Check out A21 Campaign’s blog: http://blog.thea21campaign.org/
12. Start a human trafficking board on Pinterest.
13.Sign up for the 100 Postcard Challenge http://www.ijm.org/100-postcard-challenge
14.Take the Slavery Footprint survey: http://slaveryfootprint.org/survey/#where_do_you_live
15.Watch the video of the song “Fragile” by Ten Shekel Shirt on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdMTSvOb3hA
16.Look through the Real Men Gallery: http://www.demiandashton.org/realmen
17. Read the justice-generation blog http://www.justice-generation.com
18.Read about 2012’s TIP Report Heroes (starts on page 46): http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/192587.pdf
19. Check out the Agape International Missions website http://agapewebsite.org/
20. Watch this video about safe houses: http://bit.ly/restorestories
21.Go to International Justice Mission’s website and send a letter to your senators in Congress to endorse the TVPRA
https://secure3.convio.net/ijm/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=135
22. If you are a man, take the Defenders pledge with Shared Hope International to stand up for curbing the demand of victimized women and children; if you are a woman, encourage a man in your life to become a Defender. https:// www.sharedhope.org/thedefenders/TakeAction/TheDefendersPledge.aspx
23. Buy the To Be Free bracelet from Abolition International and wear it for 31 days http://abolitionintl.myshopify.com/collections/bracelet/products/to-be-free-bracelet
24.Check out the Porn Harms website http://www.pornharms.com/; look at the Action Alerts to see what you can do to help.
25. Find out how the Salvation Army fights human trafficking in the United States http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/
26. Check out Restore International’s blog: http://www.restoreinternational.org/category/blog
27. Watch an Invisible Children video: http://invisiblechildren.com/videos
28. Listen to the In Plain Sight Podcast: http://www.inplainsightfilm.com/ipspodcast
29. Read a few country narratives from the 2012 TIP Report http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2012/index.htm
30. Do something creative that you enjoy to express your feelings about human trafficking or something you’ve learned through this 31 Days Challenge: write a blog post, poem, story, or song; paint a picture or draw; or think of something else that you love to show your passion for justice through.
31. Donate $20 to one of Trade of Innocent’s action partners (found on the Justice Generation website: http://www.justicegeneration.com
I’ll be taking the challenge myself and will be posting her in my blog, on facebook, and in my youtube videos. Please join me and take the challenge too!!
The source of the 31 day challenge can be found here: http://dropsection.com/downloads/challenge.pdf )
Take the challenge
And make a difference,
Stephanie Oplinger
