10 Things You Can Do With Your Family to Help End Human Trafficking

There are 27 million people that are enslaved today, more than at the peak of Trans-Atlantic slave trade centuries ago. Modern day slavery is a global issue, involving every country in the world. Men, women, and children are subjects to physical and emotional abuse, humiliation, and are forced to live and work in horrific conditions. There are many individuals and organizations fighting to abolish the modern day slavery. Below is a list of things we can do, one family at a time, to join the movement to end this horrible crime against humanity.

1. Educate your family on the issues – human trafficking and modern day slavery are not distant issues; it is happening right here, in this country, as you read this. There are estimates that 17,500 people are trafficked in to the U.S. annually for the purpose of forced labor and sexual exploitation.

2. Train and protect your children – teach the children in your life about human trafficking and modern day slavery in age-appropriate manner. American children are forced into sex industry and slave labor too. In Ohio alone, close to 1,000 American children fall victims to human trafficking each year. Talk to your children, again, in age-appropriate manner, about the signs and dangers of modern day slavery, such as internet social sites and chat rooms, which are the most common ways of luring children by trafficking criminals.

3. Support non-profit organizations – there are many non-profit organizations working to end human trafficking and modern day slavery. Chances are, there is one near you. Research their names, mission, and history. Support them as a family by donating money, participating in fund-raising events, or volunteering you time, both as a family and individually.

4. Contact your local, state, and federal legislators - write or email your legislators at all levels to support adopting laws to prosecute human trafficking criminals and provide support and protection to the trafficked victims. This is a fairly new issue in legal terms as legal framework is still being shaped for prosecution of crimes of human trafficking and modern day slavery. There needs to be a clearly defined set of laws and regulations that deal with these issues. This is a great way to include your kids and educate them on how to be an advocate for the issues they feel strongly about supporting. Teaching your children that even small steps can influence governmental policy and create change, is a valuable lifelong lesson that you don’t want to miss giving to your children.

5. Choose Fair Trade certified foods and drinks – simply look for Fair Trade certified labels (see below) on coffee, tea, chocolate, etc. In most cases, they are priced just a couple of dollars more. However, by choosing fair trade certified products you support farmers and communities that do not abuse children and respect each other. Children are quick be active participants in a great cause. Letting them participate in selecting the products that your family purchases, especially those that support children’s rights, empowers your children with the knowledge that they can create change and make a difference. How much sweeter will fair trade chocolate taste if they know there is no child slave labor as an ingredient? Encourage your family to investigate the companies that produce socially conscience products and then buy those products whenever possible. Don’t let the marginally high cost of Fair Trade and socially conscious products influence your buying decision. Penny for penny, it is a small price to pay so that you can help people throughout the world to experience freedom, fair wages and good working conditions. The Golden Rule is a good thing to remember if price becomes your major consideration.

6. Spread the word – talk to your relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers, church members, and other parents about human trafficking and modern day slavery. Do not hesitate to bring it up in a conversation to raise awareness and bring it to light. Encourage your older children to speak to their friends about these issues as well. The more people know about it, the stronger the abolition movement becomes.

7. Organize garage sale – host a garage after reorganizing and re-evaluating your belongings in closets and garage, and asking your family and friends for donations. Donate all the proceedings to a non-profit or individuals that are working to end modern-day slavery. Better yet, organize a church-wide or neighborhood garage sale with all the benefits going to the cause.

8. Research before you shop – most of the cases of enslaved labor take place to lower the production cause as much as possible. When you consider buying clothes, electronics, rugs, household items, do your research and choose the products from ethically responsible companies that certify that products are made free of slave labor at every stage of production. Teach your children to do the same.

9. Save the Hotline phone number in your cell phone - the Polaris Project together with Department of … established a multilingual hotline number to report human trafficking that is open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Learn the signs of human trafficking and modern day slavery, and when you see some suspicious situations, call the hotline and alert the authorities. The number to the hotline is 1-888-3737-888.

10. Support individual abolitionists – the cause to end modern day slavery is a noble cause, and many more people are getting involved in the movement. However, even the strongest of them get tired and worn out. Find an individual abolitionist, who might or might not be a part of an organization, write him or her a letter of gratitude and support, encouraging them keeping the fight going. If they are close to you geographically, invite them to speak at your school, church, community association, etc.

It will take one family at a time to free one person at a time. You can make a difference in people’s lives all over the world right now and prepare the next generation to value and respect human life in the process.

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