The following are name brands I have shopped in the past couple of years because of their response to the rising tide of conscious consumers.
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I learned that poverty in the developing world leaves the poor vulnerable to more than just hunger or cold — it leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and violence, with little to no hope of justice in a corrupt law enforcement system skewed against them. This disturbing reality is known as the Locust Effect.
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And then the Dressember team announced that we could run in our own towns! I think I screamed with glee, or at least wanted to. Organizing a race here in Dover, DE would be a great way to get my own community involved in the fight to end trafficking. I was left with no excuse.
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The number of people in slavery today is colossal. It’s daunting. It hurts. And yet, we sit here, reading these articles on our phones or computers––in America, in Canada, in Europe, everywhere across the globe––with anger brewing inside of us. And we stay seated. Why?
Because we are the consumers of the slave industry.
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One of the ways we can support victims of human trafficking is by providing funds for legal services so that survivors have access to Victim’s Rights Attorneys who will fight for them to receive justice as outlined in United States laws. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act, commonly referred to as the TVPA, is attempting to make the application of these US laws easier.
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When we open a dating app and swipe right, we typically never imagine a scenario where we are going to be communicating with a trafficker. As the digital age has progressed, the use of dating apps has become a norm. This rise in dating app usage has also been linked to numerous cases of human trafficking across the market.
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International Women’s Day is here. In the spirit of women empowerment, let’s talk about the many ways that we can support and empower those around us to promote the #BalanceforBetter.
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What if I told you superheroes were real? That everyday, all over the world, superheroes were fighting some of the worst crimes. Would you believe it?
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The bystander effect is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when there is a large number of people around during a crisis or emergency. What ends up happening is that no one acts or calls for help, because each person is assuming that another person will make the call.
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If you’re still not sure what you want to be when you grow up, I have a suggestion for you: you want to be Elle, creator of the ELLERALI fashion brand. Creative, driven, intelligent, and sincere, there is so much to admire about this LA-based marine-biologist-turned-upcycled-fashion-designer. I had the privilege of having a conversation with Elle recently and learned just how much she and her brand have to offer the world.
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Freedom exists hand in hand with bondage and only occurs when there is something one has to be freed from in the first place. Therefore, freedom as a state of being can’t exist long-term. Don’t get me wrong – freedom is incredibly beautiful. All people deserve to be loosed from their chains, whether physical, emotional, or mental; and brought into a place where they can grow into and live out who they are. However, it can be easy to forget that freedom is not the end goal.
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Last spring, Dressember’s Communications Manager, Madeline MacDonald, and I had a chance to grab a cup of coffee (and lavender tea). Before long, our conversation began to touch on some typically controversial areas and questions surrounding human trafficking. There was one question in particular that we continued to grapple with:
Can one be both pro-sex while also being anti-sex trafficking?
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Chelsea Utta always wanted to start a business, but she was too busy. Busy living abroad, getting married, adopting a child, and working for A Family For Every Orphan, a non-profit whose mission is their name. The timing and the funds meant a business would never be easy. But Amma’s Umma couldn’t wait.
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With an estimated 224.3 million smartphone users in the U.S. and an estimated 2.1 billion smartphone users worldwide, it’s likely that you own a smartphone. But as you’ve spent thousands of minutes scrolling through social media or browsing the internet, did you ever wonder where your smartphone came from? Did you ever think that the device which demands so much of your attention could have been made someone in a trafficking situation?
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I had the opportunity to read a true story of a survivor of sex trafficking that reminded me of the capacity stories have to move and change us. In “Memoir of a Teen Sex Trafficked,” Alexa Taylor shares her story working in the sex industry, and allows readers a raw, unedited look into her journey through darkness.
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As I learned about modern-day slavery over the last few months, I recalled Charles Dickens’ novel, Oliver Twist. The novel is a fictional tale of a child who endures mistreatment in an orphanage and an apprenticeship before being trafficked into illegal labor. He tries to escape and is eventually aided by two elderly people who shelter him, uncover his family history, and restore his inheritance. In my reading, I found several ways Oliver’s story correlates with child trafficking in the United Kingdom today.
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This Valentine’s Day, I want to spend some time reflecting on love in ways which you perhaps don’t think about every day, and I want to invite you to think about love in new ways with an advocate’s heart. We have all encountered unloving people and been put in unloving situations; we all know what love is not. Love is not harmful. Love is not selfish. Love is not using another human being.
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She wanted to provide education to those who really needed it, but couldn't easily get it, and she realized educational workshops were not enough.
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Carole Murphy is an activist in the movement of women, working as the founder of two powerful organizations: Purse for the People and Gratitude 4 the Goddess. She spends her days redefining fashion and using her organizations to encourage and uplift women. She uses her gifts to make other women feel important and empowered. I was fortunate enough to interview her.
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