Sunshine had been missing for several days before the police found her confined to a storage area at a man’s home, unable to leave. Upon intervention, the child told the police that she had been locked up, forced to alter her appearance, and had been exploited for profit. Her trafficking experience—traumatic in its own right—had also exacerbated previous mental health problems. Suffering physically and psychologically, Sunshine was admitted to the hospital.
Read MoreWe are proud to call A21 a member of the Dressember Network, as their work in awareness, intervention and aftercare for trafficking survivors is changing lives every day. Founded in 2008, A21 works in 18 locations within 13 countries to combat human trafficking. In early December 2020, A21 opened a brand-new Freedom Center in Cape Town, South Africa—a development made possible by Dressember’s fundraising in 2019. A21’s Freedom Centers provide survivors the protective services they need to transition into their lives after trafficking, including psychological services, housing assistance and career assistance. Dressember has the opportunity to resource A21’s vital anti-trafficking work and hear stories of survivors and their bravery.
Read MoreWhen Kashi was just three years old, her family sold her into domestic servitude to a wealthy couple in Mumbai in an attempt to alleviate the hardships of poverty. In the 12 years that followed, Kashi was relegated to a life consisting of housework, stripped of the freedom and opportunity all girls deserve.“I had no freedom,” she remembered. “They always locked me up. Everywhere I went, I had to go with them.”
Read MoreDressember partners with leading organizations like International Justice Mission (IJM) to fund rescue, aftercare, and prevention. In 2020, Dressember will support IJM’s work to rescue girls from sex trafficking, restore broken justice systems, and train police, and other NGOs in South Asia.
Read about this victorious rescue from August 2019 to see the impact that Dressember can create.
Read MoreI began to think about my experiences as a survivor of human trafficking and the ways that people like you have bridged resources and support to me when I needed it most. Youth shelters that fed me hot meals, people who spoke to me kindly, and strangers who saw me as a person, wrapping dignity around my entire being. If it weren’t for these individuals bridging hope to my heart and empowering me, I fully believe that I would not be free from exploitation and trafficking today.
Read MoreTomorrow is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. This day was created by the United States Senate in 2007 to educate people and acknowledge that human trafficking still occurs. In addition, January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Now that Dressember has ended, it is important to continue to advocate and educate individuals on human trafficking.
Here are five ways you can advocate and educate on Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Read MoreHadijatou was born into slavery in Niger. Like her mother, she was inherited, then sold when she was 12-years-old for £250 and carried out domestic and agricultural work. She also lived as ‘wahaya’ – a sexual slave to her master, who already had four wives but took additional unofficial ‘wife’, treated solely as property.
Read MoreWhen Busaba* joined The Freedom Story, she had already lost both her parents and her grandmother. She lived with an aunt who struggled with alcohol abuse, and Busaba dropped out of middle school. She admits, “I was badly behaved, I did things that made my life difficult, and I lacked vision or direction.”
Read MoreEvery year 23 Million girls are married before the age of 18. Many children have little or no control over their movements or person within marriage, including over sexual relations. Girls are commonly controlled through violence, threats and humiliation, as well as experiencing isolation and loneliness.
Read MoreWe partner with Cast to offer wraparound services for survivors in Los Angeles, California. This includes transitional housing, legal aid, counseling and case work, connections to healthcare and educational scholarships, and leadership/job training. The following stories are real stories of survivors that Cast supports.
Read MoreFour years after being kidnapped and trafficked for sex, Nasima* has reclaimed her life and is moving forward—thanks in part to the proactivity and generosity of her public justice system.
Read MoreWe partner with Thorn to build of a new sex trafficking investigations tool that helps law enforcement identify child sex trafficking victims who are advertised online. Learn more about the impact of this tool and how it’s saving lives below.
Read MoreIn 2019, Saving Innocence brought on two new survivor advocates to facilitate prevention groups and work with youth one-on-one in juvenile halls and group homes. One survivor advocate was so excited to be able to be put in a position to give to the kids in the places where she was once living. Here’s what she had to say:
Read MoreIf you met Maarko* today, you would see a joyful, energetic boy who loves superheroes and playing freeze tag with his friends. Yet when the IJM team first met Maarko in the Philippines, his life was drastically different.
Read MoreLike thousands of other vulnerable children, Kim became trapped in the dangerous web of cybersex trafficking when she was only 12. Today, she dreams for her future and helps protect others.
Read MoreWe partner with Love 146 to provide wrap-around care for survivors in the Philippines through two safe homes, one for girls and one for boys. This care includes medical care, psychological care, access to recreational activities, life skills training, educational support, legal assistance, and support with reintegration into their communities. Your advocacy & donations during Dressember work to care for children after exploitation.
Read MoreMeet one of our new partners, Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT). TAT exists to educate, equip, empower and mobilize members of the trucking, bus and energy industries to combat human trafficking. Your donations and advocacy this Dressember help to bring law enforcement together with leadership from casinos and bus companies to train employees on how to spot human trafficking through their “Busing on the Lookout” program.
Read MoreWhen Bunmi* was in sixth grade, she was the only student in her class who met the requirements to pass on to secondary school. This was a common occurrence in rural Thai villages where poverty often forces students to find work as soon as possible, rather than completing their education.
Read MoreMila* is 32 and has two children, Sai (8) and Tina (3). She was trafficked by her abusive husband when Sai was just a baby. At the time, Mila was living with her husband and baby in a rural community in South Asia, and her husband insisted she help the family make ends meet by taking a job he had found for her in the United States. Saddened and afraid, but determined to make Sai’s future bright, she left her family and came to New York City to work at a hotel.
Read MoreDressember partners with leading organizations like International Justice Mission (IJM) to fund rescue, aftercare, and prevention. In 2020, Dressember will support IJM’s work to rescue girls from sex trafficking, restore broken justice systems, and train police, and other NGOs in South Asia.
Read about this victorious rescue from September 2019 to see the impact that Dressember can create.
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