Ten Ways You Can Help End Sex Trafficking
Sometimes, society’s problems can seem so big as to defy any real solution. Sex trafficking is no different. In my own city, sexual exploitation is a $290 million a year industry where some 12,400 men buy sex monthly (I discussed sex trafficking in Atlanta in a recent blog post). Nationwide, there are between 100,000 and 300,000 children trapped in Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST). As overwhelming as this can seem at times, there are practical steps that anyone can take to help end sex trafficking.
Shared Hope International’s Ten Ways To Make A Difference
Recently, Shared Hope International released a publication titled “Ten Ways You Can Make A Difference: 10 Proven and Powerful Ways You Can Help End Sex Trafficking. In this short post, I’ll take a look at Shared Hope’s recommendations.
Education: A Key To Ending Sex Trafficking
First and Foremost, education is a key to ending sex trafficking. When I speak to groups about sex trafficking, most people are shocked at the magnitude of the problem in their own communities. They don’t realize that sex trafficking is happening in their own backyards! But, once they are empowered with real information, they often feel called to help.
Once you have educated yourself about the magnitude of the problem, Shared Hope International recommends that you learn the signs of sex trafficking so that you can recognize it when you see it. Shared Hope has good resources on their website, and I also discussed the signs in a past blog post. As for reporting trafficking when you suspect it, Shared Hope offers the following:
Save the National Human Trafficking Hotline number in your cell phone today: 1-888-373-7888. You can also report the production or distribution of child pornography or suspected child sex trafficking to the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children’s Child Pornography and Sexual Exploitation Tip-line: 1-800-843-5678.
Other Ways To Educate People
As I said above, education is one of the keys to ending sex trafficking. Shared Hope recommends that you both write about the issue on social media and speak about it whenever you can. Speaking doesn’t have to be done on a formal basis, although several groups need volunteer ambassadors to speak for them. Just telling your family, friends, church congregation, and co-workers can have a profound effect. If public speaking isn’t your thing, many groups, including Shared Hope, have people who will come and speak to your group about sex trafficking.
What Not To Do
Don’t take matters into your own hands! Law enforcement personnel and anti-sex trafficking organizations have people who are trained to intervene in cases of suspected trafficking. If you try to act on your own, you may endanger your own life or the lives of the victims. Once again, according to Shared Hope International:
You should not attempt direct interaction/intervention without training, from an expert. Without proper training you can put the child at increased risk of violence, not to mention the matter of your own safety. Never pay a child for time to talk in the hopes of rescuing them. Go through the appropriate and proper channels to assist victims.
Volunteering and Donating To Help End Sex Trafficking
At a recent talk, I was asked what the greatest needs were for the organizations working to end sex trafficking. The simple answer I gave was “your time and your donations.” Most organizations need volunteers. Whether for education, helping victims, rescue, or even doing landscaping at a recovery house for victims, there is always a need. According to Shared Hope:
Organizations that assist victims and prevent abuse have little funding available to them. Any generous donation will go a long way in efforts like conducting research, fixing a leaky roof, or buying a van to reach children in crisis who call for help. Some traffickers engage in the horrific practice of tattooing their victims, “branding” them like property. Raising funds for tattoo removal is also a way to bring healing.
Also, these organizations need money. According to Atlanta’s Out Of Darkness, making one victim of sex trafficking whole again requires about $7500. Then there is staff to pay, training expenses, and all the other normal financial requirements of running an organization. Frequently, the only source of financial aid these organizations get are your donations!
Legislation To End Sex Trafficking
Finally, Shared Hope recommends that you learn about important state and national legislation designed to end sex trafficking. In recent posts, I have discussed legislation in Georgia as well as in the U.S. Legislature that can increase penalties for trafficking, give aid to victims, and increase public awareness. Remember, often it only takes calls or emails from a few concerned constituents to swing a vote in Congress! Shared Hope has a public policy section of their website where you can learn about impending bills.
M.
Source:
Shared Hope International, “Ten Ways You Can Make A Difference: 10 Proven And Powerful Ways You Can Help End Sex Trafficking.”
Author: Matthew J. Nelson
Matthew Nelson started DVM For Hope to educate people about human trafficking and other injustices. He volunteers with several anti-trafficking organizations, speaks about sex trafficking, and is active on social media as both a blogger and editor. By day he is a veterinarian.