Week 26: Merchant City

Week 26: Merchant City was taken on the way home to New Mexico with a layover in Northern California. The abstract nature of the land and water under a setting sun were beautiful. I was struck with how chaotic the San Francisco city truly is, and yet, the aerial view is so serene. If you read through the end of this blog, you will see a parallel in our society. What may seem serene may actually be full of chaos and in desperate need.

This week marks the halfway point for my first Project 52. I can't believe it. Time has flown by so quickly...but as I was analyzing the first half of this endeavor, I reflected on the challenge I want this blog to be for me...and for my readers. Soo, at the heart of my first year of Project 52, I want to share something on my heart: the forgotten, the overlooked, the needy, the hurting.

Particularly on my heart is slave labor, especially in the sex trafficking world. I know this is a subject that is cringe-worthy, but it's real and it's alive...and sadly it's thriving.

Every year, 2.2 million children are sold into sex slavery. Every year. Children.

There are more slaves today than at any other time in history.

In India, children cost less than cattle.

Sex workers generated over $32 billion dollars last year. Last year.

You may ask: "Who am I?" "What can I do?" "I'm just one person...Can I really make a difference?" As Dr. Cornel West, a scholar/philosopher on the Call+Respond trailer says: "Justice is what love looks like in public."

You are a human being living in a free country who has more power and more influence than you think...So this week, I share some information provided from www.callandrespond.com.

33 WAYS TO RESPOND

1. Tell others.
   Expose the truth about modern-day slavery. Make sure everyone knows the 27 million dirtiest secrets. Make sure they see the film, and talk about it afterward.
2. Invest in change.
   Support those on the frontlines and enable them to make a difference. Help fund the most effective projects to reduce slavery and care for its victims at:
   http://www.callandresponse.com/takeaction_fap.html.
3. Join the network.
   At betheresponse.com, connect with other abolitionists in your area and with organizations addressing the issue. Receive and respond to messages with calls to action. Together, we can make change.
4. Consume wisely.
   Hold businesses accountable and ask corporations to join the fight. At chainstorereaction.com, email companies to ensure that their products are slave-free. Soon you will be able to demand the SLAVE-FREE brand.
5. Volunteer.
   Volunteer with a local anti-trafficking organization. They need your help!
6. Watch.
   Keep an eye out and don’t turn away. If you suspect slavery or exploitation, call the national trafficking hotline: 888-3737-888. Find out what to look for at: www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking
7. Text.
   Text RESPOND to 90999 to donate $5 to a project on the frontlines. Text CALL to 90999 to add your name to the network of abolitionists.
8. Write.
   Submit an op-ed. Encourage newspapers, magazines and television stations to publish or to write stories about modern-day slavery, and how to stop it.
9. Map it.
   Document slavery in your area with slaverymap.org.
   Pressure law enforcement agencies to make investigations.
10. Tourism matters.
    Visit the Trafficking In Persons Report from the State Department (http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008/). Find out which countries are the worst trafficking offenders. Write a letter to their travel bureau and tell them you won’t visit the country until they address the issue.
11. Purchase.
    Buying products made by survivors helps ensure their self-sufficiency. Shop at the Emacipation Network’s www.madebysurvivors.com.
12. Make help available.
    Place coasters at bars and sleeves for coffee cups to promote the hotline (888-3737-888). In public places, disseminate posters, brochures and other materials about trafficking. Download them from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
13. Organize.
    Organize your community to address the issue in your area. For tips on how, see www.stopmodernslavery.org/docs/toolkit.pdf
14. Advocate for change.
    Call or write your elected officials. Tell them that you care about the issue of human trafficking and want stronger laws to protect victims. Keep telling them. Get news from www.polarisproject.org on how to engage in political action and advocacy.
15. Give healthcare.
    Help collect and pack medical supplies and equipment to be sent to shelters for survivors. (Check out Giving Children Hope: www.gchope.org)
16. Walk.
    Global March has freed over 60,000 slaves in India. Their marches promote education for children instead of forced labor and exploitation: www.globalmarch.org
17. Cybervention.
    Make sure trafficking does not happen on the internet. Keep an eye on Craigslist and advertising spaces.
18. Fight sex tourism.
    Ask travel agencies, hotels and tour operators to sign the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children in Travel and Tourism (www.thecode.org).
19. Learn more.
    Find useful documents to download at www.freetheslaves.net and http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008/
20. Prepare caretakers.
    Encourage healthcare providers and law enforcement officials to be aware of the signs of human trafficking. Download resource guides from www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking
21. Rescue victims.
    Pressure for raids of forced labor and slavery situations. Lawyers can make a big difference in advocating for legal investigation and prosecuting perpetrators. Have them join the team at www.ijm.org.
22. Do good business.
    I nitiate business-to-business campaigns (Hagar Soya Company). Consult for anti-trafficking non-profits. Hire survivors of slavery. Ensure fair labor. Encourage your CSR campaigns to focus on anti-slavery efforts.
23. Go.
    Volunteer with organizations caring for survivors. Help build shelters. Teach English. Provide skills training. Ask the organization how you can help.
24. Assist victims.
    Volunteer at a local shelter for survivors. Help survivors access medical care and counseling, legal services, housing, a new job and companionship. Do a drive for supplies and donations to care for child victims of slavery.
25. Slave-Free Campuses.
    Start a group at your school or university, and make sure your campus is free of products made with slave labor.
26. Safeguard transportation.
    Ask airlines to provide training manuals to all their flight attendants on how to watch for victims being trafficked. Find the manual at www.innocentsatrisk.org
27. Motivate others.
    Post the Call+Response trailer on your Facebook and MySpace pages. Join the cause. Join the causes of other organizations. Encourage your friends to do the same.
28. Love Freedom.
    Give all you would spend on Valentine’s Day to buy freedom for slaves and to care for its victims. Support organizations on the frontlines at callandresponse.com. Tell those you love that you want them do the same.
29. Remember the facts.
    Memorize the statistics about child and sex slavery. Tell people.
30. Faith, Schools and Freedom.
    Help your faith community or school become an Abolitionist Organization. Find theses handbook in the action downloads section at: www.notforsalecampaign.org.
31. Spread the word.
    Download posters from the C+R website and hang them in town and at school. Email to all your friends, family & coworkers the website link: www.callandresponse.com
32. Get insights from the UN.
    Learn more and find expert advice in the UN’s Toolkit to Combat Trafficking: http://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/HT_Toolkit08_English.pdf
33. Do what you love.
    Use your talents to fight slavery. Do an art project and display it in a public place. Use a sports event to raise awareness and funds for the issue. Talk about the issue at a concert, or make it a benefit for survivors. Film a movie on the state of modern-day slavery. Write about the issue and post it on blogs.