On Human Trafficking Awareness Day, the story of "An Unlikely Hero"
Today is #HumanTraffickingAwarenessDay, dedicated to spreading the word about this huge challenge of our time and inspiring those around us to join in taking action to help stop human trafficking and end modern-day slavery.
The first thing that can be shocking is that these things are even happening—and on such a large scale in terms of people and places affected. There are more people living in slavery today than at any other time in history.
The second thing that can be surprising is that each of us, no matter who we are, actually has the ability to do something to help stop human trafficking and end modern-day slavery.
Read MoreA conversation on the future of fighting human trafficking
As a somewhat new member of the Government Relations and Advocacy team at IJM, I am still enchanted by the fact that I get to help fight for freedom on behalf of thousands every day. Social justice has always been a cause to which I have gravitated, and as someone who has been given a voice, I would like to use it in defending others. As a person of faith, a millennial and college student who studied politics and policy, I would say that I was bound to end up fighting for human rights at some time or another. As a young person (or a human being, in general!), it can be easy to get involved in a cause and then become disenchanted or disinterested after things don’t progress as we would like them to, but human rights and human freedom cannot be won and maintained with that mindset.
Read MoreThe End Modern Slavery Initiative Act of 2015 and its journey to become law
The End Modern Slavery Initiative Act of 2015 (S.553; EMSI) provides a bold, bipartisan opportunity to advance the very best of American ideals to end modern-day slavery. From many years of working in the human rights field, I can tell you it is painfully rare to see opportunities like the one this bill represents: a way to spring forward and fight injustice on a new level. Senator Corker’s bill will make a big difference in the fight to end modern slavery and human trafficking – if it becomes law.
Read MoreClose to home: How does YOUR state rate in the fight against human trafficking?
It can be easy to let ourselves think that human trafficking is solely an international problem, but reports like the one released by Polaris remind us that human trafficking is very much a problem right here in the United States as well. This is all of our fight, and it is critical that we have the information and data we need so that we can consider the best approaches to stopping human trafficking.
Read MoreWhat the majority of people may not know - and what you can do to change that
A bright, amicable woman stood out in the hallway and waved excitedly to us.
“Are you here for the documentary screening?” she asked eagerly, and when Tim and I nodded, she introduced herself as Jaime Saul, executive producer of the film we were about to watch. Inside what is normally a full-fledged committee hearing room, the film’s director, Grant Knisely, welcomed us warmly and thanked us for coming. As the House had passed a package of trafficking bills (our HTPA bill included) just days before, and given the anticipation of the UN’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, the timing of this film could not have not been better.
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Protecting victims of human trafficking - the TVPA and where the focus should really be
The U.S. Congress is poised to vote on repealing a provision of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) that had provided legal protection for unaccompanied minor children from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The provision was by no means an amnesty for unaccompanied kids, many of whom were eventually returned home: it simply gave unaccompanied children the chance to appear before an immigration judge, instead of being summarily excluded at the border. The policy was an appropriate response to the very real possibility that kids crossing the border without parents could be trafficking victims, or vulnerable to trafficking.
Read MoreNigerian Girls Need Our Noise
On May 14, 2014, according to a Nigerian official, 300 girls were forcibly taken from their school in remote northeast Nigeria (pictured above is the mother of one of the missing girls.)
Read MoreJoin Tennessee Titans QB in asking Senator Corker for his support!
In this Letter to the Editor, Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker asks Senator Bob Corker for his support on a little bill that could do a lot in the fight against human trafficking.
If you're from Tennessee, join IJM and Jake in asking your elected representatives for their support on the Human Trafficking Prioritization Act! Just click on the button below to Tweet the following message to Senator Corker.
Hi Senator Corker! As a fellow Tennessean, I would like to ask for your support on S. 1249 and the fight against #humantrafficking. Thanks!
Read MoreMichigan Commission on Human Trafficking: 2013 Report
LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) - Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette Wednesday unveiled the 2013 Report on Human Trafficking by the first Michigan Commission on Human Trafficking.
Human trafficking is the fastest-growing and second-largest criminal industry in the world, after drug trafficking, according to a news release.
Children are especially vulnerable, and existing data sources strongly suggest that the current reported human trafficking statistics do not provide a complete picture of the prevalence of human trafficking in Michigan. Read more of this story via WoodTV.com>>
12 Years a Slave, and the Continuing Story
This past weekend, I saw the newly released film 12 Years a Slave. It tells the story of Solomon Northup, and African American man born free but tricked and trafficked into slavery in the South. The film is based on his own brave account of his journey from freedom to slavery to freedom again. And it’s hard to watch: the movie is graphic and doesn’t shy away from the great ugliness and darkness that is slavery. Most of the time, you’re holding your breath—unable to hope for a good outcome even though you know how the story ends.
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