But the sad reality is that 60% of those children – 60,000 children – who were recovered in FBI raids can be traced back to foster care and group homes. They were the hurt, the lonely, and the seemingly forgotten children and youth of society. According to Olive Crest Executive Director, Jaime Zavala, “children and young adults who have been a part of the foster care system are some of the kids at greatest risk of being engaged in human trafficking.”
Read MoreWith offices in Connecticut, Texas, North Carolina, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines, Love146 is working to end child trafficking and exploitation around the world. Their programs address the biological, psychological, social, financial, and spiritual impacts of victimization, and help youth develop strategies to stay safe. In the United States, Love146 also conducts one-time interventions called “Rapid Responses” that provide at-risk youth with information, safety planning, and referral services related to human trafficking and sexual exploitation. The organization’s Prevention Education program is designed to reach children before traffickers do. Through its “Not a Number” curriculum and other tools, Love146 has impacted thousands of children in classroom and community settings, equipping them to recognize vulnerabilities and protect themselves and their peers from exploitation.
Read MoreWhen I asked Kay Buck, CEO and founder of Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) about the work she gets to do daily, she proclaims “My job is such a blessing. I have the opportunity to work with survivors every day. I think that’s what makes CAST unique. Is that we work long term with survivors so we are able to form that trust and see them through to success.” CAST’s work is indeed unique — they are not only the nation’s largest provider of comprehensive life-changing services to survivors but also fierce advocates for groundbreaking policies and legislation. After benefiting their Transition Age Youth (TAY) program at our 2017 “You Can Do Anything in a Dress” 5k, we were honored to invite them into further partnership for our Dressember 2018/2019 campaign.
Read MoreMany organizations over the past few years have taken a stand against human trafficking. One of those, though, stands out above the rest. Located in one of the biggest hubs for human trafficking, youthSpark is a visionary in changing the face of human trafficking and child exploitation rates in Atlanta, GA, and all over the United States
Read MoreIJM is the world’s largest anti-trafficking organization in the world. They work to protect the poor from violence in the developing world with a vision to “rescue thousands, protect millions, and prove that justice for the poor is possible.”
According to the United Nations, 4 billion people live outside the protection of the law. This means that their public justice systems- police, courts, and laws- are so broken, corrupt, and dysfunctional, that there is nothing to shield the poor from violence.
Read MoreThis year, Dressember Foundation is excited to introduce one of their new grant partners: Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking (BEST). Based in Seattle, Washington, BEST provides awareness, consultation and training to employers in a variety of sectors in an effort to put an end to human trafficking within businesses. BEST recognizes the great need for prevention strategies to avert the recurring cycle of modern slavery, and it believes using businesses as an avenue to allocate its resources will effectively bring an end to the injustice.
Read MoreThis year, Dressember is proud to partner with Thorn, an organization that uses technology to combat child sex trafficking. The internet has become a widely used place for sex traffickers to advertise. The good news is, this can help investigators track down traffickers. The bad news is that law enforcement just doesn’t have the time, energy, or manpower to efficiently pursue the information available online. That's where Thorn comes in.
Read MoreChildren have been given the gift of great power: they change lives, alter plans, move hearts, and send waves throughout humanity. As simple as it sounds, everyone alive was once a child. But this great power is coupled with great vulnerability. Five children die every day from abuse. That number is inexcusable. Children need to be seen, protected, and most importantly, heard.
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