Trafficking in the US

Here's a video of an interview between Nicholas Kristof, NY Times reporter, and a former child prostitute. This girl was trafficked through a website called Backpage.com. Watch the video here. Also, Kristof wrote an article about this topic entitled Where Pimps Peddle their Goods. 

This happens in the United States.

Justice Conference

The Justice Conference took place in Portland, Oregon a couple of weeks ago. These were some of the quotes from the conference.  Read what they had to say. Be challenged. 

“Jesus’ natural companionship is with those folks [the poor].” – Walter Brueggemann

“Women are the greatest untapped resource in the world.” – Lynne Hybels
“Don’t be afraid to lament.” – Stephan Bauman
"It doesn’t matter who you are. Everyone has something to offer the movement of justice” –Shane Claiborne
"If we’re going to address trafficking in our country we have to address poverty, racism & gender based violence.” – Rachel Lloyd
“Justice goes across racial and economic barriers – like the good Samaritan.” – John M. Perkins
“That you would no longer see us as the mission field, but as co-equal participants in life.” – Richard Twiss
“When you’re no longer asking ‘What’s mine?’ you start asking ‘What’s true, what’s right, what’s ours?’” – Rick McKinley

Praying Students

I was walking down the middle school hallway yesterday, and I saw my Pattaya Slum Ministries prayer card in the locker of one of the students that I taught about human trafficking. I told her I was really excited to see that card up in her locker.



I read this book to my students on International Women's Day. It's written by women who were in slavery and are now free and a part of a group called "Voices for Change", in conjunction with Somaly Mam. It's a really cute story, and it gives information about the endangered Indochinese tigers and life in Cambodia. You can purchase this book here. To find out more about the publisher, Dot-to-Dot children's books, visit their website.

Two stories

Two stories:
Here's a cool story of restoration in Thailand, thanks to the organization, Not for Sale.

Here's another story of how injustice is being fought in the United States.

After the project...

The first day after my dress experiment, I stared at my closet and didn't really like the feeling as I stood looking at all of my choices. I didn't like the fact that I had all of these clothes to choose from, after a month of thinking about people with few, if any choices (about what to wear and in other areas of their lives). I already started going through my closet and have gotten rid of 40 pieces of clothing. I'm still figuring out what I want to do with those clothes.

People ask me how I feel now that I am wearing the same clothes. Initially it was note a very nice feeling. I wasn't excited to wear different clothes. Well, I mean it was nice to feel a little cleaner, but having so many choices after a month of no choices felt strange. It's getting easier and more normal now, but I don't know if I want to forget that feeling. I want to be reminded of those who do not have choices...so I can pray....so it can drive me to do something more. I don't know what exactly that is yet, but I want to keep on learning. I want to keep on seeking what God has for me in the area of human trafficking. I don't want this to be the end. And I know that it won't be.

I am excited that my school is going to get involved with Pattaya Slum Ministries by helping me buy supplies to take with me when I go. Many of the people I work with have been really supportive about my passion for human trafficking and involved with PSM. My students always love when I talk about Thailand, and they have excitement about what is going on there and want to pray for what is going on there.

I am really excited to be able to go back to Pattaya in less than 3 months. I am praying for God to prepare my heart for what I will do there. I don't know what that is yet, but I am excited to learn. I'm excited to show God's love to those people. I'm excited to go.

Day 29. Not done yet.

I spilled coffee all over my dress yesterday, so I guess it's good that today is the last day, considering I haven't been washing it.

So what's next?

I don't really know the answer to that for sure, but here are some things that I am thinking:
1. I want to continue writing on this blog. I want to continue research, learning, and sharing information. I want to continue to process what I am learning and experiencing. I probably won't post as much because it is time consuming, and there are other things in my life that I need to make a priority as well. Though this is one of my passions, I do need to find balance in the time I am devoting to it. I plan on definitely continuing this blog through my time in Thailand (I am going to be working with Pattaya Slum Ministries from June 2 to August 21).

2. I definitely plan on simplifying the choice that I have in my life right now. One area specifically is that I plan to get rid of a lot of clothes. In the month of March, I want to get rid of at least 75 items from my closet, possibly more. I also want to de-clutter other parts of my house and donate things that I don't use or don't need.

3. I want to continue to make my students aware of slavery and what is going on around the world. I also want to help other students in my school become more aware as well. I asked my principal if students in our elementary school could help donate Sunday school supplies for me to take over to Thailand, and she agreed to that. I'm hoping to be able to talk a little more about Thailand to the students and show them pictures. I also would love to talk to the middle school classes again as well, and provide them with some action steps they could take. I had a middle school student stop me in the hallway yesterday and thank me for what I am doing for people who experience injustice. My actions and words do have an impact.

4. I still want to write a children's book on human trafficking. This might not happen until I go to Thailand, but we'll see. I'm excited about doing this.

5. I want to make conversations about this topic more of a lifestyle. Since I've been wearing the same dress and a huge pin, I don't even really have to initiate most conversations. It's pretty easy. I've thought I about other things I can do to make conversations easy to initiate, like wearing my Thailand jewelry, but even when I have done that in the past, there are not many people who ask about it. This means that I need to be more bold in initiating conversations, which are sometimes difficult, uncomfortable and not really welcomed. But raising awareness is key in the battle against human trafficking, so I'm in.

A lot of what I am doing seems small at times in light of the hugeness of the problem. There are times where I feel what I am doing isn't making a significant impact. But then, I think about the ways my heart has changed in the past 3 years, and I am sometimes blown away about how different I have become. I am not the same person because of what I know about human trafficking and the injustice I have seen with my own eyes. I am excited about the steps I have taken to help fight this thing that I want to see come to an end. I know that I am not powerful enough to do it on my own, but I am thankful that I know that God cares deeply about people who experience injustice. I am thankful that I serve him and he is continually showing me how I can be apart of bringing his kingdom here on earth. I am also thankful for friends who are excited about fighting injustice as well.

Romans 15:13 is a verse that I have taken hold of in the past year, and I really love it's message. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." 


As I move forward, I am praying that God fills me and you with hope, joy, and peace as we trust that he is working  everything together for good. And I pray that this hope will spill over to people who know Jesus and can help fight this battle with us, and people who don't know Jesus, who we can shine God's love into their lives. 


Thanks for reading this month. Continue to read. Continue to learn. Continue to ask questions. Continue to pray and see how God can use you to help fight injustice. He will use you if you are willing. 


Peace! 

Day 28. Coming down to the end...

I had coffee with a friend last night, and she asked me about my dress project and whether I felt like I met what I set out to do. 

When I started this dress project 28 days ago, these were the goals that I had:

1. I want to learn more about injustice and ways to fight against. I will be reading and researching about human trafficking, specifically sex slavery, and posting some of this information each day of this month. Instead of focusing on just the United States (which I still will do), I am going to open it up to sex slavery around the world. Most of you know, I have a huge heart for Pattaya in Thailand, and I will post about my passion for this city during this month (as well as other places around the world). 
2. I want to increase awareness about human trafficking. I am going to wear a button that tells what day I am on in the experiment and tell people who ask about why I am doing this and what I am learning. 
3. I want to at least get a taste of what it is like to wear the same thing every day. There are many people all over the world who have to wear the same thing every day of their life. I know that I will not get the full feeling of this, but at least an idea. I plan to post about how I am feeling and the reactions I get from others during this month. 


Do I feel like I met these goals? 
1. Yes. Obviously with the breadth of this topic, there is SO much more to learn and the ideas of how to fight injustice are so complex. I do feel like I learned a lot about human trafficking and ways to put an end to this injustice. I learned about different organizations that I hadn't heard about or known much about in the past. I read stories that continue to affect the way I respond to injustice. I learned about more about different types of injustice and what is being done to combat them. This month was a valuable time of learning, and I am excited to continue to learn more. 
2. Yes. I feel really blessed for all the conversations I was able to have during this month. Specifically, at my school, it was cool to see how my students responded to what I am doing and how their hearts are developing to care about justice in the world. I liked being able to share with all the students in the lower elementary, and even if they didn't understand all of the concepts I shared, I think most of them get that God loves people who are poor and overlooked. One of the students in the other fourth grade class came up to me yesterday and said, "You're still wearing that dress, huh? You are committed." That blessed my heart. I also have had the opportunity to talk to some middle school classes about modern day slavery. Their history teacher told me that she thought it really impacted them. Some of the boys in her class don't pay attention very well, but during my presentation, she said that they were more engaged than they had been in a long time. Other middle school students who have noticed me wearing my dress have come up to me and asked me about it. I've also had random people ask me about my pin, some people from different countries, some people I didn't even know. I've gotten nice responses and at least some interest level from pretty much everyone I've talked to. It's been cool to have a visible way to engage people in conversation, where I don't even have to bring it up. After this month, I'll have to think about ways I can incorporate these conversations into my everyday life. 
3. Yes. I know that it's not a perfect mirror image of a poor person's experience with wearing the same clothes everyday, but I have had a taste. After 28 days of wearing the same clothes everyday and not washing them, I feel a little dirty. I mean I haven't really done anything strenuous in them and haven't sweat too much, but I definitely notice a not-fresh smell. You can tell black shirt hasn't been washed for a while. When people ask me if I've washed it, I sometimes have felt embarrassed saying that I hadn't. I know some people definitely thought that was gross. There have been times where I have wanted to wear something else, something more comfortable, or something better suited for an activity, or just something different. It has, however, been nice not to think about what I am going to wear. Not having a choice has actually been rather nice. It's just become routine and normal. Now, I don't know if I continued to do this, if I would really enjoy the lack of choice for much longer. Overall, I feel like it's given me some good insights into what it is like to wear the same thing everyday. 


I am 100% glad that I did this dress project. I feel like it was really beneficial for me and those around me. I know that the benefits to this will continue for me and those around me as well. I'm still thinking through what action steps I want to take in the coming months, and I will blog more about that tomorrow. 


I am thankful to those of you who have read my blog, who have shown interest, who have asked questions, and who have given me more questions to think about. It's great to have people to encourage me in this and join me in fighting against human trafficking as well. 


1 more day. What's next? I don't know. But, I'm pumped. 

Day 27. 3 Things You Can Do to Empower Women.

One of the things that I like about Nicholas Kristof is that, while I don't think that he is a Christian, he appreciates all people's efforts, regardless of their religious beliefs or lack there of, in the fight against poverty and injustice. In his book, Half the Sky, he recognizes the great work of International Justice Mission in their efforts to bring an end to slavery around the world. He also highlights many other organizations that are not religious but are doing some amazing work in the area of social justice. He believes that if both Christian and secular organizations work together to combat global injustice great things can happen. I agree. I have seen and read about awesome things that Christian organizations do to help the poor and oppressed, and I have seen and read equally great things done by organizations that have no religious affiliations. Arguments and disagreements about what is motivating your actions toward social justice are not important and will not help bring an end to injustice. Let's work together to bring an end to the evil of human trafficking. 

"In their new book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (Knopf), husband-and-wife Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn argue that the key to economic progress in the world lies in unleashing women's potential. Their suggestions for how you can help:

Make girls smarter. Many pregnant women living in poverty don't get enough iodine, so their fetuses' brains do not develop properly. Their children routinely lose ten to 15 IQ points—particularly the girls, for reasons not fully understood. The solution: Iodize salt, at the cost of a couple of pennies per person per year. To contribute, go to Helen Keller International (HKI.org). 

Support a woman's business. With a microloan of $50, a woman can start a business, producing income she can use to feed her children and send them to school. To make a loan, go to Mercy Corps (MercyCorps.org) or BRAC (BRACUSA.org), two groups helping women around the world. 

Keep a girl in school. A girl who gets an education will have fewer children, earn more money, and be able to help her younger siblings. One excellent support program operates in Cambodia, where uneducated girls are at great risk of being trafficked into brothels. For $10 a month, you can keep a girl in school through American Assistance for Cambodia (CambodiaSchools.com), or for $13,000, you can build an entire school that will revolutionize life in a village forever."

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/money/3-Things-You-Can-Do-to-Empower-Women#ixzz1naKAtt8V

Day 25. A look at the Dalit Freedom Network.

Here's a story: 

Young Dalit woman abused in Mumbai

Originally published as “Dalit girl paraded naked in Mumbai”, Times of Inda, July 10, 2010.

MUMBAI: Cases of attacks on dalit women aren’t confined to rural India. Last month, a young dalit girl was stripped and paraded in a southern Mumbai locality. The local police has arrested 10 women and two men and slapped them with cases of atrocities. However, Sharada Yadav, the main accused, is out on bail.

Said senior police inspector Rajan Bhogale: “All the suspects named by the victim, including Sharada Yadav, were arrested in the case. We charged them under the Prevention of Atrocities Act. But Sharda Yadav was granted bail by the court.” The 22-year-old dalit girl Mita Kamble (name changed), who was stripped and dragged out of her house at Darukhana, Reay Road, by a mob of mostly women, said: “They all shouted that dalits like me should not live in this area. They kept hurling abuses on me.”

What led to the incident was Mita’s brother allegedly abused a five year old girl.

(http://www.dalitnetwork.org/go?/dfn/news/C144/)

Who are the Dalits? 

The "untouchables."

The Dalits, also known as the “untouchables” and “outcastes,” make up nearly one quarter of India’s 1.2 billion society, with population estimates of 250 million people. The Dalits are history’s longest standing oppressed people group.

By all research and reports, the Dalits also constitute the largest number of people categorized as victims of human trafficking and human enslavement in any single nation on earth. On November 15, 2008, in New Delhi, at a UN Delivery of Justice Colloquium, the Honorable Dr. Justice Arijit Pasayat of the Supreme Court of India stated that “there was no bigger problem in India today than human trafficking. In May 2009, India’s Home Secretary, Madhukar Gupta, remarked that by his estimates “at least 100 million people were involved in human trafficking in India.”

The term “Dalit” means “those who have been broken and ground down by those above them in the social hierarchy in a deliberate and active way.” Because of traditional social structures in India, the Dalits are at risk of discrimination, dehumanization, degradation, and violence every day.

On December 27, 2006, Prime Minister Singh became the first leader of his nation to compare the condition of Dalits with that of black South Africans under apartheid: “Even after 60 years of constitutional and legal protection and support, there is still social discrimination against Dalits in many parts of our country. Dalits have faced a unique discrimination in our society that is fundamentally different from the problems of minority groups in general. The only parallel to the practice of untouchability was apartheid.” Dr. Singh continued that it was “modern India’s failure that millions of Dalits were still fighting prejudice.”

That apartheid is still in evidence today. In 70% of India’s villages, for example, non-Dalits will not eat or drink with Dalits. Traditionally, when Dalits enter a tea shop and request a cup of tea, they are served in a clay cup rather than a glass or metal cup that others receive. After drinking their tea, they are expected to crush the cup on the ground so that no other person risks being polluted by the cup the Dalit touched.

(http://www.dalitnetwork.org/go?/dfn/who_are_the_dalit/C64)

What is the Dalit Freedom Network (DFN)?

The Dalit Freedom Network (DFN) is a human rights, non-government organization that partners with the Dalit people in India. We represent a vast network of justice-minded, modern-day abolitionists committed to bringing freedom to history’s longest standing oppressed people group. We believe that we can end Dalit injustices, such as human trafficking and child labor, and make slavery history in India. Our major partners are Operation Mercy India Foundation (OMIF) and the All-India Confederation of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Organizations (SC-ST Confederation).

Our four-pillared model of community transformation

EDUCATION

DFN began in 2002 in response to the plea of Dalit leaders: "Educate our children!" Today a freedom movement is advancing all over India through Dalit Education Centers, where Dalit children learn English and are taught the values of freedom, equality and human dignity.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

In debt to landlords, moneylenders, grocers, and more, most Dalits work hand-to-mouth, ground down in horrific poverty. This economic disempowerment forces many into bonded labor and prostitution. Our Vocational Training, Self-Help Groups, and Fair-Rate Loans enable Dalit adults to learn marketable skills and support their families.

HEALTHCARE

Most Dalits cannot afford healthcare. Simple fractures go untreated and result in crippling malformations. More than 40% of India's youngest children are malnourished. Dalits also suffer from diseases unseen in developed nations, like polio and leprosy. DFN's comprehensive community-based healthcare program meets immediate needs and is paving the way for sustainability.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

DFN is the leading voice of justice for the Dalits in many nations' capitals. Focusing on the big-picture of ending the trafficking of Dalits, our education campaigns, legislative work, and continuous advocacy promote justice for the Dalits. Our work with Dalit children and women in India builds hope and enpowerment.




What can you do to help the Dalits?

1. DONATE: With a donation, you can do some really cool things, like FREE a Dalit child, sponsor a Dalit teacher, provide healthcare for the Dalits, help a Dalit start a small business, give Dalits vaccinations, help a Dalit woman attend a women's empowerment conference, support advocacy for the Dalits in Washington D.C., and much more. 

2. Sign this PETITION: Every day 1.3 million people in India (of which more than 80% are Dalit women) are forced to clean human excrement with their bare hands for little to no wages, a practice called manual scavenging. On June 17, 2011, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India referred to manual scavenging as "one of the darkest blots on [India's] development process" and asked all state Ministers in his country to pledge to eliminate this scourge from every corner of India in the next six months, by the end of 2011. By signing this petition, you can stand in solidarity with Prime Minister Singh's mandate to end the heinous and inhumane practice of manual scavenging.  

 
3. Read BOOKS and NEWS articles about the Dalits to find out about how you can PRAY for them.