There are no easy solutions.

Last week, Nicholas Kristof shed light on the website, Backpage.com and the way it advertises under-age girls for prostitution. Read the article here.

After this article was written, 19 senators wrote the company, asking it to stop letting pimps sell girls for sex. Change.org collected 22,000 signatures to stop this from happening, and Congress signed a law making it crime to post these advertisements without verifying the girls ages.

Goldman Sachs, an owner of Village Voice Media, the company that created Backpage.com, pulled out of its ownership. Kristof points out that there are no easy solutions to sex trafficking, but if companies, such as Goldman Sachs and other financial investors, ban together and take a stand against pimps and johns, change could happen. Read Kristof's latest article on this topic here.

Kristof is shedding light into the darkness of sex trafficking and it is making a difference.

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.

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 24. Disgusted and thankful for choice.

I felt a little frustrated yesterday morning as I picked out a scarf to wear with my dress. I have about 10 different scarfs to choose from. It made me a little disgusted with myself to think that I have so many options. That I have bought way more clothes than I need, when there are women and children around the world who only have one outfit to wear everyday of their lives. And it's not just the choices in my clothing. I have so many choices, in what I eat, in the way I spend my money, in what I do with my time, in where I can go. So, I think to myself, if I care enough, I will take this negative feeling and turn it into doing something positive. I don't know what that looks like yet. I talked about getting rid a lot of my clothes, which I plan on doing next month, but that doesn't seem like enough.

I also know that I need to see these choices as a gift God has given me. He has provided me with a lot and I am so thankful. In that thankfulness, I am also praying for wisdom to know what choices are okay and what choices I can do without.

I came across this video this morning on the CNN Freedom Project. It's about a woman from Ohio who decided to wear the same dress for 6 months. She found herself thinking about all the choice that she had and wanting to do something for others in the world who don't have many choices at all. She donated the money that she would have spent on clothes to building a local organization building a shelter for victims of sex trafficking. She also raised awareness and encouraged others to join her cause. Watch the video here.

I also watched another video about a teacher in South Korea who taught her students about human trafficking and now those students are wanting to join the fight too. It's a really inspiring story and makes me excited to think about ways I can raise awareness as a teacher.

These are all videos on a 3 part series of how to make a difference. Here is the first video in the series (whoops, I gave them to you in reverse order =) This video talks about the chocolate industry and what is being done to fight this injustice.

I want to take the resources and knowledge I have and help those in need, those without many choices at all. I know that small things can make a difference, but I want to dream big too. If you have any ideas, let me know! =)