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In 2014, @ijm rescued 13 girls from sex trafficking in the Dominican Republic. Three years later, those girls are seeing justice served as their traffickers have been found guilty. One reason that trafficking exists at the magnitude it does is because traffickers are not sentenced for their crimes, encouraging them to continue trafficking. Convictions are a step in the right direction! Way to go, @ijm team! #untilallarefree dressember #itsbiggerthanadress
“And then I realized that to be more alive, I had to be less afraid. So I did it. I lost my fear and gained my whole life.” _ #dressember #itsbiggerthanadress #untilallarefree 📷: @wavesofradiancy
With the promise of a new job and a new life in Greece, Natasha was hopeful and empowered. After moving from Ukraine, she discovered that her travel documents had been faked and her new employer was actually a trafficker. Natasha was nearly destroyed by her traffickers, but freedom and restoration are becoming her new story. With the help of our grant partner, @a21 , Natasha has moved to another European country where she has started her own family. Restoration is possible. That is why we #dressember _ #itsbiggerthanadress #endslavery #endhumantrafficking #untilallarefree
Driven by a response, we follow our convictions and we won't stop #untilallarefree⠀ _⠀ #dressember #itsbiggerthanadress (at Los Angeles, California)
This week, @ijm has been telling the story of brave boys rescued from forced labor on Lake Volta in Ghana.⠀ _⠀ "Children are forced to dive deep into murky water and untangle nets in Lake Volta. Boat masters claim they need young boys to do this because their hands are small. This task is incredibly dangerous, and many children can't swim before being taken to the lake.⠀ ⠀ Drowning on the lake is common, and every child on the lake is scared to dive too deep. Your support makes it possible to find these children, rescue them,and help them live a fearless life in freedom" ⠀ -@ijm⠀ _⠀ This is why we give up an ounce of our freedom #untilallarefree⠀ ⠀ 📷: @jeremysnell // @ijm⠀ ⠀
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime, victims are many times prosecuted for their “crimes” instead of identified as victims worthy of protection. To identify victims of trafficking requires special knowledge by law enforcement officials & a deeper awareness of what trafficking looks like worldwide. We need to spark a global conversation in order for those enslaved to gather the courage to leave their trafficker. _⠀ #dressember #endtrafficking #untilallarefree (at Los Angeles, California)
As I write this, I’ve been back only two days from a weekend-long empowerment conference for young girls in Los Angeles who are part of the CSEC community, (Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.) I say “young girls,” because they are children: 13 – 18. And they are trying to leave what they call “the life” - the life of selling their bodies. This means that some of them began when they were only 10 years old, by force or coercion. We, adults, are there at this conference to help them connect with the emotions they’ve held in for so long for their own survival. We are also there to give them examples of another way – to empower them to leave the life and get on another path.
I am there specifically to provide the music workshop. I encourage them to sing through their pain: write lyrics, sing a song, make a sound. One girl who wrote lyrics about pain broke down in my arms about her past. I held space for her while she cried.
“Yes. Make the sound. Give it a voice.”
We sing a song collectively – usually something current that’s positive. Then I open up the floor to them. They rap. They sing. I invite them to tell part of their story if they want to. At first, they are so shy. Their voices, literally and metaphorically have been taken from them for so long. But I love seeing them warm up and let go. I love hearing their voices ring out!
Over the weekend, we all held hands and sang out these words (hear the live audio in the video below):
“I am an endangered species.But I sing no victim song.I am a woman. I am power.I know where my voice belongs.”
A little Bow TIe 101 to get you #dressember ready!
Bow Tie courtesy of our ethical friends at Neck & Tie Co.
