If you're like me, the first thing that comes to mind for October is Halloween. Let's talk about something that is truly scary.
Out of all the causes I have listed in this project, human trafficking is one of the issues that stirs me most. I'll spare you the horror stories and tell you about how I started learning more about this.
Fundraising idea!
About a year ago, I attended a couple monthly dessert houses. A member of the group would host them at their house and 30 or 40 people would come, usually all young adults. Local artists would display their work, local musicians would take turns at the mic, people would talk, and a dozen or so people would volunteer to bring desserts and teas. Each dessert house would have a cause or organization for the theme, and time would be set aside for someone to introduce an organization and what they do. Cash donations were free-will, but $10 was the suggested amount.
Actually, it was after attending one of these dessert houses that I got the idea for this blog! Love146 was presented at the first one I attended, but I found out about a few others at these as well.
Why is it called that?
This story I will pass on because it stuck out in my mind. When the people who started the organization were doing an undercover investigation of a child prostitute house by posing as customers, they were able to view the young girls from behind a window to choose which one they wanted, and then pay for different things they could do to them. The girls were all wearing dresses with numbers pinned to them, and they had lifeless expressions. All except the one wearing the number 146, who still looked like she had some fighting spirit left in her. She left such an impression on them that they kept her number, but they never did see her again after that.
There are plenty of horror stories, and human sex trafficking--of grown women, boys and girls who are barely toddlers, both sold knowingly or tricked--is a very widespread problem, but it's very difficult for governments to do anything to stop it. They lack the resources to go after traffickers, track down the victims' families, or even have any place to put the victims. Frequently the victims are too ashamed to return to their families, and after being repeatedly raped and undergoing multiple forced abortions, both physical and mental recoveries are very difficult.
What does Love146 do?
It is not Love146's position to go in and expose the traffickers, but they are able to educate the locals so as to prevent them from unknowingly feeding the system and allowing their loved ones to get hurt, they're able to perform research on the system, and they are able to provide after care for the victims once they are rescued.
At the safe houses, the victims receive medical care, education, professional counseling, and perhaps most importantly, care, comfort and understanding. The purpose is to take them from the depths of darkness to a point where they are able to sustain themselves with new skills and make a new life for themselves. I've read the details of what kind of care they provide, and indeed, this seems like the safest kind of place many of the victims could hope to get to.
Prevent horror stories
Part of the reason I bring this up is not just to support Love146, but also to spread awareness. This is not just a problem in Nepal, it's likely a problem in your own 1st world city.
There are two kinds of trafficking you should be aware: local people being trapped and forced into providing sex or pornography material, and people from abroad being kidnapped and brought to where customers have more money to spend on them.
In both cases, you should be suspicious if someone--like a waitress, dancer, or masseuse--is not allowed to talk to anyone, or if the owners seem especially defensive if anyone asks about them. Part of the way they keep a hold on their victims is to prevent them having the chance to call for help, or to threaten them into silence. This is generally true of both international and local cases.
Please, please take a look at the SlaveryMap to see what kinds of cases have been reported recently in your area. There is also more information on this site about how to report suspicions to the right authorities.
This is definitely the topic of this project that I get most emotional writing about. Besides supporting the work Love146 does, please keep your eyes open and spread awareness about human trafficking.
Payment Procedures
Giving is pretty straightforward: Make a donation here, and also check out their store, Facebook cause, and texting options at the bottom of the page. They're also on GoodSearch, which I'll be using again this month.
