Tag: One Voice to End Slavery

Help end modern day slavery (and five ways you can help)

Today is Human Trafficking Awareness Day…

It’s also the just a few days away from the 146th anniversary of the day our 13th Amendment was introduced to Congress — which set out to abolish slavery in the United States.

Yet today — modern day slavery still exists — in so many forms.

Sex trade, immigrant farmers working in Florida, children mining for coltan, chocolate and coffee farmers around the world — and so much more.

I encourage you to do a 5 things today…

1. Change your Twitter/Facebook/MySpace avatar to support One Voice to End Slavery:

2. Join One Voice to End Slavery

3. Visit the Human Trafficking section on Change.org and read at least 5 articles

4. Share the link to at least one story from Change.org on Facebook or Twitter

5. Watch David Bastone talk about human trafficking at Google:

Then let us know what you learn.

What impacted you the most? What did you learn when doing one (or all) of the steps above?

What other steps have you taken to end modern day slavery?

Obama administration looks at human trafficking

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Hillary Clinton wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Post today regarding human trafficking and the Trafficking in Persons Report 2009, which was released by the US Dept of State last week ::

Twenty-year-old Oxana Rantchev left her home in Russia in 2001 for what she believed was a job as a translator in Cyprus. A few days later, she was found dead after attempting to escape the traffickers who tried to force her into prostitution.

Oxana’s story is the story of modern slavery. Around the world, millions of people are living in bondage. They labor in fields and factories under threat of violence if they try to escape. They work in homes for families that keep them virtually imprisoned. They are forced to work as prostitutes or to beg in the streets. Women, men and children of all ages are often held far from home with no money, no connections and no way to ask for help. They discover too late that they’ve entered a trap of forced labor, sexual exploitation and brutal violence. The United Nations estimates that at least 12 million people worldwide are victims of trafficking. Because they often live and work out of sight, that number is almost certainly too low. More than half of all victims of forced labor are women and girls, compelled into servitude as domestics or sweatshop workers or, like Oxana, forced into prostitution. They face not only the loss of their freedom but also sexual assaults and physical abuses.

To some, human trafficking may seem like a problem limited to other parts of the world. In fact, it occurs in every country, including the United States, and we have a responsibility to fight it just as others do. The destructive effects of trafficking have an impact on all of us. Trafficking weakens legitimate economies, breaks up families, fuels violence, threatens public health and safety, and shreds the social fabric that is necessary for progress. It undermines our long-term efforts to promote peace and prosperity worldwide. And it is an affront to our values and our commitment to human rights.

I for one am glad to see Clinton bringing this to light through her position. I know it’s not the first time administrations have looked into this issue or talked about this issue. But I do hope that as awareness continues to rise this administration will really step up to the task of ending human trafficking in the US and abroad.

Read More
See the Dept of State report

(picture from Power to the Poster :: download. print. post.)

JustOneDallas :: May 16th :: Life in Deep Ellum

JustOneDallas – May 16th – Life in Deep Ellum

Can’t wait!

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JustOne is a non profit organization that was formed to stimulate greater global awareness about extreme poverty, and to provoke compassionate ideas and intelligent giving in order to provide sustainable relief. We are a collective voice for the victims of social injustice––the one(s) living in geographical and situational poverty; the one(s) orphaned through death, disease and desertion; the one(s) trafficked into slavery throughout the world.

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How

Through our innovative development of resources, creative awareness campaigns, educational gatherings, speaking engagements and activist mobilization, JustOne provides reprieve to the marginalized and the oppressed.

We believe in an economy of enough that is established through the cooperative practice of sharing and redistribution. These practices are central to the Laundry Love Project, A Trashcan can Make a Difference and the Activist initiatives. We hope to see these initiatives expand throughout the US and overseas giving others the opportunity to be the enough for those living in localized poverty.

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Inclusion and Accountability

We are a social mercy foundation that exists to change universal issues of social injustice effecting millions of people regardless of race, culture, sex, age, or religion. We have an open policy partnership, meaning we will collaborate with a diversity of people(s) and organization(s) regardless of differences while holding to wisdom, discernment and the collective council that directs the mission and future of JustOne. The collective council comes through the Board of Directors and organizational Partners.

Want to take it a step further and help sponsor the event? Download our sponsorship info pdf.