Human trafficking still exists today all around the world in almost every country, including in your own city. There are about 27 million slaves today and the average slave is 14 years old. I know, this is extremely hard to imagine, let alone wrap your heart and mind around. It has taken me many years to truly engage with the reality of this darkness. In fact, I had to gather most of my courage in order to choose to truly engage and speak up about this great injustice. To follow up with action after I’ve said I will do something to help, no matter how small my role might be. As Edmund Burke said, “evil prospers when good men do nothing.” This quote resounds deeply in my heart each time I hear about how innocent women and children are being taken captive and are sold multiple times every night.

However, I know that light can overcome intense darkness and that I am to be a small, but strong light declaring freedom for the captives and justice for those who have taken advantage of innocent women and children.

There are many brave men and women who are doing the hard, hard work of protecting, rescuing, restoring, and helping to reintegrate rescued women and children to start new lives. Although I haven’t personally been called to be on the front lines yet, I can do my part. I can continue to speak up for the ones who are stuck in very unjust situations and I can use my talents to help in any way that I can. I agree with Desmond Tutu, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Friends, let’s not stand by and do nothing, engage your whole self and do your part in creating a world where good triumphs over evil.

One of the ways I have chosen to take a stand is to partner with the various organizations that fight human trafficking and raise money to fund programs that help rehabilitate the enslaved back into society.

What better day than today to take hold of the reigns of courage and allow yourself to fully engage your heart, mind, talents, and some time into creating a world where good will triumph over evil each small act at a time? Do you hope to see the end of human trafficking within our lifetime? To say through our actions that we will not continue to look the other way, but instead, with our lives we will labor for those who are suffering and help them to start anew.

If you would like more information I have included some resources below and you can always ask me for more information or to know more!

I have chosen to partner with She’s Worth It. Check out their website at: http://shesworthit.org/. Through She’s Worth It, I am able to fundraise for those courageous women and men fighting at the front lines of injustice, so that I can take a little bit of the burden off of their shoulders and allow them to not worry about funding.

The She’s Worth It campaign is calling people to gather at least 10 other people in their lives to share about human trafficking and to give just $10 to an organization that is doing effective work against trafficking. The average slave is sold for only $90, crazy I know, just $90. By each person gathering at least 10 people to give $10, we are collectively each raising over $100 and saying that she IS WORTH IT!!!

Please join us today and use your voice to declare freedom for the captives! Take a look at the She’s Worth It website and the She’s Worth It Facebook page. Here is a link to my specific giving team: She's Worth It Giving Page.

Here are a couple of organizations we are specifically helping:

The Indian Rescue Mission (http://www.indianrescuemission.org/) is fighting for justice also, just this week they partnered with local police in India to rescue 25 girls from a brothel!

The Klein Frank Foundation (http://www.init2endit.com/) is led by two passionate lawyers who have written powerful laws against human trafficking in the U.S. and in many other countries.

Not For Sale (http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/) is another organization working hard to bring awareness and action to this issue.

Stephanie Zeller is the Community Director for The Authenticity Project, you can contact Steph at TheAuthenticityProject@gmail.com.