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History of the Fair Trade Movement

A Moral Imperative: Quakers and “Fair Trade” During Historic Slavery   The Fair Trade movement has modest beginnings but is founded in certain concepts. Drawing from a variety of sources—such as religion, organized labor, early human rights, and econ

After Aftercare

Eradicating slavery means a commitment to combating the underlying causes of exploitation, and recognizing that the road to true recovery for survivors is one that does not end with emergency aftercare. After Aftercare Many shelters and organizations

Canada Passes Legislation to Protect Exploited Persons

After the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Canada’s prostitution laws were unconstitutional in December 2013, Canada’s Parliament was given one year to adopt a new model of legislation. After consulting survivors, individuals in prostitution, vario

Slavery-Freedom Continuum

As I stated in a previous blog post, “slavery is a social phenomenon existing on the far end of a continuum of oppression.” The model below represents the continuum that I am referring to. Slavery is one extreme. Freedom is the other. There are mult

Three Suggestions for Antislavery Organizing on Campus

One of the largest antislavery groups to emerge before the Civil War was one of the most unlikely. Located in the isolated northwest corner of Ohio, the Ashtabula County Female Anti-Slavery Society attracted over 500 members. Led by a rural schooltea

On Happy Endings

This is the story of Annam, born in a village outside Dhaka, Bangladesh. Forced into a child marriage at age 12. Trafficked to a Mumbai brothel at age 17. Rescued at age 22. Repatriated to Bangladesh at age 25. This story has a happy ending, but it i

Slavery Still Exists

Recently, Jon Stewart from The Daily Show challenged Bill O'Reilly to acknowledge white privilege, and the legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It was a challenging clip to watch, and informative about the state of affairs in our society. I agre

The Government Home for Girls

(Author’s Note: The following account was written by me several years ago after my visit to a government home for trafficking survivors in an Asian country. I have changed the names and a couple of minor details to protect the ongoing work in this lo

Human Trafficking Behind Bars and Beyond.

Their stories go beyond heart break, but they are true: At age 11, she ran away from home because of an alcoholic mother and a sexually abusive step-father. After three days on the street, a much older man befriended her, took her home, clothed and f

Not just Awareness but Action - A Hawaii Nurse’s Path Toward Sex Trafficking Restoration

In a 2009 presentation by International Justice Mission, I was exposed to the heart breaking global atrocity of human trafficking. I knew the issue of slavery was an international problem yet was completely unaware of the scope of the issue existing