Slavery is still a thing in today’s modern world. Another, perhaps better, name for it is Human Trafficking. It may look different than what you’re picturing, but it’s real. In 2021, 50 million people were living in human trafficking situations, an INCREASE of 10 million over the past 5 years*.
Check out some resources for learning more about this global problem (yes, even in the USA) at the end of this post.
What we know: Fair trade is a set of governing principles that guide production of many products. One of the ten principles of fair trade is No Child Labor or Forced Labor.
Let’s start at the end and work backwards here:
That is a major simplification of a very complicated and multi-faceted problem, but it is the general idea of one way shopping fair trade can truly make the world better.
That is also the connection that brings me to participate this year in Dressember - a style challenge to wear a dress every day in December. Over 21,000 people have done this since it began in 2013 and they have collectively raised over $15MM “to fight human trafficking around the world” and to bring awareness to it.
“When enough people use their voices to advocate for change, things begin to shift. Dressember is much more than an awareness campaign; we’re a social movement rooted in the belief that all people deserve to be free. Help us send the message to traffickers everywhere that we’re not going anywhere.”
While I do wear a dress to church every Sunday, so I have quite a collection, I am NOT usually a casual dress wearer. December is full of events that I’ll wish I could wear pants to. Plus, even in Texas it’s usually a little chilly to be bare-legged outside in December. (I may take advantage of the challenge loophole designed for men - to wear a tie rather than a dress. Still out-of-the-ordinary enough to draw attention, but a smidge warmer.) Despite the minor inconvenience of it, I am excited to help bring awareness and to raise money to support victims and survivors of human trafficking around the world. Fair trade is, for me, all about people - and this seems to be the same in that way. It's about people who deserve dignity and freedom in their lives.
You can learn more about where, specifically, the money you donate through Dressember will go and what it will be used for on my fundraiser page. You can also see how much of an impact even a small donation can make.
How you can help:
#1 Donate through my fundraiser page at https://dressember2022.funraise.org/fundraiser/nancy-worth
#2 Join my Dressember team and do this challenge with me!
#3 Do the research so you can shop fair trade whenever possible.
#4 Comment, like, share my posts this December to spread the footprint of my campaign
To say thank you for your donation, I plan to send everyone who donates through my fundraiser page a pair of earrings! Just a small token of my appreciation for joining me on this journey. (Not this exact pair)
*Source: International Labor Organization Walk Free & the International Organization for Migration
Resources:
The Dressember Blog: https://www.dressember.org/blog
The Dressember “Things Survivors Wish You Knew” podcast: https://www.dressember.org/podcast
Watch the Dressember Documentary on YouTube: https://www.dressember.org/video
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-Trafficking/Human-Trafficking.html
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