United Nations Conference: The Ones Who Wrote The Book are Rereading It.

We all have an opinion of Donald Trump: Whether you think he's evil, stupid or fearless, everyone has their own views on what's going to happen to the country when he steps into office. We at The Roe3 Trafficking Project are thinking of things through a different lens: the lens of human trafficking in our developing and developed nations. 

Now, more than ever, we need the U.N. As you may recall from one of the first articles I wrote for this blog, the United Nations did technically create the first international list of rights every human being is entitled to that didn't have a ton of issues. If we really want to create a way of life in which everyone is safe from being a product rather than a person, we need to make sure our countries still uphold the rights outlined by the U.N. so many years ago. 

Although things do seem to be looking up as the most recent U.N. conference focused on human trafficking and human exploitation, and they've invited people to speak on behalf of the problem, we still have a long way to go. It seems in recent years to always be "one step forward two steps back" when it comes to human rights movements. However, I believe in the American people. We can't stop fighting for the rights we hold dear; for ourselves and others. If we know trafficking still exists, isn't it our duty to put an end to it? Fellow human beings being bought and sold like cattle; that's the kind of behavior that should have ended hundreds of years ago if it ever began at all. 

I personally worry it will be difficult, with America's drastic change in government, to continue tightening the bonds we have with the other nations we share this earth with. I hope I'm wrong. 

Roe3 Needs You!

I've found lately I've been running into more and more writer's block when updating this blog. Every day I look up the newest in human-trafficking related news country-wide, and use that as inspiration for my next article; but is it enough?

We at Students Against Human Trafficking think it'd be very beneficial to me as the writer and you as the reader if we had user-submitted content. Write to us about something specific you know of in your community, so that we can do more research and feature it here!

The main point of this blog is to help people understand just how wide-spread and also close to home the problem truly is. If you live in an area even slightly populated with people, it's happening there. It's happening here. Everyone has their own story and although it's tragic it's important that we include everyone and not just focus on the news stories that have made the front page. Unfortunately, the media focuses on the most "interesting" stories; the ones that people will pay to read about. We don't need that here.

If you look at the front page of this blog, you can see that our email address is roe3blogspot@gmail.com. We encourage you to contact us about things going on in your area; the good and the bad. We want to hear your stories of the traffickers and the organizations put in place to stop them.

With your help, we can cover even more ground and bring more victims into the light.

Domestic Trafficking: The Silent Slaves

Imagine yoou're a poor immigrant with no job prospects and an uncertain future. Would you take a job as a maid? I would. I'm sure most people would if they were offered a visa and free food and housing. Anyone would want to think that these people who hire domestic servants are doing it out of the kindness of their hearts. 

Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. Now imagine they've taken all your identification papers and locked you in their home. Imagine they've given you a small mattress in the attic to sleep on and only let you eat the food they don't finish off their plates; food you cooked for them. Imagine day and night you clean the entire home and sometimes take care of the children. Imagine you've been promised pay for this work but for some reason your paycheck keeps being delayed. Imagine your new "employers" tell you if you try to run away from the house that you'll be arrested as an illegal immigrant. Who would want to leave?

The thing about moving to a new country is that it's terrifying. You don't know anyone, you don't know where to look for a job; all you want is to get out of the poverty-stricken or violence-stricken place you were before. Even if this job is paying you imaginary money for real, tangible work that makes you sick and exhausted, the hope that comes from it may be worth more to you than having to go back to your country where things seemed much worse. 

Unfortunately, many of these people don't realize they're slaves or that the situation they're in is wrong. They may try to justify their situation because they either find it much better than where they came from or they don't think anyone will be able to help theme escape even if they wanted to. 

Yes, places like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuwait are currently under fire for domestic slavery; but it doesn't just happen there. You'll notice that the more American the problem is, the less American articles are written about it. The closest you can generally find now are statistics; hardly any stories. Statistics are great, but they don't give you the face and personality that real peoples' stories can. 

Luckily, The White House's .gov website does care, and as far as we can tell from that link, they appear to actually be making efforts to end it. 

Even though they are making efforts, and the problem continues to decrease every day, our work is far from over. Pay attention to the homes in your area, especially if you live in a heavily populated or heavily wealthy area. There could be slaves behind closed doors you never would have guessed about. 

Don't Be A Victim: Your Self-Esteem is Your Strongest Weapon

As uncomfortable as it is to think about, 1.2 million children are trafficked every year around the world, and that's only the number that is reported. Countless other children and teens are either targeted for or already victims of trafficking and traffickers. With numbers that high, there's a very good chance you could find yourself a target; adult or not. Sex traffickers, generally referred to as pimps, look for able-bodied young people to make them money. Whether or not they're nice to you doesn't matter; if you're underage and you're performing sexual acts to make someone else money, you're a victim.

So, how did this happen? Why does no one see the danger that is definitely out there? Well, part of it is the language we use. I'm 17 years old myself, and I see jokes about someone being a pimp or someone else needing a sugar daddy all over the social media I have. The thing is, it's not all bad to have a dark sense of humor. Sugar daddy jokes are made for a good laugh. I appreciate that; usually, they're funny. The idea of having a boyfriend who can pay for everything you want and not be restrictive on what you do with your life other than escorting them to dinner sounds awesome. In some cases, it can be a job if you're over 18 and all parties consent. However, in most cases, the girls targeted for these situations are under 18.

Let's write a little story, which is in this particular case fictional, but which is a reality for thousands of girls across the U.S. A 15 year old girl has just shifted from being the big 8th grader to being the small nerdy freshman at her highschool, and she's scared. She has acne, she's gaining weight in places she wishes she wouldn't, and her social anxiety is at an all-time high. Then, all of a sudden, she meets a senior. He's smooth, casual, and appears to be very rich based on the fact that he always has hundreds in his wallet when they're hanging out at school. One day the boy tells her that he makes his money running a modeling page on Facebook which features advertisements. All she has to do is take pictures of herself in different outfits and send them to him to upload to the page, and he'll pay her a percentage of what he makes on ad revenue.

She's confused. She's not pretty; definitely not modeling material. How could she possibly make him any money, and in turn, make herself any money? He offers here a ride home, and she takes it. On the way, he explains to her that he think's she's gorgeous. She's truly the most beautiful girl he's ever seen, and he thinks she'll make the most money of all the models on his page. He "confesses" to her that she's the first girl he's ever offered this to that he actually liked, and didn't just find pretty. After that day, they start dating. They begin to hang out together outside of school all the time. Sometimes, they skip school and do photo shoots in his house.

One of the days she's skipped school to be at his house taking photos, another, slightly older boy enters. While her boyfriend is 18, this older boy looks to be around 23. He says he's going to a party and that they should come, too. The girl's boyfriend tells her that he'd really love it if she could come; that he wants to introduce his beautiful girlfriend to all his best friends. Excited and a little nervous, she follows.

But they never make it to the party.

Instead, as soon as she gets into the back seat, a cloth bag is pulled over her head and her boyfriend is holding her to the floor of the car. She tries to scream, but he tells her just to play it cool, that this is part of the anonymity of getting into the party. She lays still even as they drive for miles, hours, across the border of the state, and eventually, to a building. The building is a brothel.

So, how can you avoid being caught in this trap?

• Be aware. It's easy to think, "My boyfriend would never do that to me. He loves me." This new person in your life could very well be trustworthy, but look out for signs that he may be alienating you from your friends on purpose. Also look out for signs of him making money illegally, or trying to lure you to secluded places far away from home. Another sign is if no one takes your relationship seriously but you. Sex Traffickers don't have one girl that they sleep with regularly; they sleep with the same girls they sell. Don't let yourself be one of them.
• Gender doesn't matter. Although victims are often seen as female and traffickers as male, gender really doesn't play a part. Young boys should be just as wary, especially boys under the age of 13. If an older person appears to only hang out with you or other younger people, stay away from them. They probably don't have good intentions if they're choosing not to have any friends their age. 
• If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. These people will tell you you can make lots of money doing the job they've set up for you. They'll tell you you don't even have to get naked; all you have to do is model. They may try to get you to go to strip clubs with them or meet other girls that "work" for them. Do more investigation before blindly taking a job that you presume will make you wealthy.

This happens too often to ignore. If you're in a situation that seems sketchy, consider how an extremely confident person would react. Consider how to fight back and avoid dangerous situations, and know when to ask for help. Your family and friends exist to keep you safe. 

Black Friday Shopping: How Can You Reduce Your Human Trafficking Footprint? (And an Apology)

Today I want to start with an apology specifically from myself, Lydia Taylor. Several days ago, I began this exact post and at one point I accidentally closed the page and it was deleted forever. I was so frustrated I gave up on it entirely for a few days. That's no excuse; and I plan to continue updating every day (at least every week day) for the foreseeable future. Human Trafficking is an issue that goes beyond daily annoyance and I should've had better willpower than I had in that moment. So, if you're still with us, thank you, and prepare to see a new post every day from now on!

Now for our real topic: Black Friday. Everyone loves a good sale, and Black Friday is the one day a year when we are guaranteed to find one no matter where we go to shop. So, it might be easy to head to every store in our town looking for deals; but are we feeding slavery in the process?

It's not a fun thing to think about; that your cheap clothing and electronics were most likely touched by slaves. None of us want to think that simply by being consumers in America we're contributing to the human trafficking plague. However, it's a tragic fact that we need to be more careful which companies we buy from or people less fortunate than us may pay the price.

Let's use Wal-Mart, for example. This one may not come as a surprise to most of you; which is why it's a little disheartening that so many people still shop there. If you watch John Oliver like I do, or follow the news in a different way, you'll have probably heard about Wal-Mart's scandals with factories which make the clothes they sell really being sweatshops filled with slaves in 3rd world countries. You may also have heard that these factories seem like they came straight out of early 1900s America; no fire escapes, windows, etc.  The question here is: how did Walmart react to those claims? Basically, they pretended to have no part in it. They said the factories had not been approved by Wal-Mart. Why is this questionable? The clothes being made in these factories were being shipped to and sold by several Wal-Mart stores; how could that have happened if the factories were not approved? Another fishy fact in the hunt for answers was that there were floor plans of the buildings which showed fire escapes. However, the fire escapes straight up didn't exist. Reporters followed the plans to find them; and found nothing but wall and slavery.

So, Wal-Mart is out, and that might have already put a big gap in your shopping plans for that great day of spending which ironically comes soon after the day for being thankful for what we already have. Does this mean your day has been ruined? Surely not! My biggest advice is to head to secondhand stores which may have some sales of their own while also being cheap to begin with and having no affiliation with the stores the items they carry came from. Even if, say, a T-Shirt at your local resale shop came from Wal-Mart, that shirt no longer makes Wal-Mart money. Another thing I like to do is shop online and then do some quick Googling to make sure my online shopping cart isn't messy. Amazon is a good option as long as you check to see which parent company Amazon is selling the product for. You can also go onto smaller websites; such as online stores specifically for funny T-shirts or nerdy pop culture merchandise that is for-sure made by the owners or a small group of well-paid workers by those owners. Youtubers such as John and Hank Green and Jennamarbles also tend to have Black Friday sales, so check up on your favorite social media celebrities to see if they're selling anything on their websites. Big-name celebrities can still have affiliation with human trafficking, but again, a quick Google search can help you avoid that.

Thanks for staying with our project, and happy shopping!

Your Human Trafficking Footprint: Thanksgiving

With the holidays approaching fast, it might be easy to overlook Thanksgiving and Black Friday. However, they'll still come and go before the gift-giving ensues, and most of us will find ourselves sitting around a table with family or friends fighting over the last piece of turkey, the last spoonful of mashed potatoes, or even the last dinner roll.

It's easy for us to give thanks for these things, but we don't always consider how much others had to work to get them to us (and no, I don't mean the worker who stayed over late on Thanksgiving to sell you that last minute pumpkin pie, although they should be appreciated, too). What we're going to look into in this article is the sad truth about who's doing the dirty work that eventually turns into the delicious food we dig into at our dinner tables (sorry for the holiday downer 2 days in a row, but this is a human trafficking blog. Go to Pinterest if you want cute ideas for how to decorate your table). For the purpose of this list, we're going to list the food, with a link for further information on what the problem is all about. To see a full list of products to watch out for by country, click here (this list includes clothing and other products). 

• Alcoholic Beverages
• Baked Goods
• Beef
• Broccoli
• Cashews
• Citrus Fruits
• Chili Peppers
• Cocoa
• Coffee
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Garlic
• Green Beans
• Oil (food oils)
• Olives
• Onions
• Peanuts
• Pepper
• Pineapples
• Potatoes
• Poultry
• Salt
• Soybeans
• Sugarcane
• Tea
• Tomatoes
• Wheat
• Zinc