31 Days to Becoming an Abolitionist {Day Seven} Reporting Trafficking

Welcome!  Before you read this post will you please do one thing?  Grab your cell phone and add the National Trafficking Hotline as a contact.

As I said in yesterday's post, each of us will have a different role to play as an abolitionist. Every role is necessary. Education and awareness are only useful if the end result is people being rescued from slavery, demand diminishing, and trafficking being unprofitable.  

Termites can destroy your house if they are left undetected.  They cause billions of dollars in damage every year.  Getting rid of termites is very complicated and requires special skills - in almost every case you need a professional.  

However, before you even know to call a professional, you have to know you have termites.  According to the University of Kentucky College of Ag, "Termites are cryptic creatures and infestations can go undetected for years, hidden behind walls, floor coverings, insulation, and other obstructions."

What does this mean?  Homeowners should be educated:

• To be aware of what a termite colony will do
• To understand what a termite looks like
• To recognize the signs of an infestation
• To know who to call immediately 

Slavery is also very cryptic.  The victims exist in this world with those of us that are free.  I can imagine that every enslaved human being has been in some sort of contact with an every-day citizen at least once during their enslavement.  Someone sees them, but they don't understand what they are seeing.  Someone recognizes that something seems off but they're not sure what it is or what to do about it.  Although not all of us will see human trafficking in our presence, some abolitionist's roles will be to see the enslaved person, recognize them as enslaved / trafficked, and report what they've seen to the police or to the National Trafficking Hotline number.

Awareness and Education are important to teach people:

• The definition of Human Trafficking
• The signs that someone is being trafficked / enslaved
• The ways that people can be trafficked / enslaved
• Who to call if they suspect or recognize trafficking / slavery

Just as with the termites -  Every bullet point is important; if you know what they look like, and you can recognize the damage being done, it won't make a difference if you don't call a professional and let them stop the crime.   In the next few posts, we'll look at some more specifics about signs and types of slavery.  

Please add the Polaris Project's National Human Trafficking Hotline number to your cell phone 

1 - 888 - 373 - 7888

Consider asking one other person you know to do this as well.  

The Polaris Project website has a tremendous amount of information. Please click over and check them out.

Let us know in the comments if you've ever called the hotline number or know someone who has.  I have a post coming up with more details about the number, examples of calls, and The Polaris Project in general. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!