Day 15: Anti-Human Trafficking charities: A21, Not for Sale, Hope for Justice, Human Rights Watch

This post is a little different.  My husband and I were chatting about civil rights and he mentioned that a radio show he listens to said that we didn't abolish slavery, we just exported it.  (It also noted that more black men are employed in jail than employed outside of jail, which is crazy, but a discussion for another time).  Then an online friend recommended I donate to an anti-human trafficking non-profit, and I found out that January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month.  So instead of highlighting one organization, I am sharing four non-profits that are making strides in prevention, awareness, legislative change, prosecution and survivor counseling.  All of these organizations accept microdonations and have multiple ways to get involved (see below).  The Huffington Post has a very eye-opening infographic about the breadth of human trafficking.  They report that there are more people involved enslaved than at any point in history. (Click graphic to see larger version.)

I was disheartened to know that there were less than 5,000 human trafficking convictions worldwide every year.  That's crazy.  Even crazier?  The Superbowl is apparently a massive human trafficking magnet.

What can you do?  Non-financial ways to raise awareness and help include taking a survey of how many slaves are involved in your purchases and read this brief article about how to identify possible trafficking victims and what to do if you identify one (especially important if you work in at a hotel or restaurant, or travel abroad).  Also please donate to one of the charities below, if you can.


A21 works to prevent human trafficking, support victims and prosecute trafficking criminals.

To learn more, click here.

To donate, click here.


Human Rights Watch identifies and catalogs human rights abuses around the world, shedding light on issues in developed and developing countries.

To learn more, click here.

To donate, click here.


Hope for Justice works to end human trafficking as well as rescuing and counseling victims.  They also train 'frontline professionals' like hotel workers and police on how to identify potential victims.

To learn more, click here.

To donate, click here.


Not for Sale rescues trafficking victims, provides shelter, care and counseling as well as job and educational opportunities.

To learn more, click here.

To donate, click here.


Thank you for reading this far.  This January challenge was meant to be a fun, interesting way to find new charities to support and provide some publicity for them.  But researching these anti-trafficking organizations (and the many other great groups working on this issue) made this suddenly seem real, and important, if I can help spread awareness of human trafficking.  While I was aware that human trafficking was an issue, I wasn't aware of how prevalent it was in the US, how many industries it pervades and how much of my daily life leads back to people who did not choose to be making my jeans or electronics.  This has been a truly eye-opening day for me.


Follow along with my challenge here on the blog or on Twitter with the hash tag #30daysofcharity.  New to the blog?  Click here to learn more about my January charity challenge.

Want me to see if your favorite organization accepts microdonations, or want me to feature it?   Post a comment below.